Isekai Ni Kita Boku Wa Kiyoubinbode Subaya Sa Tabi c1-365

Isekai ni Kita Boku wa
Kiyoubinbode Subaya-sa Tayorina

Tabi o Suru
Kamifuusen
Source: https://noveltrench.com/manga/isekai-ni-kita-boku-wa-
kiyoubinbode-subaya-sa-tayorina-tabi-o-suru/
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Isekai ni Kita Boku wa Kiyoubinbode Subaya-sa
Tayorina Tabi o Suru c1-365
1. Volume 1
1. chapter 1
2. chapter 2
3. chapter 3
4. chapter 4
5. chapter 5
6. chapter 6
7. chapter 7
8. chapter 8
9. chapter 9
10. chapter 10
11. chapter 11
12. chapter 12
13. chapter 13
14. chapter 14
15. chapter 15
16. chapter 16
17. chapter 17
18. chapter 18
19. chapter 19
20. chapter 20
21. chapter 21
22. chapter 22
23. chapter 23
24. chapter 24
25. chapter 25
26. chapter 26
27. chapter 27
28. chapter 28
29. chapter 29
30. chapter 30
31. chapter 31
32. chapter 32
33. chapter 33
34. chapter 34
35. chapter 35
36. chapter 36
37. chapter 37
38. chapter 38
39. chapter 39
40. chapter 40
41. chapter 41
42. chapter 42
43. chapter 43
44. chapter 44
45. chapter 45
46. chapter 46
47. chapter 47
48. chapter 48
49. chapter 49
50. chapter 50
51. chapter 51
52. chapter 52
53. chapter 53
54. chapter 54
55. chapter 55
56. chapter 56
57. chapter 57
58. chapter 58
59. chapter 59
60. chapter 60
61. chapter 61
62. chapter 62
63. chapter 63
64. chapter 64
65. chapter 65
66. chapter 66
67. chapter 67
68. chapter 68
69. chapter 69
70. chapter 70
71. chapter 71
72. chapter 72
73. chapter 73
74. chapter 74
75. chapter 75
76. chapter 76
77. chapter 77
78. chapter 78
79. chapter 79
80. chapter 80
81. chapter 81
82. chapter 82
83. chapter 83
84. chapter 84
85. chapter 85
86. chapter 86
87. chapter 87
88. chapter 88
89. chapter 89
90. chapter 90
91. chapter 91
92. chapter 92
93. chapter 93
94. chapter 94
95. chapter 95
96. chapter 96
97. chapter 97
98. chapter 98
99. chapter 99
100. chapter 100
2. Volume 2
1. chapter 101
2. chapter 101.1
3. chapter 102
4. chapter 103
5. chapter 104
6. chapter 105
7. chapter 106
8. chapter 107
9. chapter 108
10. chapter 109
11. chapter 110
12. chapter 111
13. chapter 112
14. chapter 113
15. chapter 114
16. chapter 115
17. chapter 116
18. chapter 117
19. chapter 118
20. chapter 119
21. chapter 120
22. chapter 121
23. chapter 122
24. chapter 123
25. chapter 124
26. chapter 125
27. chapter 126
28. chapter 127
29. chapter 128
30. chapter 129
31. chapter 130
32. chapter 131
33. chapter 132
34. chapter 133
35. chapter 134
36. chapter 135
37. chapter 136
38. chapter 137
39. chapter 138
40. chapter 139
41. chapter 140
42. chapter 141
43. chapter 142
44. chapter 143
45. chapter 144
46. chapter 145
47. chapter 146
48. chapter 147
49. chapter 148
50. chapter 149
51. chapter 150
52. chapter 151
53. chapter 152
54. chapter 153
55. chapter 154
56. chapter 155
57. chapter 156
58. chapter 157
59. chapter 157.1
60. chapter 158
61. chapter 159
62. chapter 160
63. chapter 161
64. chapter 162
65. chapter 163
66. chapter 164
67. chapter 165
68. chapter 166
69. chapter 167
70. chapter 168
71. chapter 169
72. chapter 170
73. chapter 171
74. chapter 172
75. chapter 173
76. chapter 174
77. chapter 175
78. chapter 176
79. chapter 177
80. chapter 178
81. chapter 179
82. chapter 180
83. chapter 181
84. chapter 182
85. chapter 183
86. chapter 184
87. chapter 185
88. chapter 186
89. chapter 187
90. chapter 188
91. chapter 189
92. chapter 190
93. chapter 191
94. chapter 192
95. chapter 193
96. chapter 194
97. chapter 195
98. chapter 196
99. chapter 197
100. chapter 198
3. Volume 3
1. chapter 199
2. chapter 200
3. chapter 201
4. chapter 202
5. chapter 203
6. chapter 204
7. chapter 205
8. chapter 206
9. chapter 207
10. chapter 208
11. chapter 209
12. chapter 210
13. chapter 212
14. chapter 213
15. chapter 214
16. chapter 215
17. chapter 216
18. chapter 217
19. chapter 218
20. chapter 219
21. chapter 220
22. chapter 221
23. chapter 222
24. chapter 223
25. chapter 224
26. chapter 225
27. chapter 226
28. chapter 227
29. chapter 228
30. chapter 229
31. chapter 230
32. chapter 231
33. chapter 232
34. chapter 233
35. chapter 234
36. chapter 235
37. chapter 236
38. chapter 237
39. chapter 238
40. chapter 239
41. chapter 240
42. chapter 241
43. chapter 242
44. chapter 243
45. chapter 244
46. chapter 245
47. chapter 246
48. chapter 247
49. chapter 248
50. chapter 249
51. chapter 250
52. chapter 251
53. chapter 252
54. chapter 253
55. chapter 254
56. chapter 255
57. chapter 256
58. chapter 257
59. chapter 258
60. chapter 259
61. chapter 260
62. chapter 261
63. chapter 262
64. chapter 263
65. chapter 264
66. chapter 265
67. chapter 266
68. chapter 267
69. chapter 268
70. chapter 269
71. chapter 270
72. chapter 271
73. chapter 272
74. chapter 273
75. chapter 274
76. chapter 275
77. chapter 276
78. chapter 277
79. chapter 278
80. chapter 279
81. chapter 280
82. chapter 281
83. chapter 282
84. chapter 283
85. chapter 284
86. chapter 285
87. chapter 286
88. chapter 287
89. chapter 288
90. chapter 289
91. chapter 290
92. chapter 291
93. chapter 292
94. chapter 293
95. chapter 294
96. chapter 295
97. chapter 296
98. chapter 297
99. chapter 298
100. chapter 299
4. Volume 4
1. chapter 300
2. chapter 301
3. chapter 302
4. chapter 303
5. chapter 304
6. chapter 305
7. chapter 306
8. chapter 307
9. chapter 308
10. chapter 309
11. chapter 310
12. chapter 311
13. chapter 312
14. chapter 313
15. chapter 314
16. chapter 315
17. chapter 316
18. chapter 317
19. chapter 318
20. chapter 319
21. chapter 320
22. chapter 321
23. chapter 322
24. chapter 323
25. chapter 324
26. chapter 325
27. chapter 326
28. chapter 327
29. chapter 328
30. Chapter 329
31. Chapter 330
32. Chapter 331
33. Chapter 332
34. Chapter 333
35. Chapter 334
36. Chapter 335
37. Chapter 336
38. Chapter 337
39. Chapter 338
40. Chapter 339
41. Chapter 340
42. Chapter 341
43. Chapter 342
44. Chapter 343
45. Chapter 344
46. Chapter 345
47. Chapter 346
48. Chapter 347
49. Chapter 348
50. Chapter 349
51. Chapter 350
52. Chapter 351
53. Chapter 352
54. Chapter 353
55. Chapter 354
56. Chapter 355
57. Chapter 356
58. Chapter 357
59. Chapter 358
60. Chapter 359
61. Chapter 360
62. Chapter 361
63. Chapter 362
64. Chapter 363
65. Chapter 364
chapter 1
That day I was working my part time job to earn some income. Working late
at night at the front of a convenience store. Starting my s.h.i.+ft at 22:00, my
job was very simple. Other than when a customer brings merchandise to me,
it’s mostly just cleaning. Shelves, toilet, and various machines. After working
for a long time, my body remembers the simple tasks so I can finish them
relatively quickly.
That day was just the same.
After the night becomes late, the sound in front of the store disappears. There
were just the three colours of light from the traffic lights, and sometimes a car
would pa.s.s by with a little too much speed. I had cleaned the store to some
extent and could see some garbage in the parking lot which I put into a
garbage bag with my fire tongs, and was wandering around a bit.
Is the inside of the store alright?
No problems. No customers. After 3 in the morning, people are really few.

Around 2 o’clock there are some people who browse the new releases of
some weekly published magazines but, h.e.l.lo Tuesday. It’s the day of little
enthusiasm in that department, as no new magazines are released.
I continued to pick up garbage to some extent, and bent my back to gaze

towards the sky. Looks like the stars of the Summer Triangle were
s.h.i.+ning. h.e.l.lo clear weather… although the Sun’s not out yet. I
continued to gaze at the sky without forgetting to pick up the garbage.
From the corner of my view, I saw the figure of a person standing in the
shadow of the street lamp.
Aaaaah……!! Eh, I wasn’t mistaken was I?
I turn my head to go back inside the store. There was no one around after
looking a third time. That scared me a little too much.
I entered the shop and made a straight line to the s.p.a.ce behind the cash
register, before entering a position to watch the security camera footage from
before. I operate the mouse to bring the footage of the parking lot to full
screen. It shows me from before doing a beautiful job of cleaning. Not one
piece of trash left.
While I was cleaning the trash, a human figure starts to walk down the
sidewalk.
My eyes freeze with understanding. It’s that guy from before. He’s on a
course to enter the store. I change the view on the monitor to show 4
part.i.tions, and after all, see that figure displayed entering the store. No
matter the guy, a customer is a customer.
「Welcomeー good eveningー」
My legs tremble as I give my usual greeting. There are many people late at
night who get irritated when their drowsiness is at MAX. The trick is that
giving a prompt greeting will give those people stimulation, preventing them
from appearing stupid. There are some people who don’t like that. However,
having the experience to serve the type of people who tend to flip out by
giving a loose greeting is something that our company finds effective.
Such an out of place thought went through my head as I stood behind the
register. In a typical manner, the frightening customer comes straight to the
cash register without stopping. In that case, from numerous possibilities I
could narrow this situation down to a single pattern. Someone who is looking
for something. Someone who wants something from behind the cash register.
Then,
「If you don’t want to die then be quiet. Inside the register, take out all the
money inside the register」
It’s a convenience store robbery.
My mind stops. A short. Eh? What?
「Did you not hear me? Take out the money」

My throat was blocked preventing my voice from coming out. Since some
time ago my legs were trembling, then up through my back, my arms, hands,
and finally my head.
「U…..m….., wha, eh?」
「The money. From the register and back counter, bring it to me. If you don’t
want to be hurt then bring it to me quickly.」
Even if you tell me that customer, or not, dude your hand. Grasped in his
hand was a ma.s.sive knife. If he had a gun I wouldn’t have felt a firm sense
of reality, and would have been able to laugh and pat the shoulder of the man
without trembling. But the knife was s.h.i.+ning under the dull store lighting
setting off my warning bells. That this was neither dream nor imagination
was something I could clearly understand.
There’s nothing to be done. There’s no way to go against him. I open the cash
register with my shaking hands. I take out three types of bills and present
them to the man.
「There’s a safe in the back right? That too.」
But the vault’s pa.s.sword is something that the manager has. I don’t know it.
「The, mana…ger, has the pa.s.sword. I, don’t know it.」
「Tch… Move.」
I’m pushed to the side by the robber. With the momentum from his push I hit
the cigarette shelves and scatter the new merchandise.
The robber invades behind the counter, and roughly opens the sliding door
into the neighboring room before spreading out files around the safe in search
of something. Probably, he’s looking through the files hoping to find the
pa.s.scode written down somewhere, or something like that. I watch this
scene while standing stock still behind the cash register along with the
scattered cigarettes.
It probably won’t be long. The robber looks at me with eyes filled with the
intent to kill. Scary, scary, scary!
「You piece of… that’s enough. I have no more business with you. Now die.」
At that moment, I didn’t know what had happened. The first thing I noticed
was the fever. My stomach became incredibly hot. My field of vision became
neither white nor black, the world changing into a negative image, with the
only thing before my eyes being the face of the robber before me. Eyes filled
with powerful killing intent and laughter. I lower my vision as quickly as
possible.
The heat source from before was a knife sticking out of my abdomen.
「Ah…., gu, a……a……lie……」
「It’s a lie. You saw my face, so you have to die. 」
My uniform was covered in blood. The robber’s face drew back in a grin,
before he hit me with a sharp kick.
「Gyaaa!!」
I reflexively let out my voice. You little…. Kicking the handle of the knife….
I fall to the floor at my wits end. In that case, I grab some cigarettes and
throw them.
「Tch……Be a hindrance will you.」
The robber steps on me and escapes to in front of the register. With no

strength to follow, I slowly move my arms while covered in cigarettes to
touch the handle of the knife. Down by my stomach I couldn’t feel that hilt,
or guard portion that I had seen earlier. It seems like it was entirely embedded
in my stomach.
This is it……No help can save me now…….
Feelings of resignation begin to take over my body. If that happens then it’s
already over. I don’t have motivation to do anything.
I close my eyelids and my vision turns black.
Ah……This, is this the end…… to take out lots of money for post secondary
school, to get a job working in a good position, giving it my best to support
that through this late night part time work. Sleeping through the day, day
after day trying to pay off my scholars.h.i.+p. How pathetic……more……I
wanted to do lots of things, but like this……this and that, just cut into dust.
I thought I would have had a better life…….
Gradually my consciousness faded. My limbs felt incredibly hot.
『The wish to be summoned has been confirmed. Unique Skill 《Jack of all
Trades》Granted』
What was that……? Just now was someone saying some incredibly rude
words…?
Ahh……mou, it’s useless……my consciousness……
Someone……
chapter 2
A coldness like the air in front of the station stings my skin. I wonder, what’s
this moist feeling? It moistens my skin, but also makes it feel itchy. What’s
with this?
While half asleep, I open my eyes. I see gra.s.s. Gra.s.s? Not understanding
the meaning, I slowly raise my body and look at my surroundings.
When I came to my senses, there was a green hill covered in smoky fog.
「What……the? Where is…… this place?」
Right, before this I was supposed to be in a convenience store. Together with

a robber. Remembering up to that point, I hurriedly rolled up my uniform to
look at my abdomen. However, the knife that I expected to be there was not,
to make matters worse the knife that had cut through my uniform had left no
wound. I don’t understand. I don’t understand, but……something does come
to mind. That voice from before. It said ‘summoning target’.
Basically someone or something, for reasons I don’t understand, decided to

summon me. It’s like in the novels I read back when I was in school.
Transferred to another world.
It’s something like that, right? Something took pity on me for being stabbed
by the robber, and as consolation summoned me to another world or
something……?
Well, it would be pretty embarra.s.sing if this turned out to be the j.a.panese

countryside. In that case, it would be more like a horror though…….
For the time being, I have to do something. I wonder if it’s early

morning…… it does feel like morning. I can’t just stay here forever.
Fortunately, the mist is gradually clearing up.
「The morning fog……」
How did I, 『Kamiyas.h.i.+ro Asagi』get thrown here without any

explanation? Without understanding the whys or hows, I go down the hill.
Beyond the short gra.s.s plain, I see a forest.
「A forest……」
Forest. If this really is another world, then those guys are probably here.
Monsters.
If those guys attack then I won’t be able to resist. If that’s the case then I’ll
need a weapon. If I find a suitable stick in the forest I’ll manage. Luckily in
my pocket, there’s a box cutter I’d been using to cut the cords off the recently
delivered magazines. But my cellphone was left in the office. c.r.a.p. Well, I
can sharpen a stick from the forest into a spear.
Luckily I had a box cutter in my pocket that I was using to cut the cords off
of the recently delivered magazines. Shoot. I left my cellphone in the office.
Yosh, I’d better hurry go. They will not wait for me.
I promptly walked to the forest.
As I walked atop the fluffy fallen leaves, I found a pointed rock and searched
for a thin piece of wood.
After a bit of walking, I found a good sized tree growing out of the ground.
It’s thickness settled nicely in my grasp. Using the stone I’d picked up, I hit
the roots. The sound of rock hitting wood reverberated throughout the forest.
It’s making me a bit nervous…
After countless strikes, the tree slowly fell over. I held the box cutter in my
hand and used it to prune all the small branches that were in the way. The
trick is to cut a line in the same spot repeatedly. Then, using the back of the
box cutter, file away the cut branch stubs. This doesn’t make it smooth, but
it’s easy to hold. Finally, I sharpen the tip into a spearhead and viola, the
stick is reborn as a spear.
「Yosh…… it’s done.」
As I look at the spear in my hands, I think. Just before I died, I heard a voice
saying ‘granting Unique Skill 《Jack of all Trades, Master of None》’. I bet
that it’s thanks to that that I was able to that that I was able to do
woodworking so easily. Well…… It’s no use just thinking about it……. I
prepare to test the spear.
「Eh……!?」
At that moment, the motions of a spear thrust rose to the surface of my mind.
It was like watching the security footage on the monitor behind the counter,
having 4 part.i.tions each showing a different angle. All of them combined
into one perfect image of me going through the motions of a spear thrust. I
mimic them, stepping my feet into position, and thrust the spear.
「Fu-……!」
An audible sound of the air splitting is released along with the sharp spear
thrust. This is, as I thought. Before this, I’ve never held a spear. I do one
more powerful thrust, a perfectly straight attack without any waiver.
That must be it, this confirms the ability of my unique skill.
《Jack of all Trades, Master of None》is probably a skill that makes it so I can
decently use any object I hold, even without ever having touched it before.
In that case, the ‘Jack of all Trades’ part is great, right? ‘Master of None’ on
the other hand worries me…. Perhaps it means I can use anything but never
improve?
That’s too bad. There are Skills in this world. That means there’s probably
Status as well. Although I’ve yet to see anything to indicate so yet, perhaps
I’m also able to use magic. I take a second to try raising the methods for
magic use in my mind, but nothing is working. In that case, I should go
investigate this somewhere, somewhere like a town.
……Right, a town. I should aim for a town. This is another world, so that
means there should be lots of Adventurer like people, and a Guild like
a.s.sociation. That’s just my fantasy though.
At that moment, there was a sound from behind me. A Monster? I slowly turn
my head.
「Gugyururu……」
「Uwa……」
Standing behind me was a humanoid Monster. Its skin was green, ears
pointed and had crooked teeth peeking out from its mouth. Its arms and legs
were short, and it’s claws, sharp. Its lower body was covered to a sorry
degree by a loincloth.
I understand, this guy…… is a Goblin.
「Gugyaaaa!!」
The Goblin let out a war cry and raised its worn out Nata above its head.
「Wa, wawa-……!!」
I hold my spear in preparation and run at it with vigor as the Goblin swings
down its Nata. Hurriedly, I jump to dodge but feel a pain in my leg.
「It’s, a lie……」
My trouser cuff was cut halfway down. The inside of my leg was dripping
with red blood. It’s just a scratch I know, but it hurts.
「c.r.a.p!!」
After it took a glance at my leg, I see a smirk form on the face of the Goblin.
I think that its face is that of someone only looking at food. Shoot, yeah right
I’ll be killed like this!
「Gyagyagyagya!!」
「Eat this!!」
Once again I run towards the Goblin raising its Nata, and thrust my spear. I
move following the image projected inside my head by the Skill correction.
The tip of the spear runs straight into the Goblin’s abdomen. It’s a little
indescribable aiming to stab it in the abdomen after being stabbed in my own
abdomen.
Quick stab, quick stab. The spear tip is soaked by green blood.
「Ha……Gya……a.」
The raised Nata in its hand is dropped. The Goblins hands try to reach the
spear, but cannot reach it. The Nata slides atop the fallen leaves and comes to
a rest against the roots of a tree.
The blood of the Goblin steadily streams out as the Goblin slowly crumples
on the ground. Now that that guy is laying face down on the gra.s.s, I take the
chance and aim my spear.
「This is…… the end!」
I pierce its head with the spear. As the Goblin lays on the ground convulsing
I step on its back and extract the spear. Instantly, blood squirts out as if from
a water gun, the leg that I was pinning it down with got speckled with green.
「Haa, Haa……」
That…… that was my first kill, huh……. It feels a little unpleasant. Like a
j.a.panese person, after all, I end up thinking that it was『Justified Self-
Defence』. I’d never even killed any animals in my life. Suddenly having to
take the life of monsters, it’s fine, come.
However, I’ve also died once before. I don’t ever want to die again. I don’t
have any choice but to live. I shake my head to clear out the negative
thoughts.
I remember the Nata that the goblin was holding. If I remember

correctly…… ah, here it is. Fallen next to the roots of this tree.
「Yo-koishou……uwa, it’s dirty…….Eh?」
At that moment, the usual image was reflected in my head. 4 part.i.tions play
a clip of holding the Nata above my head and swinging downwards. Well, as
expected there is no other more reliable form of attack. Reflected on camera
1, camera 2, camera 3, camera 4 are just different angles. That’s right. The
point of a sword is not for stabbing. If this was a full sword then the story
would change, but it’s fine for now. With the beaten up and b.l.o.o.d.y Nata
and the spear I carved with the box cutter, I continue on through the forest.
After a little while of walking, I’m now hiding in a thicket. Why am I hiding
you ask? The reason is on the other side of the thicket. I let out a small sigh
after confirming the situation by peeking through the gra.s.s.
「Gya-gyagya, Gugyuuuuu!」
「Gegyagyagyagya!」
「Gya-gya-gya!」
The Goblin I had previously defeated appeared again. A whole crowd of

them. It looks to be about 10 of them…….
This is the worst. I could use the spear and Nata, but against that number, it’s
just unreasonable. There’s no other way. I should just wait for the
opportunity and escape.
But it doesn’t seem that it’ll be so easy. The worst thing happens, and 1
Goblin approaches the thicket that I’m hiding in. Its nose is twitching as it
gradually approaches. Why? Do I smell……? Ah! The blood……! The
Goblin blood is luring it here!
「c.r.a.p……!」
I hurriedly try to shrink away. What should I do…… the Goblin is already
right before my eyes. There’s no time to set up any form.
chapter 3
Considering the time, it may have only been a few seconds. But in that time I
decided what to do. I resolved myself and held perfectly still to wait.
The Goblin, who was relying on its sense of smell, made it to the thicket from
before when I instantly stood up and aimed my spear at the Goblin’s thin
throat before thrusting. Whether it was magnificent or silly I know not.
However before the Goblin could even raise a finger, its throat was
beautifully pierced by the tip of my spear, taking its life. I then quickly
dragged the body of the dead Goblin into the thicket. Now there are 9 of them
left in the group.
Yosh…… somehow through this method I should be able to shave off a few
of them… no way it could actually go that smoothly. That much I
understood. Because the Goblin blood then began to flow.
「Gugyaa! Gugyagya!」
Those guys found out. But that outcome has already been arranged for. I pull
back the spear, grab the Goblin’s leg and flee in the opposite direction of the
group. With all my power, I pull away from the goblins until they are out of
sight. By the way, I used the Nata to remove the head of the Goblin. The
overflowing blood is spread across the ground, causing the odor from the
blood to fill the path I’m running. This reminds me of the time I had to chase
after shoplifters during my part time job for some reason.
But this is not the time to be remembering such a thing. Using the Nata, I dig
up some dirt from the path I ran. Thank goodness that the ground is made out
of easy to dig up fluffy hummus……. I cover the blood on my leg in the dirt
to mask the scent. Furthermore, I take that occasion to roll around on the
ground to make the dirt smell of my body odor. This will probably trick their
noses. Since the spear is covered in blood, I take it away. You saved me in
many ways. Thank you.
I change my direction of escape towards the foggy hill. While praying I
won’t run into a different monster on the way there, I start running again.
After running for a bit, I slow to a walk. To replace the spear I had thrown
away, I grab another stick. Now that I have a Nata, cutting it was a simple
task. But I can’t cut the tip while I’m walking, so I walk with it in the form of
a pole.
After 30 minutes of walking the forest is cut off, and I exit into the plain at
the foot of that hill. While watching my 6, I aim for the hill. I’ve come back
here…… compared to last time I was here my figure has completely
changed. Back then I was unarmed and clean, but now I have a pole and
Nata, and am covered in dirt. Based on the sun’s position, I’d say it’s about
noon. Around 5 or 6 hours have pa.s.sed huh…… unexpectedly, I might have
a really high adaptability.
First I should find a nice spot to sit and take a short rest. There’s nothing to
eat or drink. I’m tired~……. But I shouldn’t say that. Once my breathing is in
order I end my break, then survey the base of the hill. Right now there’s
absolutely no fog, so the view is perfect. In other words, I have no place to
hide. But if I were to now go down the hill, I might be able to hide from the
forest. It’s not scary now huh.
With the forest behind, I go down the hill. It looks like the plain continues for
a while. There’s no place to hide here either~ It’s easy for an enemy to find
me, but hard for me to find them. Well then, what should I do…….
It was at that time I saw something. There were two long lines with a gap
between them, in which were deep footsteps. Aren’t these wagon tracks? The
lines which carved the prairie dirt extended into the forest on both the left and
right. It traces a path avoiding the forest. This is a G.o.dsend! Because, if I
follow it I should arrive at a town. It’s just, which way is shorter? I don’t
know which direction is closer. That means that is is a critical situation.
Hmm-…… I’m worried…….
After about 5 minutes of thinking, with great pains, I chose the left path! And
so now I’m walking. Walking on a road is way better than stomping down
gra.s.s. Compared to walking on the plain, my speed is much higher.
Somehow I get that feeling that my speed is much higher than before.
Somehow, I wonder if I’m in a hurry.
After that, I have walked without rest. On a gradual slope, the sun is
descending behind my back. That means that I am currently walking towards
the east. The sun always sets in the west. a.s.suming this…… starting from
the hill the forest spreads out northward. I etch this information into my
mental map as I do nothing else but continue walking.
After just walk around of awhile, I notice that it’s already evening. It’s about
time to rest. Even if I say that I have nothing but my pole and Nata. After the
sun sets, it’s likely that monster activity will increase. Well then, what should
I do now……?
No, right now I don’t really have a choice. Right now there is a forest
spreading out before my eyes, and that forest has many trees growing. As far
as I can see there’s no safe spot huh. Somehow I already don’t want to enter
the forest, but to don’t want to just lie down on the prairie and wait for
morning either. I don’t feel like having morning wait for me.
I quickly decide what to do. The trick is to do everything quickly. I run

towards the forest and look around, confirming that there are no Goblins. A
certain tree catches my eye, or more specifically the vine wrapped around it
does. Using the Nata I cut the vine. I stuffed a nice rock in my clothes, and
wrapped the vine around my body. I also used the vine to wrap up the Nata
and pole. Next is- Ah, I wish I had a partner to watch my back during the
night. I search the border between the forest and prairie for a large tree with
thick branches. After a bit of wandering, I finally find it. This sucks, it’s
almost dark. I quickly climb the tree. I guess that all the tree climbing I did as
a kid is finally paying off. I aim for a nice branch I saw that didn’t look too
slippery and reached it.
After this, I need to carefully tie the vine around the rock. I stab the Nata into
the tree and lodge the pole in between its branches. I hold the rock between
my thighs and wrap the vine around it several times. It’s a natural rope. I’d
feel nervous about only 1 knot, but with 3 knots it becomes considerably
strong. With the fastening of the rock, my preparations are complete. I throw
the rope as hard as I can and wrap it around my body and the tree. After
several rotations, I tie off the rope at its original position.
Yos.h.!.+ Success! With this, I’m firmly tied to the tree and won’t be able to
fall!
I shake my body to confirm that the rope vine will not come undone, and
breathe a sigh of relief. The surrounding are already completely wrapped in
darkness. I can’t see anything anymore.
Then I start to think. Today was quite eventful. I encountered a robber, got
murdered, and when I came too, was in a different world. I had an easy
victory against a Goblin but hit my limit when faced with the group, having
to cover myself with mud and flee. After that, I did nothing but walk, and
now I’m in a tree.
Seriously, this is no joke. A transfer to another world is supposed to come

with more of a cheat and for no particular reason a harem right? Compared to
that, I’ve had nothing but misfortune. Poor me.
Well, after this. I should be able to manage if I make it to a town. This is my

long awaited different world that I came to through great pains, so I should
live in comfort.
I stare east into the darkness with hope in my chest, as I welcome my first
night in another world.
chapter 4
With a start, my eyes opened. It was still dark all around me. But there was a
moon in the sky that had not been there before. Three in fact. A blue moon, a
red moon, and a yellow moon. Each was different in size as they illuminated
the forest below. I looked down at the forest bathed in moonlight. It wasn’t
because I was cautious or had a bad feeling about anything. It’s this way I
was sleeping, it was incredibly terrible. The tightrope made of vines was
digging into my stomach…
But there was nothing I could do about it… It was not as if I could just move
along from here. And so I take the billhook, that I had stabbed in the tree and
started to cut off any branches that were in reach. These were quickly
wrapped around my body to make an instant ghillie suit. It was at least better
than being seen by anyone as I was before. Well, I suppose this was as good
as it was going to get… I lean my back against the tree once again. There was
really nothing else to do. I let out a sigh.
Staying awake just because I couldn’t sleep would have a negative impact on
the following day. A yawn escapes me as I think this. It was probably
because I was so tired, but the sleepiness had finally come. Without resisting,
I surrendered myself completely and was off to dreamland before I knew it.
I’m quite sure it was a dream where I had a chat with some regular customer
during my night s.h.i.+ft.
“M….aaa…it’s morning…”
Light poured from between the trees and hit me in the face. The sky I could
see through the cracks of the forest roof was blue and clear. Today would be
sunny. It was preferable to rain, but walking in the coverless plains on a hot
day was not going to be pleasant either. I would have liked a cloudy day. But
what good would my whining do? I untied the rope and wound it around my
waist. If I didn’t reach a town today, then I would be sleeping outdoors and in
a tree again. I couldn’t throw it away.
I removed the branches used for camouflage and took in my surroundings.
There did not seem to be any goblins about. This made me rather delighted as
I prepared to climb down the tree. The billhook too, was tied around my
waist with the rope and the spear was tossed from the tree as it would get in
the way while I was climbing down. Slowly, my feet extend towards the
ground, and all the while I can hear my backbone cracking. Hmm… It wasn’t
the best sound, healthwise, but it was refres.h.i.+ng to hear.
Now that I was refreshed, I picked up my spear and head back for the wheel
tracks.
Once I arrived, the walk continued much as it had yesterday. Only today, I
was determined to make it all the way. But there was nothing in my stomach.
I was hungry…if only I could arrive at the town before I fainted…
I wouldn’t be able to move if I stopped walking. I continued onward as if

running from my own fatigue. And then I suddenly heard the clean sounds of
something running. It was…water!
I went off the road and shoved my way through the bushes. What lay past
them was a small river that was about 30 cm in width. I crawled to the river
and washed my filthy hands until they were clean. After that, I scooped it up
in my hands and drank it all in one gulp.
“…AHHH! Delicious!”
The sensation of cold water running down your throat. It was good. I drank
the water until I was satisfied and lifted my face. This small river was
flowing towards the east, but it seemed to be coming not from the west, but
the southwest. I see, so this was the junction point with the wheel tracks.
Lucky for me. I would be able to travel alongside the river for quite some
time. Now, if only I had some food, then there would be no reason to
complain.
I listened to the sounds of rus.h.i.+ng water for several hours as I walked.

Around this time, the sun had reached its peak and was on its route towards
the horizon, I felt a strange presence. What? I p.r.i.c.k up my ears. The sound
of rus.h.i.+ng water. The sound of the wind caressing the plains. The sound
of faraway trees bending as they sway. And…a certain rustling and the sound
of movement through the gra.s.s.
Something was here.
I slowly hold the spear in one hand and reach for the billhook with the other.
The sound was coming from the south. It was from the other side of the river.
In that case, I would put some distance between me and the river and hide the
gra.s.s near the plains.
After a moment of waiting in the shadows, a dog… No, it was a wolf. It had a
light brown and ash colored fur that moved in the wind as it lapped at the
river water. Was this…an animal? Or a monster? I couldn’t tell. But the one
thing I was sure of, was that this guy could be food. Meat had appeared right
in front of me. I never thought the day would come where I would look at a
wolf and think that meat had arrived. But these were desperate times. I was
hungry. And so I would hunt.
chapter 5
In a craze, I bite, tear, chew and swallow. There is no salt or pepper here, just
the real taste of flesh. It reminds me of that time when I splurged my money
on payday by buying meat and cooking it in the morning, only to realize I
forgot the salt and pepper. At that time I was disappointed at it being
‘tasteless!’ but now it seemed delicious. Maybe hunger acted as a spice, or it
was just that wolf meat tasted great. Whatever the reason, it was incredible.
Before I knew it, the hind leg was nothing but bone.
Ahhhh…I am satisfied… Looking into the flickering flames started to make

me sleepy, but I could now allow myself to sleep now. There was still so
much to do. With my hunger satiated, I was now refreshed enough to think.
What did I need to do first? Put out the fire. I extinguish it by throwing sand
over the cinders. The next thing to do was to retrieve the meat I had sunken in
the river and wrap it in a wet t-s.h.i.+rt in order to carry it on my back. Then I
needed to get out of here as soon as possible.
There was a simple reason for why I was in a hurry. I did not want to repeat
my mistakes. The last time it was the smell of the blood from a goblin I had
killed. That was the cause of much misfortune. It was the reason I reeked of
dirt now.
Now it was a wolf that I had killed. It had likely been separated from its pack.
It was not likely that a wolf would be moving on its own like that. Unless it
was a lone wolf, but that seemed a little too convenient to be true. There were
no adjustments for being the protagonist. There must be a pack nearby. Even
if there wasn’t, there would be no harm in a.s.suming there was one and
acting accordingly. It had smelled so good. I don’t know if the smell would
have excited the wolves’ appet.i.tes, but it would surely make them
suspicious.
And so I would leave as soon as possible. There would be no resting after the
meal. I couldn’t see a future other than death in the event of being attacked by
a whole pack.
After finis.h.i.+ng preparations, I squat down low, with perked up ears and
observe my surroundings. I didn’t hear any rustling. Now was my chance!
Leaving the river behind me, I return to the wheel tracks. I am sure to head
towards the east as I jog ahead for a while. Ughh, this was going to mess up
my digestion…
Some time pa.s.ses after that. Fortunately, no monsters attacked me as I ate

the wolf meat and walked towards the east where there would surely be a
town. Partway, the river had curved off into a different direction. It was a
little lonely to have that soft sound of running water disappear. It was almost
like a companion to me on this journey. But I was alone. There was nothing
to do but walk on.
I walked for two days, but the forest never ended. It was clearly very vast. I
was constantly paranoid that someone was watching me between the trees,
but in the end, I had no choice but to sleep on the top of one of them. But
really, I was starting to get used to this life. I slept well at night. The morning
air tasted great.
It was now the fifth day, and the familiar scenery finally began to change
around me. The forest, which until now had only existed on my left started to
invade the front as well. The wheel tracks which had seemed to be avoiding
the forest, were now headed straight into it.
“Hmm, what could it mean…”
I was sure that it had been avoiding the forest because of the goblins. There
could be other monsters aside from goblins as well. So then why was it going
straight into the forest now? Well, it could only mean that the town was right
ahead. That’s why the tracks don’t bend to the south. If this town was in the
east, then I had no choice but to head right into the trees as well. But the
goblins were still fresh in my mind. If they attacked me again here…d.a.m.n,
that would be the worst.
But I couldn’t stay here. I had to go. You needed to decide quickly and
immediately in order to survive. I take down my spear and billhook. I’m
much lighter now that I’ve eaten all the wolf meat. Though, you could also
say that it meant there was no turning back. I tightened my belt and walked
towards the forest.
I noticed one thing after getting close. The wheel tracks were not just
recklessly plunging into the trees. The trees had been cut down around the
tracks. As far as I could see, there did not seem to be any trees blocking the
way. Apparently, people were maintaining a clear path here. The town must
be quite close now.
I stay cautious of my surroundings as I stand at the edge of the forest. With a

lick of my lips, I take the first step. I should reach the town as soon as I get
through this forest. Probably.
…Of course, that was not going to be the case. There were no advantages to
being the protagonist. I could already feel that there were eyes on me.
Multiple pairs from both the left and the right. My legs can’t stop moving. I
felt like I would be attacked the moment I stopped walking.
chapter 6
The Town in the Forest
“HEEEEELP MEEE!!”
It was a shameless, all-out cry for help. I screamed at the top of my lungs and
hoped there would be people near the entrance of the town. The wolves were
at my back and would pounce in any moment as I ran to the gates.
My prayers were answered. An old man wielding a spear jumped out from
behind the gates. The first person I met in this world. Town resident number
one!
“What is it!? What’s happened!?”
“Wolves!! WOLVESss!!”
I was in such a panic that I couldn’t form sentences. But that word was all
that was needed for the old man to realize. He quickly blew into the whistle
that was around his neck. Right then, six more men appeared from the other
side of the gate. Were they s.e.xtuplets? No.
“It’s a pack of forest wolves! A traveler is being attacked!”
“Hey, you! Over here! Come inside!”
You don’t have to ask twice! I trembled and nodded, then ran as fast as I
could. It felt like the sounds of the wolves were becoming distant. I kept my
momentum and rushed pa.s.sed the group of old men and tumbled through
the gates.
W, water…! My throat was so dry as I forced myself to breathe and then

turned around. The old men with spears were facing the wolves…the forest
wolves in two lines of three and four. The forest wolves showed no signs of
fear, and they charged towards the men. I gasped in surprise. The spears
crashed into the fangs, and the fight began. But even though these men had
spears, they were several against many. Now that I had caught my breath, I
picked up my chipped billhook and went to join the fray. But, right then,
something grabbed me by the shoulder and threw me to the ground. Hey, who
the h.e.l.l? I’m busy right now.
“Now, you sit right here, chicken liver.”
I looked up and saw a haggard looking old man with a smirk on his face. He
wore leather armor and carried two unsheathed swords in his hands. Who the
h.e.l.l was he?
“Haha, that was a good sprint back there! You looked just like a rabbit
running for its life, hah!”
Now a gangly looking man with a somewhat offensive face appeared holding
a short sword. Well, this wasn’t the best first impression…
“What is with you guys… This is important. Let me go.”
“Annnnd as I was saying, what good would it do for a coward like you to go?
What will you do with that rusty old billhook? Eh?”
“I’m going to go and help those men fight off the wolves, of course!? Do you
see how many there are!”
The haggard man and the gangly man looked at one another. Then they
erupted into a boisterous laugh.
“Buwahhaha!! You, you! Don’t you think you are panicking a little too much
over some forest wolves!!”
“What even are you!! Are you a traveling minstrel!? You do make us laugh
hah!!”
I didn’t understand… So those numbers were nothing serious to them? Or,

was this somehow normal?
“The-then, what did you two come here for…? Why the weapons?”
“Why? We brought them for you of course.”
So saying, the tip of the sword was pointed at my throat. In a second the two
men became very serious.
“Don’t try anything funny. If it turns out you’re a dangerous one who is only
pretending to cower like a rabbit, then we might have to kill you.”
“That’s right. Now, will you hand over that filthy billhook of yours?”
Ah, I see. Those old gatekeepers had to go to fight the forest wolves, so these
two were sent to monitor me.
“I’m sorry then. Here, take the billhook. I won’t leave this spot. Just please
don’t point that at me.”
“As long as you understand. You will shut up and sit here quietly.”
The gangly man received the billhook wordlessly and inspected its chipped
blade.
“Hey, you. You came through the forest with just this?”
“Ah, yeah. I stole it from a goblin.”
“Huh? A goblin?”
“Well, I didn’t have anything else.”
The gangly man stared at me doubtfully.
“Well then. How did you, how did you steal it from the goblin?”
chapter 7
A Warm Welcome and a Torrid Welcome
I asked Russell about all sorts of things.
“I saw you talking with Gardo back there, was there a problem? Those two,
they have foul mouths and… Well, they’re adventurers who drifted here. But
they aren’t bad people.”
“They were a little rough, but I know now that it was on your orders, so it’s
fine.”
They also gave me a strange nickname, but it wasn’t a big deal…I think.
There were more important matters.
“It’s my first time in this town, and I’m wondering if there is any place to
stay.”
“Ahh, in that case. Go straight down this road and turn at the second corner.
There is a good inn over there. They may be a bit more accommodating if
you mention my name.”
“Oh, are you big in this town then?”
“No, you stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I’m just the captain of the guards.”
That’s what you call big. He even proudly showed the star-shaped badge that
was on his chest. I suppose it was the proof that he was the captain. Now that
I think of it, so it was the captain that came out to help me first… How
blessed I must be…
“So, you were a captain. That’s really impressive.”
“Haha, if you say so! By the way, Asagi. Where are you come from? I’d
hardly call it normal for someone to be wandering around the forest like you
were. Did something happen to you?”
Russell’s gaze fixed on me. How should I reply to him? I didn’t feel like he
would believe if I just blurted something about coming from another world. I
felt a little guilty about it, but decided to make up a random lie at that
moment.
“From pretty far away, actually. I got chased by goblins along the way and
lost all of my belongings… I was running without really thinking and ended
up on this hill.”
“A hill around these parts…you must mean the Hill of Mist.”
Hill of Mist?
“Surely you’ve seen that hill sticking out in the middle of the plains. There’s
a hill there. It’s a strange place it is, it becomes shrouded by mist in the
morning, even if it’s not cold. I don’t believe there are any other hills around
there?”
“No, it’s that place exactly. I was surrounded by mist before I knew it.”
“Haha, I thought so. It would’ve taken you quite a long time to walk from
there. You should rest up today.”
So saying, Russell handed over a small cloth bag. I accepted it and heard the
sound of jangling. Was this…I looked inside and there was indeed money.
“Russell, I can’t accept this from you. You saved me, and even gave me
clothes to wear already…”
“Asagi, you stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I’m the one that suggested that inn. How
would you rest without some coin?”
“But…”
“Ahh, don’t you get me wrong, alright? I’m not giving it to you. It’s a loan.
You can make it back and repay me, alright? Whenever you can. When you
have enough money, you need only hand it over.”
“Russell… Thank you, for everything.”
“It’s fine. Don’t mention it. You should also get registered as an adventurer,
while you’re at it. It’s quite lucrative!”
According to Russell, there is a job known as adventuring wherein you kill

monsters and explore ruins. Well, it was honestly something I already knew a
lot about. Apparently, all you needed to do was go to the guild and get
registered. G ranks were known as ‘Rocks.’ It had something to do with their
value being little more than the rocks on the ground, or strength perhaps.
“It also means there are so many of them that they are disposable!”
According to Russell, anyway.
“But you know, even among rocks you might find precious stones known as
‘gems.’ With a little polish these guys will turn into impressive jewels. I pray
that you prove to be such a rock.”
And with that, he hit me hard on the back. The breath was pushed out of my
lungs, but I felt like I received a lot of spirit in return.
“Thanks, Russell. I should go now.”
“Ah, get going!”
I waved a hand at him and then headed off to the inn.

chapter 8
-Cold Heart-
They laughed up a storm. What was with these people? It was awkward. I
ignored them and headed for the ‘Registration’ counter. But then one of the
drunkards got up and blocked my path.
“What is it?”
I attempted to handle it with my ‘customer service smile’, but had my collar

pulled in return.
“Rather impudent to ignore us just now. Just who are you, Black Rabbit?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m just an applicant here?”
My customer service face does not crumble. I was becoming increasingly

annoyed at this exchange, but it seemed too foolish to become angry at these
kinds of people.
The adventurer continued to glare at me. I looked back with a pleasant

expression. Then two thick arms cleaved their way between us.
“Now-now-now, what’re you doing? You can’t start a fight inside the guild
house.”
“Mr. Gardo…this runt was acting insolent, in spite of being new here and…”
“I don’t care if he was insulting you or blowing you. This is the guild. Just
keep it civil.”
Gardo’s thick, hard arms grabbed the arm that had me by the collar. The
man’s expression contorted with pain. His face looked quite ugly as he finally
released me. And with a silent glare, he returned back to his seat at the bar.
“Sorry ’bout that. The man seemed to be quite drunk.”
“It’s because you two started talking about this Black Rabbit. Give me a
break…”
“You can blame Ness for that one. He does get carried away sometimes…
Anything amusing happens, and he’ll let everyone know as soon as he can.”
“Well, it’s not too amusing to me.”
I sighed as I saw Gardo awkwardly scratching his head. Were adventurers

perhaps starved of good entertainment here? I’d appreciate people not making
such rumors about me as a joke…
“Well, um…right. I’ll give Ness a good scolding about this. I hope you
forgive him.”
“If you can make sure the other adventurers know too…I think they’re about
to terrorize me.”
“I’ll ensure that don’t happen.”
So saying, Gardo went back to the bar counter. From the way he talked, it
seemed that he must be quite high in rank. Wasn’t he a wandering
adventurer…he was probably able to keep the peace due to his physical
abilities. But I wonder how management here was. I felt like I shouldn’t get
my hopes up too high.
After seeing his huge back move away, I turned and finally reached the
‘Registration’ counter.
There was a quiet-looking girl sitting on the other side. She looked like the
type of person who always had their nose in a book.
“Excuse me, I would like to get registered as an adventurer.”
“Ye-yes! Please fill out this Adventurer’s Registration form.”
And she handed over the sheet of paper. What’s this? Was she scared after
seeing what had just happened…?
I grabbed a pen and filled out my name, age, weapon of choice, magic
abilities and whether I preferred the advance guard or the vanguard. So this
world had magic after all. It made me a little excited. But what about
weapons? My unique ‘Jack of all Trades’ skill seemed like it would allow me
to use anything, but… Hmm… I should probably just put down what I had
experience with. Spear and billhook…a shortsword. And for the record, I am
22.
“Alright, I’ve filled it out.”
“Th-thank you… Hmm, Asagi huh. Um, you’ve chosen the advance guard,
but have you any real experience in combat?”
“Just goblins and wolves from the plains. Both were more of an ambush,
actually.”
“Understood. Combat experience…goblins and wolves… Why is the magic

column empty?”
“Yes, I can’t use magic. Or, I’m not quite sure whether or not I can.”
“I see. Very well, we shall use this status card to confirm. If there is indeed
any spells you can use, you can fill them out here afterward.”
So they do have status cards! Great!
“Alright.”
“This status card hasn’t been registered to an individual yet, so you need only
say, ‘status open’ and your status should be displayed. In a moment we will
need to drop a sample of your blood on this card to finalize the registration.
And then everything will be complete. The status display won’t change
regardless if your registered or not. However, it will not display anything
once you leave the village, so please refrain from running off with it like a
filthy thief. In fact, registration can only occur within this room.”
So in other words, there should be no problems as long as I register here.

“Right…well, status open.”
I chant and a hologram-like display was projected from the card. My first
look at my status. Well, what would it be…
chapter 9
The Start of a Routine
Two weeks have pa.s.sed since I first registered.
Ever since then, I’ve been ridiculed and called Black Rabbit every single day.
After that, Ness must have heard of which inn I was staying at, because he
paid me a visit.
“Asagi, uh…sorry…I, uh, didn’t quite think it would take on like this…”
“It’s fine. No one really knows what’s going to happen with anything.”
“That may be, but…”
He looked pretty sincere about it. There was no culture of kneeling on the
ground here, but he lowered his head regretfully. I couldn’t be angry with
him after seeing him like that. There was no malice on Ness’ face, even
though he had been the one to first use the name. Though, there was clearly a
little contempt there at first.
This was just a case of everyone else making a lot of noise like the fools that
they were. The guild was civil when Gardo and the others were there, but the
drunkards would jeer to a disturbing degree once they left.
Yes, there were days when Gardo and Ness were not at the guild. h.e.l.l,
recently there would be more days where they were away. The two of them
worked as a team and took on advanced quests together. The last one was
towards the south of this town…they went deep into the forest from a
different gate than the one I had entered in, and killed some orcs. The whole
thing took them five days, so the guild house was pretty much the worst
possible environment during that time. No matter how much they mocked
and laughed, the guild did not intervene. They would, of course, interfere
with fights that could result in injury, but they had a rule about not meddling
in anything else. One must establish their own position on their own. That
was the rule. I knew this for a fact because the bookworm at the
‘QUESTIONS & OTHER’ counter told me so. Her name was apparently
‘Flo.’ She never actually introduced herself, but it was on her name tag.
“What will you do today?”
I was standing at the Quest Counter, which I’ve visited quite often recently. I
was holding a torn piece of paper that I got from a notice that was nailed to
the quest board.
“Ah, ‘Medicine Gathering’ again, I see. So you will be working in the forest.
Please show me your status card.”
I was already holding it in my hand, and so I placed it on the counter.
“Yes, thank you. Please wait a moment. …Yes, quest information is now
registered. Good luck, and have a safe trip.”
The guild worker smiled pleasantly handed back my status card. I accepted
the card back and repeated the now familiar words.
“Status open.”
Name: Asagi Kamiyas.h.i.+ro
Race: Human
Job: Adventurer(Rank: G)
LV: 10
HP: 180/180
MP: 70/70
STR: 58 VIT: 50
AGI: 190 DEX: 90

INT: 44 LUK: 11
Skills: Jack of all trades, master of none
Magic: None
Current Quest: Medicine Gathing
All Equipment: Head – none
Body – Leather armor
Arms – Leather gloves
Legs – None
Feet – Leather shoes
Weapon – Iron sword
– Iron short sword
Accessories – None
Well, the quest was there. I said my thanks and turned on my heels. And of
course, the usual insults came flying.
“Oi, is the Black Rabbit feeling vegetarian today as well?”
“Buwahahaha! He does love his leaves!”

chapter 10
-Earning Experience, Earning Money-
I arrived at the forest. Well, it’s really just the entrance to it. You won’t see
any orcs until you go further deep inside. Speaking of orcs, they were known
as monsters who would sometimes ‘ravage’ female warriors, and even here,
they would sometimes kidnap women from the villages for purposes of
breeding, and kill all the men.
“The nests of these orcs are always brutal. The women who become prey to
them are kept alive to live out their days as slaves for breeding…”
Eventually, they tend to lose their sense of self. As a means of self-

preservation. If they are saved, they are put into rehabilitation hospitals. It’s
to heal their destroyed minds.
I recalled what Gardo had said about them as I gathered the herbs and put
them into my bag. These herbs were used in restorative potions, as their roots
were full of magic sucked from the earth. But it was not as if the leaves were
useless either, they had the ability to relieve fevers. This plant could almost
be used for anything… I just needed to stuff them into this bag up to the brim
and the quest would be complete. As soon as that was done, I scratched a
mark onto a tree and headed deeper into the forest.
Of course, this was in order to kill goblins and raise my level. Thankfully,
there were no forest wolves on this side of the woods. According to Russell,
there was a different quality to the magic here that the wolves didn’t like. On
the other hand, there were plenty of goblins living here. And all I needed to
do was to hunt packs with as few members as possible.
I walked cautiously for several minutes. Then I found them. It was a pack of
goblins. This one had…six. It was more than what was ideal, but I could
manage it as long as I surprised them.
First, I watch. They were swinging their game around and looking for bait…
They seemed a little restless, but their guard was weak. This was because
there were no monsters around to hurt them. While orcs lived in the forest,
you had to go much deeper inside to encounter one. And so goblins were
careless, and so my ambush would work.
First, I throw my wooden spear. I was quite used to making these now, it only
took me a few minutes. And that spear pierces into the goblin in the rear. It
was all it took to immobilize the weak creature. But I run even before that
goblin hits the ground. My strangely high AGI allows me to do this. It really
was the meat of my stats. And so I was fast. I use my short sword to finish
him off before thrusting the sword into the next target. Two down. It was too
easy.
This is where all the goblins finally see what’s happened. They become
outraged as they see their comrades lying in the dirt and so they raise their
weapons into the air. I swing my blade to sever off those very arms. The
freed spear is now used to thrust into the prey in front of me, then the fool
right next to him. Then I cut off the head of the next goblin that rushes
towards me. Now there is only one left, and he turns tail and runs. He must
have decided that this enemy was stronger than him. I take my short sword
and launch it towards the fleeing goblin. It enters his back smoothly, as if it
were being sucked right into him.
And now it is done. An easy task. In an RPG they would represent the
weakest of the monsters. And so this is what happens when they encounter
me. I’m kidding. I can’t be too arrogant. Winning was about preparation.
Still wary of my surroundings, I collect the goblins weapons and tie them
together with a quick rope made of vines. This was to bring back to the old
blacksmith. This would also earn me a little money. You could laugh, but
iron was iron no matter how old. After pa.s.sing from the hands of so many
owners, these would eventually turn into my own weapons. In other words,
the cost of the materials was almost free. I was only paying to have them
formed.
I hang the bundle of weapons in a tree just like I did the herbs and continue
my trek through the forest.
Things went rather smoothly today after that, and all in all, I was able to kill
twenty goblins. And I got fifteen iron blades. That was good. I could trade in
this old sword and short sword for new weapons now. I would prioritize ease
of movement when choosing new armor. I won’t waste my AGI. I don’t think
I’ll be able to survive if I don’t make the most of that stat.
And so I walked back down the road to Fhiraldo, accompanied by the

clanging of weapons and a somehow reinvigorating feeling of exhaustion.
The first thing I needed to do after getting back to the town was to visit the
blacksmith near the south gate. Who knows what they’d say if I returned to
the guild house like this. Well, I’m sure they all knew…there was no way
those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds hadn’t found out. They’d probably rat me out. But I wasn’t
going to do anything until it was mentioned. This was my livelihood after all.
It was how I could eat; it was important.
“Good evening. Is the Chief here?”
“Ho! Is that Asagi!”
From the smoke-filled back appeared the manager of this smithy, a dwarf
called Aragira. I had once called him ‘manager’ and he had roared back, ‘Call
me Chief!’ so I’ve been doing that ever since.
Dwarves. They tended to be blacksmiths, didn’t they? He was one of those

well-built types too. But one thing that was not usual was that he was not
short. The Chief was apparently half-
chapter 11
A Transparent Lie
I left Chief’s smithy and made my way to the guild house. You just needed to
follow the road in front of the smithy towards the north in a straight line and
you’d get there. My feet felt a bit heavy knowing the kind of atmosphere that
would await me once there, but I couldn’t hold onto these herbs forever.
Their freshness was important.
“Ahhh…I’m tired…I hate this time of day…”
I grumbled without thinking. But this life as an adventurer was how I

supported myself, it was necessary in order to live.
And more than anything, this whole deal about moving to another world had
been something I had dreamed of.
Of course, there were things concerning killing that gave me pause. My life
had been quite peaceful back in j.a.pan. And so it wasn’t too surprising that
there would be a resistance to fighting. But after having to survive in the
forest without civilization and then the plains, I realized that it was important
to be rational in terms of where you were. Or so I told myself. But that was
why I had no intention of changing the way I lived. Though, it still made my
heart feel a little heavier.
I stand in front of the guild. You could hear the drunken clamor of the bar
from outside. I force a lid over my heart and walk inside.
“Ho, Asagi. So you’re back then.”
“Gardo. I didn’t know you were back.”
My luck seemed pretty good today. Gardo was here. The adventurers around
us glared at me viciously but that was easily ignored. Apparently, they didn’t
like how frankly I spoke to Gardo.
“Just a minute ago, really. You too?”
“Yeah. I picked some herbs.”
“Hehe. What a liar you are.”
“It’s a not a lie. I have the herbs right here.”
“I’m sure you do.”
s.h.i.+t. Even Gardo knew now. Oh, well. This was necessary.
For instance, had I only been picking herbs and raising my rank, my level
wouldn’t match my rank. If I went out to the forests or plains in that state, I’d
just get trampled. In that case, I didn’t see any harm in raising my level and
learning how to fight in advance. I had speculated that this sort of thinking
was what would separate the ‘Rocks’ from the ‘Gemstones.’
After Gardo waved his hand and left, I went over to ‘Rewards’ and untied the
sack that was attached to my waist and placed it on top of the counter.
“I’m Asagi. I’ve just returned from the Medicinal Herbs quest.”
“Well done. I’ll take the herbs and your status card now.”
I took the card out of my pocket and handed it over. The thing was really
light.
“Yes, I see. Please wait here one moment.”
After this, they would check the state of the plants and determine the price.
I’d have some time until they were done, so I might as well have a light meal
here at the bar. The stares of the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds would be annoying, but they
would at least be quiet today. Now that I think of it, Ness wasn’t here.
“Excuse me, do you have anything light I can eat?”
“Sure.”
I sat down at the bar counter and ordered something to chew on from the
master. A few looks were turned towards me but I barely noticed. Ness really
wasn’t here, huh.
“Ness ain’t here.”
Gardo called from the table. It seemed that he had noticed my little search.
“Looks like it. That’s kind of rare.”
“Well, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had a good payout today. So it’s off to the brothel.”
“Hmm…you have such places here then.”
“Aye, he was quite determined today too, something about ‘winning her over
today’… Well, I’m sure he’ll be back before you know it.”
I see… I was a little interested in this person Ness seemed devoted to, but not
in the brothel itself. Diseases were no joke. It was a world of magic, so
perhaps there were contraceptives and magical remedies, but I didn’t know
how trustworthy they were… Plus, it seemed like trouble. Getting involved in
the troubles of others seemed like a rule in itself when it came to these stories
about other worlds. Well, I didn’t receive any special conditions as a
protagonist, so perhaps I was safe. Still, being extra cautious was the trick to
survival.
“Here you go!”
“Thank you.”
I received the food from the master. Today’s dish was chicken roasted with
herbs, huh… I quite liked this one. It was easy to eat because of the bone. It
was also softer than wolf meat and very juicy. The sharp spices stimulated
my tired and empty stomach. I finished it in no time.
chapter 12
-Crystal-
I went through a few back alleys before finally arriving at the inn. I guess the
b.a.s.t.a.r.ds couldn’t catch me. They clearly weren’t much.
The bell jingled loudly as I opened the front door and went inside. This sound
was now very familiar to me.
“Oh, you’re early today.”
Maris’ face popped out from under the counter.
“Yeah, I’m back. Got chased by a few adventurers on the way.”
“There are still people complaining about you? Really, such people are not fit
to be called men!”
“Haha. Well, there are quite a few of them.”
“That’s quite disappointing though…”
We chatted idly for a while, until she handed me the room key.
“Ah, Asagi. It’ll be your second week today. What will you do?”
“Extend, of course.”
“Hahaha. Do you mean to just stay here and live with me?”
“I’d love to do just that, but I want to go out on a journey, once I have
enough money…”
“Is that so. Well, I better give up then.”
She chuckled. I don’t know how I would ever be able to repay her. Not just
her. Russell, and the Chief. I’ll throw Gardo and Ness in there as well.
After paying the amount for the extension, I then went back to my room,
plopped on my bed and took out my status card.
“Status open.”
Race: Human
Job: Adventurer (Rank: G)
LV: 15
HP: 218/218
MP: 86/86
STR: 71 VIT: 65
AGI: 228 DEX: 105
INT: 53 LUK: 11
Skills: Jack of all trades, master of none
Magic: None
Current Quests: None
All Equipment: Head – none
Body – Leather armor
Arms – Leather gloves
Legs – None
Feet – Leather shoes

Weapon – Iron sword
“My level went up… And my AGI broke 200, huh… How high can it go?
Though, I don’t know what the average even is.”
There was nothing to do but laugh at how unbalanced it all was, but I
couldn’t complain about being fast. Being fast with everything was the trick
to living.
I stashed the status card back in my pocket, grabbed a change of clothing and
headed off to the public bathing area. The inn had its own baths. Which was
great for me. I loved bathing. Taking an early morning bath after a long night
of work was the best…
Just as I took off my clothes in the changing room, a few other guests at the
inn came in. After a short greeting, I showered and then hopped into the tub.
“Ahhh…that’s reinvigorating…”
I sigh without thinking. Who wouldn’t? You can’t help it. It’s like a
phenomenon, I think.
After being warmed through, I quickly get out. I don’t take long baths.
Then it was just a matter of getting dressed, eating dinner and going to bed.
I’ve started to really settle down here now, so I tried to spend a little time
before bed to reflect on the day and think about my future plans.
Today’s goblin hunting had gone well. The guild house was quiet because of
Gardo. If only he were always there. Things got annoying after that. There
was a high likelihood that they would try something again outside of the
guild house. I better be prepared.
chapter 13
-We Met at a Street Stall-
“h.e.l.lo.”
“Ho, Asagi. Do you need new weapons again?”
Chief Aragira was wiping his sweat with a towel as he came out from the
back. He was as imposing as ever.
“Yes. I want new ones.”
“d.a.m.n it, you’ve only just bought some the other day!”
“But the thing is…I kind of ruined them.”
I went a little too hard out there in the woods. I had started sneaking up
behind goblins I found, and stabbed them from the back…before I knew it
there were chips and cracks in the blade. Had I fought a moment longer last
night, things could have turned real sour.
“And I was just elevated to a ‘Crystal’ today, so I wanted a nice weapon to

commemorate it.”
“What? ‘Crystal’? You’ve only just become an adventurer!”
“My level kind of just hit 20 after I killed some goblins. And the guild
worker told me that I’ll be ‘Rank E from today.’”
“Ahh…well, don’t push yourself too hard, alright…?”
He seemed more exasperated than impressed. That’s odd…this seemed like a

good time to congratulate me a little.
“So you want something to commemorate, eh…very well! I shall craft you a
weapon!”
Yes! Chief’s weapons had an incredible reputation, and I had been hoping for
this. While the price would be higher, so would the quality and sharpness, so
I didn’t mind. I was starting to feel that my old weapons were not adequate
anymore.
“Even so, you’re still a baby bird of an E Ranker. I can’t give you anything
too special. You understand?”
“Yes, of course.”
He wasn’t being malicious by that. The thing was, even if I mowed down
enemies with the finest blades, I would not receive experience from it. The
enemies’ weakness, the parts that wouldn’t chip your sword when you cut it,
such as the parts between bones, that was all information and experience that
didn’t appear in your status. You would never learn what parts should be cut
if you can ignore all that and cut through sh.e.l.ls and bones from the start.
That’s what Chief was getting at.
“And so I’ll give you sword stronger than iron. Learn more. Experience. If
you can bring it back before it breaks, I’ll sharpen it for you.”
“Thank you, Chief.”
He folded his arms and looked away.
“Bah!”
With a warm feeling in my heart, I accepted the reservation card for weapon
crafting from Chief. It would take 6 days for it to be finished. He allowed me
to borrow some of his apprentice’s weapons for free until then.
Of course, I took the best ones.
I put the borrowed swords in my sheaths and left the smithy. Weary of my
surroundings, I tried to look normal as I walked through the town. The sun
had already set, and the sky was changing into a star-filled night. There were
street stalls on the main road whose smells were stimulating my stomach and
inviting me. I should eat outside once in a while…
I wandered around a little, looking for something to eat for dinner when my
shoulder b.u.mped into a pa.s.serby. Embarra.s.singly, the smells had dulled
my awareness a little.
“I’m terribly sorry.”
I turned to the other person and bowed my head. When I looked up, I saw a
person who was taller than me and wearing a mask over their face. The
pattern on the mask…what is it? Eyes?
“I’m sorry as well. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“Oh…um, can you see with that on?”
I couldn’t help but ask. I don’t know, it was just very interesting.
“Yes, it’s enchanted. But the food over there looked so good…”
It was the same stall that I had been eyeing. Both of us looked over at the
stall where a dish consisting of fried noodles was being made. Then the
mask-wearing stranger’s belly grumbled. It was quite audible.
“Ummph…mm…’
It was followed by fake coughing which did little to disguise it… It was kind
of cute.
chapter 14
-Running Man, Running Woman-
What the h.e.l.l were they doing here? Why were they surrounding the
masked woman?
I tried to observe them cooly as I addressed them.
“What’s this? Why are you blocking her?”
“Eh? It’s none of your business. Get lost.”
“Unfortunately, for you, I just had dinner with her. I can’t just say, ‘alright’
and leave.”
Perhaps they meant to abduct her as some kind of trap? For instance, I would
have to leave all my money and disappear or they would hurt her.
“Hey, Black Rabbit. Leave your money here and scram before you regret it.
Who knows what might happen to this lady here if you don’t?”
Woah…template…I was speechless. What is this? Was there a script?
“Hey! Be quick about it!!”
“I’m not giving you anything, you stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! Let her go now and
begone! Before I beat you to a pulp!”
“You little s.h.i.+t…you’re just the Black Rabbit…!”
The b.a.s.t.a.r.d leader had veins popping out near his sideburns as his hand
went down to the sword at his waist. As if on cue, the rest of the men flashed
vulgar smiles and unsheathed their own swords.
There was no turning back now. There was nothing left to do but fight.
However, I would prefer it if no one died here tonight. There was something
too pathetic about the thought of Russell escorting me to prison.
And so I kept my sword sheathed as I raised it. The leader of the gang saw
me quickly wrap the sword belt around the handle and shouted.
“Black Rabbit!! Do you think you’re playing with us!?”
“I’m not playing. But the Chief gave me this sword…I won’t have it drinking
such filth from you!!”
I held both swords in my hands now. The shortsword’s sheath was fixed with
a b.u.t.ton, so it took me no time to prepare. And then I ran. Of course, not at
full speed. Not yet.
“Arraggghh!”
The gang leader swung his sword up high. I dropped my posture low,
somersaulting just as the sword dropped, missing me. The sound of the blade
cras.h.i.+ng into the ground echoes behind me. In front were the followers
who had made a wall to block the masked woman. I targeted the weakest
looking of the bunch; charged at full speed and collided with a tackle.
“Guwhagh!!”
There would not have been much weight behind the impact, but there would
be a unique bite from the disproportionate AGI, surely. I hoped anyway.
Having broken through the wall, I now stood in front of the masked woman
and faced the others, sword ready.
“Are you alright?”
“Uh, yes. Are you?”
“For now, anyway. Can you run?”
I asked, stealing a quick glance behind me.
“Of course.”
“Then you should go to the guardhouse near the southern gate. I have a friend
there. A captain named Russell. He should help you.”
“What about…you?”
“Me? Running is the one thing I’m good at.”
I said jokingly. She looked at me a little surprised at first but then started to
laugh.
“You’re a funny one. Tell me your name. I’m Daniela.”
“I’m Asagi. Asagi Kamiyas.h.i.+ro.”
The masked woman, known as Daniela, nodded. Then she began to run in the
other direction.
“You…you think you can just mock us…”
The leader pa.s.sed through his gang to stand in front of me. He was in a real
rage now. Even the men around him had beastly, s.h.i.+ning eyes as they
brandished their weapons. They clearly wanted nothing more than to kill me.
Which was blinding them of their surroundings. Such as the fact that this was
a park.
“It’s too bad, but I have no intention of fighting you. I’m stuffed after eating.
I want to get some rest!”
The town was paved with stone. But around the park was different. There
was dirt around my feet and a lot of sand. And so I thrust my sword into the
ground and shoveled the sand into the air.
“Ghaa…! d.a.m.n it!!”

chapter 15
A Discovery
After running for several minutes, I finally arrived at the guardhouse at the
southern gate. Seeing as there were a number of guards hurriedly running in
and out, it seemed that Daniela too had arrived safely. And just as I was
thinking about going inside, Daniela came out of the door with a guard in
tow. A moment later, Russell followed.
“Asagi!”
“Daniela, I see you made it here safely.”
“Aye, I explained the situation to Captain Russell.”
Russell nodded and said that he was now leaving to arrest the adventurers.
“To be honest, I was getting quite angry with this trend of making you out to
be a fool. I don’t appreciate them speaking ill of a man I rescued. But just
leave it to me, I’ll have them thrown into prison, even for the smallest of
crimes if I have to!”
“Russell, I’m grateful for the thought. But you shouldn’t abuse your power.”
“Hahaha!”
“Hey, Russell.”
He looked away from me and began to walk on. No, I really was happy for
the thought, but.
“Asagi. The captain did listen to what I said with a serious ear. I think it
should be fine.”
“Well, I do trust him…”

I mumbled as we watched the group of guards running, their armor clanking
as they set off. There was something suffocating about being in the center of
such an uproar, when I had rarely been anywhere but the sidelines all of my
life.
As I and Daniela stood there watching, a young guard came and guided us
into the building.
The inside of the house was overflowing with stuff. From doc.u.ments to
mysterious boxes… Contraband, they later told me. It was a bit unsettling. I
tried to avoid touching anything as we went further in towards the back and
into a small room. There were two chairs, a desk, and a bed. And while there
was a window in the room, it was set with iron bars. Wasn’t this a room to
put villains in?
“I’m terribly sorry, but you must rest here today.”
“It makes me feel as if I were guilty of something…”
“Hahaha. Rooms that are difficult to escape from are also the safest.”
It’s not what you say, but how you say it, right? It was what it was. I didn’t
care to get involved with anyone else out there now. But there was still one
problem.
“There’s only a single bed here.”
“I’m very sorry, but that’s all we have at this time. Please share it.”
The h.e.l.l was he talking about? …Is he stupid? I looked at him with as
much exasperation as I could muster, before slumping down into the chair.
“If it’s all you have, then I’ll just rest here. Daniela, you can use the bed.”
“Are you sure? You won’t get much rest sitting on that chair.”
“No, I’m actually used to it.”
“Are you…”
Yes. What can I say? I’m used to sleeping over a desk. I would sometimes
get so tired during my night s.h.i.+ft at work, that I once fell asleep in the
office. The manager was nice enough to let me sleep then. And ever since
that time, I would sleep there right after work. And that was how I became
accustomed to sleeping on desks.
“Well, that solves the problem. I shall return to my guarding duties!”
He gave a sharp salute and left the room. No, it’s not solved! I just
compromised! I shouted inwardly, but only allowed a sigh to escape me. I
should just rest for now. It’s been a while since I’ve run this much. I had been
so tired when leaving the park, but I wasn’t sleepy at all anymore. I was
bored.
“By the way, Daniela. You’re pretty fast, huh. I went after you only seconds
later, but you were nowhere in sight. I was quite surprised.”
I had nothing better to do, so I tried talking to her. Also, I was curious.
Maybe she was a fellow AGI h.o.a.rder.
Daniela sat down on the bed and looked at me as she began to speak.
“Ahh. Then, of course, you would not have seen me. I was running on the
rooftops.”
“You what?”
Rooftops? Was there a ladder there that I didn’t see?”
“With wind magic. I can make my body lighter and add a boost when I jump.
That height is really not that difficult at all.”
“Wind magic…”
I was reminded of how close the presence of magic actually was. Who would
have thought she was a magician? She looked so much like a knight-type.
chapter 16
The End of the Uproar
Good news. Asagi Kamiyas.h.i.+ro can use magic. Ice and water. And a little
fire too. I can’t believe it, this is amazing. A humble convenience store clerk
like me can use magic. So, just how do you use it? You just think about it?
“What is important is to visualize it. The image created in your mind

becomes fuel for the energy inside you and the phenomenon occurs. The
chanting works as a kind of support to that. If you can visualize it well, you
won’t even need to chant. Just as I have no need to.”
I guess there was no cheat for that. Magicians must have to work really hard
to get to that point. I should give it a shot.
Let’s see… I’m supposed to be good with ice, so maybe I’ll try to cool the
moisture in the air and lower the temperature.
“Mmm….mmmm….”
I imagine that I’m emanating magical energy that spreads throughout the
room. Then I rob the moisture of heat and begin to cool it.
“Asagi.”
“Mmm…!”
“Mmmggg…what?”
“It’s cold.”
Oh. My breath had turned white. Success. That wasn’t too hard. Didn’t take
too long either. This could be pretty fun if I could instantly create ice.
I thought about returning the temperature back to normal as I used fire magic,
until my breath was no longer visible. Then I shut it off before it got too
warm.
“You learn fast, Asagi. You can visualize things well. I think you should be
able to use lots of different magic in no time.”
“I hope so.”
In fact, I was sure that this magic was affected by ‘Jack of all trades.’
As it was a power not visible to the naked eye, I did not see the typical split-
screen inside of my head. It was hard to believe that I could use it so easily
when it was my first time. And it was not as if I had any special settings as
the protagonist.
Though, it likely meant that I would only be able to use very common spells
at best. But I wasn’t about to whine. This was still magic. It was like I was in
a dream.
After that, Daniela and I talked about magic until she slowly started to doze
off. And so she went to her bed to sleep and I went to my desk to sleep. I
suppose I was quite tired after all. Though, I didn’t dream that night.
There was something depressing about seeing the sunrise through iron bars. It
did nothing to raise your spirits. It was as if I had been thrown into prison for
a crime that I had no memory of.
Sighing, I stand up and stretch my limbs. Daniela was still curled up in her
bed and sleeping peacefully. Seeing her sleeping like that, I felt justified in
having given up the bed, and I smile. Now that my stiff joints were loosened,
I was wondering what I should do next, when the door was knocked from the
other side.
“Yes.”
“Asagi? Good morning. Sleep well?”
“Morning, Russell. Uh, the desk was very comfortable, yes.”

“Hahaha, glad to hear it. Listen. We finished arresting all the men who
hara.s.sed you this morning. They’ve all been thrown into a cell for now.”
“I knew you’d get it done.”
“Those men, we had to chase them all over town. Finally, they grew tired and
we knocked them down and tied them up. It was nothing!”
He laughed boisterously. The captain was different from the rest. That guard
last night could learn a thing or two from him.
Then Daniela stirred.
“Mm…what…is that noise…”
“Good morning, Daniela.”
“Mmm…Asagi…good…”
It seemed like she wasn’t good with mornings. The sharp beauty from
yesterday was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that was there was a
sleepy-eyed, sluggish creature with tousled hair.
“Come on, get up. We should go and wash up.”
“Mmmm…”
I take her hand and help her to stand up. We then headed for the well in the
back that I had used when first arriving here. So it was pretty familiar.
After that, we visited Russell’s room where I told him that we’d be returning
to the inn to have breakfast. Apparently, Daniela wasn’t staying anywhere,
and so she accompanied me.
chapter 17
-A New Routine-
The Black Rabbit incident was finished. I think. It would really depend on the
reaction of the Adventurer’s Guild that I was now headed for.
In other news, I and Daniela had decided to party up.
We had been discussing how this whole thing started after leaving the
guardhouse, which led to this decision.
“When I first came to this town, I was being chased by a pack of forest
wolves. I was practically rolling, the way I tumbled into the western gate.
Some adventurers saw me then, and because of my hair, said I ‘looked like a
black rabbit.’ That was the start of it.”
“A whole pack? Were you alright?”
“Ah, yes. I found this out later, but I have really high AGI. Well, maybe it
wasn’t that high at the time… Anyway, I was able to run without them
catching up to me. And the man I asked for help at the time was…”
“Captain Russell, I presume.”
“Correct. If he hadn’t been near the gates then, I would have probably been
eaten alive.”
It was that dangerous. I thought I was going to die, again…
“I see… Hmm… Asagi, we shall form a party.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“No, uh, what led you to that decision?”
“I’m too worried about you to leave you alone. You’re just a rookie, but
you’ve been raising your level in absurd ways, haven’t you?”
She was sharp… I straightened my back and looked back at her.
“Now what gave you that idea?”
“You just said ‘it wasn’t that high at the time.’ That must mean it is at least
somewhat high right now, no? But you’re a rookie who should not have
experienced more than a few battles. But Asagi, you really are quite active in
terms of fighting, aren’t you?”
I had exposed myself. I look away without thinking.
“…”
“Hehe. It’s obvious to anyone who actually listens to what you say. I won’t
ask you to stop. But, I’m worried. And so, we should fight together.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Then… I look forward to working with you, Daniela.”
“Likewise. Can I trust you to have my back?”
“Haha. It’s a bit early for that.”
That’s how it happened. It was no big deal. Daniela was worried about me. A
person she had just b.u.mped shoulders with last night.
There had been many unpleasant things that had happened to me in this
world. Whether it was sleeping in trees, walking forever, fighting with
monsters or being called Black Rabbit.
But there were also many kind people who cared about me.
When all was said and done, I was quite blessed. I realized once again, that it
was the connections between people that was the most important trick to
living.
I entered the adventurer’s guild in much the same way I always did. Gardo
and Ness were waiting for me inside.
“Asagi, I’m sorry.”
“Please forgive me!”
The two men said with lowered heads. The atmosphere inside of the guild
house was dead quiet.
“Gardo, Ness.”
“You asked me to ‘deal with it,’ but I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even
help you.”
“I was drunk and my public announcement has now led to such an incident! I
should have done more than apologize, I should have done something…”
“Hey, you two. Please stop that.”
“But…”
chapter 18
-Redemption-
Well then, I was back in the fateful forest. I wasn’t such a veteran that I could
sense what was around us. Were there forest wolves lurking close by?
“Ahh… I doubt there are any in this area.”
“Right. Well, let’s check our stats then… Or not, are there rules against
checking party members stats?”
“No, there is not. And I’m quite curious about your AGI as well. Let’s see it.”
With Daniela’s permission, we took out our status cards and chanted the
same old words together.
“Status open.”
Race: Human
Job: Adventurer (Rank: E)
LV: 21
HP: 236/236
MP: 170/170
STR: 90 VIT: 83
AGI: 276 DEX: 125
INT: 75 LUK: 12
Skills: Jack of all Trades, Master of None
Short sword
One-handed sword
Spear
Magic: Ice, Water, Fire
Quest: Eliminate the Forest Wolves
Party: Daniela Villesilf
Equipment: Head – None
Body – Leather Armor
Hands – Leather Gloves
Legs – None
Feet – Leather Boots
Weapons – Iron sword
Name: Daniela Villesilf
Race: Light Elf
Job: Adventurer (Rank: C)
LV: 67
HP: 689/689
MP: 678/678
STR: 364 VIT: 263
AGI: 268 DEX: 400
INT: 351 LUK: 29
Skills: Fresh Green Eye
Presence Detection
Rapier
Bow
Magic: Wind, Earth, Water
Quest: Eliminate the Forest Wolves
Party: Asagi Kamiyas.h.i.+ro
Equipment: Head – Mask of the Forest People
Body – Light Armor of the Forest People
Arms – Patchwolf Gloves
Legs – Steel Claw Leggings
Feet – Forest Lizard Leather Boots
Weapons – Rapier of the Tree of Life and Death
– Bow of the Tree of Life and Death
Accessories – Cape of the Forest People
– Pendant of the Forest People

Breaking news: Daniela was incredibly strong. But more importantly…
“You’re an elf?”
“Aye, a Light Elf. Hadn’t I told you?”
“Hmm, nope.”
“I see.”
An elf, huh… That was so fantasy-like. Her ears were indeed pointed. But I
hadn’t even suspected it. Also, if she’s a light elf, then there must be other
elves too.
“If you’re this strong, then you probably wouldn’t have had any trouble back
there at the park?”
“Yes, they stood no chance… But, I would prefer to avoid fighting within the
town. Also, it is not usual for me to be surrounded like that. My guard was
down.”
“I suppose so… Well, I’ll be counting on you, then.”
If she was this strong, then our enemies should be easy to take down. Even
so, I was not a fan of power leveling. I should do everything that it was
possible for me to do.
“Hmm, I will do my best when the time calls for it, but I intend to adapt to
your level most of the time. Regardless, your AGI is very high… You must
be faster than me.”
“It’s the one thing I’m good at.”
“No, you mustn’t ridicule speed. Imagine this. You are suffering a one-sided
attack at a speed that your eyes cannot catch.”
“…That would suck.”
“Wouldn’t it?”
It reeked of cheating. And there wasn’t supposed to be any allowances for the
protagonist.
“Your MP is high for someone who has only just learned to use magic… No,
perhaps the fact that you’ve begun to sense the energy has brought the
numbers up.”
“Maybe. I do feel something now that I never did before.”
The magical energy that lay inside of me. A sensation that was all new. It was
kind of, soft-like…
But I was of an age to find other people’s statuses much more interesting than
my own sensations of softness. Especially this ‘Fresh Green Eye’ skill. It had
the look of a unique skill.
“Daniela, isn’t that a unique skill as well? I guess it’s not that rare to have
one then.”
“That’s not true. It’s very rare. We both just happen to have them.”
“Ah, I see… My skill, it allows me to visualize the handling of things and

how to move.”
“Does that mean that you can skillfully use a weapon that you’ve picked up
for the first time?”
“Uh… I guess so.”
“That’s, quite amazing?”
“The ‘Jack of all trades’ part is anyway. The problem is ‘Master of none.’ I
still don’t quite understand it.”
Yes, even now I was stuck on the meaning of this skill. Part of me was
worried that if I relied too heavily on this skill for handling weapons, I would
one day suffer some terrible retaliation. That is one of the reasons I haven’t
branched out, even though I probably could use just about any weapon.
chapter 19
-A New Power and a Lively Night-
Several hours had pa.s.sed after the first battle with the forest wolves. We had
now gone around and destroyed several packs that were spread throughout
the forest, and because the sun was now starting to set, we decided to head
back for Fhiraldo. As I moved my tired feet onward, Daniela taught me
various things about combat. About using swords, how to swing a short
sword, how to throw them. How to fight enemies that moved on four legs,
what to do when you are surrounded. And also, how to use magic.
“To start, what should I do if I wanted to use magic in an attack?”
“Ahh…indeed. It would be pointless if it did not hit your opponent.”
“Right. So, it has to shoot outward.”
It wasn’t hard for me to use magic to create ice or water and lower the
temperature in a room, because I understood how it worked.
I mainly used the moisture in the atmosphere for my magic, but apparently,
most magicians here were converting their magical energy into water
molecules to create water or ice. But that would eat through your energy a lot
faster. In other words, my method was economical.
However, there was no point in creating lots of ice just because it was
economical. It’s not an attack until it hits your opponent in the face.
“Create ice with magic and hurl it into the enemy. That would be the basic ice
magic attack.”
“What about freezing them solid?”
“Hehe. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re able to do it almost immediately,

but…”
“The basics first, right?”
“Exactly.”
She nodded. And so I used my magic just as she said.
“Mmmm…”
I gather the moisture from the air to a s.p.a.ce in front of my outstretched

finger. The small tip sucks in all of the heat. There is a cracking sound as
clear ice begins to form. I apply magical energy and maintain its height.
There is a thick tree trunk ahead of me that I target…
“Okay…go!”
All the energy collected in my fingertip bursts as it fires. In a blink, the ice
bullet had vanished. Then I heard the sound of wook shattering. Apparently, I
had hit it. I’ve never actually fired a gun, but I did play quite a few games. It
wasn’t hard to just imagine it.
“Asagi… What was that, just now?”
“Huh?”
Daniela asked quietly as she stared at the tree that had been shot at.
“What do you mean? I shot some magical ice.”
“But, that fast? I couldn’t even see it…”
We both walked to the targeted tree. There was a small crater inside of the
trunk where the ice bullet had hit. The bark around the area had been blown
off, exposing the light brown wood underneath. Judging by the depth, it
hadn’t reached the center of the trunk. Of course, the ice itself had shattered
and nothing remained.
“The tree is so… I saw you create the ice. But I had no idea that such a small
fragment could have this much force…”
“I guess it’s a matter of what you imagine.”
“For better or worse.”
Was there something different about my magic? I hadn’t seen other magic, so
I could not really tell. But Daniela seemed to be surprised…
Well, there was no point in staring at the tree in wonderment. We were

finished with the wolf hunting; it was time to head back.
“The goods, it’s my turn to carry them.” “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I received the jingling leather back from her. The bag was full of forest wolf
fangs. The quest we had accepted was for the ‘Elimination of the Forest
Wolves.’ And you had to bring back two fangs from each forest wolf as
evidence that the deed was done. The quest would end once you brought
them to the guild. Apparently, these fangs were great materials in making
weapons. The market price, amount and quality would all be calculated and
you would receive your reward. The more you had, the more you could
exchange for money. So it quite worthwhile. And there was also a general
reward for completing quests. This job was more lucrative than you would
think.
And so I was quite pleased as I carried the hefty bag and trampled over the
path of fallen leaves when it happened. Something had moved in the corner
of my vision.
“Mm…?”
“What is it?”
“I don’t…”
chapter 20
-The Day After a Day of Drinking-
I wave a hand at Ness and take the seat next to his.
“Ho, Asagi! Let’s drink!”
“Looks like you’ve had quite a lot already…”
“You idiot! This barely even counts!”
I beg to differ. His eyes couldn’t even focus on anything. But then again, he
was talking just fine irritatingly.
“So, Asagi. How have you been?”
“Recently? Well, it was pretty much the worst until recently.”
“Buwahahaha! Sure was!”
I wonder whose fault that was! I don’t say it. I have a rule against arguing
while drinking.
“Well, I have a good feeling about what’s to come…”
I say as I swipe Ness’ drink from the side and down the whole thing. It
wasn’t very chilled, but it tasted great. Daniela was eating the steamed
chicken she had ordered with the most satisfied expression. I suppose she
really enjoyed her food.
We kept drinking like this for a while, and I periodically stole whatever Ness
was eating. He was pretty much done for. He was half asleep now. I rob him
of his last drink and plate and move over to Daniela’s seat. My mug of ale
clinks lightly against her mug of fruit water.
“That was a busy day.”
“Aye, Asagi. You did well. Let’s keep this up tomorrow as well.”
“It’s very heartening to have you there with me.”
“Hehe. You know, flattery won’t get you anything with me?”
She smiled as she brushed her short, platinum blonde hair from her face. She
was could be quite handsome…
“Does your hair color derive from your race?”
“Hmm? Oh, well, yes. Generally, that is the case with elves.”
“So there are other colors?”
“There are brunettes and those with silver hair.”
So hair color was not a determining factor for light elves. I ran my fingers
through my own hair. As I had worked the night s.h.i.+ft for so long and slept
through most of the day, I rarely went to the barber. Whenever it reached a
certain length, the manager would start touching it from behind, which was
my signal to have it cut. The signal was a bit creepy, and I always wished it
would stop. Though, I now wondered how he was doing.
“Is your hair derived from your race, Asagi?”
“Well, sort of. I don’t know. But everyone around me had black hair.”
“Hmm… When it comes to black hair, they say that the ogre tribes in the
farthest reaches often have black hair. Though the accounts are old and I have
never seen them in person.”
She said as she chewed on a mouthful of chicken and steamed vegetables. So

there were ogres? Did they wear striped underwear too?
I was imagining what these elusive ogres might look like when I felt someone
tap my shoulder. It was Fiona.
“Asagi. Checks finished.”
“You’re not very formal today.”
“Hmph… Why should I be?”
She pouted a little. What was going on? I felt an uncomfortable number of
eyes on me. Was this what it was like to be on the receiving end of daggers
shot through the eyes? The look coming from right next to me was especially
awkward.
“Asagi.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go.”
“Right…”
Daniela said as she stood up and quickly walked away. I hurriedly chased
after her. I did also happen to leave Daniela’s bill on Ness’ table when doing
this.
We received the reward at the counter along with a note.
‘Forest wolf fangs……………….160/1 gold piece, 60 silver pieces.’
‘Quest completion reward………30 silver pieces.’
1 gold piece had the value of 100 silver pieces, 1 silver piece had the value of
100 copper pieces. It was written on the counter. So according to this, we
needed to split the reward into 95 silver pieces. I had left calculations to the
cash register, so it was not my forte.
chapter 21
-Accident-
“Camping?”
“Aye, camping.”
Daniela sometimes said the funniest things.
“It is not as if I just thought of it now, you know? I saw the way you fought
yesterday and how we worked together. And I decided that we should not
have any trouble with something a little longer. It will be good to stay in the
forest for three days and really sharpen your senses.”
“I see…”
I was pleased that she was impressed enough with what she saw, but camping
in the woods, huh? Camping might sound like fun, but this wasn’t j.a.pan.
There were monsters out there.
“I’m a little worried about the night. Will we get any rest?”
“Don’t worry. It was a little expensive, but I have the tools to create a magic
barrier.”
“I didn’t know such things really existed.”
That would be pretty useful if I ever had to sleep out in the plains.
“Well, as long as it isn’t non-stop fighting, then I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Hehe. I expected you to say so. So, are we in agreement then?”
“Sure, let’s camp out starting from tomorrow. We better go and buy the
supplies then.”
And so we decided on our little training camp. Asagi and Daniela’s Forest
Wolf Festival was about to begin.
After that, we headed to the market square and bought three days worth of
preserved food and a tent for two. That would become our base as we went
out hunting. We went around and bought other small equipment and by the
time we were done, the sun had started to set, so we returned to the Spring
Wind inn. By the way, Daniela paid for all of the equipment. I felt like a bit
of a loser the whole time, so I intended to make up for it during camp.
It was a refres.h.i.+ng morning. The sunlight that leaked from the curtains
burned my eyes. I sluggishly got changed, washed my face and opened the
window to ventilate the room. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky that
greeted me, which gave me a rather good feeling about the day that lay ahead
of us.
Well, the camping was Daniela’s idea, and she would, of course, accompany
me, and yet…would she sleep in again? Surely not. She had been so excited
about going. I’ll check the dining hall.
“Daniela. Are you up?”
Unsurprisingly, she had not been in the dining hall. And I had told her to
hurry up and sleep as we had an early morning…
“Daniela?”
There was no answer. I guess she was still sleeping… I tried turning the
doork.n.o.b and it opened easily. That was a little careless of her… Did she
not lock her door?
“Daniela…?”
I poke my head inside and call her. The curtains were drawn and it was quite
dark inside. I look towards the bed and see that there is a mountain of
blankets piled up. Was the latecomer culprit in there?
“Daniela… It’s morning…”

I needed to wake her up and so had every right to raise my voice, but for
some reason, I was whispering. I wish there was a name for this
phenomenon. As I was now a victim to it, the only thing left for me to do was
to open the curtains and tear away the blankets. A bright, sunny day as we
had now would be particularly effective. Even Daniela would have no choice
but to wake up.
In that case, I should move quickly. I opened the curtains on both sides. A
blinding light shone down on me, but it wasn’t me that needed it. It was
Daniela. Then it was the blanket that needed to go next.
“Daniela, good morning.”
I grabbed the blankets with both hands and tore them away with one jerk. My
mother had done this many times to me when I was still a student. Memories
of this especially cruel treatment during the winter flashed through my brain.
“Ahh…it’s too bright…blanket…the blanket…”

chapter 22
-An Apology and an Apology-
It was morning. The sunrise was especially beautiful from the top of the tree.
Right under me, I could see the tent and the tarp we had set up yesterday.
Mmm? Why would I sleep in a tree if we had a tent?
That would be because of the wrath of my roommate.
My spirits were a little low that morning as I untied the rope of vines from
around me and used it to slowly climb down the trunk. I couldn’t help but
sigh in relief upon seeing that there was no movement coming from the sunlit
tent. The owner was still asleep. Of course, I would not do anything so
tactless as to try and wake her up. That was the other day’s lesson, I suppose.
Don’t wake up Daniela.
I began to make a fire to heat up what remained of yesterday’s soup. As there

was not much to do now, I sat and stared into the flames as time seemed to
move slowly. I enjoyed staring blankly at the fire. It allowed you to empty
your head a little.
Before I knew it, I could hear the sound of the soup boiling and I quickly
move the pot away. The soup is poured into a bowl and I enjoy a lonely
breakfast. I’m sure she’d wake up eventually. But it was boring to have to
wait, so I decided to set up a little surprise for her. I would go and hunt a
deer.
I swear, it’s not because I wanted to eat it myself. Nope!
It wasn’t too hard to make a bow out of a pliant branch and some rope.
Arrows too. I sharpened a straight branch and attached some feathers that
were on the ground and it was ready. I’m sure I could have done better with
more time, but I wasn’t a professional. This was sure to at least be enough to
take down a deer, thanks to ‘Jack of all trades.’
I tried Daniela’s method of detecting the presence of other creatures that she
taught me yesterday, as I searched the forest.
Hmm. Was this a monster or a deer? If it was a monster, then it was likely a
forest wolf. They often moved in packs. But what about deer? Deer also
moved in packs. But unlike forest wolves, they didn’t have magical energy.
Then if I could detect the presence of magic…
“Eh, of course, it would not be that easy to detect.”
That would be a cheat.
“Anyway, I’ll search for one and observe from afar.”
That was really all I could do. I better hurry up and hunt this thing if I wanted
to surprise her.
I imagined her surprised face as I walked on for several minutes. Apparently,

I was pretty lucky today. There was a group of deer walking ahead of me.
This was just great. Now I just needed to successfully kill one and everything
would be perfect.
I check the direction of the wind. It wasn’t upward, but it wasn’t downward
either. Then I felt a gentle touch against my left cheek. Was it a spirit?
I slowly move to a downward position. The deer were quietly eating the
leaves of young trees under the morning light that leaked from the forest roof.
They hadn’t noticed me yet.
They continued to be oblivious as I arrived in position and pulled out my

bow. I imagine it in my head, then ‘Jack of all trades’ immediately plays the
motions in my brain, on four separate screens. I follow the instructions, nock
the arrow and pull.
The wind blows calmly at my hair. Just as the bangs that slightly covered my
left eye moved, and my view was clear, I let go.
Unlike Daniela’s bow, there’s a loud whoosh as the string sends the arrow
flying. The deer all look in my direction. One of their numbers now has an
arrow half-way into its chest. There is a faint cry. A scream. The other deer
scatter in a panic as the one deer falls to the ground. I quickly dash over to it
and raise my sword over it to give it a quick death. It’s wet, black eyes look
up at me, but I ignore it as the blade falls.
Asagi was gone.
Such were my thoughts when I got out of the tent and looked up at the tree.
But there were traces of him having been here. Yesterday’s soup was warm
and near the fire. My bowl and spoon had been washed and were set right
next to it. The bowl was even upside down as to stay clean. That alone was
enough to make me smile, a little.
The morning of the previous day. I had slept in late as usual. Apparently. Not
being able to wake up in the morning was my eternal curse. I had even drunk
some ale I got from the kitchens to help me sleep that night. But I suppose
that was my downfall, as I had become quite hot in my sleep and somehow
managed to remove all of my clothing. And then Asagi had come to wake me
up. It was an accident that I had invited, and so it was not his fault. But my
own sense of shame made it difficult to accept that.
chapter 23
A Sudden Development in the Forest
“Asagi…?”
“Mm? Ah, good morning, Daniela.”
“Uh, good…morning…”
What happened? She seemed kind of absent-minded this morning. At least

she seemed to have drunk her soup.
I throw the deer onto the ground. I had already drained it of blood and dug
out all of its guts, but I still had to skin and dismember it. It was a doe given
the lack of antlers. A large animal, something that would make a worthy
meal.
“Um, Asagi…”
“Yeah?”
It was just as I pulled had out and twirled my short sword, ready to cut into
the meat, that Daniela called me. I looked back and saw that she was standing
behind me and looking very uncomfortable. It was rare to see her so timid
looking…
“About yesterday, I was wrong! It was a misunderstanding!”
She quickly bowed her head. That was all it took for me to understand. She
was talking about what happened last night. Ah, I see now. So she figured it
out. But it didn’t change the fact that I had created the reason for it.
“I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t know you dressed like that when
you sleep.”
“I do not!”
She points a finger straight at me. It was like she meant to refute some
important argument.
“That was the work of the ale I took from the kitchens to help me sleep! It
became hot while I slept and so the clothes came off. I hereby declare that I
do not normally sleep in that manner!”
“Oh, ohh…”
While slightly red, she fired off very pa.s.sionately. I see. So that was why. It
made sense.
“If that’s the case, then I guess there’s no reason for me to sleep up in the tree
anymore.”
“Yesterday, I had already realized it when you had gone to collect the vines.
But your skills with ropemaking were so captivating that I lost my timing to
bring it up.”
Yes, yes. My vine-rope making skills are second to none. There was nothing
you could do once someone was under my spell.
Anyway, it seemed that we could at least return to a more lighthearted

relations.h.i.+p. I guess there was no real need for the deer then. Not that we
wouldn’t eat it. It looked delicious.
“I hunted this deer here to make amends for angering you. But I guess it
wasn’t needed. Let’s eat it together.”
“Aye, it’s a good one.”
She smiled happily. Being able to see that was enough for me.
We went even deeper into the forest that day. We would set up camp and go
out hunting the forest wolves. Once we had them, their fangs would come
out. Rinse and repeat. The bodies would evaporate if left alone. This was
apparently due to the magical energy being degraded by the air. But any
materials carved off before then would remain. I didn’t understand how it
worked. Such things could be left to the scholars. I just wanted to hunt.
The venison we had for dinner was exceptional. The meat was juicier than
wolf but not too soft and just felt plain good to eat. It was still too much for
us to eat alone, so we smoked the rest and decided to bring it back to the
Spring Wind inn as a gift.
Hunting went well the following day as well. We found ourselves moving
deeper again into the forest, becoming hunters.
But there was one thing that I noticed. The numbers of forest wolves were
decreasing. Perhaps we had killed too many of them. There were very clearly
less than the first and second days now. I worried that they were going
extinct, but according to Daniela, this was not a problem. She said that
monsters were just naturally born in nature. In places that had a high
concentration of magic, or a normal wolf would suddenly transform. Hearing
that was a great relief.
“Asagi, you worry too much.”
“Do I? Well, it’s better than not worrying at all.”
“I suppose so.”
There was dried meat, vegetables and yesterday’s venison boiling in the pot
in front of us. We would eat this, sleep and return to the town, first thing in
the morning. The three days had gone by so quickly, but I ama.s.sed quite a
bit of experience points and as far as knowledge went, Daniela had taught me
a lot as well. I took out my status card.
chapter 24
-The Ruins and the Giant Wolf-
Fortunately, Beowulf did not attack us before we reached the building.

Though it was possible that he was observing us from a short distance away.
But right now, we were focused on the structure. The building that we were
looking up at was made of stone and in fact, looked like an ancient ruin. Its
layered stones were covered in a blanket of ivy. There were no doors in its
wide entrance, and it was too dark to see what lay inside.
“This building is huge…” “Asagi, this is an ancient elven ruin.” “Huh?”
Ancient Elves?
“My ancestors from ancient times. They were not diverse as our tribes are
now, it is said that they were established as a single tribe.” “So, then you’re
not sure…” “Aye. Some might say that they are long extinct.”
Daniela looked at me and chuckled. “We are still here, though. We’ve
branched out into different groups, but the blood of the ancient elves still runs
in our veins.”
I suppose that was true. If the ancient elves really were extinct, than there
wouldn’t be elves in this world. This ruin was proof of a history that
continued for years.
“Well then, let’s pay your ancestors a visit.” “Aye, let us see them.”
We give each other a nod and together, enter the ruins left by the ancient
elves.
It was dark inside. Or so I thought at first, but the deeper we went in, the
brighter it started to become. Most of the light was from holes in the roof that
let in rays of moonlight. This building with its long history, was starting to
fall apart. There were fallen doors and collapsed ceilings every once in a
while.
“Hmm, it is surprisingly intact.” “You think so? It looks like a dump to

me…” “Not really. It is said that the ancient elves perished one thousand
years from now. And a building from that far away an era is still standing.
Perhaps it is still alive.” “Alive?” “It is said that the ancient elves lived in a
time of advanced magic. So, it is possible that this ruin itself is…” “An
instrument, like a machine?” “Yes.”
In other words, while the exterior may be that of a sad ruin, the insides could
be br.i.m.m.i.n.g with technology. In that case, there could be something
useful here that would help us destroy that Beowulf creature.
“Good, let us explore then. We may find something that can help us fight
him.” “I was just thinking the same thing. Great, so we…” “Wait.”
Daniela whispered as she held a finger up to her lips.
“…It seems that he has come.” “Are you serious…”
I guess we would not be able to leisurely look around. I quickly scan my

surroundings. There was an entrance to the far right that led to another room.
“Daniela, over here.”
I lightly tap her shoulder and point to the far right. She nods and we both
make our way through the entrance. It was a room, but much larger than the
others, though not quite large enough to be called a hall.
“Right… This looks like a good size to contain him while preventing him
from running around too much.” “Nice thinking.” “I’m sure he’ll catch up
with us real quick, but he won’t be able to run wild at a speed we can barely
follow if he’s in here.”
We hid in a corner of the room and immediately began to make plans.
“Beowulf is a giant wolf. Regardless of his size, he still runs on four legs, has
a sensitive sense of smell and is very fast.” “How would you fight him,
Daniela?”
chapter 25
Resolution and Tears
Beowulf sunk into the muddy stream. It had suffered Daniela’s strongest hit
and this concentrated avalanche of debris. What kind of monster would be
able to survive…
“Is he…dead?”
Daniela asked as she came to stand next to me. However, that was a death
flag. It was almost miraculously optimal that I just happened to brace myself.
Because before I knew it my body had broken through the wall behind.
“Hhha….ggg…”
I couldn’t breathe. There was a high-pitched ringing in my ears. My vision

was a blur of white fog. My body felt so heavy, it was overriding any other
sensation.
“…gi…sagi…Asagi…!!”
I can hear Daniela screaming my name. Or at least, I think that I can. Surely
there was no one else here that could call me.
“Asagi, huh. That was pretty impressive for a human b.a.s.t.a.r.d…”
Who, what…? The sudden voice brings me back to full consciousness

immediately. The first thing that I see is the ceiling. Then a shadow. Then
I’m a.s.saulted by the impact and weight of something on my chest.
“Ggggaah, ahh….d.a.m.n…!” “I must congratulate you on being able to hurt

me to such a degree.”
Beowulf said as he pressed me down with a single paw.

“d.a.m.n you, release Asagi!”
I see Daniela nock an arrow in the corner of my vision.
“Hold it. Your partner will die if you release that arrow.” “Agghhh…!”
Beowulf leaned more of his weight down onto me. It was so heavy I thought
I was going die.
“Tsk…”
Daniela gritted her teeth and returned the arrow to its quiver. But she kept a
hand at the sword on her hip.
“d.a.m.n it… What are you…” “What did you expect? The numbers of my
packs were dwindling. I had to come and see who was responsible. That is
all. Ahh, do not get me wrong. I hold no enmity against you.”
What did he mean? Was he saying that this wasn’t revenge for the forest
wolves we had hunted?
“You are a.s.suming that this is a counterattack of some sort, are you not? It
is not so, Asagi. I only had an interest because you were strong. My comrades
died because they were weak.” “Then, do you mean to kill us as well…?”
“What a strange thing to say. Does one not kill because they are prepared to
be killed in turn?”
Indeed. It would be wrong to turn coward when in danger; after we had killed
so many forest wolves ourselves. The fact that they were monsters was no
excuse. I didn’t know how to reply, and so I fell silent. But then again, it was
too pathetic to shut up and allow yourself to be killed as well.
“It was I who killed so many forest wolves and pushed you to this point. Kill
me and me alone.” “Asagi…!?”
Daniela had helped me. She had invited me into a party. I wanted to help her
somehow. I ignore her voice and stare hard at Beowulf.
“It seems that you are serious?” “I can’t prepare myself to die as you say. But
I don’t care about what happens to me if I can save her.”
And I meant it. It wasn’t like any lecture by this guy could change the way I
think. There was no way that I could calmly accept my own death. But if
dying would help save Daniela? That would change things. I had died once
already. I would decide for myself, what this second life was worth. Beowulf
stared down at me and then smiled.
“Hahaha. There is no lie in your eyes. Very well then, I will give you a quick
death.” “Asagiiii!!”
chapter 26
Weapons of the Forest, Daniela’s Past
The light that poured from the room elongated the shadows of the crumbled
walls. We stepped over the shadows as we made our way into the room.
“What is…”
“Ancient elves…”
Daniela whispered as she looked at them.
“But, won’t that make these over a thousand years old? How could they have
been preserved in this state for so long?”
“There is a reason that it was considered to be an age of advanced magic.

Preservation magic, environment magic, all of it was at a different level then
it is today. And so these do not deteriorate or break. There is a magic that
allows these weapons to maintain their appearance for one thousand years.”
Yes, what lay before us now were weapons. A double-edged straight sword.
A single-edged short sword. A spear with a large head. An almost
transparent, green short bow. In fact, all of the blades on the weapons were
the same beautiful green color as the bow. The bow didn’t have a blade, so
the entire thing was green. It was likely a type of metal.
A metal that could bend but was still strong. It was clearly no ordinary metal.
“Weapons of the ancient elves, huh. They’re very pretty. Almost like works
of art.”
“You are not wrong, Asagi. And they should be the finest weapons to use as
well. If they do not deteriorate then they should not become nicked either.
They would likely not require as much care. And such artifacts from that age
would carry a great price as well. Most n.o.bles have an obsession with
collecting such things. But only to look at.”
I see… So these would be incredibly expensive, eh? Not that I was thinking
of selling them. Actually, were we even…
“Is this something that we can just take back with us?”
“I do not see why we shouldn’t. Perhaps whoever lords over these lands
might take issue, but this was found from a ruin that was lost. It is something
that adventurers found while exploring. If they want it, they will have to buy
it.”
“I suppose so. Might as well help ourselves to it then. But, I’m still trying to
focus on using the sword, so can you take them?”
I said as I slapped the sword that hung on my belt. I already had a weapon
being made by Chief, and he had already warned me about this. Good
weapons won’t encourage you to grow. It was too early for me to use these.
“But, I…”
Daniela looked down at her own weapons. Perhaps they had sentimental
value to her. She did not seem particularly eager to swap them out.
“In any case, I cannot carry all of them. You can at least do that can you
not?”
“If I have to. It will be a bother if we have to fight again, but I do intend to
use a variety of weapons one day. So I might as well get used to moving with
a lot them equipped.”
“That will not happen.”
Beowulf had been extremely quiet until this interjection.
“I’ve ensured that all the forest wolves move away from here. I had no
intention of involving them in our battle. The air is not quite as good there,
but I had them go towards the southern part of the forest.”
Isn’t that where the goblins are? Would this be the beginning of a war?
“This part of the forest was once populated by goblins as well. It seems that
the air has changed after I arrived. Well, eventually the southern forest will
become ours as well.”
Apparently, the forest wolves preferred this side of the forest because of the
mana that Beowulf emitted. So now the goblins forest would become the
forest wolves’ forest. Then the northern forest’s mana would change. In other
words, the goblins would migrate to this forest. They were switching places.
I rewrite the details of the maps in my head as I pick up one of the ancient
weapons. There is a sound that resembles the chime of a bell. I adjust the
placements as I equip them. It was decided that I would carry the straight
sword, spear, and bow. Daniela carried the short sword.
“Sorry, Asagi. I forgot about the quiver.”
Daniela was supposed that have carried the bow, but could not because her
quiver was in the way. The ancient elven bow did not come with an option
for quivers.
“Well, I can carry it then. Since we have no plans to fight on the way. We can
think about this once we get back to town.”
I take the ancient weapons with me as we leave the ruins. A lot had
happened, but this was the end of our training camp.
chapter 27
The End of Training Camp
We talked little after that and finished our dinner. Part of it was because we
weren’t in the most talkative mood… But it wouldn’t do to brood over it
forever. We needed something to take our minds off of it.
“Daniela, let’s go for a walk.”
“A walk?”
“Yeah, there aren’t any forest wolves around anymore. I thought it might be
nice to look around, now that the forest is peaceful.”
I say as I scan our surroundings. It was now morning, and rays from the sun
were sparkling off of the dew. There was something almost mystical about
the way light leaked through the green leaves over our heads. I had stayed up
all night but somehow did not feel tired at all. Perhaps my body was still
feeling the rush from the fight, but in any case, I wasn’t sleepy. Daniela too
had not yawned once since sitting down. Maybe a little walk to calm our
nerves would be just the thing to make us drowsy? Or so I thought, anyway.
“Indeed… Though, we should bring our weapons. Just in case.”
“Sure.”
I nod at her suggestion and equip the iron sword. Now I was ready. I look
around to see that Daniela had done the same with her mother’s sword.
“Let’s go then.”
“Aye.”
We put extinguished the bonfire and walked away from the camp.
A crisp, cool air fills the forest. With every deep breath, the fresh air that
smells of gra.s.s, soil and moisture enters my body. It’s the most
refres.h.i.+ng thing.
There was no one here to interrupt our stroll. I guess the forest wolves had
finished migrating. We had killed so many of them that their numbers must
have dropped considerably. Still, the goblin forest must be quite chaotic right
about now. There was nothing to do but leave that matter to the monsters.
“This feels good, Asagi.”
“It really does… I love the forest in the morning.”
“It is a good thing that you like the forest. It is said that the ancient elves
increased their territories by expanding the forest borders. I am sure that the
use of those weapons will also be related to the forest in some way.”
“Do you think so? …Are you sure that you don’t want to use them?”
As we walked, Daniela raised her arms into the air and stretched.
“Mmm…ah. That sword and bow are all I have left from my mother. I have
depended on them to live up until now. I do not see myself ever parting with
them.”
“Right. I feel bad now… For trying to force them onto you without
knowing.” “It is fine. You did not know. And I am happy you asked.”
She smiled and patted me on the shoulder. I had meant to cheer her up but
ended up being the one who was encouraged. How did that happen?
“But, do you think a human like me will be able to use weapons by ancient
elves?”
“I do not see why not. You have a unique skill. But more than anything, you
will learn by using them. I think that they will be well suited to you, since
you have a knack for using any weapon.”
Was it that simple then? It kind of felt like I had been given a cheat weapon
in spite of having a low level. It didn’t sit right with me.
“Ah, well then. I’ll accept it with grat.i.tude. Though, I don’t think I’ll be
using them for a while. The trick is to learn the basics, right?”
It did seem incredibly wasteful, like I was allowing a treasure to rot. But it
was better this way. I needed to follow my own advice if I wanted to grow.
We could hear the cries of birds flying over the forest. Something about it
reminded me of coming back from my night s.h.i.+ft. It was stupid, but such
were the thoughts in my head as we walked back to our camp.
Drowsiness arrived at just the right time, and what was intended as a light
nap ended with us waking up a little past midday. We hurriedly packed all of
our belongings and gazed at this clearing that had briefly been our home. It
was only three days, but a lot had happened.
“Let us go, Asagi.”
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
I chase after her, my increased load of weapons were jangling loudly. We

walked through the midday forest and headed for Fhiraldo. When we were
walking along the wheel tracks that split the forest, we could see goblins that
were on the move. Two goblins carrying their young were running as fast as
they could.
chapter 28
To Live
Ultimately, I just mumbled something random and forced my way out of the
guild house. Yes, yes, that’s great. It’s my strongest weapon and my strongest
s.h.i.+eld.
The first thing I did after returning to the Spring Wind inn after three days
was to pay another extension fee. I got a discount too.
As I left Daniela and headed for my room, I b.u.mped into Mizel.
“Ohh, h.e.l.lo Asagi. It has been a while.”
“It sure has, miss Mizel.”
“I hear that you were camping out in the forest. But I’m glad to see you are
doing well now.”
“Ahahaha… I was quite lucky to make it back in one piece.”
Is that so? She seemed to say as she tilted her head to the side. It is so. I
answer with a chuckle. Though it was a long story and I didn’t want her to
get shouted at by Maris again. She seemed to be aware of this too.
“Hehe. You’ve made me very curious, but I must move along before mama
starts yelling. Perhaps another time.”
“Yes, see you.”
I waved and said goodbye. I insert the key into my second-floor room and
open the door. It did not take long after I laid eyes on my bed before I
became very drowsy. I was clearly still tired from the trip, as I thought I saw
a succubus before collapsing onto my bed. I didn’t bother to change my
clothes as I immediately drifted off into the world of dreams. It was such a
deep sleep that no succubus could appear in it, and I slept undisturbed until
morning.
Apparently, living by strict rules was something I could maintain in any

situation because in spite of having been so tired the previous day, I was able
to wake up at the usual time in the morning. During my night s.h.i.+ft days, I
would have gone right back to sleep, but my current body clock would not
allow it. Remorsefully, I forced myself to get out of bed.
I take a pair of clean clothes and head downstairs. I was off to the usual
bathing room, which I had missed so much.
There were more adventurers here than usual, as they were leaving this
morning. I exchange a few words with them before was.h.i.+ng my body.
Even that was incredibly relaxing. Three days it was. I would have to wash
real good before entering the water. Don’t go anywhere! I’m on my way! I
think to myself as I wash up.
Finally, the long-awaited bath. First, you dip your toes in. The burning hot
water sends a jolt towards your brain. Take shallow, short breaths as you
slowly sink the rest of your foot in. The sensation evoked the image of being
pressed against by the soft flesh of women. Not that I ever had my foot
pressed against like that. d.a.m.n it was hot. Slowly, slowly. Now the other
foot sinks into the water. Ggg…s.h.i.+t! How was I supposed to stand in
here! But this was not the best place to pa.s.s out. Control yourself, Asagi
Kamiyas.h.i.+ro!
With shaky legs, I move over to the wall on the opposite side. I lean my back
against the wall and slowly, carefully lower myself into the boiling water.
Ah, s.h.i.+t.
“Aaaaggghhhh…”
That was audible. I endure the torture and sink further in until my now
powerless limbs are submerged.
“Quit yer whining! Get in like a normal person!”

I was scolded. I offered an inarticulate apology before forgetting such things
and enjoying the water. Really, did they have no emotions? It’s an actual
phenomenon to make noises when entering a bathtub. In any case, I was
always loud in here, but was never scolded before. Something must have
happened. I glance over to the adventurers and see tired, drowsy faces.
“You seem very tired. What happened?”
I asked the adventurer who had been annoyed at me. The others began to
explain.
“Ahh… You wouldn’t believe it. I don’t even understand it myself. But the
forest wolves appeared in the southern forest out of nowhere.”
“The guard who was on watch last night noticed first. We all had to grab our
weapons and gather together. We were cautious of course, but it turned out
that they were only migrating… Though a few goblins did come running in
the direction of the town later, so we killed them.”
“That was it. But what does it mean?”
Hmm. Strange things do happen. I wipe away the sweat from my forehead
that had nothing to do with the heat or the steam.
“It’s a mystery, eh? But it’s good that no one was hurt. You should rest well
today. Anyway, I’m done here. Have a good day.”
I say all of that in a single breath and get out of the tub. I returned their
salutes and left the bathing area behind me.
chapter 29
Br.i.m.m.i.n.g with Questions
Well then, I had finished receiving my weapons. I also ate at a random street
stall. I thought I saw someone who resembled Daniela walking towards the
park with an armful of street food, but maybe it was just me. My imagination,
I guess.
I was thinking about what to do next, when certain words suddenly came
back to me.
“‘Legs of the Forest Wolf,’ use it well.”
Yes, Beowulf’s enchantment. But what was an enchantment? I returned to

my room at the Spring Wind inn in order to find out.
“Status open.”
Race: Human
Job: Adventurer (Rank: E)
LV: 33
HP: 324/324
MP:295/295
STR: 129 VIT: 122
AGI: 375 DEX: 162
INT: 134 LUK: 14

Skills: ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None,’ Presence Detection, Legs of the
Forest Wolf, One-handed Sword, Short Sword, Spear
Quest: None
Equipment: Head – None
Body – Leather Armor
Arms – Leather Gloves
Legs – None
Feet – Leather Shoes
Weapons – Steel Sword
– Steel Short Sword
Hmm, just as I thought. It was displayed as a skill.
On whether or not it was a normal skill or a unique skill, well, it looked very
much like the later. Unless Beowulf went around giving this skill to
everyone.
Thanks to ‘Jack of all Trades,’ I was able to understand how to use it. And
ultimately, the skill known as the ‘Legs of the Forest Wolf’ was a perfect
match for me.
Just as usual there was a 4-part split screen displayed in my brain, and I could
see silver and green tinted wind whirling around my legs. I imagined that I
was running, and just like the wind, I began to move so fast that it looked like
I was flying. In another screen I was vaulting and changing direction while
still in the air. This skill was broken…
Too broken, I think. I wasn’t confident that I could even use it. Also, I would
probably get motion sickness. I’m sure a true protagonist would have no
trouble figuring it out, but that wasn’t too likely here.
Well, at least I understood what it was. It was f.u.c.king amazing.
The other thing I was wondering about was enchantments. So there was such
a thing? But who could I learn more from?
I roll around in my bed and think.
“Ahh…if only there was internet here…”
I think for a while and then mumble with frustration. Then I realize
something.
“I could look it up in the library!”
Not that I knew that there was one here. But a bookstore would do as well.
The sun had already reached its peak for the day, so I better get started. I
dashed out of my room and went to look for Maris, the innkeeper. However,
she was nowhere to be found.
I gave up looking and went outside, and there she was, doing the laundry.
“Mrs. Maris.”
“Oh, h.e.l.lo Asagi. What is it?”
She was hanging a large bed sheet onto a clothesline as she turned around to
look at me.
“I just wanted to ask, is there a library or even a bookstore in this town?”

chapter 30
The Secret of the Forest Wolf
Macbel led me through a valley of books. There was something comfortable

about the atmosphere that smelled of old parchment.
“Ohh, here it is.”
His face was beaming as he handed me a single volume. I couldn’t help but
smile every time I saw the extent of his fondness for books.
“Thank you.” “Don’t mention it. I’ll look for other books related to
enchantments while you read.” “That would be great.”
I took the book with me and settled down in a lounge-like corner with a table
and chairs.
“‘The Art of Enchantment.’ That’s a straightforward t.i.tle…”
The book just screamed ‘enchantment!’ Now, to read it through. I was able to
read the written words in this world. I wasn’t sure how it worked…and this
book looked particularly old. Could I read ancient letters as well, I wonder?
There was only one way to find out. I take in a deep breath and then dive into
the sea of letters.
My eyes hurt. My back too. As long as we’re listing things, I think my

shoulders sort of hurt as well.
“Gahh…”
I stretched my stiffened limbs. I could hear the dry sound of my joints

cracking.
Ultimately, I was not able to solve this mystery of enchantments from

monsters. Macbel had brought me several different volumes, but none of
them had the answer I was looking for.
‘Enchanted Skills’ was a book about skills used to raise other people’s status.
Buff skills, really. ‘Gifted Power’ was a journal about the rise of a man who
had been given power by G.o.d. That seemed like overkill for a protagonist.
‘…gonia…Handmaiden.’ The t.i.tle of that one was scratched and
unreadable. I wasn’t really sure about the contents either, but it did not look
important. I asked to see ‘Monster Research Records’ because I wanted to see
the relations.h.i.+p between monsters and enchantments. It was the record of
a researcher who rose a child monster. There was nothing about
enchantments in there.
I read a number of other books as well, but there was nothing about monsters
enchanting people and giving them skills. Though, there were plenty of
stories about a G.o.d doing that. Also, apparently ‘Monster Research
Records’ was considered to be somewhat taboo.
Were records and stories concerning monsters being purposely erased?

Perhaps I was overthinking it. Perhaps Macbel just happened to have fewer
books on this subject. I close the book I was reading and tried to arrange my
thoughts when Macbel returned along with a servant.
“Well? Did you find what you were looking for?” “I read through a lot, but
there was nothing.” “Hmm…”
Macbel cupped his chin in his hands and pondered. We sat in silence for a
while. A tea set was brought out and the hot brew was poured. I glanced over
to Macbel and he nodded for me to help myself.
“Thank you, don’t mind if I do.”
I take the steaming teacup and drink it slowly. It’s rich smell and gentle taste
spreads in my mouth and exits my nose.
“It’s delicious.” “Hehe, thank you very much.”
The servant smiles happily after I thank her. She seemed very professional.
“It is not good for your health to think too much. I hope that you allow
yourself to rest.” “Thank you.”
She must have seen how concentrated I was while reading. I chuckle
awkwardly and bow.
“Asagi. Why is it that you wish to know about enchantments?”
Macbel broke his silence as he looked at me. I put the cup down on the saucer
and looked back at him and answered.
chapter 31
Future Directions
I thought hard about it the whole night but was unable to reach a conclusion.
If I could get by without ever using it, then that was fine. Or so I started to
think as I shook my tired head and gazed out of the window with uncertainty.
It had been sunny for the past few days, but now the sky was covered in a
thick cloud. I slowly open the window, and the air smells of rain. We
wouldn’t be able to go out to the forest today…
There was no point in moping in my room, so I got changed and washed my

tired face before going down to the dining hall. There were several other
customers down here, but Daniela was nowhere to be seen. Well, it would
probably take a little longer for her to get up. I might as well eat first.
“Excuse me, could I get one breakfast set.” “Yes. Coming right up.”
I hear the answer of the cook coming from deep within the kitchen, then I
take a seat close to the window where I always eat. I pour myself some water
and drink. A deep sigh escapes me. There just was no strength in me today
and I ended up resting my head on the table.
What was I supposed to do going forward? What did I even want to do in the
first place? I think. I don’t know why I was even in this world. It was not as if
I had been ordered to do anything. Not that I had any desire to return to the
previous world at this point. In spite of everything, this world was great fun
for me. I couldn’t go back to my night s.h.i.+ft. I could carry on and be
carefree if I were going solo, but now I was with Daniela. It was not as if I
didn’t like being with her, but it changed things a lot when you moved as a
team… Hmm, then the question really was, what did Daniela want to do?
Daniela, who had lost her homeland by a stampede of dragons. What was the
reason that she had set out to travel? Perhaps it was a journey of revenge.
Perhaps it was a journey with no destination or goal. I would have to ask her
once she woke up.
As I gazed out the window, seeing nothing in particular, I hear a voice call
my name.
“Where’s Asagi, who ordered the breakfast set?” “Ah, yes. Right here.
I looked up and raised my hand.
“Here you go. The breakfast set.” “Thank you.” “You’re welcome. Please
enjoy.”
The cook smiled gently and bowed before returning to the kitchen. Well, I
better eat while it is still warm. Today’s menu was scrambled eggs, fried
bacon, and bread. There was also a tomato based soup with lots of
vegetables. Everything looked really good. In fact, most of the food in this
town was of high quality. The bar at the guild, the street stalls, this inn. First,
I drink the soup. It has just the right amount of sourness to really sink into my
tired body. The vegetables were nice and crunchy with the perfect texture.
Next was the scrambled eggs. The fluffy eggs were sweet and melted in your
mouth. They had enough salt on them to further your appet.i.te. Then I
quickly bite into the bacon. As my teeth grind against the crispy surface, the
inner juices of the meat flow over my tongue. This was the kind of food that
men liked. It reminded me of an American barbecue. After my mouth is thick
with the grease of bacon, I wash it away with the soup. This was bliss. The
bread was soft like a cus.h.i.+on. I tear it up and it is white inside. The broken
pieces go into my mouth. The texture and rich smell fill me with happiness.
Then my eyes catch the bowl of soup. Ahh, this was awkward. But I couldn’t
resist. I know I shouldn’t do it. But there wasn’t a shred of rationality in my
actions now. In my heart, there was something repeatedly screaming at me to
stop as I dunked the bread into the soup. The pure white bread is ravished by
the red brew. I gulp as I see the liquid drip from the bread. Then I chuck the
whole thing into my widened mouth. And I bite. My eyes close tightly. No-
nooo! I couldn’t even process it…! It was sooooooo delicious!
“What are you doing…? You’ve been quite revolting….”
I open my eyes and see Daniela looking down at me with an expression full
of distaste.
“Good morning, Daniela. Food’s pretty good.” “Good morning, Asagi. Eat
like a normal person.”
What did she mean? I’m quite sure that I was? I stared back at her in
retaliation but quickly lost to her glare.
After that, she ordered the same set that I did and we ate together. It really
was a good meal, though.
“By the way, Daniela.” “What is it?” “What do we do now?”

chapter 32
The Forest after the Rain
After I finished eating, I went to my room to practice using magic. There was
no reason for me to go outside, so I was able to take my time with it.
First, I concentrate on the magical energy itself. The main current of power
that runs within me. The power of water, ice, and fire. My hand stretches
outward with the palm facing up. Then I imagine that magical energy is
gathering there right in my hand.
Immediately, I feel as if my hand has gotten heavier. It was as if an invisible

object had been placed there. Then I give this object a shape. A sphere. A
slowly rotating ma.s.s. I close my eyes to help me with my imagination.
“Good…good…”
I breathe in deep and begin to adjust the shape of magical energy. I wanted it
to be as perfectly round as possible. After that, I added color. A blue magical
energy is overlaid. The color covers the spinning sphere and it marbles. Then
the blue color envelopes the sphere completely.
I slowly open my eyes. There in the palm of my hand was a rotating ball of
water.
“I really took my time with this one…”
I inspect the ball of water. This wasn’t a hasty construction like the ice bullet
that I fired in the forest. I worked hard to build this thing with magical
energy. I bring up my other hand which was empty and then I create a water
ball without much thought. Comparing these two floating spheres up close, I
started to feel as if the there was a difference in ‘density.’ But I didn’t have
any skills that allowed me to actually detect this, so I wasn’t sure…
Well, I should ask my master if I didn’t know.

I kept the two b.a.l.l.s floating on the palms of my hands as I opened the door
with my foot and went out into the hallway. I was headed for Daniela’s room.
She was also on the second floor, but on the opposite side. And so I had to
walk. But I was able to reach her room without b.u.mping into anyone else.
“Master Daniela. You in there?”
I had to call her as I couldn’t knock at the moment. The door promptly
opened from the other side, and Daniela greeted me in her room clothes.
“What is it? There is no master here.”
“Master Daniela. Could you take a look at these?”
I thrust the two b.a.l.l.s forward.
“Ahh! You fool. You must not use magic within living quarters!”
“What? Really?”
I really had no idea that this was a thing, and I tilt my head to the side.
“It is not impossible that it will get out of control and destroy the whole
building!”
I feel my entire body freeze over. Oh, s.h.i.+t. What should I do…! Perhaps
my frantic heart was affecting the magic, because now the b.a.l.l.s of water
were shaking and I could hear them splash.
“Ah, Asagi, take deep breaths. Deep breaths.”
“Huuhhh, haaahhh, huhhh, haaah…”
After I finally calmed down, the b.a.l.l.s began to slowly rotate again. That
was close…
“d.a.m.n it… It seems that you really do need a master to teach you?”
“I’m a disgrace…”
“Well, you can come in for now. There is no point in standing here is there?”
And so I entered with her invitation.
“So, what is that?”
“Ohh, this. This water ball was made through a process that started with me
imagining the collecting of magical energy. This water ball was made by
simply imaging a ball. Do you think that there is a difference?”
I pointed with my chin as I explained. Daniela smirked and folded her arms
before giving the two b.a.l.l.s a closer look.
“This one. The one with the extra steps taken has a higher concentration of
magic. Though the other one is not too bad either. I suppose the difference
comes from how you imagined them.”
I see. She had said before that your imagination was important. That you
didn’t need to take those extra steps if you could imagine it correctly. But
weren’t those extra steps about chanting? All of this was starting to make me
think I had wasted my time with this practice. So I decided to not think about
it.
chapter 33
Farewell, Fhiraldo
“Ah, you have come. You kept me waiting.”
After chasing the three forest wolves, we had arrived in a clearing in the
forest that was a meadow. Among the pack of fifty or more wolves, stood the
platinum giant wolf, Beowulf.
“You were waiting?”
“Indeed. I too have been thinking of setting off on my journey.”
Was that so. Then this was perfect timing. Daniela and I made our way
through the gathering of wolves until we stood right by Beowulf’s feet. Then
we sat down near the wolf who was lying on the ground and explained why
we had come.
“We have come to ask of you a small request.”
“Oh?”
Beowulf raised his head and looked at me. There was amus.e.m.e.nt in his
eyes.
“Unfortunately, it’s a rather one-sided request… But it would really help if

you would like, not attack any towns, villages or people. This is really an
issue on the human side of things.”
“Hmm. I understand what you are saying.”
“Humans have larger numbers. They could gather together as a large group
and have you killed. And well, that won’t make me too happy.”
“Hahaha. But I am a monster am I not?”

“Even so. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to keep my promise with you then.”
I say with a shrug of my shoulders. I was sympathizing with a monster… I

couldn’t really complain now about being treated as an outsider.
“In that case, I cannot reject such a request.”
Beowulf seemed to smile and then laughed. I couldn’t help but laugh as well.
This wasn’t exactly a friends.h.i.+p between man and monster. Perhaps it was
more like comradery. Perhaps we would always be fighting together. Just as
Beowulf had accepted me, I would create a place for Beowulf to fight. Keep
him away from humans that would hunt him, while I honed my own skills
and techniques. That way, our relations.h.i.+p could be maintained.
“Well then, I think I will depart now.”
“You’re leaving already?”
I ask as Beowulf stands up.
“There is no reason for me to stay here. And I am looking forward to seeing

this outside world.”
“Right. We’re leaving too. And if we ever meet again somewhere, well, I
won’t hold back when that happens.”
Beowulf looked down at me and raised his front leg and thrust his curled paw
at me. Heh, he had a very masculine side to him.
I too made a fist and thrust it out and b.u.mped it against his. Then we both
burst into laughter. Seeing us, Daniela couldn’t help but laugh, though her
expression said ‘these men…’
“Farewell, Asagi.”
“Yeah, see you. Beowulf.”
I watched as Beowulf slowly walked away with heavy footsteps. Several

forest wolves were following after him. Family? Guards? I didn’t know. The
remaining forest wolves looked at us and then scattered throughout the forest.
We would likely never fight them here again.
“We should leave as well. We need to prepare for our travels.”
“Aye. We will return today, prepare tomorrow and depart on the day after
that.”
Daniela said with a nod. The road back home was very peaceful. Except for
the area around my d.a.m.n feet.
□□□□
“I see, it will be lonely here.”
“You’ve been very kind to me, Maris.”
“We are grateful.”
I and Daniela bowed. Maris laughed and slapped us on the shoulder.
“This isn’t a permanent farewell. And I’m sure you will do well out there!”
“Yes, we will come back.”
“Take care yourself and protect Daniela, okay? You are a man after all!”
“Ahaha… If anything, she will probably have to protect me.”
“That’s quite regrettable… Anyway, you two help each other and stay
strong!”
“Yes!”
She was a great person. We bowed again and thanked her. And then we left
the Spring Wind, the best inn in all of Fhiraldo.
Our preparations were finished. Well, we already had a tent and other
outdoor supplies. Things we had used during our training camp. There would
be a lot to carry, but at least they were of good quality.
And so we went to the central guardhouse to say our farewells to Russell.
“h.e.l.lo, Russell.”
“Ah, Asagi. What is it?”
“We’re going to be leaving town tomorrow. So just thought I’d say

goodbye.”
“Well, that is a surprise!”
“Yeah… But we’ll be back one day.”
“I see… I will miss you.”
“Hehe… Thank you. Take care, Russell.”
“And you, Asagi! Ah! Wait there a minute!”
“Hm?” “Ummm…it was somewhere around…. Ah, here it is. Here, take this
with you.” “What’s this? Ah, a filthy old bag.”
“You stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.d. This is a ‘hollow bag.’”
“‘Hollow bag’?”
“What, you do not know what that is? It is a bag with dimension magic cast
on it. A rare item that allows you to carry more than what it looks like it
could hold.”
“You’re kidding. How did you come by this?”
“I picked it up a long time ago after killing some bandits who were infesting
the area.”
“Hmm, are you sure? This has to be very valuable.”

“Think of it as a parting gift. Don’t worry about it.”
“Got it. Thanks, Russell. Take care!”
“You too! Send my regards to Daniela as well!”
With that done, I now had a very dirty, *cough*…vintage bag on my back.
Inside of it were food supplies, the tent and the four weapons we had taken
from the ancient elven ruins. There were other smaller things inside as well.
chapter 34
Journeying and Dining
Things were going well. The weather was great, the beaten path was easy to
walk on. And while the forest trees surrounded us, we were never attacked by
forest wolves like before. Beowulf’s commands must have reached all of
them. Occasionally, we would see a snout poking from the leaves, but we
were left untouched otherwise.
“So, Daniela. How far are we to the next town?”
I ask, walking beside her.
“Indeed… I would say that it is six days on foot.”
“That’s quite far.”
“I would not say so. All towns are rather scattered unless you are close to the
capital.”
Were they now… Oh well, as long we could still reach it. Imagine if we had
to cross oceans or mountains.
The seclusion and peaceful air continued for over three days after that. And I
was starting to feel a little rusty. The journey was easy. All we did was eat
store-bought food around a bonfire every night and then walk.
But then this all ended because of the rain.
It rained so heavily that I thought it we were in a typhoon. But we just

donned our raincoats and continued to walk.
“This weather is atrocious.”
“Yes… Well, it is a part of any journey.”

It was not realistic to expect the weather to always be in your favor. And it
wasn’t as if the weather had some grudge against me. There was nothing to
do but walk.
My boots trudged through the mud as I looked ahead of us. The thick clouds
were casting a shadow that made the midday look like it was noon. It was
even darker in the forest. There were no signs of the clouds parting or the rain
letting up. It would be a long time before it stopped raining.
What was scary about this rain, was the drop in body temperature. Also, it
obstructed your vision. But this was still my first time traveling for real, I
could only imagine what could happen, which was good for reminding me
how much experience I still lacked.
After a while, the forest on both sides began thin out, and instead, we were
greeted to a vast, open field. There were no trees around, and we caould see
to the far off distance. Well, actually it was still too dark and rainy to see that
far.
“We have reached the end of the forest. These gra.s.slands mean that we are
now in the territory of the gra.s.s wolves. We must be wary of monsters
here.”
“Ah, right. Gra.s.s wolves…”
I let go of the strap to the vintage bag I was holding, and touch the pommel of
my steel sword. So there was a high likelihood of fighting on this trip now. It
might be more eventful than I had thought.
Daniela used her inherited ability to detect the presence of enemies and
increased its range. She detected a few wolves not too far off. Well, it looked
like we wouldn’t have to worry about being attacked immediately. Though I
wasn’t sure how relaxed I should feet just yet. But it was enough to make me
let go of my sword and pick the bag back up. I just hoped that we wouldn’t
have trouble when camping out tonight.
We chose a place that had a giant boulder to set up camp. The tent was put up
with the boulder at its back. The rain had lessened a little now, but hadn’t
completely stopped… I considered making the fire under a tarp, but then
realized that it would burn, and so tried making the fire without it. At least
the firewood wasn’t damp, as I had stored some in the hollow bag. There was
also plenty of small branches to use as tinder. It was a good thing I had saved
them from before.
While there was plenty of white smoke, I was relieved to see the fire burning
hot as I put a pot over the flames. It was full of the usual soup. Dried meat
and freshly picked vegetables. A perfect meal to warm your body in this
weather. As I stir the pot and scan my surroundings, I see Daniela return from
the rainy fields. I kind of felt like a house-husband as I stirred.
“Welcome back.”
“I killed all of the gra.s.s wolves that were in the area.” “Sorry. For leaving it
to you.”
“We help each other in this party, Asagi. I am hungry now.”
“Coming right up.”
We take out the well-worn bowls. The slightly bigger one was Daniela’s This
became incredibly obvious during our training camp, but she liked to eat.
According to her, she didn’t get fat. Was it a trait of light elves!? I tried
asking her, but she claimed that it was not. I was incredibly jealous.
I gave her an extra large serving as she somewhat shamefacedly asked for
seconds, but I knew the truth. That time when she had disappeared into the
park with a load full of street food in her arms. I don’t know if I had ever
seen her look happier.
chapter 35
Night Fight
After eating to her heart’s content, Daniela was now in a deep sleep inside of
the tent. I was feeling an almost nostalgic fatigue as I sat there and mixed a
pot of soup. Of course, this was not a late night meal. This was breakfast.
Nothing had happened after that. No, really. I just sat down there, bored and
trying to fight off my drowsiness. The rain that we had expected to continue,
had stopped by early morning. The sun was just starting to show above the
gra.s.s on the horizon. I put the large spoon on one of the rocks surrounding
the bonfire and headed towards the tent. She really needed to wake up
already.
“Daniela…Get up…”
I was so tired that I couldn’t muster much energy for this. She was sleeping
in a bundle of blankets as I shook her shoulders. I was quite sure that I could
remain unfazed now even if I saw her naked again.
“Mmm…Oh, Asagi…” “Yes, it’s me…get up…”
She rubbed at her blurry eyes and slowly got up.
“Wash your face, eat breakfast, clean up…then wake me up when you are
done.”
I say as I collapse next to her. I really shouldn’t pull all-nighters anymore… I

was no longer nocturnal… I could feel my consciousness fade as I close my
eyes. Thankfully, I sensed that Daniela had stood up and gotten out of bed.
Good night.
I hear someone calling my name. Softly, swaying. I feel myself moving up

and down at an even rhythm. My consciousness returns.
“Mm? Are you awake then?”
I hear Daniela’s voice. I open my eyes to see if it really is her. It was strange,
but the first thing that I saw was the back of Daniela’s head.
“Mnn….what the…” “You must be able to walk then. If you are no longer
sleeping?”
I hear this, and my awareness begins to sharpen. Then I realized what was
happening.
“Daniela…I did tell you to wake me, but I don’t remember asking you to
carry me…” “Hehehe. You were in such a deep sleep. I could not bear to
wake you up. Besides, it was my fault for oversleeping. I did it as an act of
repentance. However, you are quite heavy.”
I tap her on the shoulder to make her stop walking. There is a loud ringing of
metal as my feet land on the ground. So she had equipped me with my
weapons. That must have been tiresome.
“Uh, thank you.” “It is fine. Do not worry about it.”
She says with a smile.
I look up at the sky and check the position of the sun. It was near the halfway
point between the highest point and the horizon. That meant that I slept for
two to three hours. Then I look at our surroundings. It is still nothing but
gra.s.s. I fix the positioning of my sword and then we are ready to move on.
“Kept you waiting.” “Are you trying to sound impressive with that voice?”
Yes, this is one line that you have to say in a deep voice.
Now, it was time to continue the journey. There was a gentle breeze as we
walked in the plains, side-by-side. It seemed that the warm sunlight that
shone down on us was a promise of a pleasant journey.
“Asagi, it is over there!” “Leave it to me!”

chapter 36
The Last Night
According to Daniela, this last wolf pack had wandered into this area by
coincidence, and there were not likely to be any further attacks. And so I
returned to my bed. Then a few hours later, she woke me up and we traded
places.
I tended to the fire as I gaze up at the sky that was a little different to the one
on earth. Just like it was on that first night, there were three moons that shone
down on the lands. I wondered how long it had been since I first arrived here.
It was probably over a month now. So it was one month since I had been
swept away on this violent wave that was now my everyday life. Too bad I
couldn’t celebrate this anniversary.
The sun rises from the east. It was always incredibly beautiful, the way that
the sunlight shone through the gaps in the trees. I add some firewood into the
weakened bonfire as I begin to prepare for breakfast. That being said, Master
Daniela had devoured all of our raw meat, so it would just be a soup.
I hold my hand over the pot which contains dried meat and imagine that
water is running from my palm. Once there is enough magical water inside to
cover the meat, I put the pot over the fire. This is how I’ve been cooking
recently. I imagine that it is soft water, so it doesn’t taste too bad. It is also
safe to drink without having to boil it first.
As the broth begins to boil, I remove the harshness with a spoon and discard
it on the ground as I wait for the meat to become soft. It was about time to go
and wake up Daniela.
“Daniela. It’s morning.”
“Mm…already…”
She sits up and runs her hands through her messy hair. The gesture makes my
heart beat a little faster. I think.
“You should wash up, then we’ll eat.”
“Mmm…”
She kicked away her blankets as she scratched her head. I figured that she
wouldn’t fall back to sleep since she had at least answered me. And so I
return to the kitchen.
I panicked a little when I saw that the pot was about to boil over, and moved
it further from the flames. This would be a lot easier with a tripod. I think as I
toss in some vegetables that I removed from the hollow bag. They used to sell
tripods for holding up pots over fires. I considered making one out of wood,
but it would just burn. It was also possible to stack up some rocks and place
sticks over it, but the pot didn’t have any holes for the sticks to go through.
Next time I would make a separate place away from the flames, I think with a
nod. The vegetables were cooked through now, and so I removed the pot
completely away from the fire. Daniela had just arrived after was.h.i.+ng her
face. She still looked sleepy, but my special soup would wake her right up.
“Today’s soup is quite good…”
“Thanks. I did my best.”
Food was important for any journey. I was not about to go on such a difficult
trip while only eating preserved food. Warm food was necessary for
maintaining your humanity.
“If things go according to schedule, we’ll arrive at the next town by

tomorrow, right?”
“That is right. The town is called ‘Spiris.”
“Spiris…”
My imagination runs wild as I hear this new name. What kind of a town
would it be? Hopefully, it wasn’t too different from Fhiraldo, with its many
kind people. And no s.h.i.+tty adventurers. Right?
We quickly cleaned up and prepared to set off again. If we could get through
this forest by tomorrow, then we would arrive at Spiris. So, what would be
the monster of the day…
It wasn’t just monsters that lived in the forest. There were many animals as
well. Boars, deer, rabbits, and monkeys. There were also small critters like
squirrels that would always be running up trees in the corner of your vision.
However, it looked like we were to be greeted by some good old goblins this
time.
“Gagwaarrr…”
The death cry sounded as the last goblin’s body fell heavily to the ground. I
take the goblin’s rusty blade and stash it away into the hollow bag before
standing up again.
“Asagi, why do you keep the goblins’ weapons?”
Daniela asked as she flung the blood from her sword and returned it into its
sheath.
“Well, at the end of the day, it’s all iron. I can sell them to blacksmiths.”
“Ah… I have never thought of doing such a thing.”
“Just making a little pocket money, really.”
But I wasn’t wasting time either. It was more money than one might expect.
And iron could be used for anything and was handy to have around. It could
be used for weapons, armor, and everyday items.
chapter 37
The Three Big Pigs
I wasn’t in the deepest sleep, but I was still sleeping. But of course, this was
going to be another night where I was hurriedly awakened by Daniela.
“Asagi. Monsters.”
I quickly sit up. After grinding my fists into my eyes and opening them, I
grab my sword and stand up on my feet.
“Gra.s.s wolves again?”
I take in a deep breath to help get my brain working again. Then I leave the
tent and drink a cup of water in one gulp. Thankfully, Daniela always wakes
me up with just enough time to prepare before the fight.
“No. Unfortunately, it is orcs.”
“Orcs?”
I had heard once from Gardo that orcs lived in the deepest reaches of the
northern forest. Later, someone else said that there were also many at the
base of the southern mountains. But both of those places were far from where
we were now.
“Had you heard of it, Asagi? There was an orc hunt not long ago.”
“What’s that?”
There was that one time that Gardo and Ness had been absent for quite a
stretch. Perhaps that was what they were doing if they had gone to the
southern mountains. Though, they never did tell me. So I had no way of
knowing.
“That hunt took place in those southern mountains.”
Daniela pointed at the mountains that were faintly lit by moonlight.
“They must be survivors who escaped that hunt and wandered over here.”
I see. There was no other reason why there would be any orcs in such a thin
forest.
Orcs lived in forests. But the ones that lived in the northern forest could only
be encountered if you went very deep inside. They preferred dense, almost
jungle-like environments. And the forest at the base of the southern mountain
was so dense it could be called an ocean of trees. It was also connected to the
forest that previously belonged to the forest wolves. So we could have
entered it, but it would have been dangerous to enter Beowulf’s territory.
Well, he wasn’t actually there anymore.
“Encountering orcs in this place… We must have the worst kind of luck…”
“Prepare yourself, Asagi. Every blow from an orc carries a lot of weight.
These are monsters that can swing a log with one hand.”
“Well, that’s encouraging. Do we have a hope of winning?”
Daniela laughs.
“Oh, they are nothing. As long as you do not get hit.”
She was so cool recently… However, it was as she said. And I was pretty
confident because of my high AGI. It was about the only thing I was
confident in, actually.
“So these enemies. .h.i.t hard. And so we have to…”
“Make use of our speed.”
And it was currently night time. Then…
“We should kill them quickly with an ambush. I think that would give us the
best chance.”
“Indeed. Well then, I will attack them with my bow from on top of a tree.”
Daniela said as she held her bow.
“I’ll hide in the ground and attack from below.”
There were plenty of dead leaves. I could use water to make them stick to my
body for an instant ghillie suit. I’m sure the clean-up afterward will be fun.
“Understood. They will be coming here from the south. Three in all. Can you
sense them?”
I use Presence Detection. Immediately, I detect the position of the three

creatures. I nod at her and she nods back.
“I would say that our distance is about 700. And there is a small clearing
about 200 away from here. It’s too small for them to camp at, but it will be
just enough for us to set up the ambush.”
She must have gone out scouting as soon as she detected them. I did feel like
I was being carried throughout this journey. I had to do my best so I could
stand shoulder to shoulder with her in the near future.
“Good. Now, let us begin. Asagi.”

chapter 38
The Fight Ends, but the Forest is Vast
There is only one orc left. And he would have to face both of us. I see
Daniela jump down from the tree in the corner of my eye.
“Asagi, do not let your guard down.”
“Right.”
I answer briskly, keeping my focus on the orc. The important thing was to
avoid being hit.
“Oingrraaawrr!!”
The orc howls in front of us. But we would not be overwhelmed by its
volume. It was nothing compared to when Beowulf roared. I spread my feet
and stood ready to move at any moment, the swords held in front of me.
There was a different weight to each sword. The one made of ice was much
lighter. So I should use the ice blade to intercept attacks and the steel blade to
deal them.
The orc now raised its club in the air. It aimed for my head and swung
downward. Of course, such an obvious attacks would never land. My feet dig
into the ground before an almost explosive force carries me away from the
spot. This fight was going to be one of agility.
With the same momentum, I slide to the side of the orc and slash his sides
with one hit of the ice blade. This sword had cut off an orc’s head, so I had
no complaints regarding its sharpness. Now the orc was crying with pain as it
swung its club madly, not even seeing a target. The heavy weapon noisily
cuts the air over my head. I stay in a crouching posture as I vault out like a
bullet, it’s the steel sword that next slashes at the orcs ankles.
His foot flies away without much resistance.

“Oigyaahaghhh!!!”
Having lost its balance, the orc rocks back and forth for a moment before
falling to the ground. I catch my breath and hold my sword ready. There is a
saying about cornered rats attacking cats. You never knew what an enemy
would do once it became desperate.
“Asagi, do it!”
I hear Daniela shout from behind me and I nod and take a step forward.
As if hearing my footsteps, the orc suddenly starts to flail around as if it has

gone mad. Its club swung recklessly in all directions without thought. I was
not going to be able to approach it like this. Well, magic it is then.
Thankfully, the orc would not be able to move from where it was.
I stab the steel sword into the ground and hold the ice sword horizontally.
Then I imagine that magic is being discharged into it as I point the tip of the
blade toward the orc. The trigger is pulled in my brain. The missile of ice
fires straight into the orc, entering its forehead.
The shock is so strong that the orc is blown backward and crashes into a tree.
There is a loud sound of flapping wings as a flock of birds flies away from
the suddenly swaying tree. I apologize to them inwardly, as I sigh and pull
the steel sword out of the ground.
“Hahhh…”
“Good work, Asagi.”
She offers her fist which is still gripping her bow, and so I offer my sword-
gripping fist in return for a nice b.u.mp. Apparently, Daniela really enjoyed
these little interactions. So did I, really. It makes us feel like a real team.
“That club was dangerous.”
Yes. The combination of an orc’s power and that club… It is remarkable.

There would not be a body left to bury if you let your guard down.”
Yeah… Really, what frightful enemies.
I look down at the fallen orcs. The first with an arrow in its brain. The other
lay beheaded. Then the last, with its ankle slashed and a shard of ice stuck in
its head. It had only been a minute or two, time-wise, but it had still been an
intense fight.
We retrieved the fangs from the orcs as proof before returning to the
campsite. Unlike the forest wolf fangs, these were thick and long. The wolf
fangs were for eating, while these seemed more like weapons.
I looked up at the sky. The clouds had thickened again, making the moons
look hazy. It would probably be about two hours until it sank and the sun
rose.
“This succession of night attacks is getting tiresome.”
“That is what you can expect from traveling. Can you imagine doing this
alone?”
That brings me back to when I had traveled alone. That was really… I didn’t
want to sleep in any trees ever again. And while it could save you in a forest
inhabited by wolves and goblins, what about orcs? I’m sure they would just
knock the tree right over. And while I have yet to see one, if there were ape-
like monsters here, then there would be almost no point in sleeping in the
trees.
chapter 39
Sometimes Sunny
“I don’t believe I was waiting for you.”
“Oh, what a funny joke.”
There was quite the discrepancy in warmth between us in the conversation.

But we were also in the forest five days away from Fhiraldo. We weren’t in
the guild where we usually talked.
“What business do you have here?”
“I came chasing after Asagi of course!”
“We should get going, Daniela.”
I adjust the hollow bag on my back and start to walk away. Fiona
immediately begins to follow me on her horse.
Really, what was she doing here?
“Actually, there was a notice regarding personnel changes at Spiris.”
Fiona begins as if nothing had happened. I listen to her but continue to walk.
“I think it was about three days after you left… I thought that I might still
make it in time, so I came riding the best half unicorn that the guild had.”
“Half unicorn?”
I knew about unicorns. But half?
“Oh, it’s a domesticated horse that is born between an ordinary horse and a
unicorn. They are much better than the average horse!”
Fiona wore a smug expression as she slapped the half unicorn. Now that I
look carefully, it did look different compared to the usual horse you would
see drawing carriages. It was slender and beautiful. I had seen such
thoroughbreds back in j.a.pan. Its eyes were a deep violet. Perhaps it was a
feature of its monster heritage. However, this horse did not have a single horn
as unicorns did.
In any case, apparently, this horse had the energy and strength to cover our
five-day journey in just two. I could see what she meant about them being
excellent horses.
“But I didn’t think that you would be so close to Spiris already… I was
expecting to enjoy a nice long journey with you…”
“Oh, it was a fun journey alright. We even killed some orcs last night.”
“Orcs!? Why!? I thought Gardo and Ness killed them all!”
Ah, so they had gone out to fight orcs then. It seems that I had been right
about that.
“A few happened to escape. And they wandered all the way into this forest.”
Daniela explains to her. Fiona crosses her arms and thinks about this
revelation.
It is now nearly midday. Just as I was starting to feel hungry and rubbing my
stomach, Fiona cried out with a loud ‘Ah!’ I turn to look, and she is pointing
at something. My gaze follows her finger to an opening in the trees ahead.
There’s an open field. Daniela nods with a smile. It seems that we have
finally reached the exit.
I try not to look too eager, but my legs definitely start to move faster as we
near it. The light s.h.i.+ning down on us increases. Then we are out of the
dim forest and bathed in a strong light that forces me to squint. But I quickly
become accustomed to it and take in the scene before me. The plains ahead,
the road to Spiris. There were many small hills here on this undulating
terrain. Nothing obstructed your vision here. You could clearly see the gra.s.s
in the far off distance moving in the wind. Was that the work of wind spirits?
I take in a slow, deep breath. It’s a different kind of refres.h.i.+ng air

compared to the dampness of the forest. I did love the forest, but these
gra.s.slands were also great…
“Well, can we move along now?”
Daniela taps me on the back. I might have forgotten myself for a second
there. How embarra.s.sing.
I look down the road and I can see the town in the far off distance. Well, I
had heard that it was a town, but it looked more like a city. There were
ma.s.sive walls surrounding it. I couldn’t tell from this distance, but they
looked very high.
“That is Spiris, City of the Plains.”
Fiona says as she points to it. So it was a city.
“A city… The last time I visited here, it was but a town.”
Daniela whispers.
“When was that?”
“It was shortly after leaving my homeland. So nearly sixty years ago.”
“I’d be more surprised if it wasn’t a city after that much time.”
Daniela scratches her cheek and glares at me sulkily. Hey, it’s the truth.
“Come on. You wanted to go, right?”
I tap her on the back for good measure and begin walking. After slowly
walking down the hill, I look behind me to see if Daniela and Fiona were
following. Well, we were a company of three now. I’m sure that Spiris will
turn out to be a lively place.
chapter 40
Running Man, Running Horse, Flying Wyvern
My hair moves as the emerald and silver wind bursts around my feet.
Mysteriously, the wind against my body does not feel too strong in spite of
my speed. Perhaps this was part of the ability.
“Run! Go Poshule!”
I could hear Fiona encouraging her half unicorn behind me. For such a
beautiful half unicorn…it was a good name!
“Daniela, are you alright?”
I look down at her and ask. Her hands are still shaking as she clutches onto
my clothes. But…
“Aye…I am fine.”
She was still nervous, but at least she was no longer completely stunned. I
wanted to run like this all the way to Spiris if possible. But there was one
problem.
I wasn’t sure if this city of the plains had a system of defense that could take
on the wyvern. If this just happened to be a rare incident in these parts, things
could get real bad. It would mean that we were bringing a huge disaster with
us to the city.
But if wyvern attacks were common here?
I look at the walls which are getting closer and closer. They looked to be
around 3 to 4 meters in height. They were impressive walls. Now, if only
those were made to help protect them from wyverns…
“GOWHARWGGAAAAA!!!”
The roar of the flying beast explodes behind us. It was enough to turn your
blood cold. However, there was no way I could allow it to slow me down
now.
“How are you doing! Fiona!”
“I am fine! But this is horrifying!”
Well, I was relieved that she could say that much in this situation. I wasn’t
sure just how fast the wyvern could get, but it seemed that it wasn’t quite as
fast as a half unicorn, much less the ‘legs of a forest wolf.’
“We’re almost at Spiris! Can that city handle a wyvern!?”
I ask Fiona as she rides behind me. She’s a guild member and had been the
first to react to this aerial a.s.sault. Perhaps she knew something about the
city’s defenses.”
“It is fine! Keep going!!”
Got it. I look over my shoulder and nod. The half unicorn blows air from its
nostrils and does its best to catch up with me. And so the distance between us
and the wyvern grows.
“Daniela, do you have something like a whistling arrow?”
“No, I…do not. But you want to alert the city? Then…”
With shaking hands, Daniela takes out a single arrow from her quiver.
“It is a flash arrow. With this…”
“Are you able to shoot it?”
I ask gently. Daniela nods.
“There is no point in shooting it unless it is from here.”
She says with a severe expression. I manage to carry her with one arm as I
sheath my sword before carrying her with both arms again. Thankfully, she
was rather light.
And then Daniela takes out her bow and aimes at a point above the city. With
it, she had nocked this arrow that she called a flash arrow. As its name
suggested, it was likely going to emit some sort of light. I tell Fiona that we
were ready.
“We are going to shoot a flash arrow to let the city know that we are coming.
Be careful of the light!”
“Understood!!”
Fiona hugged the half unicorn’s neck tightly and whispered, “It’s going to be
alright.”
Seeing this, Daniela nods and pulls back as far as the bowstring will allow,
then releases. The arrow flies towards the city. I estimated it to be at around
the halfway point between the city and us before it exploded into a bright
light in the air. The cities guards must have surely become aware of the
wyvern by now. And so they would become aware of us.
“Very impressive, Master Daniela. That’s perfect.”
“Mm… You are a good student, young Asagi.”
She was now calm enough to return my jokes. The only thing I was worried
about was that her cheeks looked a little red.
chapter 41
The City of the Plains
“There now, good, good…”
Fiona was petting her half unicorn Poshule on the other side of the wall near
the gate. It did not take long before the city guards returned. One figure in the
group sees us and raises his spear. Then he barks some orders at the other
men before running towards us. Judging by the spear he is wielding, he must
be the one who was leading them.
“Ahhh, that was really something!”
“You just might have saved us.”
I accept the offered hand and shake. The grip was a little painful.
“That was a brilliant attack you used to bring down the wyvern! It appeared
to be magic from where I was watching!”
I hesitated for a second but figured it was nothing compared to having people
know about ‘Legs of the forest wolf.’ They didn’t know, right?
“It was ice magic. I gave it a good beating in its left eye.”
“Indeed! It could not have been easy to aim so precisely… Yes, the wound on
its face was quite hideous. We might not have been able to kill it had it not
been for that wound. I would not be exaggerating when I say that you are the
hero of this city!”
“No, no. That is an exaggeration. I’m just an adventurer.”
d.a.m.n. d.a.m.n it. He was getting carried away now.
“Is that so? I do not believe the average adventurer to be capable of such a
feat.”
“It was only a coincidence. I was so desperate to escape from it.”
“Ah, well, if you insist…”
He seemed a little reluctant but at least he had calmed down. I had been in
serious danger of being treated as the hero who saved the city. It was too
much of a burden for this part-time worker and adventurer.
“Ah, how rude of me! I am the captain of the guards in this cities western
district. My name is Harold. It is my honor to make your acquaintance.”
“The honor is mine. Commander. I am Asagi.”
This time it was Harold who grabbed my hand and shook it. It was still
painful.
“And I am sure that these two ladies are also tired! Let me see, yes. I can
show you the best inn in the city if you like?”
“Ah, we do not have that much money with us. I think we will look for an
ordinary inn.”
“Hahaha! I had thought to put our hero in the best inn possible. Please excuse
me!”
If you could stop calling me a hero first…
In the end, we had Harold show us the way to an ordinary inn. We only
needed instructions I told him, but he would not give in and took us there
himself. This commander was a pa.s.sionate man.
“Well, I will take my leave now. Come by the guardhouse if you need
anything! I will tell them about you so that you are invited in if you give
them my name!”
“Thank you for everything. Till next time then.”

This time I gripped his hand as hard as I could in return. He smiled slyly and
increased the pressure in his own grip. s.h.i.+t. I guess he hated to lose.
I watched him disappear down the road before turning to face my two
companions.
“So, now what? He brought us here and, well, I suppose this will be our new
home for a while.”
Daniela had regained much of herself by now and nodded.
“Judging by its appearance, it is at least up to the same standard as the inn in

Fhiraldo. I am in agreement with you. Harold has chosen a fine place for us
to stay.”
Daniela says as she inspects the building. It did seem like the perfect place
for adventurers.
It wasn’t too fancy but also avoided being filthy. Just the right level for an
inn.
“Well, I must show up at the guild. I do wish I could stay with you, but guild
members have their own lodgings. Oh well…”
“Right. Goodbye then.”
“Huh? Is that how you talk to your friends now? And you called me Fiona
just a moment ago!”
“It was an emergency. See you later then.”
I picked up my belongings and was about to enter the inn when something
grabbed me from the back. I look down and see two arms wrapped around
my waist.
“We are companions who escaped from the wyvern together! There’s no
need for formalities!”
“And now we are guild member and adventurer again. Let’s be professional
about it.”
chapter 42
The Template Comes Suddenly
The Silver Sky inn had three floors. Though, it might be more accurate to say
four, as there was an underground bathing area. Finding out that this inn also
had a bath was enough to make my satisfaction reach its peak.
We were put up in rooms on the third floor. Separate rooms. We didn’t want
any more accidents happening! It was important to maintain an environment
that was conducive to a peaceful party.
It was decided that we would meet at the dining area for a late lunch after we
settled in our rooms. After that, we would go out into the city and leisurely
make our way to the guild. Joshua had told us where to find it. Though, there
was also a guidebook sold at the counter which I had bought.
Now, I think this is enough unpacking.
The Silver Sky inn faced the city streets, giving you a nice view of Spiris
when you opened the window.
“Woah… this place is huge…”
Spiris, the city that spread across the plains. The roads here were flat. Having
been built over such calm terrain, it was a good place for people who hated
going up slopes and stairs.
But it was also wide. Especially if compared to Fhiraldo. So maybe it wasn’t

all that great for people who hated to exercise. Still, it was a city. A big city.
…Right, I can’t be staring out this window all day. I had an appointment in
the dining hall. Always be five minutes early. That’s my motto.
I lock up the room and head downstairs. There are decorative objects placed
everywhere that look quite expensive. I would have to be careful not to
b.u.mp into anything here. It could end in me having to sell the ancient elven
weapons. No, I would never do that.
I keep a good distance as I pa.s.s by and walk through the entrance room and
into the dining area. The place looked more like a restaurant. It was
completely different compared to the ordinary dining hall at the Spring Wind
inn. I was very fond of that place, but I didn’t hate the atmosphere here
either. Though, it did make you a little self-conscious about what you were
wearing.
In fact, even now I generally wore my convenient store uniform. It had

become rather raggedy after being through the forest, fights with monsters
and multiple washes. But I couldn’t throw it away. It was the last connection
I had to a home I could never return to. I did have underwear and s.h.i.+rts to
change into, but this black uniform with its dress s.h.i.+rt and necktie was
essentially my best suit. I did sew the parts that had ripped and patched up
some holes, but it was becoming clear that I would soon have to start wearing
normal clothes from this world… These were more shabby than vintage at
this point. Hey, it was just like the hollow bag.
Okay, fine. I would buy new clothes before heading to the guild!
“Asagi. You are blocking me from entering.”
“Oh, Daniela. Sorry, sorry. Let’s eat then.”
Daniela had been waiting behind me. I hadn’t noticed as I was so distracted
by my fas.h.i.+on related dilemma…
Not only the restaurant itself, but the food was also incredibly refined. But at
the same time, it was still filling. Master Daniela seemed quite satisfied as
well. We were now sitting down and enjoying a small break after the meal.
There were not many people around as it wasn’t really a mealtime hour.
“Ah, I ate a lot… We should take a walk to help it settle.”
“Oh, Daniela. I want to buy some clothes.”

“Clothes?”
She looks at me with a smirk and folds her arms in front of her. Oh, now this
was getting embarra.s.sing…
“Yes, I see it now. I did not care at first, as it is your traditional attire, but it is
quite worn, really. I hope it was not like that originally?”
“Of course not. It was very nice at first… But its become a victim of my daily
adventures.”
“Well, then you should buy some nice clothes somewhere nearby. Both your
rank and your level has gone up on this journey. You might as well change
all of your equipment too.”
Huh? Has my rank gone up already? Daniela sees my surprise and chuckles.
“You killed those orcs remember? It would have surely gone up a little.”
“Ohh, right. The wyvern seems to have wiped my memory.”
It had completely escaped me that we did that. Hmm, perhaps I should look
at my status. I hadn’t checked it in a while. And so I call it up as I always did.
chapter 43
Like Something Hard to Describe
Well then. I was currently in a bit of a mess with a rough looking old man.
Things were going so well on my way to the clothing store up until I turned
the corner. As a newly arrived visitor to this city, it was only natural for me
to walk around with my nose inside of the guidebook. I did occasionally look
up to make sure I was headed in the right direction, but I was clearly not
paying enough attention where it mattered. You reap what you sow.
“…and that is what happened. I am terribly sorry.”
“Ah, so it is your first time in this city! You should have told me sooner!
You!”
He laughed boisterously and began to repeatedly slap me on the shoulder. I

felt like I was being hammered into the ground every time his hands came
down. I do a quick bow.
Then the rough looking man asked me where I was headed, so I told him the
name of the store. Then he said he would take me there. What a surprise, he
was actually a perfectly decent person. I thought we would move according
to that old template of how these things always go. But that was a big
mistake. This world wasn’t going to be like that.
“Oh, the name’s Pinzoro. I’m an adventurer in this here city. I’d say you and
that lady over there are adventurers too, by the looks of you? Perhaps we’ll
be meeting again!”
“Thank you for helping us. I am Asagi. This is Daniela. I hope we will meet
again.”
“Hey, hey, hey now. No need to act so stiff between us adventurers! It makes
my skin crawl!”
He says as he exaggeratingly scratched his arms. I laughed. Perhaps he was
right. After all, we were adventuring ruffians. Kids were scared of us.
“Alright. Thanks, Pinzoro.”
“Bah! See you later, Asagi, Daniela!”
Pinzoro waved a hand as he went back down the street. Ahhhh, for a second I
wondered what was about to happen, but thankfully, it was nothing. But
Pinzoro huh… I wonder if he gambles.
Now that he was gone, the street we were on was suddenly very quiet. I turn
around and see Daniela, who was about as quiet as the front of the train
station at midnight.
“Uh, Daniela.”
“Mm? What?”
I ask her something that I had been wondering about for a while. But I could
never really find the right timing to ask her about it.
“You’re always so quiet whenever we talk with someone for the first time.”
“Ah…”
I was finally able to ask. That in itself gave me a great sense of

accomplishment.
But she really was quiet during these moments. As if she were erasing her
presence. And now she had a troubled expression, like something was stuck
in her throat.
“Oh…well, you see…”
“Yes.”
“How can I put this….I…am not great with conversing.”

“But you talk just fine with me.”
“It, it is fine if there is a reason! A subject!”
“I, I see..”
She was waving her arms as if denying whatever I was thinking of. But I
clearly was not mistaken. Master Daniela had a problem in terms of her
communication abilities.
“Well, I was rarely around any specific people until I partnered with you. I
could get by with the minimum amount of conversation… It, it takes me a
while to grasp. How to interact with a person.”
Daniela occasionally glanced at me as she talked, not too unlike a child who
had just been scolded. I see. I see. I had a.s.sumed that a long life meant a
vast breadth of experiences, but I suppose what was more defining was how
you lived that life. I feel a little wiser now. Asagi has gained a level.
“Oh, it’s no problem for me as long as we can talk together. Let’s go get
some clothes then.”
“Ah, Asagi? I do intend on putting an effort into gaining some experience.”
She says with a tug on my sleeve. Yes, yes. I mumble back and we enter the
store.
It was called ‘Goblin’s Boutique.’ Not the best name in my opinion. They do
know that those guys just wear rags? But according to the guidebook, this
was a reputable store. It might even be one of the best in terms of clothing for
youngsters.
The interior was on the dark side. The entrance of the store was lined with
gothic looking decorations as if to intimidate any customers. Once you
pa.s.sed that area, you immediately arrived at the clothes area. Hmm, not bad
at all. Some of the clothes here could work even in modern j.a.pan. However,
only in select places around Harajuku.
All of the clothes here had a gothic if not punk flair as if they were the
embodiment of that indescribable thing that the youth crave for.
It did not suit me at all. I wasn’t young, and I had a rather reserved
personality…
chapter 44
The Disappearance of Asagi Kamiyas.h.i.+ro
Well then. While Daniela had chosen her new clothes, I had yet to choose
mine. And I was not about to go to the guild until I changed from my
convenient store uniform and debuted by new fas.h.i.+on look for this world.
I reopen the guidebook in front of ‘Goblin’s Boutique.’
I’m flipping through the pages in the blind hope that everything will be
alright as long as I have this. The book informs me that there is a men’s
clothing store nearby. In fact, it was also partnered with an armor shop as
well. Which would allow me to buy inner and outerwear with the armor.
Obviously, things could get a little expensive, but I had planned to get new
armor anyway, so this was rather timely.
“So, what do you think about this store?”
“Hmm, it looks less hostile compared to the last one. I do not see why not?”
And so we went out into the main street before crossing to the other side of
the road and turning a corner. Here we inspected the exterior of the store, the
‘Paw Armor Shop.’ This was on the backside of the main street. On the front
side, the store had a sign that read ‘Paw Clothes and Accessories Shop.’
People who wanted clothes entered from the main street, and people who
wanted armor entered from the backstreet. Apparently, some of the rougher
adventurers didn’t like being seen entering a clothing store.
The name ‘Paw’ was a little strange, but we decided to go inside.
“h.e.l.lo. We would like to see some armor please.”
“Welcome! Welcome to the Paw Armor Shop!”
We addressed the clerk behind the counter and receive an energetic welcome.
Hmm, good reply. I couldn’t help but evaluate through the eyes of a part-time
clerk who worked the night s.h.i.+ft.
“Are you the one who will be wearing the armor then?”
“Yes. I’d like to get a new set. If you have any suggestions.”
“Of course… As you are currently wearing light armor, we shall start our
search from there!”
We were led through the store. There was a good variety of armor in the light
armor section. And here a certain t-s.h.i.+rt caught my eye. The product was
inside a gla.s.s case, but it looked like an ordinary s.h.i.+rt. Yet the price that
was written on a plaque was enough to make my eyeb.a.l.l.s pop out of their
sockets. There were three extra zeroes compared to everything else.
“Ohh, this one, yes. It has an enchantment cast on it. It grants you double
AGI. It is the only piece of equipment in existence that has successfully
allowed you to do this with AGI.”
Well, that was insane. Um… Should they really be putting something so
valuable here?
“Hehe. It is to be auctioned off this weekend. To be honest, it is hard finding

someone who will buy it due to the price. Plus, our security here is top notch.
And there is also magic cast over this case.”
“I see… The world is full of fantastic artifacts.”
“The world is a big place.”
We continue to stare at the expensive s.h.i.+rt. My AGI would skyrocket if

could wear this.
“Excuse me, but…” “Yes?”
The clerk called me suddenly so I turned to look. He had a big smile on his
face.
I had a bad feeling about this.
“Would you like to try it on?”
“Are you serious… I doubt you could catch me if I took off with it! Hehe.”
“Oh, there is no need to worry! This s.h.i.+rt has multiple spells that allow us
to monitor, locate and control from a distance. Even if you did run, we would
be able to easily recover the s.h.i.+rt, even if you were left dying in the
process!”
“I’d rather not wear something so ominous!”
I couldn’t help but say, half-jokingly. I’m sure he’d forgive me. But the thing
was starting to sound like a twisted iron maiden. Only an idiot would want it
now.
“Oh, but you should know that I do not just allow anyone to wear it. I have
perceived that you are a most honest gentleman.”
“I’m sure that’s not a lie…”
“No, no, I would never lie. Yes, I have a skill that helps in this regard.”
The clerk says with a sly wink. I felt no pleasure in being winked at by a
man, but if he really did have a skill for it, then maybe he was right? I really
did not know.
“Daniela, what do you think?”
“Hmm? If it may end up as part of your new set, then you should try it on.”
“It won’t. That price…”
But, since my partner thought it was okay, maybe I could try it… The anti-
theft measures were horrifying, but this would still be a new experience!
chapter 45
But Isn’t It Expensive?
“Wonderful! This AGI multiplier s.h.i.+rt was made for you! Now, please
take it! Oh, no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no! I would never think of payment! I am
happy to have just been a witness to that moment! I am the most fortunate of
fellows! I have witnessed such a historical moment with my own eyes!”
Of course, such a convenient conversation did not take place. I quickly

removed the s.h.i.+rt and it was placed back into its gla.s.s case. We then
continued to look at other sets of light armor. The clerk was still a little dazed
at first, but seemed to regain himself when I came out of the dressing room
and handed him the s.h.i.+rt. I didn’t know what kind of person would
ultimately own it, but it was really something special. I could only hope the
new owner was a good person.
Now, there were all kinds of armor before us. General leather armor. Armor
made from the skin of monsters, and even armor made from the knitted hair
of monsters. They had other enchanted clothing as well. And so I settled on
some armor made of monster hide and clothes with magical enchantments.
“These products you have chosen would usually be very expensive, but they
are discounted a little at this time of the year.”
“Oh, and why is that?”
“The truth is, the material used for this is from dragons.
Daniela was sitting unconcernedly on a chair until the word ‘dragon’ caught
her ear. She stood up loudly.
“Dragons?”
“Uh, yes…there was a small scale stampede in a town north from here. They
say it was dragons… Only young ones, though. Fortunately, there was a
brave hero present. All the dragons were slain and a lot of material flowed
into the market.”
“A dragon stampede…”
Daniela sat back into her chair with a complicated expression. It had been a
small scale one, but it was still a stampede. Something about them only being
younger dragons seemed odd, but there was another word that caught my
interest even more.
“A hero?”
“Yes. Do you not know? The hero of the royal capital, Yasus.h.i.+
Matsumoto.”
“Yasus.h.i.+…Matsumoto…?”
Hey, hey, hey, hey… That was clearly a j.a.panese name!
“The name has a similar ring to yours, Asagi. Is he from your homeland?”
“No… I don’t know…”
My heart was beating so fast that it was difficult to think straight. I could hear
my pulse hammering in the back of my ears. This was the first time this had
happened in this world. The first time I had heard anything about home.
“Ah…ah… I’m sorry… I see. So that is why they are cheap. So how much
will it be exactly?”
“Indeed. This leather armor is made from a young ice dragon. It offers
protection from fire magic and increases the strength of ice-related spells.
The price is forty pieces of gold. The undergarment is weaved from the hairs
of a wind dragon. The wind dragon is loved by the wind, it will enhance your
wind magic and raise your AGI. Furthermore, the enchantment on the
s.h.i.+rt will grant you an additional AGI boost as well. Its price is sixty gold
pieces.”
It was a young dragon and the materials were abundant, and yet this price… I
felt rather betrayed after hearing that they had been discounted. Especially as
it was not an amount I could immediately afford.
“It is a very appealing set of gear. But I won’t be able to buy it immediately
at that price…”
“It would usually cost eight times as much. The price has only collapsed due
to the market, but that will soon be fixed and the price will return to normal.”
Well, this was annoying! Go hunt some more and flood the market,
Yasus.h.i.+ Matsumoto!
I was being pushed and pushed by the sales talk I was hearing. I was
developing a dire compulsion to buy it somehow. However, I couldn’t allow
myself to fall into debt over this. I also refuse to borrow from Daniela.
Borrowing and lending money between party members was the door to
destruction.
“Ahhhh… I do want it…but I will have to pa.s.s. It’s just not feasible for me.
It would be a different story if there was some way to make money around
here.”
“Is that right… It is too bad. But a good merchant does not force customers to
buy things. Though, I could accommodate you with a small price cut.”
My ears perk up at those words.
“…And how much would that be?”
“Indeed. Altogether the items are one hundred gold pieces. I could lower it to
eighty pieces, as a thank you for that wonderful show you put on!”
Hmm… I suppose this was where I had to try harder. This was a negotiation
to go into with full force.
chapter 46
Bonuses Come Suddenly
Ultimately, I arrived at the guild without being able to debut my new

fas.h.i.+onable set of armor. But, at least I had signed for it? I just needed to
hurry up and make some money and then that dragon armor set would be
mine. Currently, I had two golds, sixty silvers, and about six hundred
coppers. The coppers were divided into six bags and stashed away in the
hollow bag. I could exchange them for silvers, but the convenience store
clerk in me wanted to keep them, just in case.
Regardless, I was in need of sixty-five more gold pieces. My calculations are

wrong, you say? Hey, I wouldn’t exactly be able to live if I emptied my entire
wallet!
“As expected for the Spiris guild… It’s big and beautiful.”
“The quality of adventurers seems high as well. Like that great sword-wielder
over there, I have no doubt that he is very skilled.”
We looked about, like two country b.u.mpkins until a guild member called
out to us.
“Is it your first time here?”
“First time in this guild, yes. We are from Fhiraldo.”
“Ah…you must be that Asagi that Fiona was talking about. The one who
killed the wyvern.”
Apparently, that story had already made the rounds. Even more, I was now
the one who killed it. It was really the soldiers who did that, I had just slid in
a single attack.
“I have heard about you from Fiona. She said to treat you well. And in
regards to the wyvern, Harold, from the west district guards also visited and
said to give you the reward for slaying it. As you were ‘the biggest reason
that they were able to kill it.’”
“Uh.”
He said what!? All I did was throw a sword of ice at it. The rest was achieved
by the guards!
“Harold brought in eight wyvern claws, twenty-four teeth, two sets of wing
membrane, one jaw plate, and one heart. And they are all to be given to you.”
So saying, the guild member showed me the list. Yes, it was all there. At the
bottom were the words ‘Give all of the above items to Asagi’ in tidy letters.
“Oh, but surely the other guardsmen will not be happy about this? I mean,
they are having their glory taken away by some adventurer.”
Wouldn’t they? That was a wyvern! A dragon. It was a great feat to have
been able to kill it. I couldn’t see a scenario where they wouldn’t be angry
about me taking that away from them. But it would be even worse if their
anger was directed toward Harold.
“Well, this list is hardly the entirety of what can be collected from a wyvern.”
“Is that right? But these are the rare ones, aren’t they?”
“The materials with the highest demand are the scales and the hide.’
Ah…neither of those were listed.
“But even then, that won’t make up for what they are losing, right?”
“As for that, Harold is to pay the difference. They are likely all at a bar right
about now.”
The guild member chuckled. Ahhh… I guess he would be buying quite a few
drinks today then…
“So, I can take all of this…?”
“Yes. The materials themselves are in storage here at the guild. Just submit
this list at the ‘Rewards’ counter when you wish to withdraw them.”
“I understand.”
I receive the list. Suddenly, I was now the owner of a bunch of wyvern
materials…I would have to thank Harold when I got the chance.
Next, Daniela and I went over to the Rewards counter. Fiona was not there.
Which wasn’t too surprising.
“h.e.l.lo. We would like to convert this proof of slaying orcs into money.”
“Orcs, I see. Yes, of course. Please give me your status cards.”
I hand over six orc fangs and the cards.
“Also, this.”
I slide over the list.
“Let me see. ….Yes, Asagi. So you wish to receive the items here?”
“Yes, please…”
“Asagi.”
“…What?”
The communicatively impaired master Daniela b.u.t.ted in. This was rare.
chapter 47
Starting the Gold Scheme
Let’s review it, shall we? Fifty-seven gold pieces. That’s what I got after
selling the wyvern materials. Three golds and sixty silvers. That’s what we
got for the orc materials. Add all of this up and I have sixty golds and sixty
silvers. That’s what I had in all.
Now, as for this ice dragon armor that was scheduled to become my new
equipment. Breastplate, gauntlets, boots and leggings, all of this was forty
golds. Then there were the wind dragon clothes. Inners, trousers, and poncho
with a hood. All of these had enchantments cast on them. They cost sixty
gold pieces in all. And all of this would have cost me a hundred pieces of
gold, had I not been able to negotiate and bring it down to sixty-five.
In other words, I required four golds and forty silvers. It was an amount I
could get if I just went out and exterminated all of the gra.s.s wolves. Of
course, that would only result in a storm of abuse my way by others whose
profession relied on them. My safest bet was to patiently work through
different quests. Plus, Daniela said that she would help me, so the work
wouldn’t be too bad. Though, I wasn’t going to let her carry me through this
either. I would do my best.
So that sums it up. I was now in front of the quest board. It was aboard with a
variety of quests nailed to it. I went through them, examining the contents.
“Hmm… Seems the hunting quests pay the most.”
Gra.s.s wolves, goblins, even kobolds, which I had yet to actually see. I think
they were those monsters with dog heads.
“Oh? What is this?”
A certain quest catches my eye. It read ‘Wyvern Hunt Request.’ Wasn’t the
last one just killed? I think as I continued to read.
“Let’s see… ‘the mate of the wyvern that was slain this afternoon has been
sighted. We request that it be hunted.’ …Hmm, a couple, eh?”
Apparently, they had scouted the surrounding area after the fight and
discovered a nest. Just like the orcs, these wyverns must have wandered in
from a different area. Well, this was a little too much for me. I would leave it
to stronger adventurers.
Ultimately, this meant that the only thing left for me to do was to go wipe out
some mob creatures. I could camp out a little and kill some gra.s.s wolves
and goblins.
I tore off the requests for goblin and gra.s.s wolf hunting from the board, and
took them to the Quest counter to have them issued.
“By the way, you have now reached level 36. You can now be promoted to
Rank D, also called ‘Olivine.’”
“Olivine, huh?”
Commonly known as peridots. I guess I was now a gemstone at last.
“Can you do it now?”
“Yes, of course. Please wait a moment.”
I had to wait on the chair once again. I stared into s.p.a.ce for several minutes
until Daniela returned after having disappeared.
“Where were you?”
“A street stall.”
But we just ate…
“Oh, right. I gained a new rank. It’s D. Apparently I’m an Olivine now.”
“Already at D. You grow so quickly.”

“You think so?”
“Aye. By the way, Olivine covers levels 36 to 50. 51 to 70 are garnets. Which
is what I am currently. Though, my rank is likely to rise soon.”
Garnets. Well, that was still quite a ways off for me. Raising one’s rank and
level was good and all, but you needed to master the basics first. It’s the
steady effort you put into the small things that pay off.
Still, Daniela was making a lot of progress as well. Part of me really wanted
to catch up to her, but the other part didn’t. It was quite a dilemma.
Nothing in particular happened after that, and I was able to finish ranking up.
Daniela wanted to return to the inn.
“I intend to camp out to earn some money, so we’ll probably act separately
for a while.”
“Hehe. We have such a nice inn with beds to stay at, but I suppose it was not
enough to separate Asagi from his trees.”
“I don’t sleep in them for fun!”

chapter 48
A Wise Man Approaches Danger
“Mmmm….aaahh…morning…”
I watch the morning light slowly illuminate the forest as my consciousness

take its times to awaken. Ah, nature really did offer the best views. This
wasn’t a world full of artificial things like j.a.pan. And so I really enjoyed
these sights. I had never been to any national parks…
Great, I’m wide awake now. I untied the rope that was binding me and fixed
it to a tree branch. And with that, I slid down the tree. I would just leave it
there, since I’d be camping out here tonight as well. However, I would put all
of my tools and belongings in the hollow bag and keep it up in the tree. I
don’t know what I would do if I came back and it had been stolen. It was an
important, vintage item that Russell gave to me.
I put everything that I would needed to take with me in a different bag.

Breakfast would be dried meat that could be chewed as I walked. It would be
difficult to move if I ate too much anyway. I remember watching a diet show
on tv that said you would feel like you were full if you chewed a lot. And
they must be right!
Alright now, I had my weapons. My belongings. The important stuff is up in

the tree. The fire is put out. Good. Let’s go!
And so started my second forest training camp. It was currently the second
day. Yesterday, I had hunted goblins. I had now acc.u.mulated over fifty
weapons from them. They practically infested this forest. Not that they all
carried weapons, but I definitely killed more than fifty of them. In any case,
killing a bunch of mob creatures wasn’t exactly going to make my level go
up much, but you needed to think of the big picture. I’m sure that at least one
stat went up, maybe.
Regardless, I was overflowing with weapons at this point, so I decided to go

to the plains. There were no gra.s.s wolves around here yesterday, probably
because of the wyvern. But what about today? I use presence detection to
find out. By the way, I had been using this skill pretty much constantly the
other day, so I was starting to get the hang of it. I had a better idea of
measuring distance now. As far as numbers went, that was still a little hazy,
but I was no longer likely to just b.u.mp into an enemy anymore. Thanks to
that, my hunting was going very smoothly.
And now I was out in the plains. I was relieved to see that the gra.s.s wolves
had returned. They seemed to be just a little ways off. I didn’t know how
many there were…yet. They were behind the shadow of a great rock that was
further out past some bushes.
I slowly pull out the steel sword that Aragira had fervently crafted, and
slowly approached while erasing the sound of my footsteps. They may be
monsters, but they were like dogs. And so I was careful about my scent. I
wasn’t new to this business anymore, kinda. Now, slowly, but nimbly, I make
my way towards the rock. I climb up without making a sound and look over
the edge. Bingo. There were several gra.s.s wolves lying in the gra.s.s.
Perhaps they had just finished eating? There were bones lying around that
looked like they were from a rabbit. Then they would have their guard down.
I had no choice but to hunt them now.
I slowly unsheath the short sword at my belt. I had to use ‘Jack of all Trades,
Master of None’ to throw it at one wolf, as I was not accustomed to doing
that yet. Unsurprisingly, the skill led me to success, and the blade sunk deep
into the gra.s.s wolves brain. I wanted to do a fist pump, but this was not the
best time to do so. The pack immediately became panicked as I slid down
from the rock and slashed with the steel sword. I ignore the spray of blood as
I continue to swing the sword, hurling the dead gra.s.s wolf into the air and
into its companions. Once they tripped and fell, all I had to do was cut off
their heads.
Chop. The blade slides between the joints and the head is severed. Just then,
another wolf jumps at me, and I roll out of the way. Of course, I do not forget
thrust my sword upward when I do so. The gra.s.s wolf lands with streams of
blood running before collapsing on the ground. And before I knew it, I was
the last one standing.
“Phewww…”
I sigh and catch my breath. Looking up at the sky, I can see it’s not quite at
the highest point yet. I wanted to hunt at least twenty more before it was
midday. Next up, removing the claws. I lifted a dead wolf’s paw and used my
short sword to dig into the roots. Now, if I can just take them out cleanly, my
work would be done. The bodies would regress naturally if you left them
alone, so I moved them to the side.
Now we were done with this pack. I take out a water bottle from my bag and
drink. The cool, clear water rehydrates my throat. In fact, this water was
made with magic. The bottle itself had magic cast on it to keep it fresh. It
wasn’t quite cheap, but it fit within my budget for this outing, so it was fine.
Once I was finished resting, it was time to go to the next pack. I spread the
area of presence detection and discover something a little ways away by the
border of the forest and plains. Since it was close to the forest, I couldn’t tell
whether it was goblins or gra.s.s wolves. The number of enemies was also a
blur, but the presence seemed large, so there was probably more than a few. I
better be careful with this one.
chapter 49
A Wise Man Leaps Into Danger
The fight had begun. The adventurers’ offensive attacks seemed to be going
rather smoothly. I could not help but be impressed at how they fought while
still staying mostly out of danger. They would avoid overly risky moves and
took advantage of their numbers to attack from all sides. The wyvern’s
energy was easily being drained, just as the number of wounds on it began to
grow.
The first part that they attacked were its wings. They were likely trying to cut
the membrane there to prevent it from flying away. One adventurer who
carried a great s.h.i.+eld, acted as a tank in order to parry the oncoming
attacks. While the wyvern’s attacks were wild, it also stood firm and would
not break its stance. But there were still gaps in its defense. And those did not
escape the eyes of the adventurers, and they boldly pushed it back. Once the
wyvern had regained its balance again, they would quickly back away and
allow the s.h.i.+eld-bearer to slam it in the face again to draw attention.
A lot of this strategy seemed straight out of a modern video game. Though, it
seemed that there wasn’t a healer about. Perhaps they would use potions?
And while there was a s.h.i.+eld-bearer, it wasn’t as if he was absorbing all of
the attacks. I had seen him drink from small vials and toss them aside several
times right after receiving an attack.
You could make especially high-quality potions from good herbs. Herb
gathering happened to be my specialty. And I suspected that the potions they
were using were of high-quality. As it did not look like any of them had any
serious injuries.
Even the occasional damage that was inflicted on them was light. The wyvern
was wild and reckless, but that wasn’t doing it any favors. Eventually, the
wings were so damaged that it would not be able to fly. There was something
very grim about watching the frayed membrane toss in the wind every time
its wings would beat, but it was a clear sign of their effectiveness for the
adventurers.
The next part that they targeted was the tail. The tail that swung through the
air was able to deal heavy blows just like a mace. You would probably be
knocked unconscious as soon as it hit you.
The s.h.i.+eld-bearer now blocked a blow of the tail, which allowed one of
the swordsmen just enough time to come in and strike at it. But the scales
were a tough s.h.i.+eld as well. Try as they might, they were unable to sever
the tail completely, and time continued to go by.
Then all of a sudden, the wyvern moved to take in a deep breath. It was a
breath attack. I crouched even lower over the ground until I was practically
lying down. The adventurers seemed to have antic.i.p.ated this move and
decided on how they would react in advance, because they quickly moved
behind the s.h.i.+eld-bearer. The s.h.i.+eld-bearer drove the spike that
protruded from the bottom of the s.h.i.+eld into the ground, preparing their
defense.
“GGGGGGgggRRAAAAAAAaAAA!!!”
An overwhelming roar accompanied the wind of its breath. It was a ma.s.sive

discharge of magical energy that shredded nearby trees and plants and blew
them away. There was no doubt that they would have died if they had been
hit directly…
I had to squint very hard to avoid getting sand in my eyes from the hurricane
that was caused. But by the looks of them, the adventurers seemed to be
holding up. I could vaguely see them holding the s.h.i.+eld-bearer from
behind.
Eventually, the magical discharge stopped. There was so much dust in the air,
that it was difficult to see. The s.h.i.+eld-bearer was hidden behind his
s.h.i.+eld, but it seemed like he wasn’t moving. What happened? Wasn’t this
their chance?
“Hey, hey!”
The wyverns torn wings beat in the air. It wasn’t an attempt to fly, but a way
of pus.h.i.+ng away the clouds of dust. Once the dust was gone, I was able to
see what had happened.
The s.h.i.+eld-bearer’s s.h.i.+eld had not fulfilled its purpose. Unable to

withstand the breath attack, there was now a gaping hole in the center. Was
the wyvern’s attack just that powerful?
No, judging by that hole, I feel like the wyvern had deliberately concentrated
its attack into one small point. It wasn’t a blast that covered a wide area, it
was a high-density blast. But even so, the waves of magic had affected their
surroundings and brought about a dust storm. That was probably why I had
thought it was your typical breath attack.
I could hear the adventurers become frantic. What happened? They shake the
s.h.i.+eld-wielder. I could see it clearly now, there was a hole in his armor as
well, and a large river of blood was running out of it. His face was
completely pale. It’s…too late…
“Hey, Danny! d.a.m.n it, the blood won’t stop!”
“Carry him and fall back! Hurry! Use the potions!”
The archer orders. And the man with the greatsword picks up the s.h.i.+eld-
bearer and moves away. Several others also fell back, potions in their hands.
But could the rest handle it with these numbers…?
But there was no one to answer that question for me, and now that the
wyvern had recovered after using such a taxing move, it roared once again,
and the fight continued.
chapter 50
A Wise Man Commands The Danger
“Ah! s.h.i.+t!”
The first attack of the fight came from the wyvern’s tail. I jumped back to
dodge it before quickly charging forward with my swords thrust out. I was
aiming for that opening after an attack. The wyvern had to turn its body in
order to strike with its tail, and so there now a brief moment for me to come
in. I aim for the side of its belly with my sword. However, the wyvern
seemed to have learned a thing or two from the first half of the fight, and it
immediately dropped its wings to get in the way. While they could not be
used to fly, they could still s.h.i.+eld it. I curse at this new development and
quickly draw back. I could see that the wyvern’s head was now coming for
me. It’s jaw opened wide in order to crush me to death. Every tooth was
visible and they looked as sharp as swords. Speeding up ‘Legs of the Forest
Wolf’ barely allowed me to escape it. I pull back further this time. This initial
exchange was over. Both I and the wyvern were finished warming up.
I tighten my grip on the steel sword. And just like Rex, but not exactly like
him, I hold a new sword in my other hand. I’ve gotten used to creating these
things recently. I could imagine them easily, and without depleting too much
energy. An ‘Ice Sword.’ The clear ice emits a dark blue aura as it gleams in
my hand. Its cold edge seemed to cry with rage. The magic that leaked from
it was freezing the moisture in the air. And the silver and emerald wind was
still around my feet. This was currently the most prepared I could possibly be
for a battle.
Of course, a certain light elf who was more dependable than anyone was not
here. There was no ballista either. No group of soldiers who had experienced
years of harsh training. It was just me. Well then, I could not half-a.s.s this. I
wouldn’t. I would die the moment I let my guard down. Hahh… I would have
to defeat it if I wanted to live. It was possible to delay it perhaps. If I could
escape from it, I’m sure the guards would take care of this for me. They
would be alerted if Rex made it back to the city safely. But it would take
them quite some time if they had to carry that wounded man. I would be
lucky if soldiers arrived here by the afternoon. Then I had no choice but to
kill it. This wyvern in front of me. All by myself.
“Woah…!!”
The wyvern roared and charged forward at the same time. I kept it in my
sights as I jumped into the air and out of its way. Then I use my skill to step
where there is nothing but ‘air’ and shoot forward like a bullet. Just as I am
above the body covered in scales, I slash at it with my steel sword. However,
it only bounces off with the horrible ring of metal on metal. I would not hold
back. I would use the skill that he had given me to the fullest. Inside of my
brain, ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ was showing me how to use ‘Legs
of the Forest Wolf’ on four separate screens. I concentrate and concentrate.
The four separate screens are then converted into a single screen. The basis of
this four-part split screen was the security monitors from work. In that case, I
should be able to blow it up into one screen. When I believed this, the image
in my brain became one picture. I only did what was possible. In the footage,
I was unleas.h.i.+ng a powerful kick. My body immediately understands how
the magic must flow in order to do this. And so I kick out with a leg that is
shrouded with wind. A silver whirlwind shoots out of my foot and smashes
into the wyvern’s body.
“GGGYAAGHHH….hhh!”
It had clearly not expected any magical attacks. The whirlwind had traveled
past the wyvern’s legs and left a trail of slashes and spurts of blood. Even so,
it was not a fatal wound. It just hampered its mobility a little. The wyvern
turns to me and fires a volley of wind missiles made of magic that it had
gathered towards it. This was a new attack. But they did not hit me. I zigzag
from left to right, dodging the attacks and getting into striking distance of the
wyvern. Its jaw comes down over me just as I duck and slash up at its chest.
This time with the ice sword. A thin slit appeared and the flesh was exposed.
The steel sword had not been able to cut it… The air suddenly became thick
with a rain of blood. It was all I could do to escape from under it as it raged
uncontrollably from the pain. Hmm, could this be…
“So, I guess magic attacks are the most effective?”
I said to no one in particular. But it was obvious as I saw the raging beast in
front of me. The magic whirlwind kick had worked. The magical ice sword
had worked. In that case…?
Unfortunately, the moment I was certain was the moment I had let my guard
down.
“GGGRRRAAAWWGGGgHH!!!
AAAaaGGGHAAGHHAAAAAAAaaAA!!!!”
Its madness had taken complete control as it rushed at me with a speed that I
had not seen before. I had not expected this. There wasn’t enough time for
me to move, and I could only take a defensive stance. I crossed the two
swords in front of me as something that had a similar force as a truck
slammed into them.
“Mmmmnnggg…!!”
‘Legs of the Forest Wolf’ was able to kill some of the momentum that drove
me backward, but not all of it. My back crashed into a large tree.
chapter 51
Return to Spiris
I used the venerable elven sword of ancient origin as a walking stick as I
made my way to the city of Spiris. The sun had completely fallen now and I
couldn’t help but sigh when I saw the stars hanging in the sky. I hadn’t even
been walking very long either. The plains out here were dangerous at night. I
couldn’t stop. I didn’t know how long this scab of ice would last. I was
maintaining it with small amounts of magic, but it still had its limits. I had
used too much magic already.
I continued to use Presence Detection and cautiously moved on. The night
wind flowed through the gra.s.s like ocean waves. It was beautiful, but I don’t
stop. Though, there were no gra.s.s wolves here. The scene was peace itself.
But such moments had a way of turning into something very unfortunate, or
so had been the trend for me recently. It’s almost like I was the protagonist of
a story; but I wasn’t. There was no point in thinking about that.
I had been stabbed by a robber, awoken in another world, ended up traveling

with an elf partner, and just happened to have killed a wyvern by myself. A
normal adventurer. Huh…saying it like that does make it sound a bit like a
protagonist…?
I was thinking such nonsensical thoughts when Presence Detection caught

something approaching me. There were several of them coming toward me
from a 5 o’clock position. Well, it was probably monsters.
I stop and unsheath my sword before turning around. Some bushes shook
ahead of me, and in the next instant, a goblin jumped out. It wielded a rusted
weapon that could hardly be called a sword. In any case, a goblin couldn’t
kill me. All I did was swing my sword down diagonally at the approaching
goblin, and its upper half slid cleanly off its lower half. Now, I swing
vertically, the next one splits into left and right pieces, and then it is finished.
This was the power of the ancient elven sword. A real cheat weapon.
But I had decided to use this sword only after I had mastered
swordsmans.h.i.+p. Even if my life had been hanging on the line, I didn’t like
the idea of using it when I was still a novice.
“You have to make sacrifices to get out of desperate situations, but this
sucks…”
I say as I look at the blade with its jade glow. Oh, this was quite pathetic. I
was filled with regret and disgust as I stored the goblin weapons in the
hollow bag and began to walk again. I would buy a new sword once I reached
the city. A sword that was just as good as the one Chief made me. I promised
to myself as looked at the broken sword that hung on my belt.
An hour pa.s.sed since I had first started walking. It looked so bright in the
night’s darkness. Spiris. I was now close enough that the city was clearly
visible. There were several more goblin attacks on the way here, but with a
quick Negative Slash, they were split open. My mood darkened with every
goblin sword I had to add to the hollow bag.
I could see a guard with a torch patrolling the outer walls. I couldn’t make
out his face, but just seeing another person was enough to make my feet feel
lighter. I was almost running as I neared the gate.
And then, at last, finally, from so far away, the long-awaited western gate of
Spiris was before me. The gatekeeper sees me. Just as I am about to greet
him…
“Ahh!”
He recoils. Was there a monster behind me!? I look, but there is nothing
there. Woah, freaky.
“Ahh, I am looking at you!!”
“Eh?”
Now, this was just weird. What was so scary about me?
“Yo-you’re covered in blood…!”

“Oh.”
Right. I was covered head to toe after slas.h.i.+ng the wyvern’s stomach
open. Ahh, I see. That’s why so many goblins were attacking me! Those guys
were really sensitive to the smell of blood…
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
“No-no-no-no-no-no! Stay away, you ghastly fiend!”
He thrust his spear towards me. This b.a.s.t.a.r.d… If he had any idea what
I’ve been through…
“Let me in the city…I’m injured. This blood isn’t mine.”
“Not yours!? Did you, murder someone…!?”
The guard interrogates me with the spear still fixed in my direction.
“No, it’s from a wyvern. It’s dead in the forest over there.”
“What…? A wyvern…?”
The guard was scared at first, but now he was stunned. This was becoming
unbearable. I didn’t have time for this.
chapter 52
“Aghhghh…aaAAhh…morning…”
My body felt heavy . My muscles hurt . I was still riddled with wounds after
waking up, which made getting out of bed a pain .
This was the infirmary in the western guardhouse . It was just yesterday
afternoon that I helped the adventurers who were losing against the wyvern, it
was almost night when I finally killed it . But I had no time to rest, I had to
walk all the way back to Spiris . Thanks to Harold’s kindness, I was treated
here, and the wound on my right thigh was closed up . But I was completely
drained by then, and just fell asleep right here .
And now it was morning . What time was it?
“Ah, Asagi . I see you are awake now . ”
“Harold . Good morning . ”
“Morning! Though, it is really midday now!”
Whwhat… It appeared that I had overslept by quite a bit .
“Well, with so many injuries, it could not be helped . ”
“But it feels like a waste of time…”
I sighed at the loss of my valuable morning hours as I got up from the bed .
Ouch… I was sore all over . I wasn’t sure, but I had a suspicion that it was an
effect of overusing ‘Legs of the Forest Wolf’…
“Ah! I had forgotten!”
“What?”
“You have been summoned to the guild . You are to go as soon as you have
regained your consciousness!”
“The guild, eh?”
Uhh, I can’t help but feel like this is going to be very annoying . Something
the guild master will be involved in .
“Well, might as well go then…aghhgghh…”
“You shouldn’t push yourself too hard…”
“No, I prefer to get these unpleasant things over with as soon as possible . ”
I was the type who did the bad stuff first . Kind of like how I washed the
cooking wear first during my night shift .
My clothes had been completely drenched with blood, so they were thrown
out . I pulled out a new pair from the hollow bag and got changed . I would
have liked to take a bath but was told that there was a possibility that my
wounds would open again . So I had to make do with wiping myself down
with a wet towel . After finishing the bare minimum of self-grooming, I
collected my things and left the guardhouse .
“Well, good luck to you, Asagi . ”
“Hahah . It’s like I’m off to war . ”
“Battles are not fought with swords alone!”
Harold’s nostrils flare as he offers me his hand . Oh, are we going to do this
then?
“I agree . I will gain whatever victory that suits me . ”
I accepted his hand and we shake . Our hands clamped down on each others .
I was not in peak physical condition, but this was a fight in itself . I couldn’t
let go . This second battle between us lasted for over a dozen seconds, but
Harold was the ultimate victor . And now my hand really hurt .
“See you . ”
“Be careful!”
It was a good sort of pain that lingered even after shaking it as I walked away
. I was headed for the guild . I had a bad feeling about this . Like I was
walking alone into a battlefield .
Just as I was almost out of the street stall district, I found Daniela among a
crowd of people . She held two skewers of meat in her hands . I was quite
sure that I had asked Harold to relay a message to Daniela . Ever since I woke
up this morning, I had a feeling that I had forgotten something . But that’s
what it was . Daniela wasn’t there .
“Daniela!”
“Hmm, is that voice Asagi?”
Daniela turned around, and after confirming that it was me, pushed her way
through the crowd of people .
Are you on a lunch break as well?”
“What? Don’t you have anything better to do? Like, coming to see me for
instance . ”
“Hmm? Were we not to meet tomorrow? What happened to your camping

trip?”
Eh? Something was not quite right here .
“You didn’t get the message from the guards?”
“Guards? Did you get into any trouble?”
Ah, clearly she hadn’t heard . But why? Was there some misunderstanding?
“Oh, the message must be late . I got summoned to the guild, so I’ll tell you
on the way there . Also, give me one of those skewers . ”
“If you insist…but just one . ”
“Thank…hey, don’t give me your leftovers . ”
“Mmmhmm…”
She was not one to suffer any losses when it came to food… I sigh and bite
into what was left on the stick . Well, the Professor of Street Stalls at least
had impeccable tastes .
“…d.a.m.n it . You really are reckless . So that is why you look like that . ”
“Yeah… I seriously thought I was going to die . ”
“You would have, normally . ”
I told her the story as we walked towards the guild house . Daniela’s glare
was as sharp as a dagger, and I felt like it would deal me a mortal wound at
any moment . But she did not seem like she would forgive me any time soon .
I told her the story as we walked towards the guild house . Daniela’s glare
was as sharp as a dagger, and I felt like it would deal me a mortal wound at
any moment . But she did not seem like she would forgive me any time soon .
“And so I explained everything to Harold at the western gate . I knew I would

pa.s.s out at any moment, so I asked that you be sent a message to come for
me . ”
“I see . I was not at the inn, as I left early in the morning . And I have not
returned today . That was probably why I did not receive the message . ”
The message must have stopped at Joshua then . I would have to explain
things to him when I returned .
The time quickly flew by as we talked, and before we knew it we had arrived
at the guild house . My new battlefield . The door opens with a loud creak,
and I am immediately overwhelmed by numerous eyes pointing in my
direction . Uncertain eyes . Excited eyes . Suspicious eyes . Angry eyes . And
then the person with the most pa.s.sionate of all looks walked up towards me
.
“Asagi! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you came back alive!”
“Rex . As you can see, I am quite battered . ”
“But you should really be dead! Ahh, but this good!”
He began to rapidly slap me on the shoulder . I could see that he was very
pleased that I had survived, but I had to stop him from hurting me . Once he
was calm, I introduced him to Daniela .
“Daniela . I hear that you have helped my Asagi here . ”
“It’s Rex! No, it is us who owe him . Danny is safe . Though, it sure cost us!”
He said as he made a circle with his thumb and forefinger . So they were able
to treat that wound . I guess it couldn’t be helped that it was expensive . But it
was a huge relief .
“We are in the red because of Danny’s medical fees, but you can’t go
adventuring if you’re dead . We will just have to work harder and improve
our cooperation . ”
“In the red…”
Hearing this, I ask Rex something that had been on my mind .
“Rex, could you split the reward money for the wyvern among your party?”
“Eh?! Asagi, you are the one who killed it! We ran from it with our tails
between our legs . There is no question that you must take it!”
Rex seemed a little indignant by this, as he folded his arms and looked away .
Rex seemed a little indignant by this, as he folded his arms and looked away .
“No, we all defeated the wyvern together . I was just in charge of the
endgame . ”
“You, that would hardly…”
“It was you and the others who destroyed the wings and exhausted it . I dealt
the final blow in its haggard face . Is that not right?”
“Well, in a way… But, Asagi, are you sure?”
He looked at me very seriously . I looked back to show that I was serious as

well, and nodded . Because this was what I believed to be the best outcome .
There was no way that I could take all the reward when they had beaten it
down to that point . Rex seemed to have seen that I would not back down on
this, and let out a deep sigh .
“We all misjudged the wyvern’s strength, and it led to that…and yet you…”
What?… He glared at me with confusion . Then Daniela came in from the

side and put an arm around my shoulder .
“This is just what Asagi is like . Soft-hearted and stubborn . But he is still a
good one . ”
“Hahaha! Ain’t that the truth! Ah, well . You have my thanks, Asagi!”
What was it with these two… It was slightly embarra.s.sing . I mumbled

something random in reply .
We talked a little after this until a guild worker walked up to us . Oh, I had
completely forgotten about that business…
“I am sorry to interrupt your conversation . Asagi, the guild master is calling

you . Please come with me . ”
Here we go… I nod and say goodbye to Rex before heading towards the back
of the guild with Daniela . We pa.s.sed a hallway and went through an office-
like room before stopping at a large door . The guild worker knocked .
“I have brought Asagi and his partner, Daniela with me . ”
“Enter . ”
There was a short reply and then the guild worker opened the doors . We
entered inside, and the first thing I saw was a large person with intense red
hair sitting behind a desk . So, was this the guild master?
“Welcome, to the Spiris Adventurers Guild . I am guild master Bordow . It is

a pleasure to meet you . ”
chapter 53
An Adventurer’s Duty
He sat behind a brown desk that looked like it was crafted to maximize the
beauty of the wood . The guild master of Spiris’ adventurer’s guild sat on a
large chair behind this desk . This man called Bordow had flaming red hair
and was in a well-worn guild uniform . The overall impression I got from
looking at him was that he was huge . His eyebrows were the same red as his
hair, and the eyes beneath them had a piercing look as they fixed on me . And
while the words that came from his mouth were polite, his appearance was
very intimidating .
“So you are Asagi . And you must be Daniela . Is that right?”
“Yes, that is right . Asagi Kamiyashiro . ”
“Daniela Villesilf . ”
The guild worker who brought us here showed us to our seats . I felt like we
were at a job interview… Bordow saw that we had taken our seats before
glancing over to the guild worker . Apparently, that was enough to send the
guild worker flying out of the room .
“Now…”
Bordow stood up and walked closer to us . I had no idea what was going to
happen and tensed up a little, but Bordow only sat down on top of his desk .
“You, did you really kill that wyvern!?”
It was like his personality had suddenly changed . Or maybe he just reverted
back .
“Ye-yes . But, it was only after Rex and the others dealt a lot of damage . I
did the rest alone . ”
“No need to be modest here! That is just incredible! Damaged or not, a
wyvern is a wyvern . A Peridot killing a wyvern solo, it is unheard of!”
He slapped his thighs and roared as he sat on his desk . Well, he was quite a
character, this guy . I looked to Daniela to see what she was doing . She had a
triumphant expression . I suppose it was like being proud of a family
member…
“Have you ever done something like that before? You must tell me! Consider
this an order from your guild master!”
“I have never heard of such an order…”
Daniela said with some puzzlement . Likely, there was no such thing in their
rule book . There was no way there was .
Well, one still had to obey the guild master . Of course, I could also not tell
him everything either . And so I just started with ‘I was on a hill before I
knew it…’ I also kept Beowulf’s enchantment a secret . I did not know if that
was something I should tell him .
“…And that’s how it happened . And now I am here . ”
“I see…interesting . Very interesting, Asagi . You truly are an ‘Adventurer .

’”
Bordow said with some relish . I couldn’t help but feel some pride in being
praised as an adventurer .
“However, there is one thing that I haven’t heard from you yet…”
So saying, Bordow lay down on his desk and opened one of the drawers in
order to pull out a sheet of paper . There was something very sloth-like about
him . We sipped at some fruit water that had been brought to us as we
watched him . Ahh, I had really talked to much, my throat had become very
dry .
“I have not heard about this ‘Legs of the Forest Wolf’ that you have . It is
related to Beowulf, is it not?”
“Bbbbaghs!!”
I spat out the water all over the copy of my status that he held in front of me .
How the h.e.l.l did he have that!? Oh, because it’s the guild!! So then,
nothing on my status card could be hidden!! I feel like an idiot!
“Why did you hide it? Surely, you could not have just forgotten to tell me?”
Bordow glared at me through narrowed eyes . This did not look like
something I could avoid… I looked at Daniela . She smiled gently and
nodded . I understood then . I knew that she would always be on my side, no
matter what… It almost made me emotional .
I nodded back and then told Bordow the reason .
“I have researched about enchantments from monsters before . I didn’t learn

anything specific, but they say that the act of receiving an ‘enchant from
monsters’ itself is a problem . Because there are organizations that think all
monsters should be expelled . I was even told that an army could be sent to
deal with me as a disturbance . It’s a great skill, but it’s also a dangerous one
. It just wasn’t something that I thought I could tell the master of the
adventurers guild . ”
After that, I even showed him how the silver and jade wind wrapped around
my legs . Bordow’s eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly calmed
himself . Then he returned his gaze to the soaking wet paper .
“…I see . It is true that it could cause trouble . If anyone says that you are
causing a disturbance, then there may be people who would want to add you
to their fighting force . You should be able to do a lot with those legs, after all
.”
That was true . It would be the worst if I was sent off to fight in a war . I was
an adventurer, not a soldier .
“However, you are an adventurer . Adventurers have a duty to live freely . In

that case, there could be no good reason to have you arrested . You
understand? No one should tie you down, put you in a cage like a little bird .
There is no need for you to live while always caring about how others
perceive you . ”
Adventurers had to live freely, huh… I see . Living was the adventure .
“I guess that trouble is just part of the adventure then?”
“Aye, it is indeed! You are like the protagonist of a story! And I do enjoy a
good story!!”
Bordow said excitedly as he spread both of his arms out and shouted . Well, it
was true that all of this sounded a lot like a fantastical story . But it was real
for me . I never saw myself like that, and I knew that the worst kinds
tragedies could happen at any moment .
“But could you call it freedom if I was always being pursued?”
“You must enjoy that as well . You are not alone . Even when things get hard,
you can share the burden together!”
Daniela put her hand on my shoulder . There were no words, but her eyes told
me that she would always be on my side . I nodded with a look of grat.i.tude .
Boldow laughed happily as he saw us .
“Yes, yes indeed! Now, I will use my authority as a guild master! This
authority has been absolute for many years . And it is law . Something that all
adventurers must obey!’
I gulped . I did not have much faith in any orders or use of authority coming
from this man .
“As is the law of the adventurers guild, ‘Great adventurers must have an
alias’! Asagi, as the guild master, I hereby give you the name, Silvergreen!!”
“Ah, what a fine name, Asagi . A fine name . ”
“I don’t want an alias! No!!”

“What!? This is my order as guild master!! It will be sent to all of our
branches!!”
“Don’t you dare!! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!!”
“I want an alias as well…Bordow, can you think of one?”
“Daniela, eh? A light elf who is adept with the wind . How about,
Lightwind?”
“You just put the two words togeth…”
“Yes, I like it!”
“…You do…?”
“It is settled then . Silvergreen and Lightwind . That is what we shall use to
communicate!”
“Uhhh…d.a.m.n it…are we in junior high school…?”
Bordow, the guild master of Spiris . He was clearly a man of action, but I
wasn’t quite sure about the things that came out of his mouth… Well, there
was nothing I could do now that it was finalized .
He said that it was our duty as adventurers to live freely . I couldn’t go

around in life without thinking at all, but it did make me think that I could
spare to think a little less about everything . It was important to have fun .
This was my second shot at life . It would not be so bad to just live as I
pleased .
chapter 54
I left the room after the discussion with Bordow and saw that Fiona was
waiting outside . She seemed a little restless, which was quite the departure
from her usually cheerful disposition . She was sitting in a chair with an
uneasy expression, but quickly got up when she noticed us .
“Asagi, Daniela!”
“Hey, it’s been a while . ”
“It really has! We were both so busy, and we had no time to meet… Wait,
nevermind that . Is it true that you killed a wyvern? Are you hurt?”
She began to pat me down as if looking for injuries . I pointed to my right

thigh and she tapped it lightly . I nodded to show that there was no pain, and
she finally moved away with relief .
“Well, this was just from a broken blade catching me in the leg . I wasn’t hit
all that much from the wyvern . ”
“Amazing… It is like you came out unscathed . ”
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration . ”
That made me sound like some kind of superhero . I walked with Daniela and
Fiona and explained the story again . I was out camping and encountered a
wyvern . It wasn’t the longest story, and I finished when we reached the
entrance .
Entrance… Rex and several other adventurers were gathered near the counter
. They looked familiar . They were his other party members . Looking at
them again, I got the impression that they were very high level . A strong
party . And yet, once Danny, their shield-bearer had gone down, the party had
crumbled… The field of battle could be very unpredictable . You really
should have a healer with you . Seriously .
“Asagi!”
Rex called me over . I waved at him with one hand and the other members all
waved back .
“Ah, I just wanted to thank you . You really helped us back there . ”
Said the greatsword-wielder who had been the one to carry Danny during
their escape . I accepted his offered hand and shook it .
“I’m glad to see you are well . How is your shield-bearer doing?”
“There’s no need to worry about him . We pooled our money together to put
him up in the best hospital in the city . He’s resting nice and easy now, but
he’ll be out before you know it . ”
“That’s good . Do they accept visitors? I would like to go and see him . ”
“Aye, I hoped you would . He said he wanted to thank you . He’ll surely be
happy if you visited . ”
It was great that he was doing well . I will have to go check up on him later .
After that, I talked with the archer and the other swordsman as well . They
both wanted to thank me, which was a little embarra.s.sing . It was just not
something that I was used to… But I didn’t hate it either .
After a while, the subject of the reward was brought up .
“The total sum of the reward comes out as one hundred and forty gold pieces
and a few silvers . This will be shared between us all . And there is no room
for argument on this matter . ”
“The total sum of the reward comes out as one hundred and forty gold pieces
and a few silvers . This will be shared between us all . And there is no room
for argument on this matter . ”
Rex declared . I had no complaints, and so I nodded .

“Asagi, here is your share . Please count it . ”
He says as he hands me a leather pouch . It seemed a little heavy to me…and

I was surprised when I opened it . This didn’t seem right . It was clearly
almost half of it .
“Hey, this…”
“I split it . No arguments . ”
He says, and they all laugh . It seemed that they were all in agreement about
this . I suppose that for them, words were not enough to express their
grat.i.tude . And so I humbly gave in and put the pouch in my bag .
“Alright, I get it . Thanks . ”
“Aye, this is how it should be!”
Rex wraps an arm around my shoulder and laughs happily . Ah, yes . I felt
like a real adventurer now . It was something I had longed for ever since
coming to this world . There were some who laughed and called me Black
Rabbit, but there were great adventurers like Gardo and Ness as well .
Adventurers who embodied real freedom . I wondered if I would be able to
be like them one day .
“Well, we’re off to the bar now . What about you two?”
“Hmm…I was thinking about going to an armor shop after visiting Danny .
What about you, Daniela?”
I asked her .
“I do enjoy a bar . However, we should visit this Danny first . ”
Oh well, we were supposed to go to the armor shop tomorrow anyway . Also,

there was something that I had noticed recently, which is that Daniela was
usually hungry whenever she appeared restless . It was especially obvious
when she became anxious and her eyes constantly shifted . Which seemed to
happen a lot . What an unfortunate beauty .
And so we parted ways with Rex and headed for the hospital that Danny was
staying at .
At first, Danny had been taken to the central guardhouse infirmary, as it was
an emergency . He had been given emergency treatment there before being
transferred to the biggest hospital in Spiris . Apparently, the high-pressure
breath that had destroyed his armor left a nasty wound . Danny showed us the
wound that had required the attention of a group of the finest physicians to
heal . There was a giant burn-like scar that covered most of his stomach . It
was incredible that he had survived this…
“It is thanks to you and the others that I am alive . That I am here right now .
I cannot thank you enough . ”
“You’ve already thanked me enough . You better cover yourself before you
catch a cold . ”
That didn’t stop him from thanking me repeatedly after that, but I was happy
to have been able to see what kind of person he was . It would have made me
a little sad if the man I had helped was a jerk . We said goodbye to him and
left the hospital .
As we were walking towards the bar where Rex and the others were waiting,
Daniela began to talk .
“Asagi, you must try to be less reckless . ”
“Asagi, you must try to be less reckless . ”
“I know that I should have considered you more… I’ll be careful in the future
.”
“We are a party . I will be alone once again if you die . Listening to Bordow
and seeing Danny’s wound today has made me think . What would I do if
you were no longer here?”
She stared at the ground as she talked . It was true, one misstep could have
meant my death . There had been a part of me that had hesitated about
jumping into that danger . But hearing Rex’s voice had changed all of that . It
wasn’t worth a life . But it was my skill that I had been weighing on the
balance . I hadn’t considered that my own life was there as well . Perhaps
there was an arrogance in me at the moment, telling me that ‘I could beat . ’
That was what Daniela was talking about . The proof was that I had tried to
hide the skill from Bordow .
“If you insist on throwing your own life away to help others, I might have to
break those legs to stop you . Understand this . You are important . ”
“Daniela…”
It almost felt like a confession of sorts, but Daniela’s expression was the peak
of seriousness . Likely, her ears were only reddening because she had
imagined something horrible .
“I understand . I’ll think more before acting from now on . After all,
apparently this body isn’t really mine alone anymore?”
“I, I did not mean it like that!”
Daniela became a little frantic as she pulled out her trusty mask from a pocket
. That was too bad . The tips of her ears had become so red .
We were walking side by side . This was a path that we had once walked
alone on . But we were walking together now . Having a trustworthy friend
by your side was something that could not be compared to that night when I
was alone . I thought of what I could do to this dependable and dear friend
who supported me as we walked to the bar .
chapter 55
The bar we went to was called the ‘Fang & Claw . ’ Perhaps the most fitting
kind of name for an establishment catering to adventurers, or so I think, as I
push open the doors and walk inside . Well, this was surprising . Unlike the
rather wild-sounding name, the interior had a relaxing mood and dim,
atmospheric lights . As it was much the same at the Silver Sky Inn, I wasn’t
sure if this was tradition or the new fashion in the city . We looked around a
little shyly until the person that we were looking for waved us over . It was
Rex .
“Did you wait long?”
“Nah, just arrived . I am glad you have come as well, Daniela . Now, let’s
have a drink!”
“I will start with ale . ”
Daniela ordered to the barman, and so I ordered the same thing .
“Pretty relaxing in here, eh? Adventurers don’t come around here too often
because of it . Those men drink to become wild . But men like me, we come
to enjoy the taste . ”
Rex says with a shrug . The bar in Fhiraldo’s guild had always been a rowdy
place . I didn’t hate that atmosphere to be honest, but I didn’t hate this either .
I saw myself becoming a regular in a place like this .
We didn’t wait long before the drinks arrived . Daniela and I grabbed our
mugs and faced Rex and the others .
“A toast then?”
“Yes, to our meeting . ”
“To that . ”
Clank . The mugs lightly hit each other and were then emptied by all . I
wasn’t the biggest drinker, but this went down easily . The alcohol content
seemed to be moderate and it did not leave a burning sensation in my throat .
“I think we have some introductions to do then . As you know, I am Rex . A

swordsman . ”
The first of the group that I had seen in the forest . He was also the first to
attack the wyvern .
“I am Darius . You have my grat.i.tude for what you did . ”
He was the man with the greatsword who had carried Danny . That had been
an incredibly tense moment .
“And I am Wesley . Thank you for helping us . ”
“Benny . I’m a swordsman like Wesley and Rex . ”
They were all advance guards… I couldn’t help but think as I shook hands
with them .
“Farid . I’m good with the shortsword . ”
“Simon . I use the bow, but I am generally in charge of carrying the luggage .
”
One rear guard and six advance guards… Oh well, I and Daniela were
generally the same . Though, we were also capable of ranged attacks .
“It’s nice to meet you all . I am Asagi . ”
“Daniela . I have also been granted the name Light Wind . ”
She was already boasting about her new name . And it seemed to have been
effective .
“Hey, hey, you have an alias… Bah, how lucky…”

“I wonder if I shall ever receive one . I doubt it will be any time soon…”
Several of them voiced their envy of such an honor . Was it really that great?
Having an alias?
“In fact, Asagi has also been granted one, ‘Silvergreen . ’”
Daniela said the most unnecessary things .
“Asagi, you, that is incredible!”
“No… That means we were saved by an adventurer with an alias!”
“Will you shake my hand, Silvergreen!”
“Uh, I wasn’t exactly happy about it and… I’m not shaking your hand!”
They all gathered around and cheered loudly . Get away from me!
Daniela was quite distracted by her steak, which had arrived . Well, this
relaxing atmosphere was now ruined!
And like that, there was boisterous laughter, yet it was still slightly quieter
than other taverns as we ate and drank . The food here was so good, that
Daniela and I were practically racing to see who could stuff themselves first .
The dishes of meat were especially great . I had seen annoying reporters on
TV talk about meat being ‘so soft you don’t need to chew!’, but I had to now
admit that such meat did exist . It was so delicious . I swore to become a
regular here as I stuffed myself with meat and ale .
Before we knew it, the other customers had left, and it was now almost
midnight .
“Well, we should call it a night soon . ”
“Yeah . Thanks for inviting us today, Rex . ”
I stood up and thanked him for introducing us to such a good place . Rex
wrapped an arm around my shoulder and roared ‘Don’t mention it!’ into my
ear with barely controlled laughter .
After leaving the tavern and separating with Rex and the others, we returned
straight to our inn . Nighttime at Spiris was lively, but Daniela and I were so
stuffed and had no energy to stop by anywhere else . We arrived very late at
the Silver Sky Inn, but the lights at the entrance were still lit . And when we
opened the door, Joshua was working behind the front counter .
“Ah, Asagi . And Daniela . ”
“Good evening . Are you working?”
Joshua put down the pen he was using to write and smiled .
“Yes . Just getting the accounts organized . ”
“But it’s so late . ”
“Oh, no . This is my job . But I am just about to finish . Here is your key . ”
I was impressed with how smoothly he handed us our room keys . There
wasn’t even a short pause in the conversation . A real hotelman .
“Thank you . Please don’t work yourself too hard . ”
“Ah, thank you very much . I am off to bed then . ”
He says with a chuckle and starts to put away the doc.u.ments . I couldn’t
help but laugh as well .
“Have a good night . ”
“And you as well . ”
We ended that polite interaction and headed off to our rooms . I was on the
third floor, but so was Daniela . Though, our rooms were separate . I handed
Daniela her key and entered my room . I hadn’t noticed as I was walking and
talking, but apparently, I was quite drunk . And it only took a few minutes
after falling into bed for me to travel into the world of dreams .
And in the dream, I was working at the convenience store . The uniform I
was wearing felt very nostalgic as I dealt with midnight customers . This was
a time when the complaints tended to start coming . Salarymen who had to
work late hours . Taxi drivers who had to deal with drunk customers . Hosts
and hostesses who stopped by the convenience store after work . There was
quite a variety of customers at midnight .
I was waiting idly as I had finished cleaning and everything else when a
certain customer entered the store . The person was wearing sweatpants and
shirt and held their wallet in their hand as they stuffed snacks and drinks into
a basket . The customer killed some time at the magazine rack before finally
coming to the counter .
“Good evening . ”
“…”
Being ignored by customers was the norm . The ones that spat out a barrage
of complaints were the special kind . And so it didn’t bother me . All I
needed to do was scan the barcodes .
“That will be 2,150 yen . ”
“…”
“Yes, that’s 3,000 yen then . Here is the change . 850 yen . Thank you . ”
I offer the bag of groceries . But the customer does not take it .
“Is something the matter?”
“…”
“Um…”
The customer stares at me silently . I stare back without thinking, and it

suddenly hits me that she is incredibly beautiful . But there was also
something familiar about her . Was she famous?
“Asagi . ”
“Huh?”
“Asagi…Asagi…”
“Huh?”
The customer calls my name . I didn’t understand how she could have known
. But the more I think, a fog seems to fill my head, and nothing comes
together .
“Sorry? Uh, excuse…”
The customer grabs my hands instead of the bag . The hands are cold, and as
pretty as she is, this is slightly eerie .
“Ah, could you please let…”
“L-let go, just let go!”
“Asagi…!”
“Ahhh, stop!”
The arms that are clutching my hands begin to distort as my vision becomes
blurry . My body is swaying as if I am floating in water .
“Asagi! Hey, Asagi!”
“Customer…customer…”
“Who are you calling a customer! Wake u-, aghh, sto-, let go of me you
fool!”
“Bahh…what…?”
My eyes slowly opened and the mysterious customer transformed into

Daniela . She was practically hovering over me . Her face was bright red . I
didn’t understand what was going on . But the dream had been so frightening,
yet the familiar face in front of me now was somehow terribly nostalgic and
dear to me .
“Asagi? I, mmm…!”
Before I knew it, my arms were wrapped around her and our lips had pressed
together .
chapter 56
When the sensation of our lips has become wholly clear, so has my
consciousness . But hardly any time had pa.s.sed . Almost none . A few
seconds .
“Hhh…aa…Asagi…?”
“Uh, no…this…well, I mean…”
Daniela’s face was like a boiling pot that was getting hotter by the second . I
could see from the corner of my vision that her hand had been gripped into a
tight fist .
“Le-let me explain!”
“Ve…very well . I will listen to what you have to say…”
I was somehow given an opportunity to explain, and so I took in a deep

breath . I couldn’t even remember what the dream had been about . I just
remembered that I was scared . Scared… I don’t know how to explain it, but
it was like I was also not scared at the same time . I was just terribly confused
. But what I felt right after waking up was something that I had honestly felt .
What I truly thought . And I needed to explain it to Daniela .
“Recently, you have been helping me a lot . I don’t know if it’s something
that you think about, but you have really helped me . ”
“Hmm…”
“Now, I have started to feel that your presence near me as something very
comforting . It’s become natural for me to think that you will always be with
me . But I also know that I can’t take you for granted and rest on my laurels
either . I try my best to do my part as well . ”
“That is commendable…”
She was mostly silent but occasionally nodded and muttered . I thanked her
for this and continued to lay my feelings bare .
“I have come to feel that you are not only comforting to have by my side, but
also very precious . ”
“Pre-precious…”
I see that her cheeks have become slightly flushed, and think ‘Ah, yes, that is
how it is’ with realization once again . And so I continue . It wasn’t an
explanation . It was a confession .
“Ah, at first I thought of you as a reliable comrade . But when we fought

against Beowulf, and I saw that you cried for me, I realized that it was not
enough for me to just rely on you . I wanted to push myself so that I could
one day stand beside you . And as I pursued you in hopes of catching up, I
started to really like you . ”
“Asagi…is this true?”
“Yes, I’m not lying . This has been a long explanation, but to put it simply, I
had a nightmare of a dream and when I frantically woke up, a face that I
longed to see was in front of me . And I kissed you without thinking… I hope
that you can somehow understand it . ”
I told her what needed to be told . The timing was not ideal, there was no
mood to help me here . But I felt like I had to say it now, or stay silent
forever . Daniela slowly moved away from the bed . I looked at her without
moving, waiting for a reply .
“I, could you…allow me to think about this a little?”
The answer was withheld . Well, it really was quite sudden… It was obvious .
“I understand . I’m sorry for springing this on you so suddenly . ”
“Yes, I am sorry as well… It was unusual for you to stay in so late . I came to
call you . ”
I had stayed up very late last night…and there was drinking as well . Of
course, I was not drunk at all now .
“I’m sorry . What will you do today? I had planned to visit the armor
shop…”
“Aye, let us go . Meet me in front of the inn in an hour?”
“Okay, got it . ”
I nod and get out of the bed . Daniela took one last look towards me before
leaving the room . I listened to the door close before exhaling all the air
within my body .
“Hhhhaaa…what am I going to do…If she says no…”
I crash back into the bed . I wasn’t sleepy at all, so there was no risk of
falling back to sleep . If anything, I felt more alert than usual . I felt as if I
could fight a thousand goblins without letting my guard down even once .
But there was no use in regretting my actions now . For now, I just needed to
get ready . I moved my heavy body back up and took out a change of clothes
from my bag and headed for the baths . I didn’t meet anyone on the way
there, probably because I had overslept . The bathing pool in the empty room
seemed a lot bigger than usual .
My mind feels completely blank, it was as if some white paint has been
poured all over it . I was able to act cool on the outside, but my ability to
think was nonexistent . A goblin was more intelligent than me .
The friend that I relied on was right in front of me . We were so close

together . Touching . Primarily, our lips .
It is usually I who is last to wake up . But it was Asagi who was late today .
And so I had gone to his room to fetch him . But he did not answer, and so I
tried the door . It was unlocked and easily opened . And so I went it . I saw
that there were discarded shirts and jackets on the ground and remembered,
‘Aye, a similar incident had occurred before, in reverse’ and chuckled . I
moved towards the bed . Once I opened the closed curtains, the bright
sunlight flooded into the room, illuminating the tragic scene before me .
“Hopeless slob . ”
I muttered, before moving in to wake him up .
“Asagi, it is morning . It is time that you get up . ”
“Mmm…”
“Mmm…”
“Asagi, get up . Asagi!”
I try pulling hard on his arms, but he shows no signs of waking . I try calling
out louder to him, but it was clear that his dreams were not peaceful .
“Asagi! Hey, Asagi!”
“Customer…Customer…”
What dream was he having? Was he a clerk at a store?
“Who are you calling a customer! Wake u-, aghh, sto-, let go of me you
fool!”
I said with exasperation, but he suddenly gripped my arms . While he may

have been sleepy, his grip was strong . My free hand immediately pressed
into the bed .
“Bahh…what…?”
So he had finally awakened… I thought as I saw his eyes slowly open

halfway . This was a different side to him that I had not seen before, I think
with amus.e.m.e.nt . Then our eyes meet . However, his eyes did not have
their usual, lively color .
“Asagi? I, mmm…!”
And that is when my mind went blank . When we moved away a few seconds
later, I could still clearly feel his face, his arm around my neck, and the
sensation of his lips . Asagi had kissed me .
And that is when my mind went blank . When we moved away a few seconds
later, I could still clearly feel his face, his arm around my neck, and the
sensation of his lips . Asagi had kissed me .
“Le-let me explain!”
Those were the first words he said after kissing me . It sounded a lot like the
first protestations of a man who has been caught cheating . But I am lenient .
And I am careful .
“Ve…very well . I will listen to what you have to say…”
I say with a shaky voice . No matter what happens, I was always prepared to
hear what someone has to say . I am lenient . I try to be lenient . And so, even
when my mind feels like it is blank, I can still hear the words . And as I am
careful, I understand them . What Asagi was telling me was a confession .
I thought hard once I had left the room . To be honest, I am no good at

understanding my own feelings . I have learned to put a lid over my emotions
ever since my parents were killed . But I knew that I could not live like that
forever . Even if it was only on the surface, one needed to talk . And so, little
by little, I removed the lid . It was always half open when I traveled alone . I
would say what needed to be said and a.s.sume the necessary att.i.tude .
And that was how it was for a long time . It all came crashing down when I
met Asagi . I think that was the catalyst . I had been alone for so long, why
had I wanted to form a party with this man? Even I do not understand why I
felt like that at the time . I did give him a somewhat believable reason, but I
still did not understand my true motive . I thought that it was something I
would come to understand as we traveled together . And then it happened .
The fight with Beowulf . We had somehow managed to wound him, but his
attacks were relentless . His foot came down on Asagi, and it was clear that
he could be killed at any moment . I did think of my parents then . That
moment where he could have died . And yet he had tried to protect me . I
knew then, that the lid had fallen off completely from my heart .
That was likely when I had allowed him in .
I told him about my past then . He had offered me a kind smile and some hot
soup . I still have not forgotten its taste . That warm, gentle taste was how he
felt . I think it was then that I started to really see him . His words, his
att.i.tude, there were times when they had such a strong effect on me .
But even so, I was no good at understanding my feelings . And so I could not
come to a clear realization until he kissed me .
I touch the clothes that hang near my room’s window . The first clothes that
Asagi had ever bought for me . He had seen through me . Known that I had
wondered if I could ever wear such pretty clothes . And so he made a present
of them .
I look at the rays of light that shine into the room . It’s bright and warm . Like
him . And as I am careful, I consider it all in my mind once again . But there
is really no need to think . I feel that the fact that I want nothing more than to
run my arms through these sleeves right now was, more than anything, the
answer to Asagi’s question .
chapter 57
I stood restlessly in front of the inn . I couldn’t help that I had to put on nicer
clothes than usual . It was almost the time where she should arrive . And I
was already regretting not prioritizing buying normal clothes instead of armor
.
Ahhh, I was so nervous . I could hear my heart beating loudly . Had my heart
rate ever risen this high since I was murdered? Thinking of it like that, it
made me think I was off to die once again… I scratch the back of my head in
irritation every time such stupid thoughts enter my mind, and this repeats
itself several times . Finally, I hear a voice from behind me .
“You will go bald if you scratch your scalp so much . ”
It was the same voice she always had . I quickly turned around . The person I
was waiting for . Daniela .
“I wouldn’t want that . ”
“Hehe . Neither would I . ”
What did that mean… I give her another look . She did not look the same
today, because she was now wearing the gothic lolita dress I had bought for
her at the Goblin’s Boutique . It was a black and red outfit that completely
transformed her . But, it was very cute .
“You decided to wear it, the dress . ”
I said, partially stunned . Daniela looked down at the dress and then back at
me with a slightly embarra.s.sed expression .
“…Does it not suit me?”
I don’t know if I have ever regretted not having a camera as much as I did
now . I wanted to go back to j.a.pan for the first time, even . It wasn’t fair that
I could not immortalize this image!
“It suits you very well! You look incredibly cute . ”
“Hehe . I see . Thank you . ”
She smiled, and my heart felt like it would burst . Did my AGI affect my
pulse?
“Well, do not just stand there like an idiot . Are we not going to the
armorer?”
She said, and with a most natural motion, grabbed me by the arm . I could
hardly fathom the powerful appeal of this adventurer who I relied on and
nearly tripped over myself as she pulled me . Daniela did not miss this and
laughed infectiously .
“It seems very busy today…”
“Is it? It appears to be much the same to me…”
Apparently, the town was unusually lively in my head alone . Daniela was as
calm as ever . There was something about her now that seemed liberated, but
I wasn’t sure what she was thinking . And I had still to hear an answer to my
confession .
“I am quite hungry now… I did not get to eat breakfast thanks to you . ”
“Ah, sorry about that…let’s find a place to eat . ”
“Yes . Then…that place looks good . My instincts are demanding that we go

there . ”
Daniela pointed to a coffee shop which had an open terrace . Normally,

Daniela had a tendency to choose stores based on the size of servings, but it
appeared that she wanted to act like a proper lady today .
“Alright then . You sit here, Daniela . I’ll go and order something you’d
probably like . ”
“Ah, I will leave it to you then . Do not let me down . ”
She looked at me then, but I found it hard to meet her eyes . I guess I was
embarra.s.sed . I could only imagine how my face must burn a bright red
right now . I entered the store in order to hide it from her .
It was quite s.p.a.cious inside, with low chairs and tables lined up . A good
place to relax and kill time . The kind of store that you might spend hours at
and do nothing if you came alone . I checked the menu at the counter and
decided to order some sandwiches .
I scan the store and its customers . There was an old man reading a book, an
old woman who was knitting . A woman who was writing something, a
sleeping adventurer…wait, isn’t that Rex? What was he doing here?
“Mm… Ah, sorry . It looks like I fell as…oh, Asagi . Aghh . . aa… And I
was having such a good nap . ”
“Hey, Rex . I know it’s quiet in here, but is that smart?”
I chuckle as he stretches his arms and yawns . Though, I could totally

understand how someone would want to sleep in this atmosphere .
“So, this is an unusual place to b.u.mp into you . ”
“Uh, yeah . Daniela wanted to come here . ”
“Hoho…I see I see . ”
“What…”
He looked at me with the most annoying grin on his face once I said her
name . It almost made me want to punch him, but as he was probably
thinking exactly what I was thinking, I could only sulk .
“So you two are, together after all then?”

“Ahh, I knew you would ask . Unfortunately, I wouldn’t say we have that
kind of relationship yet . ”
“Yet?”
“…This morning…I told her . ”
Oh, this was really awkward . It had been quite a while since I’ve had talks
like these with male friends . Rex’s grin got even bigger as he stood up
bashed me on the should several times .
“Well, you must make a full report, if things go well . And even if they do
not, make a report anyway!”
“Stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.d . If things don’t go well, I’m leaving this city . ”
“Ah, do not be so pathetic . Have some confidence!”
He had another go at my shoulder before picking up his bag and leaving,

saying, ‘There’s a place I need to stop by now, got to go!’ That b.a.s.t.a.r.d,
he looked very intent on spreading the word!
I clicked my tongue and regretted that I had woken him up . I was regretting a
lot today, it seemed . Daniela was waiting quietly outside when I came out
and took the chair in front of her .
“I just saw Rex come out the door . He looked surprised to see me, but he just
waved and then immediately ran towards the guild . ”
“Ahh…that…he’s going to tell everyone . ”
“Ahh…that…he’s going to tell everyone . ”
“Tell everyone what?”
“About…ah…you know… Us?”
“You do not sound too sure…”

You know, that thing . I couldn’t say ‘our relationship,’ when we were not
even dating, could I?
“Is there something that would greatly trouble you, if word got out about it,
Asagi?”
“No, not really…umm . . ahhh…”
“You seem very indecisive . ”
Daniela laughs . I felt like I was being toyed with now . But she was right that
I wasn’t being clear . I couldn’t really continue like this .
“Alright then . I will ask you plainly . ”
“Aye, that would be preferable . ”
“Tell me . Your answer . Would you say that it is good or bad? I don’t know
if my heart can take this any longer . ”
“But it has only been an hour . Asagi, you are not very strong mentally, eh?”
I had no answer for that . Yes, maybe my mind was like tofu .
“What did you think when you saw me like this?”
“I told you . You look very cute . ”
“Hehe . Thank you . These are clothes that you gave me . Your confession…
or explanation, hearing it brought on an urge to wear this . I was
overwhelmed by an emotion that destroyed any reason . I wanted to be
enveloped by you . ”
Hearing those words made my face go bright red . I wondered if steam was
starting to rise from my head .
“In other words, in regard to the answer being good or bad…well, I intended
for the fact that I put these clothes on to be the answer . ”
The answer had been in front of me as far back as when I waited in front of
the inn . Daniela’s hands tenderly wrapped around my own as they rested on
the table .
“Well, if you truly want me to put it into words, I have no problem doing so .
”
“…Yes, I want you to say it . I want to hear . ”
I look straight into her eyes . She too looks straight into mine . Her small
mouth opens, and she crafts the words that I had wanted to hear .
“I love you too . ”
It was as if all other sound had disappeared from the world . Only her words
existed to me . But that only lasted for an instant, and the noises of the streets
returned . I was now overwhelmed by an emotion that I had to put into words
.
“Thank you, Daniela . Let’s stay together, always . ”
“I know that it is nothing new, but I am an elf, you are human . Our lifespans
will not be the same . Are you really fine with that?”
“Yes, I’m sorry that I’ll have to die first . But I hope that I can live on in your
heart . ”
We look long at each other, confirming to the other how we felt . And when
our emotions had reached their peak, our faces closed in, lips against lips…
“Your food is ready!”
Plates descended right in front of our eyes and the rose-tinted atmosphere
was shattered . I looked to the side to see the waiter looking down at us . It
was almost impressive how someone could have such a large, professional
smile, all the while his temples seemed to be twitching with rage . I realized
what we were just about to do in public, and pulled back with
embarra.s.sment before addressing the waiter .
“Th-thank you . ”
chapter 58
Armor Store, At Last
The sandwiches contained a great combination or fried eggs, bacon and

lettuce . We knew that we would definitely be visiting this place again as we
left our seats .
“We should get going then . ”
I say as I put the change in a leather bag . Daniela’s hand was on her stomach
as if to show her dissatisfaction, but then she remembered that she was trying
to be ladylike today, and so she nodded .
As it was midday, many people from around town were now gathering
towards the wide streets and looking for places to eat . We walked together,
hand in hand…for the purpose of not losing each other .
“I feel a little bashful . ”
“I as well . I have not held a person’s hand and walked since the time I took
walks with my father…”
Daniela said, which put us in a sentimental mood . Her parents, huh . I wish I
could have met them…
“Hey, Daniela . ”
“Mm? What is it?”
“Um, are there tombstones in your homeland? For your parents . ”
Daniela looked up into the sky, as far as she could see and answered .
“Aye, I built it for them on the land that our house once stood . But I have not
returned since then, and I do not know what has happened to it…”
“I see… Then, once things get settled, I have to go and introduce myself . ”
“Thank you…Asagi . ”
She squeezed my hand tightly and smiled . I smiled and squeezed her hand
back . The town was alive and clamorous, but we felt as if our time together
was calm and gentle .
The Paw Clothes and Accessories Shop faced a large road, but we went
through a back alley to reach the Paw Armor Shop on the other side . We let
go of each other’s hands once we were inside . It would be the worst if we
accidentally b.u.mped into and damaged any of the armor here .
“Welcome! Welcome to the Paw Armor Shop!”
A familiar voice rang from the back .
“h.e.l.lo . ”
“Ahh, it is you . Do not worry, I have set your armor aside for you!”
He would have h.e.l.l to pay if he hadn’t . I would go berserk . I would .
“I came because I have enough money now . ”
I said as I handed over a leather bag containing the sixty gold pieces that I got
from Harold’s wyvern materials, plus five gold pieces I got from the reward
that was shared between Rex and the other men . Praise the wyverns! Amen .
“But it has only been a few days… What did you do?”
“A little wyvern hunting . ”
“No, then this ‘Silvergreen’ who slew two wyverns alone must be…?”
I did not solo two wyverns! That’s an insane exaggeration!
“Even killing one is impressive enough . ”

“I just dealt the finishing blow to a wyvern that was already heavily wounded
.”
“Oh, how modest!”
He clearly didn’t believe me… Ah, well . This was a pointless conversation
anyway . Just give me my lovely armor set!
“Well, allow me to take you to it, Silvergreen . ”
“Could we not do that?”
We were led to the back of the store . Well, not too far back, as then we
would just come into the clothing store on the other side . My armor was set
up on a wooden mannequin-like block of wood . But something was different
from before . There was a waistcloth . Complete with embroidery .
“What is this cape-like thing?”
“Ahh, this . When I put it all together here, my wife…who, uh, happens to
own the clothing store on the other side, she says that it ‘looks unbalanced . ’
And so created this cape out of extra wind dragon cloth in one night . Oh, you
can consider it a bonus . It is not as if you requested it, after all . Also, it is
going to be worn by Silvergreen himself!”
Ahh… Well, he was probably right . It would be a nicer silhouette to have

cloth come down under the waist to match the poncho that would hang from
my shoulders . An old friend called Yasuda had once told me that ‘Character
designs needed a great silhouette . ’ However, what about utility?
“There should be no problem in terms of your movement . And this waist

mantle should strengthen the potency of your wind magic even further .
There are no AGI enchantments, as we did not have enough time . But we
could request that it be done . If you can pay the price for it . ”
“Request? So you can ask someone to do it?”
“Yes . In truth, this price is more of an intermediary fee . You see, Enchanters
do not accept private requests, and so this is the only way to go about it . ”
I see . It was a type of magic that would be in high demand, by keeping the
door narrow, they could maintain a certain value . Very smart .
But it seemed like it would take some time . I wasn’t really sure, but I had a
decent military budget thanks to lord wyvern . Being cheap on my first
investment in armor could have grave consequences as well . It would
probably be wise to just do it .
“Then I will request it . And I will pay for it now . So, how long does it take,
anyway?”
“Uh, it can vary depending on the magician’s schedule . But I would say that
it is around one week . ”
Well, that wasn’t too bad . It was a little sad that I couldn’t take it all now,
but I had to have some restraint .
“So that will be sixty-five gold pieces for the armor set and an additional ten
gold pieces for the enchantment . Seventy-five in all . ”
“Yes, yes . Here is the extra ten . ”
I took out ten gold pieces from the Rex treasury and handed them over . Now,
everything was complete . I felt good and clean, free of debts .
“Thank you . Now, if you can just come by in one week, everything should
be ready for you . ”
“No . Thank you . I got quite a bargain . It was a good thing that I came here .
”
We shook hands, but it did not lead to a contest of grip strength .
“By the way, your friend over there…”
“Hm? Me?”
Daniela had been staring blankly at some heavy armor . She was like a
boyfriend who had no interest in the clothes store…
“That dress…”
“Ah, is it not pretty? Asagi bought it for me . ”
She laughed with a little pride and turned around to show it off . It was too
cute .
“It is splendid! And if I may be so bold, could it be from the Goblin’s

Boutique…?”
“Yeah . We stopped there before finding this place . ”
I answer . I wasn’t likely to forget that store’s name for a while .
“I knew it! Uh, would you mind if I had a closer look?”
“Ah, if you insist…”
Daniela said suspiciously as she stepped closer to the clerk . He folded his
arms and looked sternly at the dress as he walked around her in a circle . He
had the eyes of a craftsman .
Then his hand stretched out towards the skirt . I smacked the back of his head
at full speed .
“Are some kind of imbecile!”
“Forgive me…I just got carried away…”
He rubbed the back of his head and bowed apologetically . Perhaps she was
stunned because it was so sudden, but Daniela didn’t move .
“Asagi…you did that for me…”
She seemed to be so overwhelmed with grat.i.tude that she could not move . I
forced a smile just as my temples were twitching with rage and looked
towards the clerk in order to tear him a new one .
“In the first place, don’t you specialize in armor?”
“But I am also curious in clothing and accessories! I am very fond of clothing

of this fashion . ”
Then you should go to the punk lady’s store…
“Oh, but that place, it is a little intimidating…”
I had no answer for that .
We talked for a while after that and then left the store . ‘I will be brave next
time and go!’ the clerk said before we left . He really didn’t need to be so
nervous . She wasn’t going to eat him, as far as I knew .
When we went out into the main street, the falling sun cast a giant shadow
from the city walls . The time seemed to have past very quickly as we were in
there . Almost too quickly .
“The sun has already begun to set… I had not realized how much time had
pa.s.sed . ”
“Ah, I was just thinking the same thing . ”
“Hehe . Is that what one feels when they are with someone they like?”
“Je-jerk…!”
What’s with the surprise attacks! It was even worse because I was
increasingly aware of how red my face was getting .
“Hmm? What is wrong Asagi? You have turned scarlet . ”
Daniela asked as she looked deep into my eyes . It was too cute . Which only
ramped up my bashfulness .
“It’s you know, the heat of the sun . ”
“Oh?”
She grins at me teasingly . If this was how things would be, then I was happy
from the bottom of my heart that I became an Adventurer . However, being
teased without reciprocating was no fun . I would have to deal a heavy blow
in return .
“Asagi, Asagi . My own face has not been affected . Is this somehow because
of the sun as well?”
She continued with an evil grin and moved closer to me . And so I cupped her
chin in my hand and moved in to shut her up . Wide eyes look into mine .
And then, perhaps it was the work of the sun, Daniela’s face turned a bright
red .
When our lips parted, I was able to put on a triumphant smile, knowing full
well that my revenge had been a success .
But then again, her revenge for my revenge would be something fearsome .
So it was best that I retreat for now . I run ahead toward our inn . I don’t look
back . There is no need to look back . There wasn’t a speck of a chance that
Daniela would not chase after me .
chapter 59
A week pa.s.sed . A week pa.s.sed . It bears repeating . Romancing with
Daniela had made the time fly by really quickly . We lived off of the money I
had made from Lord Wyvern, and then the week was over before we knew it
. As for specifics, it will be omitted here, as it is private . What I will say, is
that Daniela was very cute . That is all .
Well, perhaps a week full of romancing was enough to help Daniela calm
down . Because we no longer moved arm in arm all around town, and she no
longer refused to leave my room after returning to the inn . We were now
used to the reality, I guess . I tended to feel bashful at times, so a little
distance made me feel better . I suppose she must have been very lonely all
those years by herself . I understood that feeling too, to an extent . Working
at night put you in contact with lots of customers, but your interactions were
only on the surface . I would smile good-naturedly to complaints and give the
answers written in the manual . And I could only bow and apologize to
customers who were drunk and angry . Even my interactions with the other
workers there were just ‘good morning’ and ‘goodbye . ’ There wasn’t much
opportunity to make friends when you woke up at night and slept during the
day . Ultimately, what I had met was store robber and that was it . It made me
wonder who was really the happier during this past week .
But, just thinking about the happy days ahead of us brought a smile to my
face . It made me want to bury my face into the pillow and flail my legs . I
consider doing just that, as my buried face smells the scent of her hair . I
really couldn’t help how it had an effect on me .
“Hah… . ha…
I would lose myself in that scent . The scent of someone you loved .
And so it also couldn’t be helped that I didn’t notice that I was late in
meeting up with Daniela for a trip to the armor store .
I didn’t even realize that the door had opened .
“Ahh, ahh, Daniela…”
“Um…Asagi . ”
“Ah, ahhh…!”
The sudden voice forced me to pull my face out of the pillow . Daniela was
standing in front of me with a forced smile .
“Le-let me explain…”
“That is not necessary . I know . I know . ”
“Listen!”
“I will give you ten more minutes…no, you will likely only need five . Meet
me in front of the inn in five minutes . ”
“Wait! Daniela!”
I could not persuade her, and Daniela shut the door and left . But what did
she mean by five minutes? In any case, I better get dressed and go after her…
I got dressed in five minutes and left the room .
“Hmm, right on time . ”
“Um, Miss Daniela . ”
“Let us go then . ”
Apparently, she was not going to listen to me today, and no matter what
subject I brought up on our way to the store, she brushed them aside . Just
when I was feeling incredibly defeated, we arrived at the Paw Armor Shop .
We went inside and down to the back . We were now very familiar with the
place .
“h.e.l.lo . ”
“Ahh, Asagi . It is ready for you . ”
We were led to a room in the farthest back . And there, in a security case, was
my lovely set or armor .
“Yes…fantastic . ”
The hooded poncho made of magical fibers from a green wind dragon . The
trousers . The waist mantle . The chest armor made of platinum scales and
black iron from an ice dragon . The gauntlets . Leg guards . It was a beauty .
“A set worthy of the name ‘Silvergreen’!”
It was true . Ultimately, this set had those very colors in them . Though, it
was a complete coincidence .
“Will you try it on here?”
“Of course . ”
And so I borrowed the changing room and put on the new set of armor . The
leather armor had served me well for a long time . It was a pre-owned set that
had been sold at an armor shop . Leather really was quite durable . It had
sentimental value to me, so I decided to keep it in the hollow bag for now .
This was part of my origin . Even my old iron sword was kept in there . And
though I had lost the tip of the steel sword, I kept the blade and the sheath . I
just found it difficult to throw things away .
Now it was done . I opened the curtains and stepped outside . Daniela’s eyes
were sparkling, the clerk a.s.sessed me with folded arms, some other female
clerk sighed . Who was she?
“I knew it, it is so much better with the waist mantle…”
“Ah, are you from the clothes store then?”
“Oh, yes! And as you can see, I was not wrong with my judgment!”
She gave me a thumbs up . You could tell that she really took her craft
seriously . In fact, she must have been incredibly talented, as she had finished
this embroidered mantle in one night . It was hardly believable . I
remembered that my friend Yasuda had said ‘the difference between
professionals and amateurs is speed . ’ Anything could be made well with
enough time . It was pros that did it quickly .
“I like it very much . Thank you . ”
“Do not mention it! I just did it because I wanted to . It was nothing!”
What a generous person . I thought, just as Daniela stepped forward . She

looked at me hard before nodding with a big smile .
“Very dashing! I am smitten all over again!”
She was nice enough to say . That made me happy . It was a great smile that
almost made me forget about the incident this morning . I wanted so bad to
hug her then, but I had to control myself . I would be able to do that as much
as I wanted come nightfall . Cough-cough .
“Hmm, maybe I’ll do a little questing now . ”
I say, allowing myself to get carried away in the moment . Knowing when to
do this was the trick to living while having fun doing it .
“Then I will escort you outside . ”
The male clerk said, and so he went with us to the entrance . On the way, I
saw a certain empty case . I was sure it was the case that had contained the
AGI x 2 t-shirt .
“Ahh, the shirt you are thinking of was put on auction . And it was a great
success . It sold for one thousand gold pieces . ”
Wasn’t a wyvern only about a hundred gold with all materials from it
combined? So that’s the equivalent of ten wyverns… You wouldn’t be able
to make that kind of money unless you raided a nest of them… It was not a
sum I would have any time soon . Well, I wasn’t confident in my ability to
use it well, anyway . With the shirt, plus the AGI enhancements from the
wind dragon materials, and ‘Legs of the Forest Wolf’ on top of it all, I was
sure I could break the sound barrier . But that would likely result in my body
exploding in all directions
“Most of it went to the enchanter, but I received some as a commission as

well . Indeed, things have been going very well for me of late . I could not be
happier . ”
I had a feeling something horrible would happen to him soon, but I wouldn’t
mention it . We continued to walk until we were out of the store . Several
pa.s.sersby looked at me . It was slightly embarra.s.sing, but I couldn’t
exactly hide .
“Thank you for your purchase . It was great doing business with you!”
“It’s I who should thank you . And I’m sure that your store will be even more
successful after it is advertised across the land . ”
“Thank you for your purchase . It was great doing business with you!”
“It’s I who should thank you . And I’m sure that your store will be even more
successful after it is advertised across the land . ”
“Oh, I do indeed hope so!”
We firmly shook hands and parted . The way that he waved until we had
turned the corner reminded me of my grandmother who lived in the
countryside .
The city was as lively as ever . Everyone who walked the streets seemed to
be smiling and enjoying the peace here . The smells from the street stalls
whetted your appet.i.te . You could hear the loud cries from merchants as
they competed on the main road . I saw a young boy running with a wooden
stick, saying ‘I am Silvergreen!” While another shouted, ‘No, I’m
Silvergreen!’ . d.a.m.n it . I was very susceptible to verbal a.s.saults .
“It sure is peaceful here…”

“It is… The city is alive . The food is delicious . And I have you by my side,
Asagi . ”
She wrapped herself tightly around my arm . She seemed very happy as she
then leaned her head against my shoulder . While she had calmed down now,
she would sometimes almost convulsively cling to me . I could feel eyes
being drawn towards us, but it couldn’t be helped . She was so adorable .
There was a lot I would forgive .
“Peace is good Asagi, but I wish to go on an adventure . ”
“Haha . Right . We are Adventurers, after all . ”
She declares, then tangles herself in me even further . It was an almost

impossible feat to remove yourself from those plant-like arms . I could not do
it .
Walking the streets with Daniela was always fun, regardless of where we
were . Even when we were headed for the Adventurer’s Guild, it was at least
fun until we reached it . The closer we got, the more Adventurers appeared
around us, and their stares sometimes felt like daggers . But I couldn’t be
bothered by them . And so we entered the guild . And then the most
dangerous stare of the day caught me .
“Asagi, it has been a while . ”
Fiona stood with her hands on her hips . Her face had the biggest smile, but it
did little to hide the blue veins that were popping out of her forehead .
chapter 60
“It’s been a while, Asagi . Miss Daniela . ”
Well, this was awkward .
Wrath . Her expression was wrath itself . It was one of the seven deadly sins,
and she let it flow through her as she stood menacingly in front of us . She
was shorter than me, and yet somehow I felt like I was looking up towards
her . Was it because I was ashamed of something? I couldn’t be…There was
no way .
“Yes, it’s been a while, Miss Fiona . ”
“You sound a little stiff?”
“Sorry, I’m not the best talker . ”
“Ignoring that unfortunate flaw, why are you two stuck together?”
Her voice was no different from how it always was . But there were hidden
barbs behind every word…or not . If anything, they were very visible and
turned me into a pin cushion . Even Daniela, who was stubborn and fearless
now slowly removed herself from my arm .
“We will borrow the drawing room for a minute . ”
“A minute, what? What are you going to do?”
“Come on, let us go . ”
“Hey, wait a minute, aaahh…”
Fiona grabbed my empty arm and pulled me towards the back of the guild
house . I couldn’t even make her let go . Was she using magic?
Daniela was holding my other hand . I nearly stumbled as I was being pulled
forward, but when I looked behind me, it wasn’t the shy Daniela that was
there . It was Master Daniela, her stern face showed that she was prepared for
battle . If she had this resolve…well, I needed to follow suit . Though, I had
not expect such a scene right before going on a new adventure .
The three of us entered the drawing room . Fiona sat in front of us . Daniela
was sitting next to me with her back straight . The leather sofa was pretty
comfortable, I have to say . Though it did make your back feel damp That’s
what I don’t like about leather . I wasn’t even sweating but my back was
getting wet .
“So?”
Fiona’s seemed composed now as she looked at me, then at Daniela, and then
me again . Her eyes were demanding that she be given an explanation .
“Um, it’s a long story but…”
“There is no need for that . ”
Daniela cut me off .
Then she took me by the chin and turned my head . The kiss was almost
violent .
“Fff . . mmm…”
“Whwha…!”
My m.u.f.fled moans, Fiona’s shock, and Daniela’s breathing echoed in the

room .
“…nnmmm…hahhh…”
When our mouths finally parted, Daniela’s hot breath blew on my lips, and
her gla.s.s-like eyes stared into mine . Then she wrapped an arm around my
neck, pulled me closer and unleashed a declaration of victory over Fiona .
“This our relationship now . Perhaps we should have told you sooner, Fiona .
”
“…ggg!!”
“…ggg!!”
Fiona’s face was red, and it wasn’t from embarra.s.sment . She glared at me
sharply . I gently put a hand on Daniela’s thin, graceful arm and lowered it .
“I know it would have been more proper for me to tell you directly… I
shouldn’t rely on Daniela so much . But your glare was just so intimidating .
”
“Asagi…”
“I’m sorry . I love Daniela . Even if you say that you want me, I would
choose Daniela . ”
Fiona’s eyes moved back and forth between us . Then she took in a deep
breath and sighed .
“Well… It is not your fault that I was just trying to marry into some money .
Perhaps it was because I was all talk and never acted on it…”
Daniela and I listened quietly to Fiona’s monologue .
“But, I truly did want to become friends, you know? You were at least more
appealing than the ruffians and drunkards of Fhiraldo, and you were pleasant
to talk with . While there was not anything much between us, it was
stimulating and fun . Was it not?”
Fiona chuckled to herself through a somewhat troubled expression . Daniela

nodded .
“I too found it fun to be with Asagi . But I was not so restrained as you,
perhaps . ”
There was something that Daniela had told me once .

‘I am no good at understanding my true feelings . But when I do, I rush
straight ahead without looking . Opportunities will be missed if you rest on
your laurels because of your life-span . ’
And true to those words, she had become an important part of me with the
ferocity of a whirlwind . I knew that I could no longer live without her .
“You should act once you have an objective . An important trick to life, if
you will . I believe that I gave in to such restraint so much throughout my life
. I will tell you this, Fiona . I lost my family in a dragon stampede . After that,
I was but a lone elf, traveling the world, but with my heart closed shut . But
Asagi helped me change . Once I understood this, there was no one who
could stop me . Not you, not Asagi, not even myself . Now I am with him .
And I have no intention of letting him go . ”
Fiona listened to this quietly . There was no sadness in her expression .
“I see… In other words, I am no match for you . I had thought to slowly get
closer, but I was already too late by then… Hmm, alright! I think I
understand my own feelings now . Yes, I am fine now!”
Fiona said with a laugh . I wasn’t sure what to do then . I had really not been
in a position like this before . My days with Daniela were the color of roses,
but this was somewhat sad and cast a shadow over it . I wanted to be there for
people who loved me . But what if there were two of them? It was not
something I had ever considered .
“So, that is settled then! …Asagi, do not look so sad . ”
“Huh…?”
“Oh, look at you . You look close to tears!”
No, I didn’t . There was no reason for me to cry here . However, thinking
about Fiona’s feelings did give me mixed emotions . And there was
something about that that was sad .
“I am happy that you feel that way, Asagi . But this is my problem and not
something that you need to be worried about . It is enough that you care . ”
Fiona said with a brave smile, which somehow made me pity her even more .
But clearly, this was also bordering on patronizing . She was strong enough,
and my pity was insulting if anything . And so I took Daniela’s hand and
stood up .
“Alright . Let’s go then . ”
“Yes…”
We opened the door of the drawing room and went out . Fiona remained in
her seat without moving an inch .
We opened the door of the drawing room and went out . Fiona remained in
her seat without moving an inch .
“Fiona . ”
“Hmm?”
I don’t look back, but I could hear a slight tremble in Fiona’s voice . I told
her how I felt .
“See you later . ”
Things wouldn’t change . Maybe we stood on different ground now, but I had
promised to be friends with her . It didn’t need to end like this . Maybe I was
being self-indulgent . But even if she refused the offer, I would not go back
on my word .
“Yes…! See you!”
When I did turn around, she had a smile that seemed brighter than usual .
There were tears in her eyes, but she was still smiling .
I slowly close the door . All sound was shut off now . The whole guild house
seemed quiet . I was sure that things would be back to normal when I saw her
next . She would be the energetic and overly familiar guild worker . I, the
stubborn Adventurer . Maybe Fiona’s friend, who I liked, would be next to
her then . All of those who had been with me as we were chased on the plains
will be my comrades forever . We would always be together, I somehow
knew .
“Let’s go, Daniela . ”
“Aye, Asagi . ”
I tightly held the hand of the one I loved . She too held me tight . That was
enough to increase my heart rate .
And yet, I still felt sad .

chapter 61
“Asagi . I feel as if I know just what you are thinking right now . ”
Daniela says quietly . I look up and stare into her face .
“But I have no intention of letting you go . I will allow you to have no one
else but me . You are the only one who is in my heart . And so, I hope that I
alone will reside in yours . ”
She looked so cool when she became this serious . It made me feel all the
worse . I’ve been disappointed in myself lately . My resolve should have been
stronger . Fiona’s tears should have no bearing on my decision to choose
Daniela . And there was no use being glum about what happened .
“I’m sorry . I’m fine now . ”
“Perhaps I said that a little harshly . ”
“No, it’s good . You’ve been helping me a lot lately . ”
“Do not worry . It is was I want . ”
I slowly take her hand and squeeze it . She smiles happily . We would both
cherish each other…that would be the most ideal thing . I felt deeply, that I
must care for her more, and treasure her .
Well, we couldn’t act so gloomy forever . We came here to go on an

adventure . And so it was off to the quest board .
“Let’s see here…”
There was a large variety of quests pinned to the board . Over fifty in all .
That’s the city for you . It was completely different compared to Fhiraldo .
“‘Gra.s.s wolf extermination’, ‘Wanted: person to talk to’, ‘Kobold

extermination’, ‘Lost pet’, ‘Pest extermination’…there are so many here . It’s
kind of hard to choose . ”
“Hmm, we definitely want one of the extermination variety . You want to test
your equipment, do you not?”
“Well, yeah . ”
We could kill some gra.s.s wolves, or fight some kobolds for the first time…
hmm, what to do…
“Oh? Is that Asagi’s back I see!?”
“Hmm? Who?”
I turned around only to find myself facing a wall . When did the guild house
become so crammed? I wonder as I look to the side, but there is no one there .
That’s strange, I felt like someone was talking to me…
“As I said, I ain’t no wall!”
“Hmm?”
I looked up towards the voice and saw the adventuring wall, Pinzoro .
“Haha, that was a joke . ”
“Bah, you looked real baffled when you turned to the side just now…”
“Fussing over such things will likely make you go bald . ”
“I wouldn’t want that!!”
Daniela laughed as Pinzoro’s hand went protectively to his hair .
“h.e.l.lo, Pinzoro . ”
“Oi, you look well . I’ve heard all about it . You killed a wyvern . ”
“With Rex and the others . I just put it down at the very end . ”
Hearing this, Pinzoro laughed loudly . It seemed sincere enough, but had I
actually said anything funny?
“Ku . . kk…ss . . sorry! But I happened to be free at the time you see, and I
went with the guards who retrieved the wyvern parts . That carnage I saw was
something else . ”
“Quit with the rubbernecking…it’s embarra.s.sing!”
“Kahahahah! Ah, but there were others there too, you know? After all, the
guards of the western gate could not shut up about it . Another wyvern? I
asked, and they say, bingo! Word spread quickly and all the bored
adventurers came to see what had happened!”
“Kahahahah! Ah, but there were others there too, you know? After all, the
guards of the western gate could not shut up about it . Another wyvern? I
asked, and they say, bingo! Word spread quickly and all the bored
adventurers came to see what had happened!”
Well then, that means people who actually saw it were spreading somewhat
accurate rumors this time…? I hated that immensely . The kind of stories that
would reach people like the clerk of the Paw Armor Shop were exaggerated,
but the those in the world of adventuring would know the truth? What could
be worse? I wanted to live quietly .
“d.a.m.n it…these Adventurers…”
“Asagi, we are Adventurers as well . ”
“…”
Well, I deserved that glare from Daniela . She was right of course, and I had
nothing to refute her with .
“In any case, what are you doing here, Pinzoro?”
“Forcing a subject change, are we? …Well, it’s nothing . I have nothing to
do, so might as well stretch my limbs with a quest, I thought . ”
He said as he moved his shoulders in circles . I bet he would choose an

extermination quest .
“And you, Asagi? I don’t believe there are any wyverns left for you . ”
“Yeah, because I’m the guy that loves wyverns . No, I just want to test my
newly acquired equipment . ”
Hearing this, Pinzoro held his chin and stared hard at what I was wearing .
“Ho ho . It suits you well . What’s it made of?”
“Wind dragon and ice dragon . ”
“Dragons, you say!?”
Hehe . Amazing, isn’t it? I folded my arms with a smug grin . Daniela
smirked with a little embarra.s.sment, but why be modest when it was the
truth? It was an important thing in my opinion .
“Ah, quite rare these dragon sets… No, wait . I do think that the prices on
them had collapsed recently . ”
“Oh, something about a Hero taking down a stampede of dragons . Well, they
were all young dragons, and it’s their materials that have flooded the market .
”
“Oh, something about a Hero taking down a stampede of dragons . Well, they
were all young dragons, and it’s their materials that have flooded the market .
”
I wonder how much it would have cost if the materials were from adult
dragons? The very idea makes me shudder .
“Even the young ones are guaranteed to offer great protection and
performance . It is a worthy purchase in my opinion . ”
“Yeah… But I didn’t really expect to hunt a wyvern while trying to earn
some money . ”
“But with this armor, you may just be able to kill the next one alone!”
Haha . As if . It’s a dragon set, but not from an adult . Trusting its capabilities
too much might get me killed . And while I had experience now, I would not
care to fight one again . If possible, I would try to avoid it .
“…Ah, look at the time . You better choose your quest soon, else you won’t
be able to return today . ”
“d.a.m.n, we better hurry then . What are you doing, Pinzoro?”
“I’ll be taking this request to kill some gra.s.s wolves over here . ”
Gra.s.s wolves in the plains, eh? Well, that meant he was at least strong
enough to take down a pack while going solo .
“Daniela, what do you think?”
“You have never fought against kobolds, have you?”
“Uh, true . ”
“Then you should experience it . ”
“That’s also true . ”
And so we chose the kobolds . I tore off the ‘Kobold extermination request’
note from the board .
Pinzoro tore off the one for the gra.s.s wolves next to us .
“Well, I’m off now . See you later, Asagi . ”
“Yeah, later . ”
He waved to us as he headed for the counter . I waved back .

He waved to us as he headed for the counter . I waved back .
“He’s a good guy . ”
“Aye . It reminds me, that this how you make connections and have them
spread . Something I did not do when I traveled alone . ”
“Things will be different now . I won’t let you get bored when you’re with
me . ”
I say as I turn to her . She nods and smiles .
“I am confident that I will not tire of being with you, Asagi . Day and night,
you are going to bring me pleasure, right?”
How about saying stuff like that when no one else is around! My face turned
quite red as I headed for the counter, which Pinzoro had already left .
“Do you wish to go on a quest?”
“Yes . This ‘Kobold extermination request,’ please . ”
“Very well . You will be working near the rocky area right outside of the
eastern gate . Please give me your status cards . ”
I took my card out of my pocket and along with Daniela’s, placed them on
the counter .
“Yes, thank you . Please wait a moment . … . Yes, the quest information has
been registered . I am sure there is no danger with you two, but please be safe
and good luck . ”
We thanked the guild worker who showed concern as a formality and left the
guild behind us .
Now, the point of all this was really just to test my armor . That might be a
little cruel to the poor kobolds, but, ‘survival of the fittest’ and all that . That
was the way the world was . They would help build the foundation for my
future .
Daniela and I crossed the main street and headed east . As we had come
through the western gate, it was our first time seeing the eastern one . Past the
gate was the same familiar plains spreading out, but apparently, there was a
rocky area further on . The terrain her was kind of fantastic . I had never
visited any rocky areas in j.a.pan . At most, I went to a dry river bed with
some large rocks .
And this would be my first kobold fight . I needed to be prepared . It was

exciting, but also made me a little nervous . I would just depend on Daniela if
things get dangerous, I think almost eagerly, as we go out the eastern gate .
chapter 62
The weather was fine, but it was now past midday . Daniela and I chewed on
some food we had bought on the way, as we walked to our destination .
The scenery that greeted you once you were out of the eastern gate was, well,
the plains . There was a path for travelers to walk through, but the gra.s.s that
was on both sides was tall enough to reach your knees . You could see them
blow in the wind like ocean waves . It was a scene that reminded me of the
times I visited my grandmother in the countryside . Though, those were fields
of rice .
One step out of this great city and you might as well be in the countryside .
There were no houses, and certainly no convenient stores out here . Still, it
was all very beautiful .
Once we were out of the plains, a small grove spread out before us . There
was a small trodden path that split it right down the middle . It brought back
memories of being chased by forest wolves . I walked through with a little
trepidation, but the only thing you could hear was the chirping of birds and
the rustling of leaves . It was peace itself . There was something that Presence
Detection was picking up, but Daniela said it was only a few goblins playing
nearby . I almost wanted to go and see, but we were in a hurry, and so we
moved on .
It took about an hour after leaving Spiris for us to arrive at the crags . There
was no gra.s.s or trees here, only rocks . Apparently, there had been a mine
here a long time ago, but it did not go very deep, as its resources were thin . It
was abandoned quickly . And now what was left of it had become the home
of kobolds and all sorts of monsters . In other words, we were going in .
I wouldn’t mind having a helmet now . Those ones with the lights .
“Here we go, Asagi . We should be fine in there if we use this lantern . ”
“Finally . But I do wonder…”

“What is it?”
This is a mine . Narrow, with walls on both sides and a low ceiling .
“Is this really the best way to check the capabilities of my armor?”
“You could test the mobility and defensive ability at least?”
“Well, I guess so…”
I would have much preferred to go to an open area, and freely beat monsters
into a pulp at lightning speed… But it was a bit late for that . It was also
important to experience combat against kobolds . I would just have to bear
going into this dark, dark hole .
“It’s dark even with the lantern…I can barely see ahead of me . ”
“It cannot be helped . This place was abandoned long ago . ”
There was no point in complaining . I knew that very well, and yet, it was so
dark and cramped . There were sudden corners and those seemed to take you
to even dark areas . And who knew what would spring out?
“If you care so much, why do you not use Presence Detection?”
“Oh, right . ”
I frantically activated it . Woah, there was quite a lot . Ah…but they weren’t
that close either . We had to go a little further .
“You see? There are no monsters near us, so you can move away now . It is
quite difficult to walk . ”
“Oh, sorry…”
I had hardly been conscious of the fact that I was leaning against her and
clutching her sleeve . I was the scared girlfriend in a haunted mansion for a
moment there .
“Though, you can do it all you want while we are walking through the city . ”
“Yeah, I’m not sure about that . ”
I had not realized how bad this could be without a map until now . And I had
no mapping skills . We walked through the winding tunnels for over an hour .
Sometimes Presence Detection would show that a kobold was so close that
we might encounter it at any moment, and then it would suddenly become far
away . It was no longer reliable . The tunnels here were too complex .
“Asagi, it looks like we made it . They are up ahead . ”
“Huh?”
Daniela hid the light of the lantern under her coat . And then the corner lit up
ahead of us . It should have been completely dark, but there was light leaking
from somewhere further ahead . Someone else was here with a light . And
Presence Detection told me it was a monster .
Daniela and I slowly approached the corner . Judging by the brightness, the
light shouldn’t be too close yet . Perhaps at least ten meters . And so I took a
look . Ahead of us, there were four monsters who were about as tall as
children, and their heads were those of dogs . They were eating something on
the ground . So, those must be the kobolds . They at least aligned with my
mostly useless knowledge from games .
“What do you think? They are a little far…”
“What do you think? They are a little far…”
“We should rely on your speed then . Make a mad dash and kill them
instantly . I will deal with any who might manage to escape you . ”
Master Daniela decided that I would charge into them . But she also promised
to clean up any mess I might make of it, so I wasn’t about to complain . I
unsheath my sword . Today I would be using a familiar weapon, my original
iron sword . The steel one had broken, and the ancient elven sword was too
advance for me . I did stop by a weapons shops, but they were out of stock at
the moment . It would take a whole week for the materials to arrive, and then
another to craft the sword . In other words, I would have to wait two weeks to
get another steel sword . So I didn’t order one . Surely kobolds didn’t require
anything better, and I could always just buy a new one if it breaks… In any
case, I would be fighting with this iron sword for a while . However, if this
sword broke on me now, I would be forced to become a cheat swordsman, so
I had to be careful .
“Are you ready then?”
“Yeah, whenever you are . ”
“Good…go get them!”
I felt the slap on my b.u.t.t as I dug my heels into the dirt and rushed forward
as fast as I could . The enchantments on my armor all activated, and I ran at a
speed that far surpa.s.sed what I had been capable of in the leather armor set .
Within a blink, I had closed in on them . I clutched the pommel in a reverse
grip and swung backward while taking off a kobolds head .
“Call it the Asagi Strash!”
This was a special move that was popular when I was a kid . I had been
waiting for a moment to unleash it for years . And now was the time .
However, there was no time to bask in the glory of the moment . Another
kobold looks up in surprise, just in time for me to change my grip and hack it
down . Now the others know of the ambush . One screams and picks up its
club to strike me with, but I take a quick backstep and avoid the hit . In the
next instant, a soundless arrow glides through the air . It enters the left side of
the other kobolds head and comes out the other side . Impressive, Daniela .
The last kobold comes at me as it waves its club . I block it several times with
my sword, checking my own movements . The armor was made mostly of ice
dragon leather, but it also had scales and darksteel . It was the first time I was
fighting in armor that included metal . And I wanted to see how the extra
weight affected me . The kobold’s club seemed to have been made of carved
stone . I block each blow carefully, and occasionally try catching it with my
gauntlets . There is a deep vibration from the impact, but no pain . And no
injury at all . I could really feel now, that I had made a good purchase .
I would test the durability of the leg guards next . I swung high to push the
club over the kobold’s head, as it stood staggered for a second, I quickly
slammed my shin into its dog head . Judging by the results, I had no issues
with the leg guards . The kobold might have had an issue though, as he went
flying backward . I was almost repulsed by how effective it was .
“My, my . Those really are something…”
“My, my . Those really are something…”
Daniela says as she approaches me . She had her bow leaning on her shoulder
and she immediately offered her fist for our ritual b.u.mping .
“Good work, Daniela . ”
“You too . Now then, we should take the proof of our efforts . ”
Daniela pulled out her short sword and hacked off a kobold’s left hand . I see
. This rather distinct four-fingered hand was the proof . And so I started to cut
off another hand and we stuffed them in a leather bag .
“Eh…guess that’s it then . ”
“They were not much, were they?”
“To be honest, they were nothing . Though, perhaps part of that was due to
this armor . I need to fight in this a little more . ”
“Hehe . Were you always so studious, Asagi?”
“I’m immune to flattery . ”
We talked lightheartedly as we prepared to leave again . Presence Detection

was informing me that there were more kobolds a little ways ahead . Daniela
walked in front, as she was holding the lantern, and I followed her . I gazed
absentmindedly at Daniela’s b.u.t.t as it swayed in the backlight . We were
now walking even deeper into the tunnels .
chapter 63
The twisting tunnels had many branching paths . We carved markings into
the walls every time we detected kobolds nearby, and went further, further in
.
“By the way, Daniela . Do you think we’ll be able to return within the day?”
“Hm…I do not see why not, as long as we do not get lost . ”
Doesn’t she know that even wondering about getting lost was a flag?
“That worries me…”
“Well, we could always just camp out if we end up late . You do have the
barrier tools and more food in the hollow bag, do you not?”
“I do, but still…”
This place was dark and tight . It was oppressive and made you feel
trapped… I would much rather sleep in the forest . However, Daniela seemed
quite enthusiastic, so I didn’t want to ruin the mood . I just had to bear it .
Let’s keep going and hunt some kobolds then .
We continued to use Presence Detection to find groups of kobolds and crush

them . The number of encounters increased the further we went in . By now
we had three bags full of left hands . Still, as it was now confirmed that we
would have to camp out here, we continued to hunt without regard of the time
.
It wasn’t until we filled up a seventh bag that we finally decided to rest .

Perhaps it was because I had been stuffing it with different things recently,
but the hollow bag was starting to look full . Had I really put so much
inside…
“I have set up the magic barriers . ”

“Ah, thanks . ”
I had asked her to put two near both sides of the tunnel and on the cross
section that was further on . Just in case . So that even if one was broken, we
would still notice . It was barrier, barrier, us, barrier, barrier . Usually, you
would need four for each corner, but this setup worked because it was a
tunnel . It looked like I would be able to sleep easy tonight .
I created some magical water over a nearby rock and washed it . Then I
wiped it with a cloth and covered it to make a nice table . I liked to be fancy
when out camping . Though we would just be eating some stall food .
“Let’s eat then . ”
Sitting side by side and eating like this brought back memories of our first
encounter . We had just happened to b.u.mp into each other, but there was
something that drew us together before we knew it . And now we were deep
in the mines together . Life had a way of being unpredictable .
“Asagi, your one looks better…”
“Haha . This one’s a recent favorite of mine . ”
It was sauteed chicken in a ginger sauce . The hollow bag had dimensional
magic cast on it, which stopped the pa.s.sing of time for anything inside of it .
So the food was still hot and juicy, even in this dusty old place . Regardless
of the scenery, the taste was amazing . It was cooked just right and the smell
of the ginger was refreshing . The food stalls in this world were of a very
high caliber . It was its own culture even . Of course, there were great
restaurants and diners as well, but the stalls held their own even in
comparison .
“Want some then?”
“Mmm, give me a bite . ”
Daniela said as she opened her mouth . I stabbed a piece of meat with my
fork before dunking it into plenty of sauce and offering to her . She chews it
slowly . A smile begins to spread on her face . d.a.m.n, she was cute .
“It is good . ”
“Right?”
“Give me more . ”
“I suppose I have no choice . ”
We continued to flirt as we went through our dinner . I could really use some
soup with this, but we would probably die of carbon monoxide poisoning if
we started making bonfires . I regretted not buying soup at the stalls as I
cleaned up my plate . Now we just needed to sleep .
“Alright…I guess I’m on the night watch this time . You go and get some
sleep . ”
“Very well . We will trade places if you become tired . ”
Daniela nodded and rolled over onto a cloth that had been spread out on the
ground . I caressed her head as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep .
She seemed happy as she dreamed .
And so I began my watch .
I amused myself by poking Daniela’s cheeks and watching her giggle in her
sleep . Then I noticed that Presence Detection had caught something . It was
on a course to run straight through our barrier . I moved away from Daniela’s
cheek with much regret and went to see what it was .
I could see the dim light of a lantern leaking from the corner ahead . It was
still a good distance away .
When I peered in the direction, I saw that it was several kobolds . They were
loud and excited as if they were on some kind of field trip . This was
something I could easily deal with alone . But just as I unsheath my sword, I
remember the features of my equipment .
“Maybe I’ll try some ice magic…”
I saw the speed of the wind dragon . Now I wanted to test the effects of the
ice dragon on ice magic . I quietly put both of my palms on the ground .
Waves of magic run through the ground, and I imagine what I want to do .
Jack of all Trades, Master of None plays an image in my brain, and I follow
it, sending the right amount of power . Once the power has flowed over to
where the kobolds are walking, I add some blue energy and activate the ice
magic .
“Gwargh…!?”
The first kobold realizes the change . His voice is raised, but it was already
too late . The chill had gone past his feet and stretched towards those in the
rear . And just like that, all of them were frozen up to the waist .
“Interesting…”
Freezing someone’s legs in an instant was a relatively simple thing to do .

But it depended greatly on distance and the amount of magical energy used .
It wasn’t likely that I would have been able to do this with normal equipment
. So this was the effect of the ice dragon armor…amazing .
I moved my palm to face upwards and created an ice sword . It had intricate
designs and was generated at a much faster speed than usual . It even used
less magical energy as well . I could make a sword like this with about half as
much effort now . It showed that the most important thing with magic was the
ability to visualize . And with that, I walk over to the frozen kobolds and lop
off their heads . They had no opportunity to let out a final scream .
I deactivate the ice magic after taking their left hands and move them into a
single pile . That was it . Either the magic would return them into the soil, or
they would become food for other kobolds . They were not very good for
materials anyway . We just needed their hands . I began to feel like I was
descending into a very apathetic person as I turned on my heels and returned
to the camp where Daniela waited .
“Ahh, Asagi… Where were you?”
“Morning, Daniela . I had to take care of some kobolds that visited .

Everything’s fine now . ”
“Ahhhhhmm…mmm…I see…”
I sat next to her as she rubbed at her tired eyes . My hand went around her
waist .
“Hmm…What is it…?”
“Hmm…What is it…?”
“Just, I…”
And like that, I held her tight and buried my face into her . I felt like her
warmth helped me return to feeling human again . I indulged myself in her
gentleness as she caressed my head .
Eventually, I dozed off to sleep .
The next morning…well, I think it was morning . In any case, we were all
rested up . And so we packed everything and prepared to leave .
“What do you think? Do we continue?”
“Indeed… We know the way back . I have it memorized and we also left
markings . And in an emergency, we could always use earth magic to make a
hole to the surface . ”
“Wouldn’t that cause the place to collapse?”
“We would to it slowly and at an angle . However, that should be a last resort
. As it might affect other humans who might be exploring . ”
There was only one path out of here .
“I guess we’ll go then . ”

“Yes . It has been a while since I last explored a place like this . I do not want
to leave . ”
“Ah, the truth is out!”
I chuckled at her ability to enjoy herself even now . And so we decided to go

even deeper into the tunnels .
We traveled further for around two hours . Aside from the kobolds, a mole-
like monster once emerged from the walls and attacked us . My heart nearly
stopped, but I managed to kill it . Looking at the mole now, with its
ridiculously long and thick nails, I was reminded of something .
“What?”
“Isn’t it strange?”
“Is what strange?”
Before coming out here, I had asked the guild worker about these mines .
“Wasn’t this place quickly abandoned due to a lack of resources?”
“Yes, they did say something like that…hmm, wait, do you mean…”
“You noticed?”
Yes, these mines should not be this deep . It took us a while to realize this, as
we held the lantern and fumbled through corners, relying on Presence
Detection . But we must be very, very deep inside by now .
And now we were encountering monsters of a different variety .
“Maybe this guy here was digging tunnels?”

“That is a possibility but… It could not have been this one alone . ”
So, a bunch of mole monsters turned what should have been a shallow mine
into an elaborate dungeon?
“Daniela, I don’t think we can return just yet . ”
“Yes… We must do something about the number of monsters here . Or it

may lead to a stampede later on . ”
There were not many adventurers who actively hunted kobolds . In fact, there
were no signs of other humans coming in here . In other words, this place was
overflowing with kobolds . There were quite a lot in the upper areas already .
Who knew how many lurked in the deeper layers .
There could be a stampede of not just kobolds, but many other types of
monsters . Even if they were on the weaker side, their numbers could easily
make up for it when it came to violence . And so we decided to go deeper in
and hunt as many monsters as possible .
Spiris would be in danger otherwise .

chapter 64
We had only come here to test the capabilities of my equipment . It was a
mine that was supposed have been abandoned quickly . But it had evolved
into a dungeon, as monsters dug endless tunnels through it . It seemed that
hardly anyone ever came here, and we encountered more and more monsters
the deeper we went in . It was not difficult to imagine that a h.o.a.rd of them
would rise up and attack Spiris . And we were the only ones here now . Then
it was our duty to do what we can to stop it .
“You finished inspecting your equipment . We have eaten . All prepared

then?”
“Yeah, ready when you are . ”
I answered as I stood up . We would try to reach the furthest depths of this

place . We didn’t know just how far it went, but we were determined . I also
put the iron sword away in the bag . I would fight with an ice sword from
now on . I had still to fully grasp the effects of my armor while using it
anyway . And that was my original purpose . And it was also something I
could use longer, unlike the iron blade . I would actually cry if the iron sword
broke on me at this point .
Daniela made no comment as I seemed to go forward without anything on my

belt . She knew well how I would fight . And so she took her bow made of
the tree of death and life, and promised to be my backup . We were almost
perfectly synchronized . That’s my wife for you . I was confident that she
would have my back .
“There is something up ahead . It’s no kobold . ”
“Another mole perhaps . Kill it quickly . ”
The paths were now on a steep decline as we walked . Then we sensed the
presence of a monster . A single creature that seemed quite large . I was
eighty percent sure that it was a mole . I generate an ice sword in my hand
and approach it slowly . The sounds of something scratching against the walls
echos from the shadows . I squint in the darkness and see that there is a mole
with its back turned to us . It is digging into the wall with no mind paid to its
surroundings . It was close enough that I was sure I could get . It wouldn’t
even have time to turn before it was split into half .
“I got this . ”
“Yes . ”
And then I run . The distance was bridged in the blink of an eye and then the
sword of ice swung down onto the mole’s back, sending it to the afterlife
without giving it enough time to scream .
I’ve been calling these guys ‘moles,’ but I wonder if they have an official
name or something . I didn’t even know what you were supposed to collect as
proof of hunting them…
“Ah, they are called hole moles . The proof of a hunt is their claws . You only
need three of them . ”
I see . Hole moles…very creative naming . I joked to myself as I retrieved the

claws . Truth be told, we were burdened by enough baggage as it was, but I
wasn’t going to leave it here if it meant getting paid . As long as I could carry
it . And so we continued to go further in .
Quite some time had pa.s.sed since killing the last hole mole . I didn’t even
know how deep we were now . There had been so many twists and turns,
both horizontally and vertically…I lost all sense of direction . We continued
to leave markings, but if we miss any, we might have to call this place our
new home .
We had just finished filling our hungry stomachs with more stall food, our
third meal of the day . In other words, it was dinner . It was likely already
night outside .
Many monsters had fallen to us by now . We could no longer carry any more
proofs of our hunt . We left the bodies under the markings we carved on the
walls . Kobolds, hole moles, and hole worms . They were monsters that could
use earth magic, much to our annoyance . There were blood bats that attacked
with their ultrasonic waves, and rock hunters, which were monsters
comprised of many rocks and were humanoid in shape . Apparently, they
were different from golems . Golems were magical creations . But these rock
hunters were created through parasites that inhabited the rocks .
We killed them all and continued downward .
“I’ll set up the magic barrier . ”
“We are not continuing?”
“We’ll collapse if we don’t rest . ”
“I suppose so…sorry, you are right . ”
I pick up the tools and walk down the tunnel . Our acc.u.mulated fatigue
wasn’t going to decrease any by continuing on . And we had already rested
quite a bit . But it was not enough to be completely revitalized . We would
need to get a good rest here or it would affect our ability to fight later on .
And so I placed the barrier tools in different spots and stretched my limbs .
And then I sensed something strange . It was coming from someplace
pa.s.sed the barrier . Would Daniela know what it was? I slowly move back
without making a sound .
“Daniela . ”
“Hmm?”
Daniela turned around as she spread a cloth on the floor to sleep on .
“I’m sensing something strange out there…”
“I’m sensing something strange out there…”
“Hmm…ah, so you have come far enough to detect such things then . ”
Daniela nodded with a pleased expression . As for me, question marks were
popping out of my head .
“It is the flow of magical energy . Just as there are veins of water in the
ground under our feet, there are also rivers of magic flowing here . There is
an old name for it, the dragon vein . You must have stuck your foot in it just
now . ”
“So, are we inside of the stream right now?”
“In a way . You might say that we are far from the mainstream, but close to
tributary streams . ”
Hmm, dragon vein, eh? The power that flows through the earth . I wonder
who called it that first? It’s a name I had heard in some novels before…
hmmm, I wonder…surely, not .
“Will there be any effect on us when we are in it?”
“Perhaps . I do believe there would be some effect if you are inside long
enough . ”
“Like a reservoir of magic?”
“No, not really . Magical reservoirs occur when the dragon vein deposits its
excesses into the surface . It is a negative energy . But these dragon veins are
a positive energy . There should not be a negative effect on us . At least not
any time soon”
“I see… It’s like how medicine can be poison if you overdose . Let’s not stay
here for too long then . ”
Of course, we still had to take our rest here . We would stay here tonight, and
tomorrow we would finally reach the bottom of this dungeon and do what we
can . And so under Daniela’s watchful eyes, I fell into a deep sleep .
Daniela woke me up and we switched places . But nothing strange happened,

and things were quiet until Daniela got up in the morning . We had a light
breakfast and continued our trek through the tunnels . At first, the dragon
vein would merge with the presence of other monsters in my head, but I got
used to it after a few hours .
We put down many monsters on that day as well . They had increased in
number to such a degree, that I half expected them to start flowing out from
holes like a fountain . We pushed the corpses to the side and continued on our
way . I was starting to have my doubts, but we couldn’t allow this danger to
affect Spiris . For now, we could only go deeper, deeper .
We put down many monsters on that day as well . They had increased in
number to such a degree, that I half expected them to start flowing out from
holes like a fountain . We pushed the corpses to the side and continued on our
way . I was starting to have my doubts, but we couldn’t allow this danger to
affect Spiris . For now, we could only go deeper, deeper .
And then I suddenly noticed something . It just came to me . I was enjoying

this killing of monsters and moving forward .
It was to prevent a stampede of monsters . To save Spiris from this possible

danger . Or so I told myself, but I found pleasure in it nonetheless . Once I
acknowledged this, my legs stopped moving .
“What is it Asagi? An enemy?”
“Hey, Daniela…is there something wrong with me?”
“Hm?”
She approaches me and peers into my face . I didn’t want her to do that . I
didn’t want her to see the face of someone who enjoyed doing what I was
doing . I thought, and looked away .
“Asagi?”
“Hey…I, I can’t help but enjoy this right now . In this time, in this place .
There is a part of me that enjoys killing the monsters . That first night . There
were kobolds who were approaching our camp . I froze them with magic and
killed them . Even while discarding their bodies…I felt nothing . It makes me
feel like I must be a rotten person . ”
Daniela listened to this quietly .
“And today . I thought I was emotionless at first, but now I see that I enjoy it
. I acquired such good armor, good weapons and…kill and move forward… I
feel almost like this place has broken me in some way…all the killing and
moving has become entertaining . ”
I managed to say all of this and looked up anxiously into Daniela’s face .
How would she react?
Would she look down on me…
But instead, she smiled gently .
“Asagi, you are a kind person . Perhaps the kindest I have ever met . You are
kind enough that your heart aches because of the monsters that you have
killed . ”
“Asagi, you are a kind person . Perhaps the kindest I have ever met . You are
kind enough that your heart aches because of the monsters that you have
killed . ”
I look back at her . Her words reach my ears, but they do not fit my reality at
all . I just could not believe them .
“And you are a person fit for being an Adventurer . Just as I am, no?”
“You as well?”
“Aye, even I am enjoying it . I enjoy moving forward . It brings me pleasure

to know that the death of these monsters will bring comfort to those in the
city who I owe a debt of grat.i.tude . But more than anything, I love you for
being able to confess this to me . For not losing yourself in this place that
reeks of blood and for being able to see what is in your heart . ”
And then she embraced me tightly . A gentle embrace that seemed to cover
the blood that was all over me .
“Asagi . What we are doing is killing . It makes no matter that they are
monsters . There is no doubt about it, it is a slaughter . But it is necessary .
The lives of those who live in the city must be saved, and it is up to those
with weapons to carry this out . You have not been an Adventurer for long, so
it is no surprise that you should have doubts . Up until now you have only
killed what was required . For yourself . It is easy to have doubts when you
are doing it not for yourself, but for people you cannot see, who you do not
know . ”
My heart trembles at the sensation of her hands slowly caressing my head .
“Enjoying the job is just part of the character of an Adventurer . What lies
beyond this place? The desire to fight stronger enemies . These are emotions
that will inevitably occur in any in our profession . And so, you and I, Asagi,
are enjoying the present . It is only normal to do so . I am confident that
whatever we see at the end, it will be highly interesting . Did I not tell you? I
do not want to leave . I am having too much fun now . ”
Daniela chuckled . My quivering heart finally began to melt .
“And yet, you should not learn to feel pleasure in the act of killing itself .
Unnecessary killing is wrong . The Asagi that I love would not be like that,
would he?”
“Of course not… No, surely the man you love would never be like that . ”
“Hehe . Good . I love you, Asagi . ”
She gave me a tight hug . I had feared the coldness in my heart those two
nights ago . I felt like I had become cold and emotionless . But Daniela had
warmed me . Told me that I was a kind person . That we weren’t killing in
some thoughtless excess . And those words saved me .
I was overwhelmed by an emotion that I didn’t understand, and having no

place to go, they came out as tears . But I wanted to understand them, and so
I stared at the ceiling to prevent them from falling away .
chapter 65
“Thank you, Daniela . I’m fine now . ”
So saying, I slowly draw away from her long embrace .
“I wanted to hold you a little longer…”
“We can save that for when we get out of here . ”
I patted her on the head as she pouted with annoyance . I had found a single
path inside of me . Fighting to protect people . That was what we were
currently doing . It was not possible to mourn the death of every life that was
snuffed out, and I would not blame myself for that anymore . I wasn’t a Hero
or a saint . I didn’t want to kill to save lives, but it was not possible to save
everyone either . I could not be a pacifist here . The only thing I could do was
fully dedicate myself to what stood in front of us in the present .
For now, we would kill these monsters and prevent a stampede .
That was all . That was all that I could do .
“d.a.m.n, I think we rested for too long, when there is no time to lose . ”
“No, it was necessary . Do not worry . We will just move at twice the speed .
”
Daniela says with a laugh . I nod and take off my bag . The hollow bag . I
open it and take hold of the supreme weapon, the ancient elven sword, and
attach it to my belt . The elven shortsword quickly follows .
“So you are quite serious this time?”
I smile mischievously and nod . I was above serious now . We would trample
them . I was prepared for this fight more than ever now . There was no
hesitation, and I had the most reliable partner by my side .
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while . About what I can accomplish with
these weapons . And I’ve now found the answer . ”
“Hehe . I see . That is good . ”
For an instant, we seem to be wrapped in a warm and calm air . But that
quickly dissipates and we find ourselves on a battlefield . It was because
Presence Detection caught something . It wasn’t the dragon vein, but
something big .
“Daniela, this…”
“Hmm, something that was hiding in the depths, it has started to move… Up
ahead . ”
I stare hard into the shadows . We were prepared for this, there was no
problem . I glance over to Daniela who stood next to me, and she nodded
with a smile that showed she was ready to fight . She really was reliable . She
always helped me . I needed to become stronger to be able to support her
equally . But first, we would kill what was up ahead . I would not allow the
beautiful plains to be trodden over and destroyed . Never .
We walk down the tunnel . Presence Detection picks up several forms, but
they disappear whenever my sword is swung in their direction . And then
everything becomes quiet .
Once we were out of the tunnel, the scenery changed . The cave ceiling had
been little more than two meters high, but now it was altogether gone . But it
was still too dark to see how high it went . But it must be quite high if the
lantern’s light could not reach it . We could also not see the walls . This was a
wide area . What could be down here? So deep underground?
“Be careful, Asagi . The large presence should be somewhere around here . ”
“Yeah, I can sense it . If only we knew the direction it would come, I could
attack it . ”
There was something huge in this wide area that was still far from us . And as
it didn’t move, we had no choice but to go forward . But, since it had
appeared so suddenly, does that mean it came to us? Why wasn’t it moving
now?
There were a lot of questions that wouldn’t be answered unless we moved .

We just needed to be cautious and we could get through this . Daniela
knocked an arrow to her bowstring . I unsheathed my one-handed sword and
short sword . The pale, silvery green glow gave me a kind of strength . I
created a small ball of fire above our heads to replace the lantern .
According to Daniela’s findings, I was not very good with fire magic . And
even when I did use it, I could tell that the magic consumption was higher
than with ice magic, and yet the ball of fire was still only the size of a tennis
ball . There wasn’t much to say about its inefficiency, but I wondered if it
could be more than just a power used as a bridge between ice and water
magic . However, our hands were full now, so this was the only thing we
could use to light our way . Thankfully, all the monster slaying had helped
me increase my MP…I think . I haven’t actually checked my status recently,
but I was confident that it had gone up after so much hunting .
My MP had been going up gradually since I started using magic, so I was

hopeful . I felt like I hadn’t reached my limits yet . Who knew how many ‘ice
swords’ I could make in succession? Of course, the new equipment also
helped . ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ even showed me that I could
create a light rain .
We were slowly making our way forward and should be within shooting
range soon . Even fire magic should reach it . I put on the hood of my poncho
and take in deep breaths . Once I felt calm again, the only thing left to do was
kill it .
We were slowly making our way forward and should be within shooting
range soon . Even fire magic should reach it . I put on the hood of my poncho
and take in deep breaths . Once I felt calm again, the only thing left to do was
kill it .
“I’ll shoot at it with fire magic . Unleash your arrows as soon as you catch
sight of it . ”
“Understood . ”
She nods, I launch the ball of fire forward and slightly at an upwards angle .
All it took was to concentrate on the magic like ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of
None’ showed, and the fireball launched like a flare and slowly descended .
What appeared beneath it was a large, large mole . It must be an elite type of
hole mole . The thing was densely covered in hair as its head raised towards
the ball of fire above its head .
“It is a mega mole! Let us go, Asagi!”
“Yeah, I can do this!!”
Daniela shoots . And at the same time, I sprint forward . Her arrow reaches
its target first, piercing into the mega mole’s body and causing a shriek that
echoed in the chamber . It used its long nails to carefully grab the arrow and
pull it out . I did not miss this opportunity .
“HAHH!”
My foot digs into the dirt as my one-handed sword swings down . And then
the ground beneath me disappeared .
“Wha…!?”
The b.a.s.t.a.r.d…! He made a pitfall!! That’s why it didn’t move!”
“KGIIIII!!!
I had let my guard down . And just as I looked up in surprise, the mega
mole’s claws came swiping down . I frantically blocked them with my sword
. As I gritted my teeth against the weight of it pressing down, another arrow
shot into the mega mole’s body . It let out another piercing cry . Now that it
was weakened, I use ‘Legs of the Forest Wolf’ to kick the air and jump out
from the hole . As I launched myself up high, I send out b.a.l.l.s of fire in all
four directions . The chamber was now illuminated, and I could see for a
moment that the place was in the shape of a dome . The ceiling was likely
around ten meters high . This guy must have dug it up…he had even made a
pitfall .
“Daniela, there are pitfalls around it!”
“Then I will only use ranged attacks!”
With great skill, she continued to successively let loose her arrows . Indeed,
if close-range combat was too dangerous, you just needed to attack with some
distance .
I put the swords back in my sheaths and thrust my hands in front of me . I

would visualize an ‘arrow’ much like the arrows Daniela was using . ‘Jack of
all Trades, Master of None’ made this easier, and I quickly generated a whole
row of over a dozen arrows . They were all pointing at the mega mole . I
would call this spell, ‘ice arrows . ’ I never claimed to be good at naming
things . But it’s good to keep these things simple!
“Hah!”
With a shout, I launch the arrows towards their target . They start firing from
the right side and savagely break into the mega mole’s skin . The echoing
cries make me cringe, but I send every last arrow at it .
Now the mega mole was still . I control the wind around my feet and slowly
descend while unsheathing my sword . I can hear the sound of a string being
pulled behind me . My backup was perfect . Making sure to not fall into the
hole again, I try to confirm if the mega mole is dead .
I move between the holes and finally reach striking distance . And then I stab
the sword right into its body . …There is no reaction . I try again, and again,
but there is no sound, no movement .
It had gone completely silent . We had won .
“Pheww…”
“Good job, Asagi . ”
“Ah, you too . ”

As always, we made fists and b.u.mped…and at the same instant, Presence
Detection caught something large .
“What, what is this all of a sudden!”
“I don’t know…but, doesn’t this…’
“What, what is this all of a sudden!”
“I don’t know…but, doesn’t this…’
Yes, this size was reminiscent of something . It reminded me of the time

when we met Beowulf . It was the same feeling I had when we fought him in
the ruins .
“But then again, Presence Detection didn’t react during his ambush…”
“It is likely that…he had a high skill level for blocking detection . And the
ambush was during the night . This monster clearly doesn’t have the same
skills with blocking detection . But where could it have come from…”
“Indeed…perhaps it is a mutated elite monster from some magical pool…”
I recalled Macbel’s words, ‘As a monster, he is one level above the rest . ’ He
hadn’t evolved like this mega mole right here . He was something much more
abnormal . Thinking about those words, I scan through our surroundings . I
can sense the thin presence of kobolds on the outskirts .
“I think that it’s some kind of abnormally evolved kobold . ”
“Aye, kobolds usually evolve into kobold warriors or kobold mages,

specializing in attacking and magic . But this one is clearly different . ”
“Has that happened before?”
“Aye . They are called a.s.sault kobolds . They are said to be very shrewd and
aggressive . ”
Shrewd, eh?… And there was something awe-inspiring about the speed at
which it was approaching us . It would reach this hall within a dozen or more
seconds . This would be the second abnormally evolved monster we have met
after Beowulf .
Now, which of us would be the faster? …I could hardly wait .

chapter 66
The True Lord
“It was hard to tell in the darkness, but it looks like there is an entrance over
in the corner over there…”
It was the far corner of the dome. There was a hole under the shadow where
the rock walls protruded. It was about the same size as the hole that we had
come through. Judging by the direction that the presence seemed to be
coming, it would probably appear from that hole.
“Hmm…It is very fast. We will not have any time to lay traps.”
We both unsheathed our swords and took the position. It was now in view.
“Here it comes!”
“Aye!”
I launched a fireball as a flare. And then a black shadow leaped out from the
shadows of the hole.
“I thought things had gotten clamorous in here. Ah, so it is humans.”
A large kobold who was covered in thick black hair and armor had appeared.
Its arms were folded as it spoke.
“What business do you have in my domain?”
“Your domain?”
I parroted it in response. Was this abandoned mine his domain?
“This is my Kobold Kingdom. And I am the king. An assault kobold.”

“So you’re an assault kobold after all…what do you think, Daniela?”
“He has no opening. And our attacks won’t reach him from here.”
We whispered to each other while we stared hard at the assault kobold. This
guy was clearly confident in his speed, we would be killed in an instant if we
let our guards down.
“So? And what are you two?”
“We are Adventurers.”
“And what business do you Adventurers have here?”
“We’ve determined that there is a risk of a stampede. And we intend to

prevent it in advance.”
I answer simply. The assault kobold glares at us at it slowly unfolds its arms
and mutters. There was anger in its voice.
“Ahh, humans… And I was just thinking about striking the surface soon. And
here you are, to try and stop me!!”
GGGWARGH!!! The assault kobold howled and immediately began to dash

forward.
“He’s coming, Asagi!”
“Yeah, I’ll make him regret this!!”
Daniela and I moved towards opposite directions in order to attack from both
sides. It seemed like the assault kobold was going to fight with its bare hands.
One of its arms shot down towards me, which I dodged by jumping into the
air. Now that I was behind him, I moved to slash down on his back with the
ancient elven sword, but then a sudden pain shot through the side of my
stomach.
“Gggaah! What!?”
My face contorted with pain as I moved away and looked down at my waist.
There were four slashes there, and I could see that it had gone through my
skin. Damn it…! My clothes were normal and so they offered no protection!
And where had it been hiding its weapons!?
“Asagi!”
Daniela shouted as she charged with her sword.
“Oh, this scratch is nothing!”
“GGRAAGH!!”
“Kk…!”
The assault kobold’s arm went up again before swinging down with
tremendous force. Daniela somehow managed to block the attack with her
sword, and she snarled. My eyes widened when I saw the arm that was now
still.
“The claws!!”
The assault kobold must have heard me, as it turned around and smiled. Yes,
the ends of his fingers had thin and long nails. His nails had not been so long
when his arms were folded. He must be able to elongate them at will. That is
how he caught me in the stomach…!
“These claws are not my only weapon!”
The kobold said as he unleashed a kick into Daniela. She blocked it with her
gauntlets, but could not stop being thrown against the wall behind her. Now it
turned around to face me. I had already generated a second sword of ice now,
and I slashed at him. The kobold didn’t block, instead, he dodged my attacks
and came back with his claws, which I blocked with the swords.
After several blows had been repeated, the kobold let out a groan.
“Grr… You fight well for a human…!”

“Don’t underestimate me!”
“Oh, I am not! I will fight you with everything that I have!”
And in the next instant, the kobold seemed to vanish.
“Egh…ggphhhaagh!!”
A monstrous blow caught me in the back and I was blown off of my feet. I
rolled clumsily on the ground, trying to regain my footing, but then another
blow came, throwing me violently back in the direction that we had come.
“GGahh…!”
I felt a rising urge to vomit that I had to try hard to repress. But there was no
strength in my legs now. Even if my armor was good, it couldn’t stop the
damage on me internally. I shook my head to try and regain clarity after
having been rattled. Just as my eyes were starting to focus again, I saw that
the assault kobold was swinging its arm down at me. Its elongated claws
were clearly visible. Damn, I would not be able to protect myself in time!!
“DIE!!”
“Damnable…!”
Even if it was pointless, my arms went up to cover my face.
“GGAAAGHH!!”
I saw the assault kobold howl behind my arms. His attack never came. I
cautiously dropped my arms and saw a very familiar butt right in front of my
eyes.
“How are you holding up, Asagi!”
“Daniela!”
Daniela stood between me and the assault kobold, her sword held in front of
her. The assault kobold was now holding the arm that it had swung and
glared at Daniela with immense hatred.
“Scoundrellll! …You, you have taken my arm…!!”
I looked at his arm and saw that there was now nothing passed the elbow.
What I suspected was his arm now lay between them on the ground.
“I only placed my sword in its path. Was it not you who came to cut through
someone?”
“GGGRRRR…I will never forgive you!!!”
The assault kobold seemed to vanish yet again. This was the speed at which
he could move! Now that I knew that he would attack from behind, I created
a wall of ice behind my back. I even poured some extra magic into it for
durability. Then, BAM! The sound and vibrations came from behind me.
Damn, he was an idiot.
If he couldn’t do it from the back, then how about the sides? I pulled Daniela
next to me and created walls of ice on our left and right. Just as they were
finished, the kobold slammed into the right side wall. I pulled Daniela even
closer into me and activated ‘Legs of the Forest Wolf.’ Even in such a time,
Master Daniela’s cheeks flushed a little, but I had to ignore it for now. I
would give her lots of attention later.
And so we then dodged the expected attack from the front by jumping
upwards. With ‘Legs of the Forest Wolf,’ I could jump up to the ceiling even
while carrying Daniela. We stayed suspended up there over the roof of the ice
chamber I had created, just in time to see the black shadow jump inside.
“Let’s go! Follow my lead!”
“Aye! We have this!”
The assault kobold inside of the ice chamber now realized that we were not
inside, it looks up frantically and sees us. But it was too late. Much too late.
He should have run the moment that his attack failed. We point our swords at
him.
“HAAAAAHHHH!!!”
We both shouted together as we flew down from the ceiling and towards the
grounds.
With ‘Legs of the Forest Wolf’ at full throttle, our attack was boosted as it
came down like a comet. The assault kobold had no chance of escaping us,
and in an instant, its chest was pierced by our blades. The walls of ice
shattered from the impact.
“HHHHHAA…GGG…”
The assault kobold fell to its knees as it spat out dark red bursts of blood. I
pulled my sword out from its chest.
“It was a good fight…but we’ve won.”
“Damn…humans…to lose against…humans…”
“Don’t underestimate us.”
We looked down as the kobold was breathing his last breaths. There was no
need to prolong this. I raised my sword.
“Kkk…haaa…my…country…it will end as a…dream…ahhh…my

country…”
“Sleep in peace.”
I swung down and removed the assault kobold’s head from its body.
“And now it is finished…”
“Aye, we have done it.”
“Yes…thank god.”
It was all over. We had killed the king…of this kobold kingdom in the mines.
When realization came, it was accompanied with a heavy sense of fatigue.
The side of my stomach also hurt. But there were things to do.
“His nails and hide…also fangs. We should take them. Something from him
should serve a purpose for his efforts.”
“You are right…but you rest, Asagi. I will do it.”
“Mm…thanks.”
I dragged my tired body away and picked up the lantern that we had left near
the entrance. After lighting it with a small flame, I returned to Daniela and sat
down. There were clean cloths stored inside of the hollow bag which I used
to tightly wrap around my waist where the wound had been made. Now that
was finally taken care of. In front of me, Daniela worked quickly in spite of
being tired as well. She had the assault kobold skinned in no time and also
pulled out its claws by the roots. These materials would probably be used for
weapons and armor. The kobold king would be allowed to travel and see the
world like this in a way. I imagined such things, as my consciousness
suddenly began to fade in a pit of darkness.
chapter 67
The End of the Mines
I feel the sensation of something shaking me, and my eyelids slowly open. A
warm firelight appears in my vision. The ground feels rough under me. A
decapitated monster lies close by. …A monster?
“!!”
I quickly get up. Why was I sleeping!? We are in the depths of a cavern!
“Are you awake then?”
“…! Ah, Daniela… Sorry, how long was I asleep?”
I shuddered and looked behind me. Daniela was staring at me, blood stained
her cheeks.
Yes, I had asked Daniela to dismember it and my consciousness had left me

as I watched… Damn it, I needed to be more careful.
“Only half an hour or so. I just woke you up, now that I am finished. Do you
want to sleep some more?”
“No, I’m fine. Sorry about that… I’ll put everything in the bag, you take a
break. Also…”
I wipe her cheeks with my sleeve. Now she was the same beauty that she
always was. There may have been something violent, sadistic and exotic
about a beautiful woman splattered in blood, but I loved Daniela as she
always was.
I took out a blanket from the bag so she could lie down and rest. The cloth
had become quite worn over the past few days. It would not last much longer.
I wrap the assault kobold parts up and put them inside of the hollow bag.
The long, sharp claws were wrapped separately. The thin, prickly fangs were
put in a leather pouch. We also took his armor after taking it apart. The black
fur was rolled up and stuffed in a bag. The untanned skin was stiff but fit in
the bag nonetheless. The meat…? I had no idea if it was edible. Daniela was
lying on her side with her eyes closed. I didn’t want to bother her… I would
just take it with us for now. The bones should at least be useful. It was
amazing that the hollow bag could take all of this stuff. I could not be more
grateful to Russell.
Now, we had everything we needed. Daniela is still sleeping. My side still

hurts, so I think I’ll lie down a bit… It only took a few minutes for me to fall
asleep once again after I lay down next to her.
□□□□
“Mm…ah, I must have fallen asleep…Asagi? Hmm?”
When I woke up, Asagi was gone. A quick scan of my surroundings did not
bring him back. I frantically got up and took one step forward. And I
immediately found him.
“Ggg…”
“Ah.”
He was under my foot. I had not noticed that he was right next to me. I
realized just how tired he must have been.
“Sorry, Asagi…”
“I beg that you be gentler when waking me next time…”
I apologized as he rubbed at his chest and got up. Gentler next time, huh. It
was good that there would be a next time. Good that we would sleep together
again. Though, I wasn’t sure if it would be a peaceful sleep.
We both picked up our bags and decided to enter the hole that the assault
kobold had come from. It was something that I had insisted on.
‘There should be no more danger now, and this is an opportunity to see what
is at the end, is it not?’
Such had been my advice. Asagi gave me a surprised look then, but I had
quite the adventurous spirit. It was a rare thing to come to a place so deep
underground, and after all, this was near the dragon vein. I just knew that
there would be something of interest down here, and it excited me. Leaving
without seeing the end was not an option for me. There was, of course, a risk
of danger, but that was part of the adventure.
The path that led away from the great hall was a single one. The kind of path
that may have been dug to reach a specific place alone.
We continued on for a while after that, and then I saw that my predictions
had been correct. Because Asagi and I both detected the strong presence of
magic. This was clearly from the dragon vein. We look at each other and
cannot help but smile. Then we run as if racing to a finish line. I ignored the
shaking light of the lantern as we moved.
And then we were greeted to a most strange sight. It was a dead end.
However, there were pale, purple specks of lights floating up from the
ground. Once they reached the ceiling, they would vanish as if being
absorbed. In the walls, there were purple chunks of what looked like some
kind of ore. There was strong magic emanating from these as well. These had
to be somehow related to the dragon vein. Asagi agreed, and we continued to
search the area.
“Hey, Daniela. Do you know what kind of ore this is?”
“Hmm…the magic in it is tremendous. It must be a magic stone. But I have

never seen one of this size before.”
“Is size the only thing that is different?”
That was a good question. Yes, they were larger than usual, but that wasn’t
the root of the problem.
“This color. This dark purple is the color of dimension magic.”

“…”
More accurately, it was a bluish purple. It was a very rare color to occur in
nature. After all, the natural world rarely if ever meddled in the affairs of
other dimensions.
“Would anything happen if I touched it?”
“I do not know…To meddle with dimensions means to meddle with space.

But as nothing has happened since we stepped foot in here, I do not think that
anything will happen…”
I have lived long myself, but I have never seen ore with such a strong color.
It is said that teleportation technology that used such ore had once existed.
But it is now considered little more than a fairy tale.
However, Asagi seemed to think differently.
“Space…then, if we used it…we could get out of…?”
That was all he needed to mumble to let me know that he was thinking of
teleporting through space. To be frank, it was dangerous. There was no
guarantee that he could do it safely.
“Asagi, I would advise against it. It is too dangerous. It will be too late when
you have already lost all of your limbs.”
“You’re right…it’s crazy isn’t it…”
But there was something that was not quite defeat written on his face. I
wanted him to stay safe. I myself wanted to be safe. I needed these limbs to
hold and to entangle. Could I live after being robbed of this? No, I think not!
“Alright, let’s go then. Just being able to see this was enough for me.”
“Aye, not many people could have come down here.”
We say, and I realize that I had also just considered the possibility of
someone else coming here and taking it. We really were Adventurers. And it
would take immense self-control to see such a treasure as this and leave it
alone. But perhaps there really was nothing that Asagi could not beat.
□□□□
“Ggg-aaaaAAAAH!!”
“Damn it…! This, this…!!”
We covered our eyes against its monstrous power and fell to our knees. We
could not win. Not against this…it was too bright…
“Ahhhhhh. My eeeeeeyyyeeees!”
“No, it is no use. It is so bright that my head hurts.”
I screeched and Daniela diagnosed herself.
We had come back to the surface after two whole weeks.
We got lost many times on our way back. Something completely unexpected
had happened.
We could not have predicted that the hole moles would have created so many
new paths.
We could not have predicted that they would create paths where paths already
branched.
And then branch out again. In fact, there were even scratches along the walls
that looked like the markings that we left but were not.
Damn. Who could have predicted that this would happen, forcing Daniela to
create stairs that led all the way to the surface? All of this was the workings
of the hole moles. And I never wanted to come down here again.
After going back down through the entrance a little, we came upon one of our
old campsites, and so we blocked up the tunnels there. While it was just near
the entrance, no one would think that it was strange, considering this was an
abandoned mine. And even if they passed it and went down, they would only
find boring paths that branched out.
I wonder what time it is? My eyes couldn’t handle the sky, and so I only
knew that it was very bright. But I wanted to return to Spiris as soon as
possible. I wanted to return and enjoy a bath at the Silver Sky Inn. I paid my
extension fee not too long ago, so I should still have the room…
To be honest, my perception of time was a little foggy. I would just have to

hope that Joshua would be nice about it.
“Well, let’s get going, Daniela.”
“Aye… Ahhh…my head hurts…”

chapter 68
Adventurer: “They’re saying Silvergreen’s done it again.”
Even after escaping the blazing rocks where the sunlight poured over our
heads, the assault continued directly over us within the groves, offering little
shade. We rested several times under trees, taking a long two hours to finally
cross the plains. The few breaks we took was not enough to ease the
mounting fatigue in my feet. I was feeling heavier now with every step. If I
could, I would just lay down on the soft grass and take a fifteen-hour nap. But
the result of that would be turning into a snack for the grass wolves. So we
just journeyed on.
Spiris was now visible ahead of us. Now that Daniela’s headache had
subsided, we could chat as we moved, which made the passing of time seem
faster. Still, the distance was far, and the sun relentlessly gradual in its
descent.
Then the evening was finally upon us, and the sunlight was starting to burn in
reddish colors as we reached our destination. It had taken about an hour and a
half leaving, including several rests. But it had taken us three hours to return.
Twice as long. Twice. Making such calculations probably just made it worse
for myself. We dragged our feet tiredly back to the Silver Sky inn.
“Asagi…:”
“What…”
“I am hungry…”
“…”
We dragged ourselves away to make a detour to the food stalls before

returning to the inn.
□ □ □ □
“…!”
I was so happy that no sound could express what I was feeling. It was the
moment that I was submerged in the hot, hot bath water. It was the moment
that your stress vanishes and you feel nothing but happiness. It was the same
for everyone. I had scrubbed myself good and washed it off with lukewarm
water just to feel this. Heaven was a place in the depths of hot water.
I had felt a sort of tenseness ever since that fight, but it all seemed to melt
away now. My limbs felt numb, my consciousness was getting foggy.
However, the sense of euphoria was very vivid in my brain.
Sweat begins to pour, and I wipe at my forehead. It felt miserable sweating

outside, but somehow nice when it was in the water. My stupid brain
considered such things, but I soon gave up on finding an answer. For now, I
just wanted to enjoy this El Dorado of hot water.
I carried my warmed self back to my room on light feet, opened the window
and enjoyed the cool breeze. Joshua was kind enough to allow me to continue
using this room.
“No, no, Asagi. I could not say that you were renting the room, if you were
not in it, could I? The extension was for two weeks, I believe. Well then, it
will be two weeks starting from now. Please enjoy your continued stay. Now,
if you will excuse me.”
And he was kind enough to ignore any arguments I tried to make. And so we
accepted. It was a good thing that we had chosen this place. It was thanks to
Harold, really.
The city looked beautiful. It may have been laid to waste one day had we not
killed the kobold king. But the soldiers and guards of the city were strong. In
a big enough group, they could take down a wyvern. They may have been
able to deal with a stampede, even. But if so, would that mean that we did not
have to kill the assault kobold? Perhaps it would have been better to leave the
tunnels and make a report to the guild as soon as we suspected the
possibility? But we had chosen to go further in. What was it that drove us
then?
There wasn’t a simple answer to this, and a knock on the door interrupted my
thoughts and brought me back to the present.
“Yes.”
“Asagi, do you have a minute?”
“Daniela. The door’s unlocked.”
And then the door slowly opens and Daniela comes in. She too seemed to
have just come out of the bathhouse, her slightly flushed face sent my heart
racing. But I don’t show it. After all, a man should be a gentleman. It’s one of
my mottos in life.
“I was wondering when we should make a report to the guild.”
“Ah, right… First thing tomorrow should be fine. We can’t carry the
materials forever anyway.”
“Yes. Then we should sleep tonight.”
I nod. Daniela waved before returning to her room. I immediately buried

myself under my covers. Ahh, it was a strange feeling… Warm blankets…the
best… I could do nothing but ride the boat that was my bed and set sail for
the land of dreams.
The next morning, we arrived at the guild feeling refreshed in body and mind.
We had not been here for two whole weeks. I wonder if Fiona was doing
well? I thought, as I opened the doors and was greeted with a fearsome blow
to the stomach.
“Gggg…”
“Where were you, Asagi!!”
It was Fiona who had attacked me. She had charged in and was now gripping
me hard.
“Where? Uh, the kobold nest…”

“For two weeks!?”
“There were some unique circumstances and we’ve come to report it.”
She finally let go after I said this. The wound on my sides still hurt from
before, and I thought I would die.
“If possible, we have something important to discuss with the guild master.”
Daniela said. It was that important. Fiona looked quizzically at us but saw
that I was serious. Then she turned on her heels and disappeared behind the
counters. After waiting for a minute by the entrance, Fiona returned and
gestured for us to follow her. I guess he was ready to see us. We followed her
to the guild master’s office.
“So, I hear that you have a report to make… What happened?”
Bordow was sitting on top of his desk like the last time, as he questioned us.
We started by explaining that we went on an extermination quest to the mines
in order field test my new equipment. But then the mines turned out to be
ridiculously deep, when it should have been shallower. It had been the
workings of the hole moles or mega moles. And finally, that there was an
abnormally mutated assault kobold there, who styled himself king and was
planning a stampede. And that we had killed him. We’d killed many kobolds
in fact, preventing the stampede.
When we were finished, Bordow let out a huge sigh.
“You really… Why would you not come back and report first? Why would
you go deeper? No, I know the answer without you having to tell me.”
It went without saying that our curiosity had been strongly stimulated. But I
did feel bad about doing something so reckless.
“Well, it is too late now. I shall overlook it this time, given what you two
have achieved! However, you absolutely must make a report next time. Else I
will have to give you both new, embarrassing names that everyone will know
about.”
“Don’t do that. That could affect our livelihood.”
“Then report! Report. Communicate. Consult. These are the obligations of an

Adventurer!”
It was like we were working for a company, which considering that we were
employed, we worked, and were paid, was not too far from the truth.
I was just a part-time worker before. But now I was fully employed, I guess.
My mother would be so proud. Mom, your son is doing his best sword-
swinging now.
“Now, about the reward. Kobold hands, hole mole claws, these will all be
calculated according to the market value. As for the reward for killing this
abnormally evolved monster, the assault kobold. I will decide what you will
be paid. And finally, for your contributions to the guild in preventing a
stampede. You will be paid in gold pieces. On top this, I will add a little extra
from my own purse to the total amount. We’ll call it a tip.”
He kept on talking, but I think I understood most of it. It was going very well
for us.
“Understood. So, we’ll be waiting at the reward counter then. I’ll just leave
the materials here.”
“Yes. Thank you. Oh, one more thing. What will you do with the assault
kobold materials? You could also just use them yourself…”
“I see…yes, I think I will use them, if that’s alright?”
“I will introduce you to a blacksmith then! This one is close to the guild, got
a good arm. Look here, my own equipment. All made by that blacksmith!”
He says as he points at the armor and halberd that hung on the wall. Hmm, it
was quite impressive. Though, a bit on the showy side. Judging by Bordow’s
personality, it was probably made like that by request. It was full-plate armor
that was the same red as Bordow’s hair and was lined with gold. Even the
halberd was a burning red metal. After seeing the dimension ore, I could now
tell that the halberd was made of fire ore. Speaking of which, we did not tell
him about the dimension ore. We didn’t know how dangerous it was. Well, if
anyone wanted to find out, it was only at the bottom of the maze.
“Well then, you have my gratitude for what you did! I say this as the guild
master! This news will be sent out to every guild house! Silvergreen and
Lightwind prevented a stampede!”
“As I said, do no such thing!!!”

chapter 69
The Hero Comes
Three weeks passed after we returned from the mines and made a report to
the guild.
Daniela and I spent the time just repeating simpler quests and earning money.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Name: Asagi Kamiyashiro
Race: Human
Job: Adventurer(Rank: C)
LV: 53
HP: 514/514
MP: 485/485
STR: 238 VIT: 234
AGI: 569 DEX: 266
INT: 235 LUK: 25
Skills: ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’, Legs of the Forest Wolf, Presence
Detection, Nighteyes
Quest: None

Equipment: Armor
Head: none
Torso: Ice Dragon Light Armor
Arms: Ice Dragon Gauntlets
Legs: Ice Dragon Leg Guards
Feet: Assault Kobold Leather Boots
Weapons: Assault Kobold Claw Sword
– Assault Kobold Short Claw Sword
Clothes: Wind Dragon Poncho
– Wind Dragon Waist Mantle
– Wind Dragon Trousers
Accessories: Assault Kobold Fang Necklace
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Race: Light Elf
Job: Adventurer(Rank: B)
LV: 72
HP: 899/899
MP: 573/573
STR: 384 VIT: 288

AGI: 271 DEX: 445
INT: 380 LUK: 31
Skills: Fresh Green Eye
Magic: Wind, Water, Earth
Quest: None
Party: Asagi Kamiyashiro
Equipment: Head: Mask of the Forest People
Body: Light Armor of the Forest People
Arms: Patchwolf Gloves
Legs: Steel Claw Leggings
Feet: Forest Lizard Leather Boots
Weapons: Rapier of the Tree of Life and Death
– Bow of the Tree of Life and Death
Accessories: Cape of the Forest People
– Pendant of the Forest People
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
I had caught up with Daniela for a moment in terms of rank. Even though we
were on opposite ends of it. It didn’t last too long, as Rank B started from LV
71. She would soon reach even higher places. It had taken me awhile to get
here, so I had to work hard so that gap didn’t widen again.
And perhaps it was because we had been underground for so long, but I got a
new skilled called ‘Nighteyes.’
It was a lowkey skill that gave you slightly better vision in the dark. I’m sure
it would come in handy again. Daniela didn’t get the skill, probably because
she already had a unique skill, ‘Fresh Green Eye.’ Or so she said.
I had new weapons made for me with the fangs and claws of the assault
kobold. The blacksmith that Bordow introduced to me was a pure blooded
dwarf named Bennett.
“So you’re Silvergreen.”
“Yes, I’m Asagi. Nice to meet you.”
“You think you can ask me to make your weapons when you only just
received your second name? Quite arrogant, huh? Ehh?”
“Err, the guild master suggested you to me. I’ll go elsewhere if you don’t like
it.”
“Now, wait just a minute. You have something rare, don’t you?”
“Yeah, here it is.”
“Hmph…mmm, this…”
“Recognize it?”
“It seems that it was I who was arrogant…pardon me. I’ll accept the job!”
“Well then, I look forward to the results.”
Thankfully, he knew his craft well. It only took one look at the materials for
him to understand what they were. And of course, he did not disappoint. I
look down at the two swords hanging on my belt. There were no beautiful
decorations. They were designed purely for functionality, unsheathing
smoothly, with a good grip and lightweight. The short claw sword was light
of course, but it was also incredibly durable. It would be useful for cutting off
materials and other work.
It took two weeks for these weapons to be made, but the results were
fantastic. I spent the past week running through the plains to test them out.
Though we managed to avoid falling into further trouble like the last time,
and things stayed mostly peaceful. Kill some grass wolves, take the materials
and then run to the next area. Rinse and repeat.
On the other hand, Daniela seemed to desperately want to move on with our
journey as soon as my weapons were complete, but I managed to prolong our
stay just a little longer. The reason for this was that a Hero was to visit this
city of the plains.
The Hero, Yasushi Matsumoto. Okay, his name sounded like a drug store, but
he was a true Hero who had suppressed a dragon stampede. Unlike me, this
guy was bound to have an amazing, flashy cheat skill. Or so I told myself, my
imagination running wild. But I didn’t even know if he had arrived here
through reincarnation or teleportation. In fact, all my assumptions were
purely from the fact that his name sounded Japanese.
He had heard rumors of the stampede that had been prevented in the city of
the plains and was sent from the royal capital to investigate the mines. He
would surely have heard my name at that point, and if was indeed from
Japan, then he would, in turn, assume that I was from there as well. I could
only hope that he wasn’t some self-obsessed protagonist type. I did not want
to get involved in that kind of drama…
Daniela and I were now enjoying a meal at the bar as we waited for this
Hero’s arrival. It was only a guess, but I felt that this was a likely spot for
him to visit. And just as Daniela started on her third plate of broiled fish, the
doors of the guild swung open.
“Oi! The Hero will be here any minute!”
“What!? Already!”
“No. I need to fix my makeup…”
“Oh, I wonder what kind of handsome man he will be…”
“He must be strong to be a Hero, right?”

“I think there’ll be a huge difference in strength…”
Different voices buzzed as the guild was filled with excitement. Daniela paid
it no mind as she was absorbed with her food. Ah, really. Look how much
you’re getting on your mouth.
“Mm, mm. What is it Asagi? Stop bothering me.”
“You’re not a child anymore. Don’t make such a mess when you eat.”
“Hm? Are you making fun of me? This fish is nothing. Why, I could eat the
whole thing, bones and all if I wanted!”
“Bones will get stuck in your throat and are not for eating!”
Though, I did like those fishbone crackers they used to have.
And then Presence Detection caught something with ridiculous magic levels.
It was this Hero without a doubt. He was coming right here. I was becoming
a little nervous.
“Daniela. The Hero is coming.”
“Mm, gg, mmm… You did want to meet with him.”
“Yeah, this is exciting…”
Just what kind of person would this Yasushi Matsumoto be? I moved my
eyes towards the door with expectation.
And then, along with the incredible levels of magic, came the Hero, as the
doors opened.
“Helllooo.”
The guild went from rowdy to quiet in an instant. It was so quiet that my ears
almost hurt.
“Uh, can I come in?…”

Hero Matsumoto mumbled awkwardly. As far as I could tell, he seemed
Japanese. The black hair. The face. The way he carried himself. It’s that same
strange feeling of seeing someone from the same country when you are
abroad. Actually, I’ve never been abroad.
“Hmm? He has black hair just like you, this Hero.”
It was Daniela’s voice that broke the silence. That’s my partner for you.
Look, now he was looking at us. Oh, damn, I was getting nervous again.
“A-are you Silvergreen!?”
“W-welcome!”
“Uh…”
“Oh…”
It was a greeting that had been carved into my soul after so many night shifts.
But I knew everyone would forgive me.
In any case, this was my first meeting with the Hero.
□ □ □ □
“…well, that happened.”
“Who are you talking to?”
“I’m reminiscing.”
Matsumoto and I were now drinking at the Fang and Claw tavern. This was
the same place that we had visited with Rex and the others. Daniela wasn’t
with us today. It was just a little drink between guys. It was bound to get
long-winded, so she didn’t come.
Matsumoto was apparently a high school student. He had been on his way
home from school when a truck tipped over, slipped and crushed him out of
this life and unleashed him into this one. It was while he died…or perhaps
immediately after, which was the same as me. And like me, he was teleported
here. He had not started again as a baby.
It seemed that he was really living the typical protagonist life here. Amazing
stats and skills allowed him to reach the position of Hero. He was unbeatable
in combat. Women would throw themselves at him every time he walked.
Harems developed like a natural phenomenon. It was all very protagonist-
like. In fact, the moment he came to the guild, he was soon followed by an
interesting group of women…
“No, but really. I don’t have the resources to manage a harem! I’m just a
normal Japanese guy! Not an oil tycoon!”
“Yes, you’ve said that a hundred times…”
He did have a tendency to get into trouble. But with every solution he
brought to a case, the number of women who followed him would increase.
He went on about the troubles surrounding his nighttime schedule. And yet
he couldn’t throw them out, as they were good people. He even began to feel
a fondness for a few of them. And so here he was, completely bound to them.
Or so he said.
“This old man is scandalized.”
“I envy you, Asagi. You’re all alone.”
“You’re an idiot. Aren’t you living the dream?”
“You can say that because you don’t know what it’s like to have a harem!”
Well, perhaps. But really, I was fine with those things staying in the realm of
imagination. All I wanted was for Daniela to be with me. It was more than
enough.
“Looking at you, I’m quite thankful I wasn’t a protagonist.”
“What! You don’t need to say it like that! You know what? I’m going to tell
miss Daniela that you were jealous of my harem, okay!?”
“Hey, hey now. We’re friends, aren’t we? Matsumoto Yasushi!”
“Don’t say my name like that! It makes it sound like a drug store!”
Ah, it was night talking to someone from home again. At least they got your
jokes.
We talked like this until morning, and then the Fang and Claw had to close,
and so we left it behind us. We had skewers of meat in our hands by the time
we got through the food district, and they were completely bare by the time
we arrived at the Silver Wind inn. I had introduced it to him, and so he was
staying here. And if he was here, then of course, so was his harem. In fact,
they were all waiting for him at the entrance. One of them asked:
“Are you joining the harem then?”
Heh. Don’t be absurd.

chapter 70
What Happened with the Mines
Now, while it was was fun and all and we hit off as friends, we still stood in
very different positions.
I was an Adventurer. He was a Hero.
I dared not get too casual with this venerable Hero. People would think it
strange. But we were both from Japan. He was the only person that I had met
in this world that was from there. Of course, there would be a lot that we
wanted to talk about. It would be convenient to exchange contact information
here, but such things did not exist in this world.
And so it became custom for the past three days for us to eat breakfast
together in the Silver Sky restaurant.
“Morning, Sir Hero.”
“Ah, I told you to stop it with that. It’s very awkward.”
As an adult, I didn’t mind keeping things formal, but he preferred much more
light-hearted conversation. Well, perhaps there was no point in caring about
that while we ate at the restaurant or took baths. There was no such thing as
status when you were off the job.
“So, you came all the way here to investigate the mines that we went down?”
“That’s just it. They were all kinds of rumors floating around in the royal
capital. And so the king ordered me to take a look.”
“Hmm… There is a king, huh…”
“An old man with a beard. Looks like Santa Claus.”

“I’d love to see him.”
Breakfast was the usual set of bacon, eggs, and toast. Also fruits. We talked
together as we washed the food down with milk. Of course, Matsumoto’s
harem was in tow, which made quite the crowd. Daniela seemed to be
entertained enough talking among them. That in itself was was very
shocking, given that she was communicatively impaired.
“Aye, Asagi is rather quick during the night.”
“Ohh. And how do you feel about that?”
“It was not very satisfying at first, but he seems to have gained some stamina
recently. And with successive matches, I have no complaints. Besides, in
spite of appearances, his ability to continue fighting is something to behold.”
“That is crazy. Yasushi lasts pretty long, but is never up for successive
sessions…”
Us guys stood up together to get a second serving of breakfast.
□□□□
And such was the reason that we were now in front of the abandoned mines.
There was nothing I wanted to see here, so it was the most boring excursion.
But I had little choice, as the guild had elected me as a guide. Well, I did
agree to it, as I would be getting paid. In truth, I wanted to talk with Daniela
so we could choose our next destination… Ah, this was a job after all. As a
responsible adult, I had to work to make a living. I was just a cog in the
machine called society.
“Ah, it’s so dark in here. ‘Light.’”
Matsumoto conjured a blinding light from the tip of his finger. Uh, what the
hell is that?
“Light magic. It’s my specialty.”
Woah, this Hero. I was starting to feel very inadequate. My magic was only
good for serving people cold drinks.
“No, no, Mr. Kamiyashiro. I just happened to be able to use it. There is no
need to feel so depressed!”
“That is right. Asagi, you are much more impressive than him. So have some
confidence in yourself.”
“Daniela…!”
Ahh, my beloved girlfriend. She was the only one who was always on my
side. She was much more important than that blinding drugstore over there.
Thanks to Drugstore’s light magic, our vision this time was much improved,
making it easier to navigate. And as we went down the hole that Daniela had
made with magic, we were able to descend quite deep. And from there we
descended even further. It was a member of Matsumoto’s harem who opened
the new hole. She was apparently a dwarf. Not that I even asked. But
Matsumoto thought it was important to boast about it anyway.
“Yasushi saved us when the mines we were living in collapsed during a

monster attack! I remember it even now… That heroic back in front of me as
he intercepted the falling club of the cyclops with his sword… Ohhh, that is
when I fell desperately in love with him!”
Could someone bring over some salt and shove it down my throat? I felt like
I wanted to drown in it. Whenever a member of his harem would do
something, the Matsumoto Narcissism Theater would raise its curtains. I was
sure that this journey was more tiring than the original one. It was almost
impressive…
“Ahahaha…ah, sorry…”
I jabbed him in the side as a little revenge for his ceaseless smiling, and we
continued our trek to the bottom.
We killed any remaining kobolds and hole moles we encountered on the way,
which was nice, as it meant extra money. Well, we had already decided to
split it with the Hero, so we would only get half of it.
And as expected, nothing unusual happened. There were no new abnormally

mutated monsters or changes with the dragon vein. It was just a very deep
hole.
“…So, yeah. That’s about it. And this is where we killed that assault kobold
monster.”
“I see…”
Matsumoto folded his arm and scanned the dome. Then his eyes stopped at a
certain point.
“Kamiyashiro. Where does that lead to?”
Yes, it was the hole that the Assault Kobold had appeared from. Where the
especially large dimension stones lay.
“That hole is just a dead end.”
“And is there anything at this dead end?”
He really was a Hero. Did great abilities come with intuition?
“There is a certain something. I’ll take you to it if you can keep it to

yourself.”
“Lead on then.”
His eyes were very serious as he looked at me. It was the kind of eyes that
suggested that he had been through much worse scenes of battle than I had
ever been in. I thought I could trust him. I looked at Daniela, and she nodded.
And so we decided to show it to him. Well, it was just a straight path. And a
four to five-minute walk.
Just as before, bluish purple specks floated up from the floor and vanished
into the ceiling. And in the wall ahead was buried the dimension stones.
Hmm, they looked just as undisturbed as we had left them. Matsumoto
looked at them with a stunned expression.
“This is…is amazing.”
“Right?”
I hadn’t exactly done anything, but I looked smug regardless. Yeah, it felt
good.
“I discussed it with Daniela, and as it could be dangerous, we decided to

leave it alone and keep it a secret.”
“Indeed, underestimating the power of a dimension stone could have painful

consequences… You were right with that decision.”
Even he felt that they were dangerous. I didn’t dare tell him that I had
actually first considered using them to teleport out of here. Not even a word
could be whispered about it. I had to consider my position as the senior one
here.
“Do you have the power to use this somehow, Matsumoto?”
“I don’t know…I can sense that the dragon veins here are thick with
dimension magic, but as it is so solid…I honestly don’t think I can.”
“Would there be someone in the royal capital who could?”
“There are intermediaries. However, they are not allowed to leave the castle.
As they are court magicians.”
Court magicians. They were usually the strongest ones in novels. I guess they
wouldn’t be allowed to leave so easily. They were too valuable for defenses.
“I suppose it would be best to leave them here.”
“As much as it pains me, yes. But I bet you could make an incredible cheat
weapon if you could make a sword out of it.”
Shredding space, attacks that go beyond space, the possibilities seemed

endless… But, it wasn’t something I wanted enough to risk my own safety. I
had this assault kobold sword, and the ancient elf sword as well. I had no
complaints.
And so the result of the investigation was that there was no problem. The
dimension stone was curious, but it would not be included in his report. There
was apparently nothing more dangerous than the power that affected space.
But a few suggested that just leaving it there was not safe either, and so the
harem dwarf generated a door made of steel right inside of the tunnel and
sealed it. Was it magic? It was crazy.
After that, we returned to Spiris. The Hero would stay for the remainder of
the week before returning to the capital.
“Well, we will be returning soon. It was great meeting you. I never thought I
would have felt such relief by just knowing there was another person here
from Japan.”
“Me too. After all, I just appeared here randomly after being stabbed and
fainting… It was quite lonely, to be honest. Though, now I have Daniela here
and couldn’t be better.”
“What? You were stabbed?”
“Uh, didn’t I tell you?”
“I never heard that!”
And so I told him my story, and another two days passed. And the Hero
Matsumoto returned to the capital in a rush. The end.
“By the way, Asagi.”
“Mm? What?”
“They say that the Hero came from another world…”
“Yeah, it’s a well-known story in the capital apparently. Though, I hadn’t

known about it.”
“Are you as well?”
She looked straight at me. Ah, so this was the time for me to unveil my
biggest secret. Well, it was not surprising that this would come up given
everything she knew. I thought in the corner of my mind as I opened my
mouth.
“Yeah, I am. I’m not from here. I was transferred from another world.”
chapter 71
“Hmm, mmmm, I see . Well, onto more important things . Like our next
destination . ”
“Wait-wait-wait . Really? That’s it?”
“Hmm? Aye, it is finished . Or did you have more to tell me?”
“Uh, no, but . Don’t you want to know why I hadn’t told you? Or what this
other world is like . ”
“So, why were you silent?”
“I don’t know . Never found the right timing . ”
“And what is this other world like?”
“There is no magic or monsters, but it’s a world with advanced science and
technology . ”
“Yes, interesting . Now, I think we should head to the Empire next . ”
“The Empire . Alright . ”
I have a loved one who is ridiculously indifferent . Where do I call for help?
Oh well . I thought that I was making a personal confession of a lifetime, but

she was not interested . It was making me a little depressed, but then she
sighed and added:
“Asagi . If we know that there is one person here from another world, would
it not be natural to a.s.sume that there may be others? Should the fact that it
happened to be you, change anything?”
“Not…really . ”
“You see? It does not matter to me where you are from, you are still the
person that I love . Regardless of what things are like over there, it is here
that we are living . I am sure that I will ask to hear about it sometime later,
but for now, we should discuss our next destination . Am I wrong?”
“Mm…no, you’re right . Sorry…I was just sulking a bit . ”
It was as she said, and I felt a little embarra.s.sed about it all now . It was
childish to have high expectations and then be disappointed because they
didn’t turn out the way I wanted . As I reflected on this, something blocked
my vision and Daniela’s scent became stronger . Apparently, she was holding
my head in her arms . My shoulders shuddered with surprise .
“No, it was me . Do you mind if I say something very off-putting?”
“I’m not sure it’s possible for you . ”
“Hmm… Well, there is something very precious about you when you are
down . Perhaps it is because it is such a rare sight . It was cute . ”
“Daniela… I, I’m still an adult you know . This is not exactly the treatment
I…”
Well, this was even more embarra.s.sing . My ears felt hot . And sensitive .
Daniela’s mouth came down and whispered .
“And yet it is me who is your elder . Let me indulge you . ”
To be honest, I convulsed . We spent the whole day at the inn then .

Preparations for our journey had to be made on the following day . It could
not be helped . It could definitely not be helped .
We told Joshua, the master of the Silver Sky inn that we would be leaving
tomorrow .
“I understand . It saddens me to see you go, but it is also my duty to see you
off in the best possible state . And should you find yourselves in this city
again, I hope that you will consider the Silver Sky . ”
It was a brief exchange, but the words were enough to express Joshua’s good
nature . I was glad, from the bottom of my heart, that we had chosen this
place . As our schedule was full until tomorrow morning, we handed him the
keys to our rooms and thanked him .
Once we were out, we immediately started to make preparations . I had a

completely baseless feeling that the hollow bag had increased in capacity, and
so we decided to buy ingredients so we could cook food while on the road .
Buying premade food just wasn’t satisfying . At this point, I wanted to
introduce Daniela to some family recipes to strengthen her infatuation . I had
hardly done any cooking when I was on the night shift . But since coming
here, I at least think that I’ve become reacquainted with the act of boiling,
broiling, and frying . I was confident that I just needed the right ingredients to
make something great, and this was the time to do it .
And so we were now in the market . Old men and women were shouting at
the top of their lungs and calling to customers . Fruits of many colors
crowded tables, along with freshly picked vegetables, and of course,
Daniela’s favorite . Meat .
“The freshest beef in all of Spiris!”
An old man with little hair on his head called to us . Hmm, it did look fresh .
But was it really beef?
We checked prices as we moved from one store to the next . When we were
able to find a good seller, we raided their stock of good vegetables, fruits, and
fresh meat . There was not much fish to be found here . The closest river was
the one that ran down from Mount Alessa to the south . It wasn’t a very wide
river either, and there were hardly any fishermen . Anyone who wanted could
just take their fishing pole there and fish . It was not something to make a
business out of .
But that didn’t mean there was none at all . Even if it was not sold for much,
there were still people who bought it, and so there were a few fishermen
selling fish at the market . And they went straight into my bag .
“Fish, huh… The bones are not good . ”

“Don’t be childish . ”
You shouldn’t have a problem as you’re a carnivore! And so I bought a few

extra .
Now, we were good in terms of food supplies . The hollow bag had an
enchantment on it cast with dimension magic . This caused time to stop
inside, meaning that food could be stored without spoiling . It was the most
useful, awesome thing, dimension magic .
“Dimension magic is an incredibly unstable form of magic . ”
“Dimension magic is an incredibly unstable form of magic . ”
“I can tell . Just by looking at that dimension stone . I’m not brave enough to
touch it . ”
“Yes . Even novice-level spells consume an enormous amount of energy .

And the results of losing control over it are severe . This meddling with time
and s.p.a.ce . What do you think would happen?”
“Uh… I don’t even want to imagine… Is there a precedent?”
Daniela smiled an evil looking smile and whispered .
“It was long ago . A certain palace magician was renowned as a young genius
. A magician with the thickest dimension colors . However, a magical
experiment ended in failure one day, causing it to rebound . Whole areas of
the palace were carved away, and the magician became a wizened elder
through the effects of the distortion of time . ”
Woah…what the h.e.l.l…
“You must be quite relieved that you did not touch it now?”
“Of course…ah, the horror . The horror . ”
My spine continued to feel chilly as we left the market and walked towards
the guard house of the western district . We called for Harold at the front
desk, and he came flying .
“Ho, if it isn’t Asagi! It’s been too long!”
“It’s good to see that you’re well . We came by to tell you something . ”
He scratched his neck .
“We decided to leave this city tomorrow . ”
“You what… Oh, that is too bad . ”
“You’ve been really good to us, so I just wanted to thank you . ”
“Is that right! You came all the way here for that… I won’t forget this until
the day I die!”
Pa.s.sionate as ever . But we really owed him a lot . It was due to him that we
found an inn, and he had also helped that time when I returned after fighting
the wyvern . Even this armor, was mostly because of his generosity . I could
hardly thank him enough .
“Well, we’ll meet again . Definitely!”
“Aye! I hope that you and Daniela have a great journey!”
“Aye! I hope that you and Daniela have a great journey!”
He offered a refined salute as he saw us leave . His eyes seemed a little red .
You didn’t meet people like that too often . I would definitely come to meet
him if we ever found ourselves in Spiris again .
After parting with Harold, we headed for the guild . Fiona aside, it was
necessary for us to notify Bordow . It made you feel sad, saying goodbye to
people who have helped you . I wanted to think that it wasn’t forever, but you
never knew what would happen in this world . It was very possible that we
would not meet these people again .
It was the same with Fhiraldo . I would try to say my farewells to as many
people as I could before leaving . And while good manners were important, I
also found the idea of dying in this world without parts of me remaining as a
memory, to be too bleak . I wanted to exist in the corner of people’s minds .
And so a small part of this regrettable emotion was contained in every
farewell .
“Excuse me, is Fiona here?”
The guild seemed like the same place as always, as I went to the counter and
asked for Fiona .
After waiting with Daniela for a few minutes, we were led to the drawing
room .
“Coming in . ”
We entered the room and saw not only Fiona, but the uninvited Bordow .
Well, we wanted to meet him anyway, so it was convenient, I guess .
Fiona looked at me with a smile .
“I had an idea of what this would be about, and so I called the guild master . ”
It looked like she knew everything . I scratched at my cheeks and took a seat .
“I guess you’re used to hearing it from me now . ”
“You can say that! Do you think there is anything about you that I don’t
know?”
“This is getting horrifying . ”
We laughed together . It was a warm atmosphere, but I couldn’t ignore the

sadness there as well . Bordow stared at us for a while before crossing his
legs and smiling .
“So, where are you two headed?”
“Daniela and I’ve talked about it, and we decided to go to the Empire to the
south . ”
“Hoho . Then we must contact the guild there!”
“Daniela and I’ve talked about it, and we decided to go to the Empire to the
south . ”
“Hoho . Then we must contact the guild there!”
“Please don’t do anything so far in advance!”
It wasn’t serious, and everyone laughed . Bordow looked at me and Daniela

and nodded as he got to his feet and left . And then some final words:
“Take care . And come back . ”
There was a bit of a snuffle in there . I wasn’t the only one here who hated
goodbyes .
“And so you two are leaving yet again . ”
“Our purpose was to travel…”
We had parted before . It was almost miraculous that we met again . But now
we were leaving . The silence was painful . Daniela broke it .
“Fiona . I will return . With Asagi as well . ”
“Daniela… Uhh… I’m fine with it just being Asagi who returns . ”
“Oh?”
I looked uncomfortably at their faces, but they at least seemed to be enjoying

this exchange . Friends? Rivals? But there was a relationship there that felt
right .
“I told you that we’d come back, didn’t I? I might even send some letters . ”
“Hmph . I will wait with no expectations . I foresee that you will forget, as
you are too busy cuddling with Daniela . I’m not stupid . ”
“That is correct . Asagi will not be given time to think about other women . ”
“At least allow me some freedom when it comes to my friends…”
I say with a sigh, but my face is a smile . These bonds would not erase . We
would be friends forever . No matter where we went, no matter the distance .
Nothing would change . If ever I return to this city, Daniela and Fiona will be
here too . It was already decided .
We dragged Fiona out of the guild house and to the Fang & Claw . And just
as we had planned, we drank and talked until the morning . About what had
happened until now, about what was to come . We looked forward to
reuniting just as much as we regretted parting . Partway, Rex and his
companions and Pinzoro came, after hearing that we were leaving . And the
party went into full swing .
And then it was the next day . With many words of farewell behind us,
Daniela and I left Spiris and started on a new journey .
chapter 72
Trouble Maker, Trouble Evader
“So, what is this Empire that we are visiting like?”
I asked Daniela after we had gone through the southern gate and began to
walk down the gravel road.
“The Empire… The Flugelnia Empire is a nation that controls much of the
southern lands. Fhiraldo and Spiris, on the other hand, are a part of the
Lambrusen Republic. Is this all new to you, Asagi?”
“It is. I have no grasp on geography here. Just that there are forests to the
north and mountains to the south.”
“The northern forests are called the Great Sawyer Forests. The southern
mountains are the Alessa Mountains. You should know that name very well.”
It was the place where those damned adventurers who called me Black Rabbit
were sent to work in the mines. I remembered it well.
“This whole region is called the Alexia mountain ranges. The mountain range
stretches out east-west and separates Lambrusen and Flugelnia. There is a
gate in the Alessa mountains that lets you enter the country. And so we will
need to reach the town with the gate in order to enter the Empire.”
The sudden barrage of unknown words was scrambled in my mental map.

Uh…
So the country that I came to after dying was the Lambrusen Republic. I
woke up on the misty hills and walked to Fhiraldo to the east. We moved
even further east after that and ended up in Spiris. To the north of the misty
hills, Fhiraldo and Spiris, lay the Sawyer Forest. To the south was the Alexia
mountain ranges that went east-west. And this Flugelnia Empire lay past
those mountains…
Hmm, I think I got that right. So we were always going between the
mountains and forests up until now. Had I first appeared in the great forest or
mountains, I likely would have died. It would have been much harder to find
a town nearby.
“I get the picture.”
“Good. Well, we are going to be traveling through those mountains you can
see up ahead.”
The map was clear in my head now, and I could imagine our destination. I
suddenly felt a lot more motivated. However, there was one thing that was
bothering me.
“Uh, Daniela.”
“What?”
“This Empire, is it one of those military states?”
There was something hot-blooded about the word. The last thing I wanted to
do, was to get drafted.
“Well, you might say so. It is considered glamorous to be in the army.”
“So, are they likely to be causing any wars?”
“No, I do not think so. If anything, they make a show of declaring their
distaste for war.”
Huh… I hardly knew what to think anymore…
“Though, the Empire did attempt world domination around six hundred years
ago. They even succeeded in it too.”
“Seriously?”
“Serious. However, the world was much too large to be governed so, and the
Emperor at the time died from the stress. The succeeding son had no
intention of following his father’s fate. And so the lands were split up and the
independent states were born.”
“That’s quite impressive…”
“It was highly contested at the time. But seeing as how things have settled
now, he must have been a wise Emperor.”
So that was a little history of this world. He had seen his father die from
being overworked and wanted better for himself. I wonder if that was all
written in their history books? I was curious.
“The Empire has never launched an attack on another country since then. The
army does nothing outside of their parades. As I said, it is considered
glamorous, and the most popular occupation.”
“They don’t even fight?”
“They will generally only fight monsters. They attack in great numbers and
prevent stampedes. I guess it is one of the things they do outside of parades.”
I asked her many other things about Flugelnia as we walked. We occasionally

took breaks to rest before continuing. We had left first thing in the morning,
but the town of Alessa was far. The mountains only barely looked closer than
before by the time the sun began to set. We would have to spend the night in
a small area between a field of grass and a grove.
“Asagi, is this fine for the tent?”
“You got it, Master Daniela. It’s perfect!”
I gave her a thumbs up as I stirred the soup in the pot. A nice camp soup, full
of fresh vegetables, blocks of meat, and flavored with salt and spices. After
this was done, I moved the pot and placed a frying pan over the fire. When it
was heated, I put on Daniela’s favorite meat and let it sizzle. The smell of
spices spread through the air. Thankfully, Presence Detection told us that
there was no one nearby. Not a single monster. But if anything bothered to
come from so far away after somehow smelling it, then I would gladly oblige
them. I always welcomed experience points.
Now, the meat was cooked just right. I took the small estoc that Daniela used
as a skewer and thrust it through the meat. It went on a plate with some
toasted bread and was placed on our low table. Once the soup was served, our
first dinner during our Flugelnia trip was complete. By the way, I happened
to make this table. I just needed the tools and a little help from Jack of all
Trades, Master of None, and it was easy. Being able to become a carpenter so
easily made me wonder if this skill really was a cheat, but then I remembered
Matsumoto. It was clear that he had taken all of the real protagonist luck.
Which was a relief.
“Danielaaaa. Dinners served.”
“Coming.”
Daniela was wiping her body behind the tent and answered without showing
herself. I wouldn’t have exactly minded if she did it in front of me. Hehe.
The cleaned up Daniela sat opposite of me as we ate. First, the soup.
The Hearty Camping Soup(named by me) had a splendid combination of

thick, juicy meat and light and sweet vegetables, giving it a rich, delicious
flavor. I could not be more pleased with it myself. The vegetables would melt
in your mouth and the meat barely required any chewing. It was a good thing
that I had prepared the ingredients before throwing them in the hollow bag,
even for simple meals like this. I had done it during our midday break.
Now the meat. The spices were sharp and went well with it, or so my nose
told me. Then I bite into it. There was no time to calm myself, and I kept
eating without being able to stop. Then I dunked the bread inside of the soup
and also had some of it with the meat. And all was right with the world. And
then our dinner was done.
“Ahh, I am quite full.”
Daniela said with great satisfaction as she rolled onto the ground. That
reminded me of something.
“Daniela. Back where I’m from, people say that lying down right after eating
will turn you into a cow.”
“Hmm… Do you mean that your breasts will become larger?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
I denied it and looked away as Daniela cupped her breasts while lying on the
ground. There was something very provocative about her recently. Like when
we spent the whole day at the inn…no, never mind that. Some things should
be kept private.
“I meant that you’d get fat.”
“Asagi, why did you not say so!”
She sat up quickly. I chuckled at this reaction, but then she pouted with
annoyance. This meant that I could now sit down next to her and amuse
myself by poking at her cheeks. Daniela was not amused, she folded her arms
and looked away unforgivingly.
It took me the entire night to get back in her good graces.
□ □ □ □
And so our journey continued in this fun fashion. We passed the prairies,
traveled through the rocky hills, and were occasionally attacked by rabbit-like
monsters that hid in holes. These grass rabbits had light green-colored fur and
small horns protruding from their heads. Well, horns or not, they were hardly
a threat to us. We easily killed them and helped ourselves to their horns.
Once we were out of there, we came out to a place that was full of large
boulders. Monsters called stone lizards would jump out with earth magic
attacks here, and we even encountered a group of goblins with their stone
weapons.
This countryside adventure lasted for three days until we finally reached the
Allessa mountains. The summit was covered in a thin layer of snow. You
could see streams of smoke rising from between the mountains, indicating
where the mining towns were. It seemed like a distance that we could cover
within the day.
However, this was the moment that I was the most afraid of.
As for why, I had a knack for getting into the worst trouble upon first arriving
in a new town. If I wasn’t getting chased by forest wolves, then I was being
chased by wyverns. There was no doubt that something was waiting for me
here. Daniela did not seem concerned as we walked, but my eyes darted to
every corner, suspiciously inspecting everything. Presence Detection was
constantly spread out and activated, and of course, I kept an eye above our
heads too. I would make sure that there were no small shadows blocking the
sun before checking the ground again. Would something jump out from
under our feet…it was a possibility.
“What is it, Asagi? You seem very anxious.”
“Don’t let your guard down, Daniela. It is when you think that you have won,
that something completely unexpected will happen.”
“And who do you think you are fighting?”
Daniela looked at me with exasperation. But I couldn’t be bothered by it now.

I was too busy securing our safety. The journey was not over until we were
inside the town.
Right then, Presence Detection caught something approaching us from

behind. Didn’t I tell you! My prediction had been right!
“Daniela! Enemy approaching from the back!”
“What?”
I quickly unsheathed my claw blade and held it in front of me. Something

was approaching us at great speed, causing a cloud of dust to rise in the air.
“Asagi.”
“Get ready, Daniela! The enemy is coming!”

A carriage appeared from within the dust cloud. A banner was fixed to it. So
it wasn’t a monster. Then was it…
“Could they be bandits?!”
“There would not be bandits so close to the town. And that banner…”
The carriage came closer and closer. The two horses trampled the dirt wildly
as they approached.
The driver was coming into view. …Hmm, there was something familiar
about, no, it couldn’t be.
“Ahhh! I knew it would be you when I saw your equipment! I could spot that
wind dragon armor a mile away! Oh, but why are you pointing your sword at
me?”
Silently, I lowered it. The driver was the owner of the Paw Armor Shop.
Now, what was I supposed to do about all these wasted emotions?

chapter 73
Mining Town
“Ahh, I did not expect to meet you here!”
The owner of the Paw Armor Shop said as he pulled on the reins.
“Ah, speaking of which, I don’t believe I’ve ever given you my name. It’s
Nick. Owner of the Paw Armor Shop. It’s a pleasure!”
He then invited Daniela and me to take a ride in his carriage. And so we

massaged our tired feet as we talked with him.
“What are you doing here anyway?”
“I’m making some deliveries to Alessa. It’s a mining town you know, and
they go through clothes faster than anywhere else. And so I bring them some
simple clothing made of scraps.”
Scraps, huh. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to wear that. Unless they
were slaves. The ones that worked in the mines… Just thinking about that
made me uneasy. I didn’t want to talk about anything related to that if
possible, and so I changed the subject.
“So, the owner of the clothing store, what’s her name again?”
“My wife’s called Kyuna.”
“Ah, I see…”
(Translator: There is a stupid joke here about Nick + Kyuna = Paw that
doesn’t translate)
I did think it was strange. Why was ‘paw’ in the name when it wasn’t in any
of their branding. Apparently, it was just because of their names.
“But we do consider it the symbol of our store. But we discussed the matter
and decided it was a little too much to have it on clothes and armor.”
But they did use it on their banner. And it wasn’t a cute paw made with four
circles. It was the paw of a lion, claws and all. Pretty cool. It was a store for
Adventurers after all. A cute symbol wouldn’t attract the right clients.
We continued on our way to Alessa in the carriage. It had rickety wooden

wheels that would cause us to jump every time it rolled over a bump. It was
just as I was starting to feel sick, that we reached the road that led into
Alessa. The mountains on both sides of the road were quite a sight. I sat
stupefied as I looked upwards, which made me forget that I was about to barf.
Then Daniela placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Asagi, enemies.”
“Mmm…yeah, looks like it. Nick, stop the carriage!”
I increased the range of Presence Detection and saw that several monsters
were descending from the sky up ahead. I pulled myself up to sit next to Nick
and pointed at the sky.
“Monsters. It shouldn’t be too dangerous, but it would be better for you to

move away.”
“I understand. But I am a ‘Crystal’ you know. I can protect myself!”
Huh, so he could fight. Well, it made sense. Or he would not have left the
city without a guard. A Crystal wouldn’t be too bothered by the weak
monsters around here.
Satisfied with that answer, I nodded and looked at the monsters ahead of us.
They looked a lot like birds. I couldn’t tell how big they were from this
distance, but they were probably the size of raptors.
“Ah, those are cliff eagles. They like to nest in the cliffs around here.”
Daniela explains as she takes out her bow and nocks an arrow. I listen to her
as I create some ice arrows of my own. It was a neat little ranged attack I
devised during the fight with the mega mole. As this didn’t look like it would
be much of a fight, I just made a few and launched them at the same time that
Daniela shot her arrow. The arrows flew straight to their targets, and the
corpses plummeted to the ground. But one of them escaped the arrows. It was
bigger than the other. Was it a parent?
“It is the leader.”
Daniela says as she shoots another arrow. So it wasn’t a parent…well, that

made me feel a little better about it.
Daniela’s second arrow seemed to move faster than the first as it caught the
leader in the chest. It was dead in an instant, and like the others, fell down to
its grave.
“Won’t be easy taking anything back as proof, when they splatter all over the
ground like that.”
“The proof for killing a cliff eagle is their biggest feather. It should be fine as
long as it is not bent or scratched.”
The carriage continued to move as if nothing had happened. I walked

cautiously next to it.
When we arrived at the place that the monsters had fallen, we saw that a few
of them still had feathers that were undamaged. I was hoping to get the
feather from the leader, but it was ruined from the fall. Daniela picked some
of the smaller feathers to make arrows later on.
Now the large gates were visible. The gate was the same width as the road.
And the town that was our destination should be right up ahead from here.
First, it was a town within a forest, then a city in the plains, and now a mining
town. I wondered what sight awaited us here. I wondered what Daniela was
feeling with each new place. I looked at her curiously as we walked. When
our eyes met, she tilted her head, returning my wondering look. She looked
cute when she did that.
Once we got closer to the gates, we saw that there were guards stationed there
too. A man who held a spear approached us.
“Halt. Who are you?”
“I am from the Paw Armor Shop. I have come to deliver some clothes that
were ordered.”
“I am Asagi, an Adventurer.”
“Daniela, same as him.”
Well, this was new. Usually, the guards would be more helpful as I rolled in
through the gates at top speed. Until now, I had felt very close to people of
this occupation. But there was no danger at our heels this time, and instead,
he looked at us suspiciously. It made me feel quite foreign again.
“I will have to inspect your belongings. Get out of the carriage and wait by
the wall. Men!”
He shouted and a few others came running our way. Now they were going
through all of the baggage in the carriage. We obediently waited by the wall
and watched all of this happen. But it really was only clothes, and so they
finished without finding anything that could cause trouble. Yes, this trip had
ended good and peaceful for once.
“We have finished our inspection. You have traveled a long way. Welcome
to Alessa!”
After hearing that the inspection was finished, the captain smiled and had the
gates opened for us. The heavy doors creaked as both sides slowly cracked
open. I stared at it dumbly like the country bumpkin that I was. And then
something touched my butt.
“How long are you going to stare at it? Do you want to be left behind?”
“Don’t touch my ass though, not the ass.”
I chased after Daniela and her evil laugh as she went ran on ahead. And that
is how we arrived at this mining town, Alessa.
□ □ □ □
As it was a mining town, there were rails laid out all over the place. They
were for the rail cars that carried the ore. But there were no proper crossings,
which seemed a little dangerous. But then again, these cars were being
pushed by people. And it wasn’t likely they would run me over.
Most of the town stretched upwards. Stairs, ladders, buildings. The houses
went higher and higher up the mountain. While it strained your neck, the
sight was impressive. Still hurt though. Pillars of smoke rose from different
houses, which we were told, were mostly blacksmiths. It seemed very
efficient to be able to immediately turn the mined ore into weapons. A
mining town was a blacksmith town.
As Nick had to deliver the clothes, we immediately parted ways after entering
the town. This seemed like a big place, but it really wasn’t. We would likely
bump into each other again.
“Hmm, we arrived peacefully in the town this time. Which means there is no
one to introduce us to an inn. What should we do?”
“That is true… I am very disappointed that your penchant for getting

involved in incidents has become useless here. We will just have to ask
around, I think.”
“It is with great regret, but we have no choice. No, this is actually the norm.
Don’t depend on my attributes too much, Daniela.”
We tried to sound smart while having the dumbest conversation. We were

searching for a bar. Surely there would be bars in a mining town. We really
should have asked Nick. But it’s too late now. I’ll just think of this as part of
the charm of traveling.
We wandered around, looking for a building that looked like they would
serve alcohol, but it was proving difficult. Finally, we caught someone
related to the mines and asked for directions. And so we were eventually able
to arrive at a bar. We didn’t ask the person about an inn. Why? Because there
is a reason to ask such questions at a bar. Daniela, of course, had a desire to
go asking at a bar. It was written all over her face, and so there was no
problem there.
On the way, we saw a group of mining slaves holding pickaxes. A few

looked towards me…their hair and beards were grown out. Their skin was
covered in sand and dust, making it hard to distinguish their faces. I could not
tell if any of them were those damned Adventurers.
“Welcome.”
The owner looked at us with suspicion. There were a few other customers in
the dimly lit room. There were also prostitutes here, while there had not been
any in the bars of Fhiraldo and Spiris. Their dresses amplified their breasts. It
was quite wonderful. Even their skirts had a high slit running up it that
offered a good view of their legs. I stole a few glances before I felt Daniela’s
hand on my butt again. I told you, not the ass!
“Two cups of wine and something light to eat.”
Daniela sat down at the counter and quickly made an order. We really just
needed a drink, but that was never enough for her. I sighed and made my way
to the counter to sit next to her. But then something pulled me from behind.
“Hm?”
“Hello there, big guy. Why don’t you come and have a drink with me?”
The busty broad I had been looking at was tugging on my shirt.
“Er, I have business over there.”
“Ah, don’t be like that! I promise that you won’t regret it?”
“No, really. And you don’t want to see her when she’s angry. Excuse me…”
I quickly looked behind me and saw that Daniela was glaring over her
shoulder. Damn, that was scary.
“Ah, oh well… if you say so…”

The busty broad was defeated by Daniela’s eyes, and her voice trembled as
she let go of me.
“Sorry about it. I know it’s just your job…”
“You seem to have your hands quite full…but if you ever want a breather…”
We continued in hushed voices. Then Daniela coughed so loud that we both

jumped. I was sharp enough to not miss witnessing the effect of gravity on
her breasts when this happened, before making my way back to the counter
where Daniela waited.
chapter 74
The Steamy Something Incident
Daniela was resting her chin on her hand in a blatant display of displeasure as
I sat down next to her.
“Ah, sorry, I’ll have what she’s having.”
The bartender only glanced at me, but I was sure that he had heard. I would
be pretty annoyed if I didn’t get my order.
We sat in silence for a while until our wine was served. Clank! The light
yellow drinks were placed noisily on the counter. My hand stretched out.
“Daniela, let’s make a toast.”
“To what?”
“To your beauty.”
“F-f-f-fool.”
We clink the wooden mugs against each other and I drain mine in one go. It
had a refreshing taste, quite to my liking, actually. Awesome. Daniela’s
cheeks were slightly flushed now as she sipped more timidly and glared. Oh,
she was easy to pacify. But her stare could bore holes in you all the same.
“Here you go.”
As we continued to stare at one another, the bartender set out two plates of
meat for us. It smelled good. I cut off a piece with a knife and throw it into
my mouth. Juicy, and incredibly delicious. Was this boar meat? I’ve had it
once before.
“It’s good.”
I say to the bartender who is noisily washing his tools. He only offers me a
glance before returning to his work. Wasn’t much of a talker it seemed. Was
he shy?
“By the way, we are looking for an inn around here.”
Ohh, it was unusual for Daniela to start a conversation. She was usually much
too busy eating… I thought, as I looked at her plate…which was empty. Was
she even chewing?
“There is an inn. Here.”
“I thought that this was a bar?”
“It’s a bar and an inn.”
“Hmm…”
Daniela folds her arms and thinks. I was busy eating my food. I would leave
this one to her. After all, she had more experience traveling, she would know
how to handle this. I think.
“How much for one night?”
“Three silvers.”
“Asagi, I think this might be the place.”
The price was fine. But I was pretty sure that her only criteria for choosing
this place concerned the meat.
“Mmm…yeah, I think so too. Food’s good too…”
“It is settled then. We will take two rooms for the night.”
“Thank you.”
I was quite satisfied for my part in pushing Daniela a little. The barkeeper left
and then came back with two keys. He handed them to us and began to
explain about the inn.
“The rooms are on the third and fourth floors. The fourth floor is for women.
The bathroom is on the first floor. There is no bathhouse. If you wish to
bathe, there is a hot spring near the western cliffs.”
A hot spring! Now that was something I couldn’t miss as someone from
Japan. I would go with Daniela later on. We then finished our food, paid, and
climbed the stairs together. The sound that the steps made as they creaked
under our feet was something frightful. But it would at least alert you if an
intruder was coming.
“Daniela, we got to go to that hot spring.”
“Agreed. We should go as soon as we place our belongings in our rooms.”
We promised to meet in ten minutes and headed to our rooms. My key had a
‘303’ written on it, so that must be my room. As I walk down the hallway, I
can see through the windows that it was already dark outside. There were
bonfires lit in different points around the town, illuminating the streets.
Strange. It seemed too early for the sun… But then I thought about it. This
town was between two mountains, and those mountains were on the east and
west sides, so the town would fall under their shadows quickly. I remember
going mountain climbing with a friend a long time ago, and a similar thing
had happened, much to our horror. It was the same feeling. But that meant
that this town had very little time with sunlight… They would really only see
it when it was at its peak.
…Ah, I better get to my room. It wasn’t too far down the hall, and I quickly
found room 303. I push the key in and turn it, before opening the door. The
interior of the room was, well, on the nice side. Or it might be more accurate
to say that it just wasn’t dirty. And I had been expecting the room to be
covered with dust, just because this was a mining town. There were even odd
decorations and magical lanterns here like there were at Spiris. And as it was
now dark outside, I turned on the lights before entering the room. Woah, it
was bright.
I take off all my gear and throw it into the hollow bag and pull out a clean
change of clothing. But then I worry.
“Hmmmm…”
It was worrying. A bar inn. Mining town. Mining slaves. Hmmmm. Lining
the words up like this suggested a certain kind of danger to me. I’m not sure
what I would do if I came back from the hot spring and all of my belongings
were gone. Really. All this gear and equipment had taken so much effort on
my part to collect, I would cry if they were taken from me. I would cry and
cover this town with ice until the culprit was caught.
“I think I’ll bring it with me after all.”
While I wouldn’t be wearing my equipment, I decided to bring everything as

luggage. Once I was carrying the bag, another thing worried me.
“At hot springs, you take your clothes off and…set your belongings aside…”
Naked. Defenseless. And this place wasn’t safe… No, it was not good for me
to get so paranoid.
I was acting like a tourist in a foreign country. Well, that was actually kind of
true, though.
Hmm, but it’s also those unwary tourists that fall prey to such things… My
old friend Yasuda told me as much. And he was always right.
Alright, I just thought of something. As soon as I take my clothes off, I would

freeze my bag to the ground. It would be frozen solid, and cold enough to
stick to anyone who tries to touch it…yeah, it was brilliant. That was it. I
better go now and find Daniela.
And so I put on my normal clothes and carried the bag on my back, before
turning the lights off and leaving my room.
□□□□
We met up in front of the inn and made our way to the hot spring. Daniela
asked me why I was carrying my stuff on the way, and so I explained that I
thought this place was dangerous. She had a good laugh.
“The rooms have magic security devices. Did you not see them?”
“They did? Oh, you mean those weird looking decorations?”
“Aye. They are for security. If anyone forces their way in without a key, it
will activate and bind their movement.”
“Ahhhh…who would have thought…”
What a waste of effort. She should have told me sooner.
“In that case, I’m putting this back in my room.”
“I will go on ahead then.”
I waved at Daniela and pushed my AGI to its limits as I rushed back to the
inn and then to the hot spring again. I was a sweaty mess when I arrived, but
at least I was looking forward to it even more now…I think.
I was now in the changing room. There were separate changing rooms for
men and women, and so Daniela and I were no longer together.
It’s not like I had high expectations of it being a mixed bath…
But I was at least able to take comfort in the security of my belongings as I

stripped. Ah, it was refreshing. It would be even more refreshing to go
outside like this. I think stupidly as I open the door that led to the hot spring.
Dense clouds of steam rose from within, and I could barely see anything.
This was creepy… I slowly walked forward, moving towards the sounds of
splashing water. And then the hot spring was finally visible. I try dipping my
hand in it, and its scalding. Maybe this was near the source, from where it
flowed to the rest of the place. As I had an idea of where the hot spring was
now, I looked for a place to wash. It took several minutes of wandering
around before I found it and cleaned myself. But all of my wanderings had
disoriented me, and I had to wander again in order to find the hot spring. The
loud splashing from before was no longer audible, which made my search
even more difficult. But wait, did that mean that someone was here? I had
barely noticed… Finally, I reach the edge of the hot spring and sink into the
water.
“Ahhhhhh…so good…but hot…and I can’t see a thing…”
I stretch my legs and relax. The steam was so thick in here, and as it was
supposed to be in the cliffs, I guess this was like cave hot spring. I wish I
could actually see what it looked like…but this steam was making it
impossible.
“If only I could use her wind magic to blow it away…”
“Ah, that is an idea. Wait a second.”
Wait. Why can I hear Daniela’s voice? There was no one to answer my
questions, instead, a cool wind brushed against my face, pushing the steam
away. As the steam began to move, the scenery came into view. As I had
thought, the room was a large cave with magical lanterns on the walls.
Though they were quite useless with all of the steam. The water was cloudy
and looked like it would do your skin a lot of good. The bath itself was quite
large. The exit seemed so far from where I was sitting. And there were two of
them.
“Why are there two doors…”
“To separate the changing rooms, I would imagine.”
“You do realize that it makes no sense to separate the rooms, but not the
bathes?”
I tried to explain this to Daniela, as she relaxed in front of me. But there was
no reasoning with someone who had lost themselves to the power of hot
water.
chapter 75
Night Town Reunion
The impromptu mixed bath incident with Daniela was still in session. As
there was no one else around, I decided to just enjoy myself. The steam had
now parted, allowing us a great view of the cavern walls. There were a few
things I hadn’t noticed before. There was a path that led deeper within, and
there was no waterfall-like stream from where the water was coming. All of
the splashing sounds had made me assume there was some great waterfall
here… I thought about it for a second, before looking over to Daniela, whose
chin floated lazily above the water.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
“I heard a lot of splashing a moment ago…did something happen?”
“…I am not sure what you mean.”
Daniela raised her face and looked at me confidently. However, it was clear
that she had been up to something. There was no way that she didn’t hear it. I
stare back at her. She wiped away the beads of sweat on her forehead and
looked away. I moved in closer and stared harder. Daniela’s face grew redder
and she averted her eyes again.
“Daniela.”
“…”
“I won’t tell anyone, okay?
“…”
“…”
“…Ahh, fine, ugh, I will tell you!”
Daniela signaled her defeat with a raise of her hands. Mr. Asagi’s tenacity
had won him the day.
“I will only say this once, as it is humiliating.”
“Sure.”
“I was overjoyed at being able to come here, and was not the most attentive,
you see. And when I suddenly fell into the bath, the shock had nearly caused
me to drown.”
“Well, that was incredibly dangerous.”
You really couldn’t see anything a moment ago with all that mist. I had been
creeped out myself… But I guess this mist was serving a purpose at
disguising the fact that it was a mixed bath. It was not likely to be changed
any time soon. I grinned mischievously at this amusing blemish on the
beautiful Daniela. And then the door opened.
“Huh? There is no steam.”
It was a familiar voice.
“Oh, hello young man. Nice to see you again.”
It was the busty broad from the bar. Why was she…she was coming in next
to us, so I answered her while trying not to look.
“Ah, hello miss. Fancy seeing you here.”
“Oh, how awkward!”
She laughed hysterically. But things were really not that funny. We were
supposed to be in hot water, but it was below freezing right next to me. You
know, where Daniela was.
“Uhh, so what brought you here?”

“Ahh. This place was bought by our bar. You might say it’s where I work.”
Was that bar so successful that they could go around buying property? Or
maybe this place wasn’t worth much. Bar, inn, and hot spring. It was pretty
impressive though.
Hmm? Where she works?
“So this is also a place for that kind of activity.”
“Mmhyagha-”
Something horrible was happening in the water!
“You are not a fast learner, are you!”
“Huh?”
The busty broad tilted her head to the side and then froze. Judging by her
gaze, she had finally caught sight of Daniela.
“To make a move on my Asagi, you must have a death wish.”
“Oh, this is, uh, oh, I, I just have a strong passion for my work…!”
“Ho? So that is your will then. I will be sure to tell the bar owner. ‘She had a
passion for her work.’”
“I am so terribly sorry!! You must forgive me!!”
The busty broad was shaking, looking like she was going to attempt to grovel
in the water at Daniela’s feet. I was feeling very sorry for her now. I was
concerned about her lack of discernment and ability to learn, but it was not as
if she had done anything wrong.
“Daniela, she was just doing her job. It’s just a matter of me refusing her, and
this whole thing is settled.”
“While that is the case… One does not enjoy seeing their man toyed with by
another woman.”
“Then I will have to handle it better next time. Sorry about that. But you have
to forgive her this time.”
“Hmm… If you insist.”
She did not seem enthusiastic about it, but Daniela seemed to have decided
that she would let this one go. Ahh, what a relief. We were about to be in a
literal bloodbath, otherwise. Even the busty broad seemed to have come to
the realization that her head would no longer be flying off of her shoulders.
“Th-thank you!”
“Hey, stop that you idio-”
It is important to have a thankful heart. However, it was not necessary to

express it through a tight embrace of my head. And then my vision was full
of darkness.
□□□□
“Mmm… Where am I…”
I was looking at some unfamiliar ceiling. I put a hand to my aching head as I

got up from the bed. The room itself was familiar. Oh, it was room 303. I just
hadn’t looked at the ceiling before.
I looked dumbly at the security device that Daniela had told me about, as I
consider what had happened. I must have fainted from over-excitement after
being squished. The back of my head likely hurt because I had banged it on
something… Ahh, maybe I’ll go back to sleep. I try to cover myself with the
blankets, but I couldn’t sleep. I knew that not being able to sleep would
negatively impact our trip tomorrow, but no matter how much I tossed and
turned, I would not get drowsy.
“Ah, well. Might as well take a walk…”
I slipped out of the bed and took my key with me as I went out into the hall. I
had to make sure that the door was securely locked before climbing down the
stairs.
Seductive moaning leaked from one of the other rooms. Someone was clearly
still working. I guess she really was passionate, considering she was back so
quickly after such an incident.
I passed the room and went down to the first floor. The bar owner was still
awake, and so I told him that I was going on a stroll.
“That key is your room key, but it will also allow you to enter this inn. So
you can use that when you come back. And well, I am sure you wouldn’t try
anything fishy, but just know that it won’t work on any of the other rooms.”
I wondered how it worked, but then realized that this was a world of magic,
and gave up. I would never understand the mechanics of it. It was what it
was. I thanked him and left the inn.
There were bonfires outside. The fires offered light and warmth, but the
crackling of the firewood was explosive, making the night seem a little like a
battlefield. Not that I’ve ever been in one.
I was sure to get lost in this complex town, and so I carefully noted the
position of the inn in my head before starting my walk.
There were not many people out at night. People would work during the days
and get proper rest when the sun would set. Or so a traveling passerby
informed me. Well, you could still see lights from behind the windows of the
houses, and the sounds of drunken voices, though. I avoided these lights and
continued to walk. I walked in the sort of self-indulgent way one does when
they only step on the white lines when crossing the road. Bonfires are safe.
They are healing spots. I use magic to prevent the sparks from falling on me.
I didn’t want to get burned. But it was cold here in the mountains. The wind
was cool for a few minutes, but it would freeze you if you stayed out too
long. And so I would need to heal myself occasionally at these bonfires.
Once I was warm enough, I would continue to walk aimlessly. I would go up

any stairs that happened to be in front of me and go even further when there
were even more stairs. I eventually found myself in the highest point in the
town. It was the point where there were no more stairs to climb. And here
you could look down at the rest of the town.
“Ahh…I should have gone over there.”
On the other side, the eastern part of the town. There were more tall
buildings. The tallest building on the west side was shorter than the tallest on
the east.
“It’s important to plan, isn’t it?”
“Aye, it is. Very important!”
The voice suddenly sounded behind me, and I quickly turned around and
stepped back. A pickaxe had been swung down in the place I was just
standing. I look hard at the person who was wielding it. A beard and a face
covered in dust. I overlaid the image with my memories. And finally, I realize
that it was the leader of the gang in Fhiraldo, who had called me Black
Rabbit.
chapter 76
Vengeful Slave
“It’s been too long, Black Rabbit.”
The voice was from the man who had mocked me to no end in Fhiraldo. The
result of which was him and his gang being sent to the mines by Russell.
I decided not to answer him. We had nothing to do with each other anymore.
Yes, there was a history. But, Russell had put an end to all of it. Only an idiot
would get involved with them now.
“You’ve got some nerve, ignoring me like that…”
I could almost hear his teeth grinding. Nighteyes allowed me to see well in
the dark, and so I could see his tight grip on the pickaxe, see that he was
readying himself to swing.
We were at the highest point. There were no bonfires, nowhere to run. The
only way to escape this was the stairs that he was now blocking. I would have
to break through somehow. However, I could sense that several others were
climbing the stairs. It seemed like the other Adventurers that had been with
him were monitoring me. Quite free for forced laborers, no? Who was in
charge here?
“This is where you die.”
The pickaxe was raised and then swung down towards me. I didn’t have my
equipment, which meant no AGI boost. But I could still dodge him.
Thankfully, I didn’t survive all of this time by relying on equipment alone.
General maneuvers were not a problem for me. I retreated to the side of the
bastard’s pickaxe, then to his back. I had my opening, and I slipped away.
“You!”
I ignore him and run. With a vault, I fly over the heads of the former
Adventurers who were hiding in the shadows. Then I kick the wall to turn
around the corner. Shouts of rage come from behind me. But I don’t slow
down for a second as I pass them, descend the stairs, and jump out into the
main road. The sounds of hurried footsteps follow me as I dash back to the
bar. I needed to ask the bar owner about the location of the guard house. They
could take care of it from there.
“Where did he go? Damn it!”
I can hear their voices as they search, they were loud enough that I hoped
someone would hear it and report this uprising. But I had to be sure, and so I
would do it myself. And so I ran to the bar inn.
The door opens with my room 303 key. I don’t know how. The door swings
open and the floor is empty. No sounds, no lights. Quiet. Had he gone to
sleep? It was just as I was considering where to go and look for him when
someone came down the stairs.
“Oh, it’s you, young man. What are you doing?”
“Busty broad!”
“Who are you calling busted!”
It was she who had come down the stairs. She was wearing very thin
underwear and nothing else.
I was once again thankful to have the Nighteyes skill.
“I need to ask you something.”
“How about you call me by my actual name first!”
“But, I don’t know it.”
“Oh, I see. I am Lisa. And?”
“I’m Asagi. And uh, I need to ask you something. Where is the guard
house?”
“Guard house?”
Busty Broad Lisa looked at me suspiciously.
“I’m being chased by slaves.”
“Well, the thing is…no, I do not need to tell you. Nothing good will happen
by getting involved. Yes, the guard house. Go straight to the north of this
road and turn to the right on the third crossing. There is a big building there
that is the guard house.”
“Thank you!”
She was ultimately rather nice and helpful, and so I thanked her before
rushing right out of the door once again. I was just about to head for the
guard house, but stopped.
“Ahh, Black Rabbit. We meet again.”
“Tsk…”
“Get him!!”
The former Adventurers had surrounded the building. This was going to be
hard to break through. They all came at me with their pickaxes. I could only
dodge so many attacks. Without any choice, I create an ice sword and block
the vicious attacks.
“Damn… He is using magic now…”
“It’s nothing! Surround him!”
And with that, several of them move behind me. I can barely keep track of
them as I push back at the pickaxe from the front. This was not going well…
But I could make it, as long as I could break through this wall. And so I
pushed the former Adventurer who was in front of me back and attempted to
make a run for it.
“Asagi! Look out!”
“!?”
Someone had rammed into a former Adventurer who was behind me. I can
see that he had his pickaxe raised as he rolls to the ground. I would have been
hit. And I also see that it was none other than Lisa who had saved me.
“Who the hell are you! Get out of our way!”
“Lisa!”
One of the former Adventurers throws his pickaxe at her. It would be more
than a light scratch if it hit her. Her hands were covering her face, but she was
not quick enough to move. I had to do something.
There were no other options. This had only happened because I was careless.
I would use ‘Legs of the Forest Wolf’ and kick their heads in!
“GAAHH!!”
A violent wind of green and silver swirls around me, pushing the former
Adventurers back. The speed of the Forest Wolf is faster than the pickaxe,
and it is knocked out of its trajectory by my ice sword.
“Are you hurt? Lisa!”
“You, you…!”
“Get inside!”
“Ohhh!”
I push her through the door and slam it shut. All would be fine if she locked
the door. You needed the right key to enter, or the security measures would
activate. She would be safe.
“You… I would have taken it easy on you if it was just me. But if you harm
other innocents, just like the first time, I won’t hold back!”
“Do you really think you can take on this number, Black Rabbit!?”
The slaves encircle me once again. I was almost sorry to say it, but their
numbers meant nothing to me. It didn’t matter how numerous they were, this
would end in a second. No one could stop the speed of the Forest Wolf.
However, this skill wasn’t only about speed. There was a use that I had first
discovered through Jack of all Trades, Master of None.
“If you’re in my way, I’ll break right through you!”
I throw a kick into the first slave who approaches. The wind cuts into him
like a blade. This was the other thing that Legs of the Forest Wolf could do.
“Ggah! Aghh!!”
Blood sprayed over the ground as the wounded slave fell. Still, the others did
not stop. They were like crazed boars. But their pickaxes would not reach me.
There was no reason to even block anymore. With accelerated speed, I slip
through them and cut at the tendons of their bare feet with my ice sword.
Another falls to the ground, now immobile. Some seemed to have come to
their senses by the time the fourth one fell. And they began to run.
But I wouldn’t let them go.
It was easy to catch up, easy to block their flailing attacks and move around
them. And cut at their tendons like I did the others.
They scatter like the spawn of spiders, but they can’t outrun me. I catch up to
each one and make sure that they can no longer escape before going to the
next. Some tried to hide in narrow passageways, but I just kicked the air and
searched from above. With my Nighteyes I search. Now, the last one. It was
the bastard leader. Presence Detection tells me that he had run to the highest
point on the east side. Legs of the Forest Wolf allow me to fly up, ignoring
the steps.
And there was the leader. Somehow, he had found a double-edged sword.
“Damn, damn-damn it! What is he…he was just the Black Rabbit…damn!”
He was glaring at the stairs and cursing. He had not noticed that I was right
behind him. I just needed to put him down and it would all be over.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this…! It was all his fault… His…!”
“It was entirely you and your men’s fault. This happened because you lay a
hand on Daniela.”
“!?”
The bastard leader looked back in a panic. His shock at seeing me in the air is
so strong that he cannot make a noise. His mouth opens and closes like a fish,
but he is otherwise, frozen. It’s easy to strike the sword out of his hand. It
flies away without resistance, bouncing off the wall and falling behind me.
Which meant that it fell right out of the building.
“You, you…”
“The same fate awaits you.”
I reach out and grab him by the collar. He tears at my arm and flails, but it’s
not enough to best my raised STR. Well, it wasn’t as high as Daniela’s, but I
knew it was more than enough here. It was enough for this bastard
Adventurer.
I turned around in the opposite direction, my feet land on the rim of the
building. Now there is nothing beneath the bastard’s feet.
“You would have been free in ten years if you just worked here quietly. But
you wasted your chance. You all did. If you have to hate something, hate
your own stupidity.”
“Wa-wait. I was wrong! But…!”

“It’s too late. It’s all too late.”
I said. And then I let go.
“No-no, nooooooooooooooooo…!!!!”
It was a bungee jump without a cord. His scream echoed throughout the city
as he descended head first. It was fear itself. He would truly understand it.
How thoughtless his actions had been.
And so I too shot down towards the ground. Even if I wanted to kill him, I
had no intention of doing so. Legs of the Forest Wolf can accelerate faster
than anyone. The boost from the silver and green wind allows me to reach the
ground before him, and kick up into the falling bastard leader. But this time
the wind around my feet acts as a cushion. He had fainted from the fear and
the shock. His limp body rolls to the ground.
And now that was everyone. All of the former Adventurers that Russell had
sent here by my request. They were all a hopeless bunch. I had hesitated
when it came to execution at the time. If that could be avoided, then I
preferred that they were sent to the mines. Russell had warned me of this
softness being exploited. And I feel like that is exactly what had happened.
And so I think, as I gather the slaves in the public square and bind them with
ice magic.
Had I been wrong to make that decision?

chapter 77
Cold Heart, Warm Feelings
It was the next morning, I think. The town between the mountains was still
cast in shadows. But the sky had a mystical paleness with streaks of red, that
was typical of the dawn. I used to work until the morning, and so my instincts
were telling me that that was the time. And so, it must be the morning.
Before me are the fallen slaves. I did freeze the wounds on their feet to stop
the bleeding. But still, their voices moan without end. Like the voices of the
dead.
I was sitting slightly above them, with my chin on my bent knees. I stared
dazedly at the ice sword in my hand and absent-mindedly fidgeted with the
handguard. As time passed, I felt like my heart was becoming colder, just like
this sword. And this feeling was not new to me. I had felt something similar,
that day in Fhiraldo when the guild had given me an unexpected welcome.
I can hear doors opening in houses all around me. It was time for the town to
wake up. People were leaving and gathering to start their work today. It was
getting noisy. And then the first resident appeared.
“Wh-what…happened…”
The heavy sound of baggage being dropped. The pale face sees the fallen
slaves and then looks at me. Just as the mouth is about to form an accusation,
I address him first.
“Good morning. Are you from here? I was just attacked by these slaves, and
it would be really great if you could call the guards for me.”
While I had indeed done it, I was still the victim here, I inform him. And so
he swallows the words he had been ready to say, and instead inspects the
scene again and nods. And then he runs in the direction that Lisa had said the
guard house was located. Thankfully, he was a good guy.
I had to explain it a few more times as people gathered, until finally, the
guards came rushing to the scene. The one in the lead was the captain we had
met at the gate. He ordered his men to keep the others away, and they
checked to see if the slaves were alive. The fact that I wasn’t immediately
arrested meant that they had heard an accurate account at least. I was thankful
for that.
When they were done, the captain turned to me. I stood up then and made the
ice sword vanish into steam.
“So, you were attacked, eh? Are you injured?”
“I’m fine, as you can see.”
I raise both arms to show that I was unhurt. He nods at this.
“Well, I will like to hear a detailed account of what happened. Will you come
back to the guard house with us?”
“Yes, thank you.”
And just as we begin to walk away, a voice calls me.
“Hey, Asagi! Hey!”
I look behind me and see Lisa is shouting at me. The guards were holding her
back, as the residents were not to get close.
“Who is that?”
“She works at the inn I am staying at. She was also attacked.”
“Hmmm… You, take that woman to the guardhouse as well!”
He ordered, and two of his men escorted Lisa along with us. “Let me go!” she
shouted to their displeased faces, but given that they still glanced down at her
chest, maybe they could become friends one day.
“I’m sorry, but there’s one other thing.”

“What?”
I ask the captain as he walks ahead of us. He answers without looking back.
And so I tell him about Daniela, who is still at the inn.
“Hmm, so you want us to call your partner to the guardhouse?”
“Yes, the inn…uh, Lisa. What’s the name of the inn again?”
“The Mountain Mist.”
“That. There is a light elf there. Please call her.”
“Understood.”
He relayed this to the aid next to him. The aid bowed and immediately
headed back for the Mountain Mist inn. It must be somewhat famous, as he
knew exactly where it was. Well, they were successful enough to buy a hot
spring after all.
After that, we reached the guard house after what was a short walk. It was a
tall building with white walls, somewhat reminiscent of a police station. I
didn’t do anything wrong, but felt oddly uncomfortable.
Once we went through the entrance, I was led down a hall and into one of the
many doors that were lined up. Lisa was taken to a different room. Probably
so that we could not match our stories. I sat down on the chair that was
prepared, the captain removed his helmet and sat opposite of me.
“I am the captain of the guards in Alessa. Backus. What is your name?”
“It’s Asagi. A humble Adventurer.”
Once introductions were out of the way, the questioning began.
“A resident here notified us that you had been attacked. Did you know that?”
“Yes, I am the one who asked him to. I did make it so that the slaves
wouldn’t be able to escape, but I still wanted to stay and make sure.”
I also added that I would like to thank the man later, as he had accurately
described the situation for me.
“I understand. I will tell him for you. And do you know why you were
attacked?”
“Those men were former Adventurers who had caused trouble back in
Fhiraldo. I and my partner were involved in that. They were sent to these
mines upon my request to Fhiraldo’s captain of the guards.”
“Hmm…so you know Russel then. How is he doing?”
Oh? I did not expect to hear his name brought up here.
“You know him too?”
“Well, he is my cousin. Aren’t our names similar?”
In what world? I guess this one?
“I suppose… Russell is doing well. He was very good to us.”
“I see, I see. Very good then. Haha. I guess I can’t hinder you too much if
your a friend of Russell. Well, you are the victim here, in any case. You will
be freed without taking any blame.”
“That’s a relief. But, there is something I want to ask you about. What is
going on here with the monitoring of the slaves? I don’t understand why they
seem to be free.”
Yes, that was the biggest reason for this whole mess. They should have been
properly watched. Instead, it was me who was being watched and chased.
What the hell was happening?
“About that…to be very frank, those who are in charge of monitoring the
slaves are a gathering of scum. They think their job begins and ends with
striking with their whips. Their thoughtless methods have caused a number of
slaves to die, and it’s become a daily routine for them to confiscate their
earnings. However, even all of that is not enough to allow us to make a move.
We are not in the same department, you see. Because those men were sent
from the royal capital…”
Backus clenched his fist with frustration.
“The slaves were able to escape due to their disinterest in monitoring them,
but we too have to bear some responsibility for this incident. After all, we did
not take the necessary measures, even though we knew it was possible that
someone would arrive, who they had a grudge with… I am truly sorry. We
will prevent this from happening again by increasing the number of men on
patrol, and who is on watch.”
His look was earnest, and I felt like I could trust him. But more than
anything, he was Russell’s cousin. The person that had helped me the most in
this world.
“And also, about the slaves…what will you do?”
My heart goes cold in an instant.
“What do you mean?”
“You can increase the years of their sentence, or have them executed. In
terms of the law, I can move with a higher authority than the management
office. If you prefer it, I can easily have a noose around each of their necks.”
I couldn’t help but smile at this nostalgic question. He was a kind man as
well.
“Hehe…Russell asked me the same thing.”
“He did, did he?”
“Yeah. ‘I have the authority to hang them’ he said.”
“That is quite similar…”
I chuckle as Backus looks a little disappointed. I guess they really were

cousins.
“As for my answer…”
Just as I was about to tell him, the door was banged on loudly.
“Apologies for disturbing you! We have brought over the partner!”
“Enter.”
“Yes, captain!”
Apparently, Daniela had arrived. I heard her unusual, frantic footsteps

approaching, and then she burst through the door.
“Asagi! Are you alright!?”
“Yeah. Morning, Daniela.”
“What is that nonsense! Were you injured!?”
Her hands patted down my arms and stomach. That would actually really hurt
if I was injured. Not a good idea.
“I’m fine. I immobilized them before any damage was done.”
“Ahhh…that is good. When I heard that the slaves attacked you while I was
sleeping, I became so frightened…”
Daniela crumbled to her knees. I got off of the chair and onto the floor in
order to support her, my arm going around her shoulder.
“Did you really think those guys were gonna beat me?”
“I know more than anyone that you are strong…but, I was worried.”
“Thank you, Daniela.”
She stared at me with teary eyes. She had been so worried for me. That made
me happy. Her slightly reddened cheeks looked very cute, and I could feel us
getting closer and closer as we looked into each others’ eyes.
“Asagi…”
“Daniela…”
Then our lips were so close that they could touch, our eyes close…
“Cough! Ahem! Cough, cough…!”
We quickly separated. Where were we again? The guardhouse. Who am I?

Oh right, the stupid bastard that Backus brought in for questioning.
“You have done more than enough to convey your fondness for one another!
Now! I would very much like to hear your opinion about the punishment for
the slaves!?”
He looked like he was on the verge of snapping. He drained a cup of water

that had been brought to him and slammed it down on the table. My
shoulders jumped.
“Asagi, by slaves, does he mean…”
“Yeah, the same Adventurers that Russell sent here. They saw me walking in
town and attacked.”
That was all Daniela needed to understand the situation. She stared at me.
“Asagi, I will not say anything this time. The decision is yours.”
“Are you sure? It might have been me who was attacked, but you are still
involved in it as well.”
“And yet, I will leave it to you. I want you to decide.”
So saying, she stood up and moved back to the wall. She would listen from
there… My decision was already made. So I wanted her to stay and hear it.
I sat back down and faced Backus.
“Backus. I want you to increase their sentence.”

“Are you certain?”
“Yes. I want to believe that humans are capable of change.”
That was the answer I had decided on as I sat in the town square until
morning.
“…I understand. You have my word as Backus White, captain of the guard.
They should be grateful for the magnanimity of the Adventurer, Asagi. This
warmth of feeling will surely reach them, and perhaps help them
rehabilitate.”
Being surrounded by his kind smile and by Daniela, I felt my heart begin to
rise in temperature once more.
chapter 78
Farewell, Alessa
Everything was solved. The matter was settled by adding to the sentence of
the escaped slaves. I definitely had some opinions about the neglect that led
to all of this, but Backus was unable to do anything about it. And we were on
our way out, so there little point in saying anything. I was the victim, but also
an outsider.
Asagi Kamiyashiro would stay cool and leave.
“Well then, thank you for everything.”
“You have my thanks for taking care of my partner.”
We left the room and bowed. Everything had been resolved nicely, thanks to
Backus.
“No, I am terribly sorry about what happened. You are welcome back here
any time. Of course, it will be safer then.”
I believed that he could do it. Even those men who had fallen into slavery,
they would surely strive to change. I’d like to think that they would see what
I had done for them.
Well, probably not…
“We’ll be going now.”
“Ah, but did you not have one other person with you…”
“Oh.”
I had completely forgotten about her ever since Daniela arrived. She was also
a victim that had become involved in this because of me. Just as I started
looking around, she came out of a different door and our eyes met.
“Asagi.”
She called and approached us. Without a pause, she wrapped herself around
my arm and pressed her chest into my body.
“Ohh, it was so frightening… Come on, let us return. Those slaves didn’t do
anything to me directly, so I had nothing to say. Quite generous of me, huh?”
She said with a self-satisfied grin and managed to press herself into me even
harder. I felt a chill crawl up my spine. My back was sweating.
“Uh…Lisa. Could you get off of me?”
“Oh? But why? Don’t you like what you see?”
I won’t say no. But, just stop. And stop moving so much. I was susceptible to
such attacks.
“You two seem to get along very well, Asagi.”
“No, we don’t. I’d be grateful if she’d let me go.”
“What are you saying! You don’t look like you want to get away?”
“Oh? Is that so, Asagi?”
“Let me go!”
Backus pulled me out of there before it got out of hand. Stay away from that
bust. Yeah, that would be my new motto. And with that thought, we returned
to the inn.
□ □ □ □
“Thank you for a pleasant stay.”
“Yes.”
We returned our keys and listened to the innkeeper’s indifferent reply. Well, I
suppose we would stay here again if we ever came back. We knew one of his
employees after all.
“Asagi, you just had a wicked thought, did you not?”
“Daniela, whatever could you be talking about?”
I ignored the piercing glare as we left the inn behind us. Lisa had other affairs
to attend to, so we had already said farewell to her at the guard house.
“I’m sorry that you got involved in our mess.”
“Oh, it is nothing to be so concerned about. You do have some rotten luck,

though.”
“Well, it’s all finished now. I’ll just think of it as the pesky homework that
suddenly appears near the end of summer vacation.”
“I don’t understand that analogy at all. But you take care. As for you miss.
Maybe you’d like to sleep with me next time you visit? I can swing both
ways you know.”
“Let’s go, Daniela.”
“Aye, lets.”
“Come back soon!”
With that being settled, we had no reason to stay here for another second. But
I had the feeling that I’d forgotten something. Well, it couldn’t be important
if it slipped my mind.
It was just as I was thinking this, and walking with Daniela down the
southern road, that a voice called out to us.
“Mister Asagi! Miss Daniela!”
“Hm?”
I looked in the direction the voice was coming from, and saw a man standing
by a horse-drawn carriage. Ahh, that’s right. Forgot all about him. Nick, from
the Paw Armor Shop. I think we arrived in town with him? The slave incident
made me forget everything else.
“I heard all about it. You’ve been rolling slaves in the dirt?”
“I’m not some sadist playing with his toys. No. I just neutralized them after
being attacked!”
“I don’t see the difference.”
“There is a huge difference.”
My protestation did little to persuade him. I sighed. Apparently, he now saw

me as some kind of cruel tyrant.
“Ah, are you leaving then?”
“Yeah, we’re headed to the southern empire.”
“Is that so! Well, I would be much obliged if you continue to advertise my
store, in your new location!”
“Leave it to me.”
I couldn’t tell him that I had forgotten all about that. So I make a show of
knocking on my ice dragon breastplate. Nick smiles with much satisfaction,
and I feel a pang of guilt. But hey, there was no point in advertising here. I’m
sure I’ll remember to do it in the empire, which would be much more
effective anyway. Yes.
After that forced justification, we said our farewells and went our separate
ways.
We told the guard at the southern mountain gate that we were leaving, and a
small door to the side was opened for us.
“Eh? They opened the large gates for us when we came in.”
“Ah, that. That was the captain acting all grandiose. This gate is just about
the only impressive sight in this town, and he likes to make a show of it to
newcomers.”
“Ah…well, it is a mining town…”
“Exactly. Have a pleasant journey!”
A gate that is only opened for him to show off, huh… Maybe it’ll become a
famous landmark one day…
□□□□
We traveled along a valley path that was much like the one we crossed when
coming here. These mountains would take a week to pass usually, but it was
nothing when you just had to follow the straight beaten path. Other than
being wary of the cliff eagles, anyway. It only took us a few hours to get
through.
When we were through the Alexia mountain ranges, we would be on the

opposite side of Spiris…in other words, the Lambrusen Republic. We were
on the side of the Flugelnia Empire now. There were forests here, offering
only an obstructed view of the sky. While the road here wasn’t paved, it was
hardened earth, and yet the trees grew through it as it were normal soil.
According to Daniela, these trees were called berulu, and they grew so as to
cast shadows everywhere. This prevented grass and other plants from
growing, making them sound somewhat dangerous. But the trees were good
for harvesting a very sweet sap. In fact, berulu sap was synonymous with
sweetness in the empire. An empire of parades and sweets? Talk about
slacking off. Was this empire’s military filled with a bunch of cowards?
Daniela suddenly stopped as I was silently insulting the empire and military
that I had yet to actually see. In the same moment, Presence Detection told
me that a monster was nearby.
“What kind of monsters lives in this area?”

“I do not know. It is my first time in this region as well. And I have never felt
this presence before.”
Daniela unsheathed her sword, and I took out my sword that was made from
the assault kobold’s fangs and claws. We slowly moved towards the place
where the monster should be.
It would be harder to hide in a forest with no grass or bushes. Moreso for the
monster, as we soon found it between two trees. It was licking the trunk of
the tree that was bleeding sap. Even the monsters loved it, eh? Was it taking
some home?
“It looks like a goblin.”
“It is too dark to tell for sure… But I do remember reading about them once.
It is likely a forest goblin.”
“Sounds like an accurate description… Anything we should be wary of?”
“They are supposed to have claws that allow them to climb trees. And they
double as weapons.”
So they don’t use swords? Then I won’t be able to sell them. Useless shits!
“Alright, let’s get a little closer and kill it. This will be the first of our prey
after entering Flugelnia. Let’s be careful.”
“Aye, watch your feet, Asagi.”
“What’s that? As if this veteran would make such a mista-”
SNAP!
“…-I had such delusions once.”
“Oh, you stupid bastard.”
Daniela dashed forward, and I frantically chased after her.

I am Asagi Kamiyashiro. Silvergreen.
And I’m doing my best.
Thank you.
chapter 79
Forest Post Town
Due to Asagi’s error in the beginning, the forest goblin was aware of the
existence of the opposing team, and he howled with rage as it swung with its
longs claws. On closer inspection, its arms were also longer than the typical
goblin. The heavy looking claws and extended arms gave its attacks weight
and momentum, and that was not to be underestimated. It was an attack that
would kill most goblins in one hit.
“Leave those claws to me!”
Daniela shouts then runs even faster. She wanted me to attack while she
blocked. That shouldn’t be too hard, we had great teamwork.
“Got it!”
I reply. I hold my sword behind me as I run so that it does not get caught in
the branches around us. The forest goblin is now right up ahead.
It continues to howl and snarl at us, but I could tell that its eyes were sharp, it
was waiting for the right moment to attack. A smart one, he was. He was
much more intelligent than your average goblin.
“Ha…!”
Daniela and the goblin were now both within striking distance. The goblin’s
right hand came down, Daniela quickly blocked and pressed it upwards.
Seeing my chance, I increase my speed and swing with my sword, all the
while twisting my body so as to keep Daniela out of the blade’s course. The
flash of the sword goes through its left shoulder and out the bottom, taking
away the entire arm.
“HYGAAHHH…!”
The forest goblins shrieks with pain. The kobold blade had cleanly cut
through its joints. It didn’t even feel like I had gone through bone, and the
sword wasn’t chipped at all. I had a feeling that I had finally reached my goal
in terms of swordsmanship. I felt a little bad to have reached this point just as
I had acquired this new sword, but I was thinking that it was now time to
switch over to a new kind of weapon.
“AAAHHHHH!!”
It swung its remaining right arm, using its last form of resistance to attack
me. I use the flat of my blade to block it and strike upwards. Daniela came in
just in time, sliding her thin sword into the open space.
“Hah!”
She shouts as the tip of her sword pierces through the forest goblins throat.
“Ggg-bbba…a…”
Blood clogged its throat as the air escaped him. The goblin crumbled to the
ground as it struggled like a drowning man. Then it stopped moving
altogether. We won. Our first fight here.
“Hahh… Good work, Daniela.”
“Aye, you as well. Asagi.”
We bumped our fists together as was the custom. We had both come out
completely unharmed again. We had been through many battles together, and
at this point, it was tangible, just how much we were improving. Eventually,
we would be able to communicate with just eye contact, which would save
time. Plus, there was something beautiful about being able to really
understand each other.
Now, about this guy. What to do…
“Proof of the hunt. I do not know, as I have never fought these before.”
“You’d think it would be the claws, but then again, maybe it’s the fangs.”
“Hmmm… We should take both then.”
Well, that was the safe bet. And so we took both the claws and fangs and
stuffed them in an empty leather bag. The claws were so big that they filled
the bag. After discussing it with Daniela, we decided that this would be the
only one we hunt, and we’d let the rest go.
“Now, should we continue to the empire? …Oh, wait, I guess we’re already
in it.”
“Indeed. Our true destination is the imperial capital of Flugelnia, Vellefrost.”
“Vellefrost…nice name.”
“It is the name of their first emperor.”
Hmm… Did people like having capitals named after them? Like, Asagi City
perhaps? I’d die of embarrassment.
“Well, Vellefrost is still quite far away. We will have to go through several
towns and villages to reach it.”
“Got it. We should stop by if there are any Adventurer’s Guilds on the way.
I’d like to find out what the proof is for monsters here.”
“Of course.”
Our destination was the imperial capital of Vellefrost. Ah, how exciting!
And so we walked in the forest. Here, the ground was still hard under our feet
and completely cast in shadow. But it wasn’t quite dark enough to trigger my
Night Eyes skill either. I might be able to see better once night falls, but that
also meant that the monsters would become more active. It would be best to
just get out of this forest before that happens. I didn’t want to participate in
the monster parade. And so we continued to walk.
Forest goblins would appear here and there within range of Presence
Detection, and whenever we got a closer look, they would always be licking
at the tree sap. It was kind of creepy.
“Are we sure this stuff doesn’t have some kind of addictive quality…”
“I cannot blame you for suspecting it, seeing as how they cling to the
trees…”
It sent chills down my spine. A sap that monsters were addicted to. I hope
parents were careful with how much they offered their kids, I guess?
But on the other hand, most of them paid us no mind due to it. The beaten
path was littered with branches, but as long as we were careful, we would not
attract anything.
The dimness was finally gone. After walking for two hours. We came out of
the woods.
“Ahh, the sunlight feels good!”
“It would be nice to have some sort of tavern in such a large forest.”
Yes, exactly. It wasn’t so bad since we left Alessa early in the morning, but it
would have been night if we left during the afternoon. It was the same on the
way here. The path between the mountains would get dark quickly because of
the shadows.
“Well, there is a town near the forest, so it should not be too bad if you are
wary of the time.”
As Daniela pointed out, there was a town visible up ahead. Just outside of the
forest was this town surrounded by walls. Damn it, it really would make
things easier if they just opened a road that cut through the forest.
There was no point in complaining now, though. But I really wanted to rest.
We should hurry to this town. It’s just a little bit further.
“Come on. Let’s go, Daniela.”
“Wha-. Do not slap me on the ass.”
□□□□
The field surrounding the town was covered in cut grass. Like a lawn. You
could see townsfolk lying on the ground, looking very relaxed. This must be
a fine place. A safe one, anyway.
And just like any other town, there were gates in the walls that surrounded it
and two guards who stood watch. They wore light armor that was painted
green, and they looked at the sky with bored expressions. A safe town meant
bored guards. A peaceful sight if I’ve ever seen one. However, they looked
down when they heard our footsteps, and I could tell by how smoothly their
hands went to their swords, that they were seasoned fighters. Perhaps they
could afford to relax like this because of such skills.
“You two, halt right there.”
Of course, they meant us. We stopped in our tracks as they approached us

and inspected us up and down. The fact that they stayed just out of striking
distance confirmed yet again, that they knew what they were doing.
“Are you travelers? It seems that you have come from Alessa.”
“Yes. We are Adventurers who are traveling from land to land.”

“Hmm… The empire of Flugelnia requires that you have a form of
identification when entering towns. As you are Adventurers, your status cards
will do.”
It seemed fitting that this empire would have proper laws for such things.
And as we had nothing to hide, we both handed our cards to the guard.
“Wait here a moment.”
He took the cards with him and disappeared behind the gate. Perhaps they
had a way to display the information, like at the guild.
We stared blankly at the sky as we waited, much like the guards had done,
until finally, he returned. We could hear him tell the other guard that ‘there
was no problem.’
“Thank you for waiting. You will be permitted to enter the town now.
Welcome to the forest post town, Valdorf!”
The two guards stood on opposite sides of the gate and stretched an arm out
into the town. There was something ridiculously theatrical about this
welcome, but this was the country of parades… Both Daniela and I felt a
little put off by it, but we nonetheless took our first step into Valdorf, our first
town within Flugelnia.
chapter 80
The Leaves in Sunlight Inn
As this was was a post town, there were many inns lining the road. I guess
this was the main street. A road of inns. Very fitting for a post town by a
forest.
“So, what inn should we choose?”
“Definitely a place with great food.”
“You’re staunch as ever.”
I chuckled at my partner’s unwavering attitude, when a certain building

caught my eye. There was a large sign in the front that read: ‘Free
Information Office.’
Information for what…
“Asagi, there is an information office. They should be able to tell us of a

good place.”
“Uh, are you sure?”
“Hmm? We will not know unless we ask. It is already past noon. We should
get an inn before it’s too late.”
“Too late for what…?”
Daniela looked at me with a worried expression. Her eyes were serious, they
suggested something immense, that I had no clue of. I gulped and waited for
her to continue.
“Yes, we have to find an inn now or…”

“Or…what…?”
Daniela closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before opening them again
and shouting.
“We shall be late for dinner!!”
“…”
Oh, well that wasn’t too surprising. Even beautiful people had flaws. But you
don’t have to yell like that on a busy street!
Leaving her there, I walked over to the free information office and looked at
the advertisements that were nailed to their wall. After searching for some
time, I found one that wasn’t too cheap and left the office. Daniela looked a
little miffed as I sighed and told her that I had found a promising place,
which she answered to with a big smile. We walked away, arm in arm. This
girl seemed like she might just run off with anyone who offered her good
food… I better be careful and not let her go.
We arrived at the inn that I had chosen, the Leaves in Sunlight Inn. It was an
adorable looking building with a green roof. The advertisement at the
information office said that this place was known for its dishes that contained
fruits, wild plants and meat from the forest. Hearing the word ‘forest’ gave
me flashbacks of goblins licking trees, and I had to quickly shake that
frightening image from my head.
There was another inn with creative cuisine called the Flower and Nectar.
And yet another one called the Red Beard, which served extravagant bandit
food, but there was a risk to choosing such places, and so I had chosen this
one. Creative recipes weren’t always the most successful, and who knew
what kind undercooked meals would come out of the other place.
Well, they couldn’t be too bad if they continued to exist… But they do say
that having a little prejudice will save you. Well, no one actually says that…
“How long will you stand their and moan? Hurry up.”
“Uhh, let’s go in then.”
There was no point in thinking about it. You should go straight in after
choosing. That’s what men do.
We opened the door that was the same green color as the roof and looked
inside. As was fitting for an inn with this name, the interior was full of
sunlight from above. How did that work? Maybe it involved magic. The
entrance hall was quite spacious, and there were several guests lounging on
chairs. Hmm, nice atmosphere at least.
A woman in green clothing was standing behind a counter to the back. She
bowed when she saw us. Daniela and I walked to the counter. I noticed that
the floor was covered in a soft carpet that made your feet feel light.
“Do you want a room?”
“Yes. Um…Daniela. How long are we staying?”
Now that I think of it, we had not even discussed it. Daniela traced a finger
over her lips and thought about it for a while, then raised three fingers at me.
How about talking?
“Err, three nights, please. Two rooms.”
“Three nights and two rooms. Thank you. Will you be taking your meals here
as well?”
“Yes. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
“Then we will prepare a dinner for you tonight.”
That’ll make her happy. We’ll have food tonight.
“How much will it be?”
“Five silver pieces per guest. Each meal costs one silver and forty coppers, so
all together it will be forty-nine silvers and sixty coppers.”
“Can I pay in advance?”
Choose and push forward. Men should just do it and pay in advance.
“Yes, right here please.”
She offered out a wooden tray, which I then deposited forty-nine silvers into
after pulling them out of a purse. I then placed the sixty coppers down, neatly
in towers of ten coins, which made them easier to count. The old clerk in me
was used to handling money. In fact, it would be nice to have one of those
coin counters. You know, those plastic ones? Maybe I could make one out of
wood…
“Oh, how thoughtful of you. Let me see… Yes, it is the perfect amount.
Thank you.”
People really do open up if you interact with them nicely. This lady looked
rather cute when she smiled. I couldn’t really help myself from smiling back.
Ah, Daniela, that hurts! Not the knee!
“So then, three days with meals. Allow me to introduce myself. I am

Dorothea, and I run this place. I hope that you enjoy your stay.”
“I’m Asagi. This is Daniela.”
With that done, she handed us our keys. Hmm. I was on the third floor.
Daniela the second. Different floors this time. We parted ways on the second
floor.
“Are we disbanding for the day then?”
“I guess so? I think I’ll go wander around a little.”
“Then I will be resting in my room.”
And so we disbanded. Now, off to my room on the third floor. It was room
301, right by the stairs. I could already imagine hearing all the noisy people
coming up and down…
“Now, what will it look like…:”
I pushed the key in and turned it. There was a satisfying click as the lock
opened. I turned the doorknob and opened the door. A forest spread out
before me.
“Woah, crazy…:”
The floor was brown and covered by a green rug. The curtains were a gentle,
deep green. The bed was a vibrant yellowish green. The closet, table and
other furniture were a unified brown color. It felt like you were in a forest.
The lamps were covered in ivy, and the shadows of the leave were projected
onto the walls. Quite dream-like. There were apple-like fruits painted on
random objects all over the room. And on closer inspection, there were also
security mechanisms as well. They were painted green, so as not to ruin the
atmosphere of the room.
Haahh…I was satisfied. It was all very green, but still not an eyesore. In fact,
it was very relaxing. We made a good decision. Even my clothes were green,
so it was perfect…
That being said, I should take a look around outside. I took off the armor,
poncho, and mantle and put them in the hollow bag. I would go in just the
rough shirt and pants. But I would still take the sword. I felt like I needed to
show that I was an Adventurer, to ward off troublemakers. Well, this town
felt pretty safe, but just in case…
“Now, explore, explore…ah, money, money.”
I had forgotten to take out my wallet. I would not be able to make any ‘once
in a lifetime purchases’ without it. Most people may brood over whether or
not to buy that awesome thing they found. But I’ve decided that I would just
buy it first and worry later. Unless the price was out of my reach, anyway.
I locked my room and returned to the entrance hall. I told Dorothea that I was
heading out for a stroll and gave her my keys.
There was a large road as soon as you left the inn. Great location. This was a
post town, so all the buildings I saw were inns, inns and more inns… But
surely such a town would have some interesting stores. The spirit of
exploration was screaming to me that this must be so, and so I put my trust in
it and walked out. Hehe. What would I find?
chapter 81
How to find a Hole In The Wall
Well, well. It was currently two in the afternoon. Daniela was sleeping at the
inn. This was a rare moment I had to myself. I was sure that she would eat
whatever she could without me, so I might as well do the same. And so I was
now exploring the large street.
Every building that was visible here seemed to be an inn, which wasn’t too
surprising. I had never done any traveling back in Japan, so this kind of
townscape really filled me with excitement.
And as this was a town by a forest, most of the buildings were made of wood.
I could only imagine what kind of disaster it would be if there was a fire, but
then I noticed that there were small fountains installed all over the place.
“What is this?”
It reminded me of the drinking fountains you see in parks. They looked quite
clean too…
“Ah, you right there. Are you a traveler?”
As I stood with crossed arms and deep in thought, an older woman

approached me.
“Uhh, yeah. I was just wandering around.”
“I see, I see. But is this not a beautiful town?”
Ah, ha… Was this the beginning of a ‘boast about your town’ contest? I hope
she wouldn’t take too long.
“Yes. The wooden buildings are splendid.”

“This is the forest post town after all! Almost all of the buildings here use
wood.”
“But, wouldn’t that be a fire hazard?”
“Hehe. That is what these magic contraptions are here for.”
So saying, the old women pointed at the drinking fountains. Oh, that’s what
they were.
“So these put out the fires?”
“Aye. If ever there is a fire, water will spray up high from the hole on the top,
and shower the entire town.”
“Ahhh…interesting…”
Very interesting. Educational. She then explained that these contraptions

sucked up water magic from underground veins to use to put out the fires. A
type of sprinkler.
“Hmm. That is good to know. Thank you.”
“Oh, it is nothing. Enjoy your stay here!”
“Yes, I will.”
The old woman’s Town Boasting Contest had come to a close. I saw her trod
away with a satisfying expression, only to catch another unsuspecting traveler
and begin all over again.
Now that that distraction was gone, my hunger returned with a vengeance.
Oh, it was bad. I would pass out if I didn’t eat. But this town didn’t seem to
have street stalls, perhaps they were considered a fire hazard, I think irritably.
Like, they only allow fires near places with fire extinguishers. In that case, I
would have to rely on my sense of smell. Sniff. Sniff. Where are the good
food places? Ah…Daniela would have been able to find one in seconds… I
grumbled at my girlfriend’s absence as I walked. Walked. And walked. Past
several streets, and so many corners. I repeated this many times before my
nose finally reacted to something. It was rather good.
“Ah, could this be the one?”
The window was open, which allowed the steam and a pleasant aroma to
escape. Peeking through the window, I could see rows of tables and
customers eating. Yes, it was a restaurant.
“Are you a customer?”
“Woah!”
A face jumped out at me from the bottom of the window frame. Damned
bastard.
“Be off with you, if you are not.”
“Uh, sorry. I am. I am.”
It seemed like he worked here, so I quickly apologized and went inside. I

wasn’t about to be kicked out of here. I needed to eat something now.
“Uh, I’m alone here. That alright?”
“Sit over there.”
He pointed over to a table seat. Looking at the guy again, he was actually
pretty good-looking. A quick glance at the building’s interior showed that it
was mostly wood as well. It must be hard for different stores to be unique
when they are restricted to using wood.
And there were so many female customers here. Like eighty percent. They
were probably just here to ogle… I was beginning to feel very uncomfortable.
Like I had accidentally entered a pancake house. Still, I had no choice now. I
needed to refill my hunger gauge or I would faint in some random corner of
this town.
“So, what will you have?”

“Any recommendations?”
“Today we have a chicken soup and freshly baked bread as a set.”
“I’ll take that then.”
“Aye.”
Quite brusque isn’t he…well, some women liked guys like that. And they
were his main customer base. I didn’t really care.
I ignored the awkward looks from the other customers as I waited. The smell
of the freshly baked bread started to waft over to the tables. Yes, so far so
good. I loved the smell of freshly baked bread.
“Kept you waiting, huh?”
There is only one person who is allowed to say that. But then again, I’m
pretty sure I said it at one point… More importantly, the food was here.
On the table was now a bowl of steaming, golden soup and freshly baked
bread. And a salad. The drink was fruit water. A lemon slice and some kind
of leaf floated in it. Fancy looking stuff.
“Thank you.”
“Enjoy.”
He suddenly offered a kind smile. Imagine if that worked. Anyway, on to the

food.
First, I tear off a piece of bread. The crust is still hot. It almost burns my
fingertips as it opens and reveals its soft innards. The rich smell bursts
through my nostrils. I put the torn piece into my mouth and chew, and with
every bite, the natural flavor of the bread seems to increase and spread.
Freshly baked bread really was the best.
Next, I brandish the spoon and face the bowl of soup. Its golden hue makes
me think that it was filtered, but on closer inspection, chunks of meat lay at
the bottom of the bowl. It was the kind of soup that tasted different once you
stirred it. How fancy… First, I take a spoonful of the top layer and drink it
without making any noise. I’m not sure why, but coming to places like this
made me more aware of my manners. Was it the atmosphere or the food?
Well, as for the taste of the soup. It was very good. The rich smell of the
chicken broth spread in your mouth and reached your nose in a way that only
chicken could do. If this was a cooking manga, my clothes would be bursting
at the seams. I drank a few more times from the upper layer and savored it. I
would stir it up later. It was time to use the salad as a palate cleanser.
Salad. It was just some vegetables thrown onto a plate. But sometimes there
was depth in simplicity. The freshness of the vegetables, the combination
with the dressing. The compatibility of the vegetables. Yes, very deep stuff.
What is a salad? It was something with the power to make you consider it in
philosophical terms. Well, I would leave such questions to food critics, I was
just here to eat some tasty food. I grab my fork and stab it into the plate.
There was a satisfying crunch, which was the proof of its freshness. It must
be freshly washed as well because beautiful droplets could still be seen. Then
I carry it to my mouth, careful to not spill the dressing. With every bite, the
texture and fresh, green smell spreads, and the slightly sour dressing
combines with the sweetness of the vegetables. There was a real danger of me
eating the whole thing in seconds, so I quickly push the plate away.
Back to the soup. Drinking so much of the upper layer now left the lower
layer quite visible. I thrust the spoon into it and stirred. Then the chunks of
meat began to rise to the surface. Other little specks, like ground seeds, also
danced and rose. Using ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ to find the exact
timing, I scoop up a spoonful. The soup with the chicken and seeds flows into
my mouth. Ah, it did taste different now. What was once a clear, refined
flavor had transformed into something robust and meaty. Well, women liked
their meat too. I could see this being very popular. The well-cooked meat
almost melted in your mouth, the seeds popped with every chew. Ahh, it was
good. My clothes felt like they really would burst if I wasn’t careful.
“How is it?”
The good-looking guy rudely interrupted my reverie. I looked up irritability

before realizing that it was him.
“It’s incredible.”
“That is good.”
He said with a smile. Damn…he was cool… A guy who was dedicated to
cooking. He seemed overly blunt at first, but clearly had a delicate touch
when it came to his craft. I could learn a thing or two from that.
□ □ □ □
Ahh, I finished it in no time. The bread, soup and salad were all good. Even
the fruit water had a refreshing taste that matched the taste of the dishes.
Everything supported the others. The best kind of menu.
“How much do I owe you?”
“Aye. Three silvers.”
“Right, here.”
“Thank you. Do come again.”
There was something childishly smug about the way he laughed. I couldn’t
blame others for falling for him now. A good-looking guy who could cook.
Great personality. What more could you want? I’d marry him.
I leave the restaurant and turn around. The sign reads Tree Stump Arbour. A
good place. A hole in the wall that you might only find through wandering
about. I swore that I would bring Daniela here next time, as I recommenced
my stroll with a satisfied stomach.
chapter 82
When the Unexploded Bomb Explodes
I continue exploring. This area seemed to be on the outskirts, with few

passersby. But there were a number of small shops and diners here as well. A
corner for little-known establishments. I decided to enter the first one that
caught my eye.
It was a store for magic tools. I could see that they had the security
contraptions as well as other things that were a complete mystery to me. They
even had something similar to Daniela’s barrier tools behind a glass case.
“Let’s see…what, fifty gold pieces…?”
That was the cost of just one of the barrier tools. And Daniela had four of
them. Two hundred gold pieces… You could also say two wyverns. You
could buy my equipment three times over and still receive change. It was
something we used a lot, and perhaps it was actually cheap considering what
it did, but that was a lot more than I was expecting. It wasn’t something I
could easily buy. My equipment had originally cost 400 gold pieces, with the
price only collapsing thanks to Matsumoto’s efforts.
“She must have worked really hard to get these…”
The road to amassing two hundred gold pieces would have been long. I had
really just been lucky. It was a good reminder of just what she was capable
of. Especially considering that she herself had said that she ‘had fought very
little.’ I was catching up to her in terms of level and status, but the skill to
make that much money up until now was worthy of a genius. The skill to do
that with lower stats and minimum combat. I couldn’t stop being impressed
by it. Funny how just looking at some barrier tools made me consider all of
this.
Hmm. I made a short tour of the store, but I really didn’t know how any of
these things worked. I went around nodding while thinking, ‘You, strange
guy. What are you even supposed to do?’ I quickly realized that there was no
point in being there, and so I left. I would have to come back with Daniela
when we visit the Tree Stump Arbor. Look forward to it, strange guy.
“Uhh…I’m exhausted. My feet hurt.”
I was thinking about returning soon, but I couldn’t even remember how I got
here. And so I used Presence Detection. This told me that there was a crowd
of people gathered quite far away. That must be the main street. There was
another mass of people gathered in a district a little further from the main
street. Some kind of commercial facility? It piqued my curiosity, so I decided
to walk there.
But my feet were really killing me. It was very much that feeling you have
when you are trying to go home after a long night shift, and your bike has a
flat tire, so you rub your tired eyes as you walk home, all the while bumping
into people who are on their way to work. I started looking for a place to rest,
and since there was a park nearby, I headed straight for it.
“Ahhh…damn it…”
I thought it had only been my feet, but sitting down on the bench revealed
that my entire body was overwhelmed with fatigue. I needed shoes that were
easier to walk in, like sneakers… These leather shoes were made from the
assault kobold, and were better than the average shoes around here. But it
wasn’t the same.
“And it’s not like they make me fast like the assault kobold…”
I wasn’t really sure, as these were my first monster shoes, but I wondered if it
would change anything if I had some magic flow into them. Then I realized
that I had never poured any magic into my armor or clothes either. I did
check the magical enchantments they had… Well, as I was currently wearing
the wind dragon trousers, I decided to try it out.
“Ah, hmm?”
A short burst of wind spun around my legs and rose into the sky before it
vanished. My body suddenly felt lighter.
“I’ll try to run then…”
After checking to see that no one was watching, I started to jog lightly. My
body felt surprisingly light, the feeling of fatigue from before was completely
gone. Are you kidding me? The difference was massive. Though, the soles of
my feet still hurt.
“Talk about sitting on a gold mine.”
Ignorance really was a crime. I was the idiot who had bought expensive gear
without making the most of it. Was there anyone so stupid and sad? I’m truly
a lost cause.
Still, if this was the result of doing it on just my trousers, what kind of
madness would ensue if I poured magic into the poncho and waist mantle
too? Wearing the ice dragon light armor would increase the weight, but the
possible effects were almost frightening to consider.
And these leather shoes from the assault kobold. What would happen if I
poured magic into these? I think back to that time that I fought against him.
When he had used all of his power, he had practically disappeared. It was
likely that I may be able to do something similar depending on how much
magic I sent into them. A rookie Adventurer would probably not be able to
see me.
I was still at the Crystal rank at the time, and my eyes couldn’t follow him. A
huge part of why I was able to beat him, was that I relied on intuition. Even
now, I was not confident I would be able to beat him if we could face off
again…
No, that’s not good. Thinking about it is making me feel depressed. I should
just try pouring magic into them for now.
“Hmm…ah…huh…!?”
The moment the magic began to flow, I felt the sensation of something
flowing back into me.
And it didn’t stop. The leather shoes sucked my magic and in turn, leaked out
a pitch black miasma. It was a…grudge?
All I felt was the continuous emotion of hate towards the one called Asagi
Kamiyashiro.
“Shi-shit…!”
Frantically, my hands reached down to remove the shoes, and my hands came
in contact with the dark miasma. It tangles and wraps around my fingers,
clasping my hand. It envelopes it and takes shape like a glove. The nails are
abnormally long, like claws.
“You, damn it!”
It was the assault kobold’s hand. Even in this state, he was trying to get me.
I tear the stuff off of my hands and grab the shoe. The magic continues to be
drawn from me, but I ignore it as I tear the shoes off of my foot.
“Damn…what the…!”
Was there anything more ridiculous than I guy fighting with his shoes in the
park on an afternoon? Shit. The shoes on the ground were still unleashing the
dark miasma. They looked like they might just start moving on their own at
any moment.
I thought it would never disappear, but it started to thin after five minutes and
was completely gone after ten. However, I no longer felt like touching them,
much less wear them.
I took off the cloth wrappings from around my feet, which were substitutes
for socks. To my shock, both of my feet had markings as if they had been
gripped by something. It was chilling, but the reason for it was obvious.
These extreme mutated monsters were a threat even after death… I was now
glad that my dragon armor was from younger dragons. Thanks, Matsumoto.
You truly are a Hero.
“Still, these feet and shoes…what am I going to do…”
I was hated by these shoes that were in front of me. And now there were
markings on my feet as if I had been cursed. …Was I cursed? Was I going to
be alright?
“Shit! This is from the assault kobold too!”
I frantically tear off the necklace I had been wearing in a misguided attempt
at being fashionable. This was also a product of the kobold. And this sword
that hung at my belt as well. This was terrible…I couldn’t keep anything
besides my clothes and light armor. I would be unarmed.
“Ahhh…shoe store…and a weapon store…”
I never would have thought that a weapon made by a blacksmith who was
associated with the guild would end up cursing me… This was dreadful. It
was cursed, right? Definitely. Ahh, there was no point in thinking about it
now. I just need something to wear, so I would have to return to the inn for
now. I’ll discuss it with Daniela, then buy some new shoes.
I really could not have predicted this…if I had done this during combat, I
would have died.
My ignorance saved me.
I encased the sword, shoes, and necklace in ice and carried them with me. At
first, I wondered if it wouldn’t suck the magic from the ice, but it seemed to
be fine, as long as I didn’t touch it directly. I took the now somewhat safe
cargo with me and used Presence Detection to navigate my way back to the
main street. Many eyes gave me suspicious stares as I quickly made my way
back to the Leaves in Sunlight Inn.
chapter 83
Daniela, Who Gazes at Asagi
“…and that’s what happened.”
“Hmm…”
I returned to the inn and told Daniela what had happened as she rested in her
room. She was biting into a sandwich she had apparently bought at some
point. I had been starving so bad, that I thought I’d acquire a starvation skill,
and yet she had got her hands on some food very easily… That was Daniela
alright. No one knew food better than her.
Still, she had seen that I was shaken, and put the sandwich to the side and
listened to me. Put. The. Sandwich. To. The. Side. And listened to me. I
guess she did prioritize somethings over food. I was happy about that, but
still had mixed emotions overall. But I suppose one shouldn’t ask for too
much.
“Now that we know that such things are possible, that it is not very safe, you
shouldn’t use them. I think it would be good to buy new equipment
immediately.”
“You think so too then.”
The sword was excellent to use. Without this one issue, it was something that
I could have continued to use for the rest of my life. Well, it was inferior if
you compared it with the ancient elven sword, but the grip of the kobold
sword had fit nicely into my hand. Almost like my palm was being sucked
into it. But now that I think back on it, it was most likely because it was
constantly draining me of magic.
“But you do have the old shoes that you can wear for now? Bring them here,
and we can go out together.”
“Sorry…I’ve disturbed your lunch.”
“It is nothing. It would hinder me as well if you cannot fight. I depend on

you, you know?”
What a nice thing to say. Now, I would have to rebuy some equipment, in
order for her to be able to rely on me again.
I returned to my room, which was 301, and grabbed my old leather shoes
from the hollow bag. The assault kobold gear which was encased in ice went
inside the bag instead. Then I carried the bag on my back and returned to
Daniela’s room. It was time to go out into the town.
□□□□
The free information office wasn’t only for inns. It wasn’t, but I had
preconceived ideas that suggested that there surely wouldn’t be information
on weapon and shoe stores. So Daniela and I wandered around
unsuccessfully until Daniela finally made the suggestion. And of course, the
information was very much available when we got there. There was nothing I
could do but sigh deeply at myself.
“Look at that, the sun has started to set after all our wandering around…”
“Indeed… I should have realized it sooner.”
“Well, even I thought they would only have information about inns. Come
on, we’ll be late for dinner.”
“We should just mark down the locations for now.”
We took notes of the locations for the weapons and shoe stores on the map on
the wall, then walked through the darkening town and back to the inn.
“Welcome to the Leaves in Sunlight Diner.”
The voice rang invitingly as we entered. A waitress with fluffy pink hair
stood before us.”Asagi and Daniela. Please follow me.”
She said and led us to our table. There was a menu there which I directed to
Daniela.
“Thank you.”
Daniela inspected the menu with a delighted expression. Her eyes read it
beginning to end, and yet she chose what she wanted immediately, without
stopping to think. I flipped through it as well, but I didn’t know much about
the food here, so I usually left it to the chef. But as I’ve been here for a while
now, I’ve begun to feel a little adventurous too. Though, I always end up
sticking to the chef’s recommendation. Some things really never change,
even now that I’m not in Japan.
Even during those times when I went to high-end places with my old friend,
he would always ask for dishes with some long-winded names, while I just
got whatever was recommended. Still, it’s never led me astray, I’ve had good
food every time.
“Have you two decided on your order?”
“I will have this Forest Hare Herb Grill. Also, this Forest Fruit Berulu Sap
Stew.”
“I’ll have what’s recommended. Ah, and this Forest Fruit Cake. Two of
them.”
The waitress took her time jotting this down before saying ‘Yes, certainly’ in
her shrill voice and walking away.
I have to say, it was growing on me.
“Ah, we will be waiting for quite some time, I think.”
“Looks like it.”
We both leaned back into our chairs and thought of what to do.
“I know. Since we have time, how about you tell me about your country,
Asagi?”
“Oh, sure. It’s a perfect time killer.”
In consideration of our location, Daniela had said ‘country’ instead of

‘world.’ She was ever careful.
“I worked at a general goods store in that country.”
I decided to start with the convenience store, as the night shift was my thing.
“Hmm, so you were the son of a merchant?”
“No, not at all. Everyone worked at what they wanted. They lived freely too.
Of course, while following the laws of the land.”
“Ho…very interesting. So you are saying there are no merchant families?”
“I guess. No nobles either. Well, there used to be. Just not during my time.”
I don’t know the details and have never claimed to be a historian.
“But, I’m not exactly an expert. That was what was normal there, I never
thought about how it was different from here.”
“You could not have, as this was not a place you had planned to visit. Have
you struggled much since arriving here?”
“Yes…I would say the monsters. We didn’t have any where I’m from. I
never had to kill anything by myself. While animals were killed for food, any
other kind of killing was against the rules.”
“Even insects and fish?”
“We’d hardly be able to live if things were that strict.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“But the senseless killing of even bugs and fish would be frowned upon,
ethically speaking. And it is a crime to kill animals owned by others. And so
killing is forbidden in my country. But it isn’t so different here, is it? Even
you told me, Daniela, that ‘unnecessary killing is wrong.’”
With that said, we continued to kill others… I had no answer for that.
“I see… Then it must have been hard for you when you killed your first
monster?”
“…Yeah, it was.”
I remember even now. That moment that my makeshift spear slid into the
goblin’s stomach. The sensation of it piercing through the neck after that, the
last shudder before death. But I thought it then too. I didn’t want to be killed
anymore. And so I had no choice but to kill. Though, I was crushed by the
weight of it once, in the mines… What would I have become without
Daniela? The thought alone is horrifying.
“You did seem pained back in the mines. What about now?”
“I’m fine. It’s because of you.”
“Asagi…”
Daniela’s cheeks reddened a little as she smiled gently.
Ahh, usually this was where we would enter a certain mood, but I’m not an
idiot. This was a place to enjoy the food. A place to taste the blessings of the
forest.
“Hehe. We were supposed to be talking about my country, and yet we’ve
moved the subject to worrying over me.”
“But I am always worried about you. Unlike me, you were not born here.
Your sensibilities, the way you act, it is different.”
“But we can understand each other, can’t we? Then it will be fine.”
“You are right…it is not good to be too protective.”
Daniela said with an uncertain smile. I knew that I would be trouble for her…
“Being too protective won’t do, but I don’t mind being coddled a little once
in a while.”
“Of course, any time. But only when we are alone, alright?”
Usually, this was where I got red in the face and say, ‘if you insist,’ but
Daniela rested her cheek on her hand and her expression changed from the
uncertain smile to the most charming and assured grin.
Ahh, I will follow you for the rest of my life, my lady.

chapter 84
Hanfell
“Your food is ready. Here is the Forest Hare Herb Grill and this is the Fried
Forest Vegetables. And here we have today’s special, the Forest Boar and
Wild Plant and Mushroom Meat Pie!”
The food arrived as we talked. The waitress talked in a leisurely manner, but
her hands were quick as she placed the plates on the table. And she did not
make any mistakes about who ordered what.
“Dessert will be served after you finish eating. Please enjoy.”
Ah, I did forget to say anything about the timing. My mistake. Though, I
guess its normal to bring out the dessert at the end. A waiter would know.
“Let’s eat then.”
“Yes.”
There was a steaming meat pie sitting right in front of me. A meat pie…I’ve
never had one before. I suppose it was like an apple pie but with meat?
I slid my knife in to cut it open and heard a satisfying crunch. Ah, the texture
of something freshly baked. Yeah!
“That looks good…”
Daniela looked at my dish with predatory eyes as she ate her forest hare with
a fork.
“I’ll share it, alright?”
I chuckled as I cut the pie into eight slices like a pizza. The walls of the pie
oozed with juices. This needed to be eaten quickly, or the pie crust would get
soggy. I hate it when tempura and deep fried food get damp.
“You should eat it while it’s hot.”
“Mmm, thank you. I will give you some of mine as well.”
“Thanks. Ah, that’s good…”
Daniela offered me a bite off of her fork, and so I ate it. There was a smell of
herbs, and something tangy? It was very good. I had ordered the meat pie but
was eating the hare first…I needed to eat the pie. It was good manners to eat
your food while it was still hot.
“Hmmm…mm! Mｍｍ, this is good…!”
I cut off a piece and brought it to my mouth. The crunch of the pie crust felt
amazing. The filling inside had the strong flavor of the meat and the chewy
texture of mushrooms, making it a joy to eat. And delicious. The wild plants
inside burned just a little. I liked these kinds of hot spices. I had some spices
in my hollow bag as well. There was one called akapiri seed powder. It
sounded spicy. Daniela even sweated a little as she ate the pie. She was fond
of spicy food, and so I often used akapiri powder while cooking.
Our hands didn’t stop as we continued to eat, and it didn’t take long until our
plates were scraped clean. The fried forest vegetables that Daniela shared
with me were seasoned with salt and also very good. This might be a stupid
question, but I wonder if they have sea salt in this world?
“Here is your dessert! This is the Fruit of the Forest Berulu Sap Stew. And
this one is the Forest Fruit Cake. Is that all you ordered?”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
“Please enjoy.”
The waitress smiled warmly and left us. The timing was perfect…but I guess
it was her job to observe.
“Well, this looks quite nice.”

“So does this berulu sap thing. But it does remind me of that forest goblin…”
“You should not be bothered by such things. This is a delicacy. Let us enjoy
it.”
“Yeah…I’ve been wanting to try this out, really.”
All girls light up when they see something sweet in front of them. A modern
girl would have whipped out her phone and unleashed a storm of camera
flashes. But Daniela only jabbed a knife into her plate. She seemed like the
type who would realize with remorse, that she meant to take a photo only
after she had mutilated her dessert…
The berelu sap stew had the fruit of the forest, while the cake had forest fruit.
I wonder if there was supposed to be a difference, as I break off a piece of the
cake with my fork. It’s not one of those cream-filled cakes, but more of a
pound cake in density. The sweetness and tartness of the fruits are incredible.
This diner was the best. Everything we ate here was excellent.
We licked our lips in satisfaction at our dinner, delighted in our dessert, and
spent our first night at the Leaves in Sunlight inn. And as was promised,
Daniela coddled me well that night.
Then our second day in Valdorf began.
I, of course, woke up in my own room. And of course, Daniela was not next
to me. I’m not sure why I expected anything else.
The morning sunlight streaks through the curtains like a forest roof. The sky
will be clear today, I think, as I get up and wash my face before getting
changed. We would go to the shoe and armor stores that we had found
yesterday. I would have to make sure that anything I buy fits in with my
current equipment. And so I put on everything except for the light armor,
poncho and waist mantle as I head for the diner. I was wearing my old leather
shoes.
“Morning, Daniela.”
“Ah, good morning, Asagi.”
Usually, Daniela would still be in a drowsy state, but the food here had taken
a hold of her it seemed, and she was wholly alert. However, she had some
unfortunate amount of bed hair, a glaring denial of her perfection.
“Daniela, your hair in the back.”
“…Hm? Ah, it has always been this way.”
Lies. Don’t tell lies.
□□□□
We had a spectacular morning meal and went back to our rooms. There I put
on my armor. All of it. No weapons though. I didn’t want to draw any
attention by showing the ancient elven sword. I had heard that such artifacts
were popular among nobles, and I did not want anyone to try and steal it… I
decide to take the iron sword with me, as it was better than nothing. This one
had sentimental value to me, and I didn’t really want to take it out. It was
already in a bad state, and I would hate for it to get worse.
I’m careful to not hit the door or walls with the sheath as I leave the room.
The hollow bag was on my back, and I had everything I needed. And so I
locked the door and handed the key back to Dorothea at the counter.
“Are you going out on a quest then?”
“Nah. My sword and shoes were a little cursed, so I’m getting new ones.”
“Wha-, oh, uh, should I be worried…?”
“The curse seems to be an Asagi exclusive, so I wouldn’t worry.”
“What did you do…?”
Miss Dorothea gave me a suspicious look. What did I do, indeed…
“Asagi.”
I looked in the direction that the voice came from, and there was Daniela in
full battle armor. It was like she was off to go hunt a wyvern. She was even
wearing her mask.
“You two look like you are about to suppress a stampede.”
“With this old iron sword?”
Dorothea laughed heartily, which I returned as we left the inn. We were

headed to the shoe store. They say that fashion starts with shoes. I pull out the
sheet of paper where I had marked the location, in order to check the route.
Turn east at the big fountain on the main road and make a left turn after the
third block. Continue from there to a dark area with a tight row of buildings
that formed a small shopping district. The shoe store was supposed to be
located in this district. It seemed very hidden away when I was copying it off
the map at the information center, and now that we were here, I found that it
really was hard to find. This area seemed like it was purposely hidden. The
word ‘slums’ entered my brain, but the people who walked here were the
same Adventurers and tourists that could be seen on the main street. This
town was pretty safe after all.
The buildings here were also made of wood. Though there were no sprinkler-
like mechanisms installed in the area, except the one near the entrance. There
was likely another by the exit. The shoe store was near the exit.
Shoes lined the front of the store, which had a shoe-shaped sign in front of it.
“Hanfell’s Shoe Store,’ huh.”
“These are good shoes. What about this?”
Daniela picked up a shoe and showed it to me. But it didn’t really look like it
was for Adventurers? And was that a bright red ribbon on it?
“Those shoes raise the force of your magic spells. But you look like a fighter,
so it should be of no use to you.”
A voice suddenly rang. But I couldn’t see anyone. I immediately thought of

ghosts, but why would anyone haunt a shoe store? I was sure that someone
must be near us, and so I kept looking around me.
“Down here!”
“Ouch!!”
I heard the voice and felt something punch my thigh. It was a strangely
effective throw, and I nearly teared up when I looked down to see a child
wielding a wooden hammer. This little shit. He hit me with a hammer!?
“Get out of here if you are not buying! You are hurting my business!”
“Oh, I’ve got business here alright. I’m here to buy shoes. Get out of my way
kid, so I can go inside.”
I was not very amused after being assaulted with a hammer. It may have been
wooden, but that shit hurt.
“Kid!? A kid you say!? Bastard. As if I would sell my shoes to the likes of
you! Get out!”
“Your shoes?”
I looked down at the fuming hammer boy.
“Indeed! All of these shoes were made by me! Hanfell, the shoemaker!”
Is that right? The hammer boy’s name was Hanfell. And now he said he
wouldn’t be selling me any of his shoes. That wouldn’t do. I would have to
fight monsters in plain leather shoes.
“Uh, sorry. Hanfell. Please allow me to buy your shoes.”
“That’s Mister Hanfell. You sandal wearing bastard.”
Grrr! This kid was infuriating!!

chapter 85
Enchantments
“Hanfell, please give me some shoes.”
“You don’t sound too sincere!”
“Hanfell…please give me…some shoes…”
“Hmph, I suppose I have no choice then. Come in.”
This little shit. Who does he think he is… Hitting people with hammers out
of nowhere and then acting like this. If this was a lawless land, I’d separate
his damned face from his body right about now.
The interior of the store was packed tightly with rows of shoes. If this guy
made all of these, well, that was kind of impressive?
Each pair had a tag hanging from them. Let me see…
“‘Slight STR boost.’ So they are enchanted?”
“Yes. Did it myself.”
Huh…that was impressive. They say that you could make a living off of
being an enchanter. If you could make shoes on top of that, you would be a
great craftsman. Though this one had the worst personality.
“I’d want shoes that raise my AGI…”
“Eh?”
“I’d like to…”
“Then look at those shelves. Just grab a pair and bring em here.”
I sigh at his attitude and walk to the shelf that he had pointed at. There were
low cut and high cut shoes and even boots. I was currently wearing cheap low
cut shoes. Hmm, maybe I’ll go for the high cut ones this time.
“These ones look quite nice?”
Daniela said next to me, as she picked up a pair of boots. The enchantment
tag read, ‘Slight AGI boost’…
“Well, they’re kinda like the shoes I’m wearing now, no? I was thinking
about some high cut ones this time.”
“I see…hmm…”
We continued to search together. There were so many designs, that it was

difficult to choose. I didn’t even know much about shoes, but my eyes kept
moving from one pair to another. Even the colors were varied. Colors…that
could be important too. I was Silvergreen, so I should have colors that
matched that. But the more classic brown colors weren’t bad either. Or I
could go for black to match my hair color.
“What about these?”
“Ah, yes.”
Black high cut boots. The enchantment was ‘AGI boost.’ Not ‘Slight boost.’
The price tripled because of that, but it wasn’t outside of my reach. I still had
some money left from that time we prevented a stampede.
“Hey, you little shi-…Hanfell. Is it difficult to cast AGI boost

enchantments?”
“Were you just about to call me a little shit? Ah, well. That enchantment was
the work of my older sister. I can only do slight boosts.”
“Hmm…”
Well, not too impressive now, huh? Okay, being able to do any enchantments
at all was still great… I think I will buy these boots, though. And so I took
them from Daniela and brought them to Hanfell.
“I’ll take these.”
“Ahh… But can you really afford these?”
Hmm. I’m rich, you know? I take out my money from the hollow bag and lay
it on the counter.
“Oh, so you do have some money on you then.”
I give him my best smug expression.
“Don’t look so pleased with yourself!”
“Gggg…”
Alright, whatever!
“Hmph. These shoes are now yours. This pair was made from accel panther
leather. They are famous for their speed. And while they are very durable,
you should take good care of them.”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks.”
He was an annoying little shit until the end. However, these shoes were
comfortable. I didn’t want to admit it, but he knew what he was doing. But
then again, his face would appear in my head every time I walked. And
maybe that was even worse than being cursed.
As it was midday, we made a short return to the Leaves in Sunlight inn in

order to enjoy some forest food before moving on to the weapon shop. We
could have just went directly to the weapon shop, but I didn’t feel like eating
anywhere else after having tasted that food. Except for that one place with the
handsome chef. Not that this was in any way, an informed opinion.
Because really, it was more that this town was so difficult to navigate. Even
the weapons store we were headed in was at the edge of the town. It was
located on the exact opposite side as the shoe store, and the Leaves in
Sunlight inn just happened to be on the way.
New shoes often gave you blisters, but I wasn’t having such problems so far.
He couldn’t have hated me enough for the shoes to hold a grudge. And the
AGI boost…
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What?”
“Do you remember that double AGI shirt from Spiris?”
“Ahh, the one used to advertise the store.”
You could say that.
“Yeah, that one. Do you think it really gave you double AGI?”
“…What do you mean?”
It was something that I had been thinking about for a while.
“My stats have gone up since then. I think probably double of what I had
during that time.”
“Yes, that is right.”
It is. I believe I was over 300 at that point. I am over 600 now. I had only
checked after leaving Spiris, so it wasn’t exact, but it should be close to
double.
During that demonstration, I had moved so fast that it had looked as if I had
disappeared. That was with just a little magic flowing into my clothes. I could
practically disappear now if I used ‘Legs of the Forest Wolf’ to its fullest. But
it was hard to believe the same thing could be achieved with one shirt. AGI
type boosts affected your physical abilities. It didn’t affect skills.
“Was it really double? Was it even an enchantment that affected AGI in the
first place?”
“So you believe that it was a different enchantment, but it was cleverly
disguised?”
“Well, I do now. That speed was very similar to the speed of Legs of the
Forest Wolf.”
As I’ve said, I know what it’s like to use Legs of the Forest Wolf to the
fullest. It was when I was running through the plains. I was fast enough that
the wind was able to shred the grass.
But I still disappeared. It used up a lot of magic too. It was a lot more magic
then what I had used with the shirt.
“‘Legs of the Forest Wolf.’ What even is it? Is it really just a unique skill?”
“Would it not be an enchantment? Seeing as it is magic that was granted by a

monster. By Beowulf.”
“So, this is some kind of status abnormality.”
“I do not know. It has no precedent as far as I know.”
“Yeah. There isn’t. Do you think that maybe some monsters have cast
enchantments on clothes then?”
This was what I was thinking. Some abnormally evolved being, like Beowulf,
had enchanted some clothes with a skill and put it on the market. He had said
that it was achieved by multiple AGI boosts, but that didn’t seem likely. Nick
had also said that he worked with an enchanter…but was that enchanter
really human?
“The mystery deepens, eh?”
“While I’ve gotten used to it, that was the speed I could achieve by using
Beowulf’s skill to the fullest. There is something fishy about being able to
match that with just a little magic. This enchanter that Nick talked about must
be amazing.”
“A human or monster with power that exceeds Beowulf. That’s a bear you
may want to be wary of accidentally poking.”
I agree. I would figure this out the next time we returned to Spiris, or if I ever
happen to hear any rumors about this enchanter.
Now, we’ve arrived at our destination. The Kasil Arms Shop. This town’s
weapon store. As I opened the door, I prayed that this one wouldn’t be run by
an annoying little shit.
chapter 86
A Man Should Be Quiet and Carry a Sword
“Hellooo. I’d like to buy some weapons.”
Kasil Arms Shop was empty. Was it closed then? I wondered, but then again,
the door was unlocked. The walls of the store were lined with all kinds of
weapons. None of them were fancy-looking. Their designs clearly focused on
practicality and function.
And then maybe there was just a small embellishment added to make them
distinct. I liked their way of doing things.
“There’s no one here.”
“Maybe they are in the back?”
“Should we really just walk in here?”
“It is not our fault that there is no one here. If anything, we should make sure
that they will not be inviting any thieves in.”
“Maybe you’re right…I’ll take a look.”
“Yes. I will wait out here.”
As the owner seemed to have no intention of appearing, I talked about it with

Daniela and decided to go towards the back from behind the counter.
There was a hallway behind the door, and there was a light on. Hello? I call
as check the doors.
“Ah, it’s hot…a smithy…? Hello. Anyone here?”
I came out into a large room that was illuminated by the light of a furnace. It
was incredibly warm inside, perhaps because the door was closed. I was
being steamed alive.
“It’s damn hot…but still, it would probably be much worse without this ice
dragon armor…”
Flames were bursting from inside of the furnace. Hot air shot out and
wrecked my hair. I really needed a haircut… I looked around the room, but I
couldn’t see anyone.
“Hmm…I wouldn’t be surprised if someone fainted in this heat, but it doesn’t

look to be the…what!?”
I wiped at the sweat on my forehead and turned around to leave, and saw
someone on the floor behind the door. A bushy beard. A hammer in hand. A
blacksmith in appearance. Judging by his state, it looked like he had lost
consciousness while trying to escape from the room. It had been completely
out of my vision. I frantically ran over to him and tried to pull him up, but he
was too heavy. And so I had no choice but to drag him out of the room.
“Damn, you’re heavy….but we need to get you some help!”
I took out a blanket from the hollow bag that we used when out camping and
somehow managed to roll the blacksmith onto it. Next, I created a block of
ice with magic. I didn’t think about it too much as the thing cracked and
creaked into shape on my palm. Then I put the ice blocks near his neck, under
his arms, and around his feet. And lastly, I froze a wet towel and placed it
over his forehead.
“I guess that just about does it…”
I was pretty sure that this was how to deal with it. There were a lot of shows
on tv that taught you about this in the summer…it’s a good thing I gave them
the minimum amount of my attention necessary. Yes!
“I was getting worried because you were late…what happened here?”
“Ah, Daniela. This guy passed out in the smithy. It was ridiculously hot in
there, so it might be a heatstroke.”
“A heatstroke…is that what happens when you are in a very hot place?”
“You could say that. It happens when you are dehydrated and your salt is
depleted.”
“I see…we must be careful when we visit volcanic mountains.”
I was about to ask when we had ever decided to visit a volcanic mountain,
but the then the blacksmith suddenly groaned and opened his eyes.
“Mmm, mm…”
“Oh, are you awake? How do you feel?”
“Aghhh…my head…who the hell are you…”
He seemed too dazed to stand up and continued to stare at the ceiling. But he
could at least reply to my questions. That was good.
“A customer. There was no one around when we came in, so I tried to look
around, and you had fainted in the smithy.”
“Mgahhh…yes, I was working. I do remember trying to leave the room after

feeling dizzy…but I couldn’t…”
“Yes. You were just one step short of the door, too.”
He was so close. It really was too bad. I guess it showed how preoccupied he
had been with his work. He needed to be more careful if he wanted to
continue to work. That was a big problem for me, as I needed to buy
weapons.
“Sorry…thank you for the help. I am fine now. Let’s go to the store.”
“Are you sure? You don’t have to push yourself, alright?”
“Ah, this is nothing…oh, oh, still a little shaky.”

Maybe he didn’t understand the meaning of fine?
“Ah, you’ll have to pardon me. But I have to sit down because of my head.
So you want weapons, eh? What kind of weapons?”
Blacksmith Kasil sat down on a chair behind the counter and looked up at me
as we started to talk business.
“A one-handed straight sword. And a short sword. Something light and

durable would be great.”
“Hmm…well…ah, sorry. Could you bring that one on the shelf over there….
Yes, that one. That would be the very light model of our one-handed straight
sword.”
I tried holding the sword that he had indicated. It really was light. About the
same as an iron sword. However, the color of the blade was not that of iron.
“What is this made of?”
“That one is made from the carved fang of a leva tiger. It’s a fine piece, made
from the strongest and longest tooth. They say that there is nearly nothing
that that tiger’s fangs cannot cut through. And now it’s been reshaped and
polished. I dare say that you will be able to sever almost anything with it.
Though, it won’t be cheap. People don’t go killing leva tigers until their at
least Ruby Rank.”
He was a lot more talkative than what I’d expect for a man who was
unconscious a few minutes ago…but some people liked to talk when it was
related to their profession…
Apparently, this Ruby Rank was Rank A within the guild. In terms of levels,
it started from 81.
This was quite a sword… It seemed kind of insane to sharpen a fang that
could cut anything. What would happen if my hand slipped… However, I
didn’t require something of this caliber right now. It was not something I was
confident that I could handle. And how was this in a sheath if it could cut
through everything? Quite the contradiction there.
“Ah, I can see it in your face. You are wondering how it is in a sheath, aren’t
you? But this isn’t just any ordinary sheath. This sheath has an enchantment
of Indestructibility. In other words, it will not break. It cannot be cut. That
also brings the price up quite a lot.”
“That seems like it would be a very difficult enchantment to cast.”
“Indeed. It is beyond what an ordinary enchanter could do. I had it especially

done by a famous enchanter.”
Huh, you don’t say.
“And what was this enchanter’s name?”
“Ah? Are you interested then, young lady?”
Daniela intruded! We were supposed to be more careful!
“Her name is Rachel Vanargand. She does not stay at any one location, so
meeting her is close to a miracle. It certainly was for me. I believe she was
headed for the Lambrusen republic next.”
“Rachel…Vanargand…”
Daniela repeated the name as if to carve it into her memory. Lambrusen

huh…I guess we just missed her. This Rachel Vanargand was likely the
enchanter that Nick had talked about. Not the person who enchanted my
equipment, though.
But the name Vanargand caught my interest. Vanargand was another name
for the wolf god, Fenrir. The wolf that swallowed Odin during Ragnarok.
Wolf. A wolf. It was also a wolf that had granted me Legs of the Forest Wolf.
“So, have you decided on it?”
Kasil’s voice brought me back to the present. I looked at the sword in my

hand and shook my head.
“I think I’ll go with something a little more simple.”
“I see. Then try the sword next to it. I think that it should satisfy you. It has
no fancy enchantments. It is a simple sword that excels in durability. That
sword was made by heating armor stone to such a temperature that even a
pyromancer would be shocked by. Unfortunately, it is on the heavy side.”
I pick up the sword that he suggested. This sword that pursued durability
definitely was hefty. A little more so than a steel sword. It had no
unnecessary embellishments, making it no heavier than what was absolutely
necessary. Taking it out of its sheath showed that the blade was an oxidized
silver. The matte surface did not reflect my face.
“Does this sword have a name?”
“Aye, it does. The Glampanzer.”
“Glampanzer…armored demon sword.”
A sword that is named after armor. I like it. I choose you!
“I’ll take it.”
“Good choice! That will be thirty-five gold pieces!”
“Expensive!”
“I’ll make it twenty. Since you helped me!”
“Bought!”
I brought out twenty gold pieces from the hollow bag and handed them over
to Kasil. He carefully counted them one by one before putting them in a safe.
“Now, a short sword is it? I suppose you want this one to be very durable as
well?”
“Yes. Functionality and durability for me.”

“Understood. Hmm, behind that shelf over there…”
And so this passionate business between us men continued. It goes without

saying, that Daniela was not too amused at being completely abandoned, and
made it very clear to me later on.
Ultimately, I was not able to come to a decision, and so I had to go again on

the next day. Daniela had stormed away, saying she would do something on
her own this time. And so I swore that I would buy her something sweet on
the way back, as I opened the door to Kasil’s Arms Shop once again.
chapter 87
A Man Should Be Quiet And Wield A Greatsword
“Hello.”
“Ah, you’re here.”
This time he greeted me behind the counter, instead of fainting.
“I’m sorry to have taken up so much of your time yesterday. Is your

companion still in a bad mood?”
“Yeah. We’ll be acting separately today.”
“Hahaha! Some people don’t understand this passion for swords!”
“It’s practically a male instinct.”
We had a good laugh over that. I’m sure someone was rolling their eyes
somewhere. It couldn’t be helped. A weapon was like a man’s soul. The
material, shape, price. Everything tickled your fancy. Just like the
Glampanzer that now hung on my belt.
“But with all of that said, we’ll wrap this up today, so you do not anger her
any further. Here are the short swords that you were considering yesterday.”
“Hmm…it really is a difficult decision…”
Kasil had laid out four short swords in total.
They were light and durable. One was a Mithril Shortsword, made of that rare
metal.
Then there was the Ruby class Serpent Bite, made from the fang of a saber
serpent.
Next, the Linia Blade, a magical shortsword made from thunder ore that had
an AGI boost enchantment cast on it.
And then the Ashikirimaru, a short sword of unknown origins that he had
found at a market.
I looked at these four swords and nodded. I honestly wanted them all. But I
didn’t have enough money for that. Or, I suppose I did. But I couldn’t spare
to use it all. Hunting another wyvern would solve this dilemma, but that
wasn’t going to happen. I don’t think so.
“So, what will you choose?”
“I like them all.”
“Glad to hear it. You can take them all if you have the coin!”
I gritted my teeth over my financial woes, but I really did need to make a
decision here, or Daniela would not be amused. She may not even be at the
inn when I return.
“The one that interests me the most, is this resold one.”
“Don’t call it that. Indeed, It was something that I purchased a long time ago,
but it is a good blade. But I will give you a discount, as it is not new.”
“The Ashikirimaru, huh.”
The name sounded Japanese, and it even resembled a Japanese shortsword.

Who was this peddler who had sold it? They were all calling to me, but this
one called the loudest. The others had appealing materials, but this one had a
name and shape that drew me in a way that was hard to describe. The voice in
my head was screaming at me to choose it.
“I’ve decided. Give me the Ashikirimaru!”
“Alright, that’s ten gold pieces!”
“Isn’t this an old resold thing? I want fifty percent off.”

“Not today. This is a business. Still, you did help me yesterday… You can
have it for six gold pieces!”
“Bought!”
Heh. The mysterious sword was mine for a good price. Not that six pieces of
gold was cheap, but it somehow felt cheap for this sword. I couldn’t help but
feel that this was that important.
I paid the money and then equipped the sword to my belt in the back. And
with this, I have regained everything I had lost because of that assault
kobold!
“Is that all you are buying?”

“Yes, thank you. It was nice doing business with you.”
“Heh, I’m glad to have finally had a customer who understands things!”
We shake hands. It was a friendship between men who were passionate about
swords.
“I’ve gotten everything back. But now I think I want something entirely
new…”
“You’re still buying? Well, fine. What did you have in mind?”
He folded his arms behind the counters and gave me a wicked grin.
“I want a greatsword.”
Damn it, that Asagi. He had some nerve abandoning me completely in order
to choose some weapon. I suppose that was how it feels to be invisible. I am
hurt. This was cause to find something to eat. To heal my heart and satisfy
my stomach.
And so I walked down Valdorf’s main street. The inns that lined the streets
discharged throngs of tourists and Adventurers. They were probably going on
walks after having eaten breakfast. But I was different. I was on my way to a
second breakfast. You might call it a journey of healing.
I searched for such a beautiful place, but all I could find were inns. It irritated
me greatly, but then I remembered that this was a post town. This frustration
was not helping my healing process at all. Asagi had a lot to answer for. I
was always in a good mood, as long as I had his attention… Damn it, perhaps
I really should have gone to his room last night. I passed by the information
center as I walked, but I felt like relying on it would be an admission of
defeat, so I continued on.
Everywhere I looked, it was inns. So I decided to gamble a little. I made

random turns and entered alleys. If there was a dead end, I would use wind
magic to jump over it and continue walking on the other side. And after
walking like this for some time, an appetizing smell finally reached my nose.
Finally! And then I search for the origin of this smell while relying on the
detection abilities of my nose.
I made several more turns and came out into a market area. It was not the
same one I had entered yesterday with Asagi. It was filled with much more
tourists. People walked around carrying a variety of things that looked like
gifts. There must be a lot of stores selling novelty items here. But the smell
that I had discovered was coming from here. And so it must be here. I
concentrated all of my heart and soul into the tip of my nose as I started to
walk again.
There was a store with a sign. Tree Stump Arbor. So this was the promised
land that my senses were leading me to. The rich smells made my nose feel
numb. This was it. This was surely a place that could heal my aching heart.
There was nothing to do but enter once you have decided. A woman should
be quiet and move forward.
“Customer? Take a seat.”
I was not the warmest person in the world, but I would like to think I was not
as bad as this man.
It was not my style to act arrogant just because I was a customer, but I could
not help but feel that he could be nicer. I take a seat and look at the menu.
Hmm, these dishes had some fancy names. These places may excel in taste,
but their portions were always too small. Who knows what kind of foolish
way they would serve the food. They were bound to give a portion that was
no larger than a goblin’s hand, and then ask for fifty gold pieces. In that case,
I should keep that in mind when ordering. I have the money. There was still
quite a lot from the reward for stopping the stampede and selling the
materials gained in the mines.
“Here is my order. Venison Steak. Sauteed Boar with Wild Vegetables. And
Today’s Soup Set. Also two Berulu Nectar Ice Creams for dessert.”
“You sure about that? I’ll have you pay extra if you can’t eat all of it. Food
isn’t for free.”
“Do not underestimate me. I always eat what is set in front of me. I consider
it a matter of courtesy.”
“Hmph…you understand then. Very well. You won’t be disappointed with

this meal.”
Hmm, he was not as terrible as I thought. Well, his attitude was, but he knew
his craft. Those who make food and those who eat it. It is when these two can
understand each other, that true happiness is born.
I had come here to heal and to feel happy. Now, let us see if he can satisfy
me!
On this day, I learned just what happiness was. And I also learned, that in
order to know true happiness, Asagi had to be there. My heart felt completely
whole now, as if it were reborn. It was calling for him. Asagi, I am coming
for you. I just need some time to allow this food to digest. I was a little
shocked at the amount of food that was served. But I will go as soon as I am
able. Just wait. Uhghhu…
□ □ □ □
“A greatsword? Don’t you fight with a single-handed sword?”
“I want to switch it up. My goal is to be an expert with any weapon.”
“It is those kinds of people that end up as a ‘jack of all trades and master of
none.’ I think you are better off trying to master the single-handed sword
alone.”
“And what is wrong with being a jack of all trades! With enough time, I
could be a master of all! I do want to use a single-handed sword, but I want to
master the greatsword too!”
“What the hell is a ‘master of all’? Bah, fine! If you want a greatsword, I’ll
bring you the best one we got!”
So saying, Kasil moved away from the counter and disappeared behind the
rows of shelves. I was never amused by anyone insulting the idea of being a
‘jack of all trades and master of none,’ though the sudden inspiration of
saying ‘master of all’ had me grinning.
“What’s up with you?…creep…”
“Ah! Cough. Cough. …So, the greatsword?”
“Don’t think you can fool me… But here it is, the best greatsword I have. Its
name is Schwarz Tempest.”
Was that like a black storm? I don’t know if it was because this was another
world, but things seemed a little mixed up…
“This sword was carved from the fossilized bones of an ancient monster
known as a tempest whale. These bones have been soaked with magic that is
such a dark blue, that it is nearly black… It’s potential in attack power is
something great.”
“Dark blue…then it should suit me pretty well.”
“Is that right? Then maybe it is fate… This sword, it was made by my master,
before he died.”
Kasil said a little somberly as he looked at the blade.
“My master did not have the red colored magic that was considered vital for a
blacksmith. What magic he carried was dark blue. Everyone mocked him for
it, but he did not give up on smithing. And he eventually became one of the
greatest blacksmiths in the empire. Impressive, eh?”
“Yes. I can’t imagine how much effort that must have taken.”
“Indeed. It was a lot of sweat and blood. I tried many times to pull him away,
but he never stopped working. And this was the last sword that he made.
They say that your soul will reside in the last sword that you made. And these
tempest whale bones must have flowed through many sellers before they
reached this place. And my master put his soul into it. This is the best sword
that you could buy.”
I looked away from him and turned to the dark blue greatsword. Schwarz
Tempest.
This great sword had a faint aura that was dark blue, like the vast sea or great
sky.
“Asagi, I am entrusting you with this sword. This may be what fate wants.
Take it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, I am! Now, I’m beginning to want to make a sword to surpass
this one. Farewell!”
He wiped at the area below his nose before vaulting over the counter and
disappearing in the back. I bowed and strapped Schwarz Tempest to my back
and left the store. The soul of a passionate man was on my back. I would
have to live in a way that would not bring shame to it.
Now, it was time to butter up Daniela and see how she was doing. Men
should be quiet and kiss ass.
chapter 88
Find the Missing Person on Foot
This greatsword was heavy. I wish I could toss it into the hollow bag, but I
was hardly going to survive using it if I didn’t get used to the weight. It was
while I was moving my shoulders and trying to get the blood flowing again,
that I arrived at the Leaves in Sunlight inn. It was almost time for lunch.
“Now, let’s hope she’s back…”
She wasn’t anywhere near the front. Perhaps the dining hall? She had the
most serious stance when it came to dining. She would probably not even
wait for me.
I push the door open. The entrance hall of the Leaves in Sunlight inn was
always calm, as if time was moving slower. Just like the first day, that was
just the kind of place this was. I cross the room as I take this in, and arrive at
the counter. Dorothea wasn’t here today, it was some male employee who I
had never seen before. I asked for my key and promptly walked up the steps
on the left side until I reached the third floor. My room was the first one on
the left, 301. The key goes in, the lock is removed, and the forest-like room
enters my vision. The green interior was easy on the eyes, and very relaxing.
I drop my belongings onto the bed and change my clothes. The rest of the day
would be spent lazily, so I could dress roughly.
“Ahh, I feel so much lighter…might as well go and eat then…”
I put the Schwarz Tempest in my bag. I wasn’t actually expecting it to fit in,
so it was a little shocking when it slid in so smoothly. It really did give me
the impression that its capacity had increased. I would like to one day meet
those palace magician’s that Matsumoto talked about, and have them inspect
it.
The waitress greeted me at the entrance of the dining hall. And then she led
me to the same table that we sat at the last time. Daniela was not there.
“That’s strange…she’d never miss a meal…”
I decided to wait a while before ordering. The other customers ordered their
food, ate and left. Eventually, it was only me and a few others that remained.
And there was still no signs of Daniela’s arrival.
It was almost two hours of waiting now. This was not right.
“I’m sorry, but my partner didn’t come today, so I will be leaving.”
I called the waitress and told her why I was leaving. She tilted her head to the
side and looked towards the entrance.
“That is strange. Miss Daniela usually comes as soon as we are open…”
“Yes, perhaps something has happened to her. I have to go and take a look.
We’ll be back for dinner.”
“Be safe. This is a peaceful town, but you never know.”
“I’m sorry for the trouble, and thank you.”
I felt pretty bad, as we had already paid for our meals, and the ingredients had
been prepared. But I wanted to eat with Daniela. There were times when I did
eat alone, but I wanted to eat with her at this inn.
I returned to my room and removed my equipment from the bag again. I

should train constantly, I think, as I strap the greatsword to my back. The
unfamiliar weight was tiresome, and I had to be careful that I didn’t get
caught on anything as I navigated my way out and down the steps.
As I was walking down the stairs, a certain thought came to me. ‘What if I
carried this like a guitar case?’ I was currently carrying it in the generic
diagonal way that characters carried their greatswords. After testing it out, it
really was easier. But then I realized…I couldn’t pull the sword out like this.
I was disappointed at the level of my own stupidity, but then another idea
came to me. I could hang it over my shoulder like those tote bags I used to
take on my night shift. It was also easier, but the sword extended both to the
front and back, which was dangerous…
I went about testing different styles on the stairs, but the looks I was getting
from other customers were not kind, and so I settled with the guitar case style
until I reached the first floor.
There, I asked the receptionist if he could tell Daniela to wait in her room if
she returned, and left the inn behind be. Man, that was embarrassing.
Enough of that. It was a short walk to the main street. Once I was there, I
looked around in hopes of finding her. But of course…
“I don’t see anyone who looks like her…Presence Detection…”
It did not find her either. I tried to cover a wider area, but perhaps I was just
not adept enough, because so many other presences came in like noise, and I
could not find hers. It looked like I needed more training.
I didn’t think there was any point in running around randomly. After all, the
only places I knew were the little shit’s store and Kasil’s. There was also that
restaurant. If anyone would find their way there, it was Daniela. But I’d
check there last…I didn’t like it, but I would have to check the little shit’s
store first. What was his name again?
□ □ □ □
“Hello. I was wondering if you’ve seen my partner? She was here with me
yesterday.”
“What? Who do you think I am? Get out of here if you aren’t buying any
shoes!”
Tsk. Useless little shit. Is he incapable of having a conversation?
“I can practically hear what you’re saying in your head!”
“Oh, don’t mind me. Good day.”

“Grr…bastard…”
I bought my shoes, so I really had no more business here. I’m never coming
back here again!
“Sorry, I was wondering if you saw my partner around here?”
“Well, this is a surprise. Oh, but it suits you well! Yes, they are fine, aren’t
they? These greatswords! A man should carry a greatsword!”
“This is not the best time for that. We’ll lose track of time again!”
“Ah, yes, yes. I’m not exactly free either. So, the young lady? Haven’t seen
her. Have you two been fighting?”
“No. But she hasn’t been back for lunch, and that has me a little worried.”
“I see. I wish that I could help you, but I’ve only just started the heating the
furnace. Sorry.”
“No, no. I hope you make something really good. Excuse me.”
“Aye!”
She hadn’t been there either. Well, my last hope was the Tree Stump Arbor.
Where did Daniela go?
□ □ □ □
“Hm? Oh, it’s you. Here to eat again?”
“Sorry, I’ve come looking for someone.”
“Ah, so you are not a customer then. Leave.”
“Right. Well, I just wanted to ask you if a woman with platinum blonde hair
and a healthy appetite came today?”
“That she did. She ate everything that was served and left.”
Daniela! You did come here!
“So, what time was it that she came!?”
“Around nine. She bombarded me with orders, scraped the plates clean and
then left for the park over there.”
“Thank you! I’ll go and look! I’ll be back!”
“It better be as a customer. I’ll have some good food prepared for you.”
Damn, as smooth as ever. Even that smile at the end was bound to be
effective.
But I needed to find Daniela. I hope it wasn’t something stupid, like she had
eaten too much and was unable to move… Anyway, to the park.
□ □ □ □
There was a park just outside of the market area. A small patch of open land
with flower beds… A small park. There were several benches in the corner,
and I could see children gathering near one. But Daniela was nowhere in
sight. I’ll try asking them…
“Hey, you kids. Have you seen a blonde lady around here?”
“Blonde lady? You mean this person?”
“Hm?”
The child who answered me pointed to the bench. My eyes followed the
small finger to what was a bloated Daniela lying down.
“Ah, yes. That’s the one.”
“It is! So you found her!”

“Yeah. Thanks.”
I gave them all a pat on the head, and they laughed and ran away. Children
were so honest and fun!
“This person on the other hand… Hey, Daniela. Get up. Get up.”
“Uhh…no, I cannot eat anymore…”
“Sleep talk when you’re sleeping, you stupid bastard.”
I try shaking her as stupid words pour out of her mouth until her eyes slowly
open.
“Mmm…ahh…it is Asagi…”
“And you are Daniela. What are you doing here?”
“I ate too much and…rested…slept…it would seem.”
“Seem? You were practically passed out!”
So it was overeating. That was embarrassing. But after a calm conversation, I

learned that the reason lay with me. Well, I wouldn’t say it was all on me, but
it didn’t change that I was in the wrong…
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to neglect you, Daniela, not at all. Um, it’s
just that, the manly part of my soul can misbehave.”
“Well, it is not as if I do not understand it… But I hope you are going to
make up for it today?”
“Yeah, definitely. I don’t know if it’ll be much as reparation, but how about
we get something to eat!”
It was the best offer I could think of for her. However, something most
unimaginable came from her lips.
“No, no more for today…”

Would it rain rocks tomorrow? Voicing my disbelief like that earned me a
smack on the head. Now, I was clearly not in the wrong this time.
Unfortunately, there was no one around to support me.
That night, we had a light(Daniela not so much) dinner and stayed together in
my room until morning. The details of the night will be omitted here, but I
will say that Daniela’s mood was much improved on the following morning.
chapter 89
Farewell, Valdorf
“It’s been a hectic four days here, huh?”
“It has. We have already paid the inn, so we need only gather our belongings
and leave.”
We had arrived in the afternoon, and the day after that was spent replacing
my assault kobold equipment. This continued into the third day, and I also
had to retrieve the immobile Daniela from the park. And that brings us to
today.
It would have been nice to have spent the time relaxing and doing some
sightseeing…but trouble really did come unexpectedly. In this case, from
right under my feet. Damn it, I could never let my guard down.
“At least you were able to buy some nice equipment because of it.”
Well, I guess. I’m definitely relieved that it worked out.”
The greatsword hung on my shoulder and the shortsword was attached to my

belt. I lifted up my leg and flashed the black boots as well. Daniela folded her
arms and inspected them.
“It all looks good to me. But can you really wield that greatsword?”
“I intend to. Don’t worry.”
I make a confident fist. Buying new weapons always got me a little pumped
up. I would fight the first monster I see after leaving this town.
We restocked on some food and that was it. There was nothing else to do for
preparations. Food was all you needed. We hadn’t used our other camping
equipment that much, and they were in good condition. There was also
nowhere else to visit. Normally I would go around and say goodbye to
everyone, but there was no point in doing it here. Dorothea wasn’t even at the
inn, so we never even got started. Well, maybe we should at least say
something to Kasil. No need to check on the little shit, though.
“We’ll leave as soon as we say goodbye to Kasil. Is that fine with you?”
“Ah, the blacksmith. His shop was on the side of the empire, so it is on the
way.”
And so we went to see Kasil.
“Hello.”
“Ah, here you are again. What is it this time?”
Kasil was sitting on a chair behind the counter as he polished a shortsword.

He looked up at me and sighed.
“Just thought I’d say something before leaving town. Thanks for everything.”
“Ah, is that what it is. Aye, travel safely then!”
He sheathed the shortsword and stood up to extend his hand. I accepted it

with a tight grip. This was was followed by a suffocating embrace and a
series of painful slaps.
“But really, I’m lucky to have been able to acquire such good weapons. Why
is such a skilled blacksmith like you in a place like this?”
I couldn’t help but find it odd. He would make much more money if he
moved his business away from this post town, and to a more lively city.
“Ahh, about that. I am asked this constantly. But it is my desire to give good
weapons to people who come to the empire, and to people who leave it. By
giving them the blade that will protect them, I am praying for their safety.
Well, that was what my master believed, and I am just following him!”
He said with an embarrassed chuckle. What a nice guy.

“I hope that you continue to pray for the safety of such travelers.”
“Aye, and you two be careful. I’ll be praying for you!”
Kasil’s Arms Shop. I would recommend it to anyone who was traveling to

the empire. The good-natured owner is guaranteed to give you the finest
weapon. Well, in exchange for money.
□ □ □ □
There was a large town that could be reached after a two days travel from
Valdorf’s eastern gate and passing through a small village.
It was called the Adventurer’s Town. A town that had given birth to
numerous renowned Adventurers. Dragonslayers. Dungeon Crawlers. World
Travelers. I didn’t know much about it all, but they were famous. And it was
this bustling town, that would be our next destination.
We had just passed the eastern gate now, and I was asking Daniela about this
town as we walked.
“We should be able to get precise information there. Knowledge about the
empire and its monsters.”
“I see… I guess we have to go too, since Valdorf didn’t have a guild.”
Apparently, it was the guards of Valdorf that took care of exterminating the
monsters. It just wasn’t a town that suffered from monsters too much, to
begin with, and so they didn’t require a guild. We had been quite
disappointed about this when we found out.
When it was slightly past midday, Daniela detected the presence of grass
wolves. The yellowish green wolves inhabited this country as well, and they
were now coming straight at us. I pulled out my greatsword as soon as I was
able to detect them myself. Schwarz Tempest. Indigo bone that had been
reinforced by the blacksmith to the point that it looked black. It was only
when the sunlight hit the blade, that you remembered that it was actually
blue.
“It is a beautiful sword.”
“Yeah. The finest sword made by Kasil’s master.”
I heave it up in front of me. It was heavy, but ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of
None’ showed me how to hold it, and how to stay balanced. I would not have
been able to use such an unfamiliar weapon without it. I would be forced to
practice with a wooden one first. This really was a cheat skill. Still, being
only a little better than average was not enough to become unbeatable. It was
‘Master of None’ after all. But it was all I had, and so I would make the most
of it. You just had to use it right, and you would be able to do anything well.
“Here they come.”
Daniela glared at the bushes ahead of us. Judging by their presence and
movements, it was obvious that they would jump out of there. I take it all in,
then run forward as I raise the greatsword into the air.
“RWAARGH!”
With a howl, the grass wolf jumps out of the bushes, just as my sword swings
mercilessly down. The sword draws a black arch in the air as it falls to the
earth. The grass wolf splits into two without any resistance at all.
“Woah.”
I had swung so hard that it slammed into the ground and kicked up a storm of
dust into the air. Thankfully, a wind blew from behind and carried it away. It
was Daniela.
Presence Detection was telling me that there was one more grass wolf. It was
spying on us now that the first wolf had been killed, but it quickly turned
around and ran away. It must have understood that it was no match for us. I
put the sword back into its sheath and hang it over my shoulder.
“Huh…”
“How was it? Your new weapon.”

“Ahh, thanks. It’s good. A bit heavy, but it packs a punch because of it. I’m
really looking forward to seeing what happens when it has got some magic
flowing through it.”
Blue magic into the blue sword. It would likely activate water-based magic. I
couldn’t wait, and so I used ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ to play it in
my head. The sword was covered in water. The water itself was sharp like a
blade, and it extended further than the original sword. The simulation showed
the greatsword cutting through a large tree. It was kind of frightening to
watch.
I shook my head and turned the footage off with a sigh. That Kasil…he gave
me quite the weapon.
“What is it? You look very pleased with yourself.”
“Oh, I was just thinking about how awesome this is.”
“Hehe. I see.”
She smiled happily next to me. We walked together, smiling under the bright
sun. It was peace itself.
It was nearing evening, so we decided to search for a campsite. A decently

open area that would not get in anyone’s way. That was what we wanted.
Around us was open prairie with a few secluded trees. We had been walking
for seven hours since leaving Valdorf, but the scenery had yet to change.
Seven hours huh…I was definitely stronger than I used to be. It was quite a
change from the pale guy who worked the night shift. I doubt that Matsumoto
had that much of a dramatic change, since he was an athletic student. I was
thinking such pointless thoughts when Daniela called out to me.
“Asagi, there are signs of someone camping over there. Let us do the same.”
“That’s great. It shouldn’t be dangerous if others were there.”
There were signs of a bonfire too. Though there was no heat, so it would have
been from a while ago. The grass in the area had been cut, and there was only
dirt there, so there was no chance of causing a fire. There were also perfectly
convenient flat rocks around where the bonfire had been. They were clearly
to be used as chairs. There were three of them. A party of three.
In any case, this would be our campsite.
“Daniela, you make the fire with this wood.”
“Aye.”
We quickly prepared to set camp. Daniela did the fire. I did the tent. We used
a magic tool(priced at sixty silver pieces) to light the mountain of firewood. It
would burn really well, as long as you were careful to maintain it.
Making the tent just involved putting the frame together and throwing the
cover over it. Then you just hammered in some stakes to keep it grounded.
Setting up a campsite should be swift.
“Now, we just have to do the food.”
“Asagi, I think I may die from starvation.”
“Stop acting stupid and go set up the magic barrier.”
“Grrr…”
Daniela gave me a begrudging look as she picked up the four barrier tools
from the bag(fifty gold pieces per device) and disappeared into the field. She
would be back soon enough, and so I pulled out the pot and filled it with cut
vegetables and magic water. Then I put the lid on and set it over the fire.
Daniela returned and sat down in order to stare vacantly at the pot. Her
unfocused eyes seemed to be thinking about something else. Once the pot
was boiling, I removed the lid and added some salt and spices. Then I put the
lid back on and placed some meat skewers around the fire. Dinner would be
ready as soon as these were.
“Here, it’s done.”

“Hmm, thank you.”
I passed her a meat skewer and drank some soup. Ahh, it was good. My
cooking skills were improving…
With a sigh, I look up and gaze at the sky. There was a gradation of orange
and deep blue and stars that were slowly becoming visible.
How many days had passed since I came to this world? Did they catch that
thief? How was the manager doing? My mom and dad must be so worried.
Up until now, I had been too preoccupied to even think back on these things.
I would want to return if I could, but I would never go and leave Daniela
behind. I now believed that this world would be my final resting place.
It was as I considered such whimsical ideas, that the sky became full of stars,
and the orange hues disappeared passed the horizon.
chapter 90
Countryside
The light of the bonfire illuminated the area. The crackling of the firewood
was music to my ears. I extend the reach of Presence Detection, even as I
watch the swaying flames. But there is nothing around us, and I yawn and
chuckle to myself.
Daniela was sleeping in the tent. It was currently around 3 o’clock in the
night. I had taken the second watch, but there was little to do besides keeping
the fire going by adding wood. And so I decided to use the time to boil some
boar bones for the morning’s soup. I removed the scum with a spoon as I
gazed at the two moons in the night sky. I didn’t understand how it worked,
but the third moon was not visible tonight.
Eventually, the moons moved to the western sky, and the eastern side began
to grow with a pale light. The dawn was almost here. And we had still not
seen any monsters. Not even one animal. It had been a quiet and peaceful
night.
I went to wake up Daniela once the sun came up. When I peeked into the
tent, Daniela was wrapped in a blanket and sleeping softly. I poke at her
adorable face and pull her out of the world of dreams.
“Daniela, it’s morning.”
“Mmm…mmm…”
“Come on, get up. It’s morning.”
“Mmmmm…”
Perhaps I had poked her a little too much, because she now hid under the
covers. In that case, there was nothing for me to do but pull up the blankets
where her feet were. And touch her with the block of ice I had generated.
“Ahh!?”
“Ah, there you are.”
“Whawhaa…what are you doing!”
“A prank, since you wouldn’t get up.”
“Tsk…I will remember this, Asagi…”
She glares at me as I pull her up to her feet. Now, it was time for breakfast.
Daniela would wash her face if you left her a bucket full of water. And so I
prepared our breakfast in the meantime. I took the bones out of the pot that
had been boiling from the night before. The soup would probably be fine as it
was, as I was careful to remove the scum. But the chef inside me was not
satisfied with that. And so I took out some ingredients from the hollow bag
and tossed them into the pot after chopping them up. Then I sandwiched
some vegetables and ham with bread. Once the soup was ready, the
Traveler’s Breakfast ‘Asagi Special’ would be complete.
“Mmm…something smells very good.”
“I’ve been boiling it since last night. I was bored.”
“I see. Peace is the best…”
“Exactly. Let’s eat then.”
We bit into our ham sandwiches and drank our soup. The morning air and
chirping of birds really added to this moment of peace. The soup that had
taken hours to make had turned out great, and the vegetables in the ham
sandwiches were fresh and crunchy.
“What should we do today?”
“Mmm…we walk today as well. There is a village ahead of us, but I doubt
that we will reach it. If things continue to go smoothly, we should arrive by
midday tomorrow.”
“Got it. Well, we’ll take it easy. We aren’t in a rush here.”
“Yes…we have plenty of food as well. Let us just be careful to not get
injured. That was delicious.”
“You’re already finished? Hey, wait…”
“It was so good that I could not stop eating. You relax and enjoy the meal. I
will do the cleanup.”
“Thank you…mmm…”
“It is nothing.”
Stuff like that was becoming more common as we traveled together. I guess it
was because of our mutual affection and that we had become closer. But I
wasn’t going to rest on my laurels either. You should be respectful even
when you were close. Give and take.
I hurriedly stuffed the rest of the food down my throat and stood up to help.
□□□□
Eventually, or should I say, finally, the scenery around us changed. The

flatlands slowly turned into slopes as we entered hilly terrain. We climbed a
gentle hill and stood on top. It was strangely chilly, but the weather was nice.
There were horse-like wild animals feeding on the grass. Sometimes they
would get up and run, which was entertaining to watch. I wished that I had a
camera with me.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What is it?”
“That’s not a monster, is it?”

“Aye, it is an ordinary horse.”
“Hmm.”
You could hear the loud stomping, but there were no signs of them coming
towards us. I guess they were just exercising after a meal…how peaceful.
“Let’s take a break. I’m tired.”
“Yes…the weather is fine, so we can rest here for a while.”
I remove my equipment and sprawl out on the grass. The wind gently
caresses my face. Was it a spirit? The clouds that floated in the sky looked
like you might be able to touch them if you stretched your hand out. But once
you did, the infinite sky felt like it would swallow you up. Daniela looked at
me strangely as I jerked my hand back, but I shook my head to say that it was
nothing.
She was lying down next to me as we looked at the clouds, when birds came
flying. A red-colored pair that sang and played as they soared above our
heads.
“I wonder if they are a couple.”
“Who knows. Perhaps they are brothers.”
We chuckle as we look up at them. Eventually, the two birds moved away

from us, as if suddenly remembering that they had something to do.
The wind blew, and only the sounds of the moving grass entered our ears. I
looked over to Daniela, and saw that she was sleeping. She was so relaxed.
But, hmm, I was getting drowsy too.
A yawn escapes me. I make a half-hearted attempt to fight it, but then quickly
succumb to the lure of sleep.
□□□□
“Mmm… Achoo! Mm…damn it, I fell asleep…”

It was a sneeze caused by the cold that woke me. It was really careless of me
to fall asleep in the middle of a field. I guess it was because I had not gotten
enough sleep last night. I looked to the side and saw that Daniela was sitting
up.
“Ahh, you are awake.”
“Sorry. I slept way too much.”
“Do not worry about it. It was only that you looked so comfortable like that, I
could not wake you up.”
“Uh…I wasn’t making any weird faces then?”
“You looked cute to me.”
“Ah…”
I look away in embarrassment as she smiles. And then I saw that the sun had
fallen in the western sky. I had slept for so long. There was no point in
walking now. We would have to camp here tonight.
□□□□
That night too was uneventful until the morning. As I had made breakfast
yesterday, it was Daniela’s turn today. When I finished washing my face, I
saw bacon, eggs, and toast set out on our plates. It was a great menu that
stimulated one’s appetite.
“Let’s eat.”
“Here’s yours.”
We ate our breakfast together. The eggs and bread were delicious and cooked
just right. I’m so glad she wasn’t one of those girls who turned food into dark
matter…
This time we finished at the same time and cleaned up together. It is fun to
continue traveling with someone as you help each other. The things we did
every day might be the same, but the scenery changed, and it was fun seeing
what the other person would cook. It made me really regret that I had not
widened my repertoire in terms of cooking. But that could always be
changed. I wanted to make even better dishes for Daniela.
“We should arrive at the village tonight.”
“Now that I think of it, we’ve only gone to developed towns or cities up until
now.”
“Villages are nice and quiet, but some do not have inns.”
Apparently, such villages would often allow you to stay in open houses. A
countryside homestay? That sounded very appealing to me. But Daniela was
not crazy about such events full of communication opportunities…
“So, what is this village called?”
“Ahh, what was it…”
“Hey, hey. I’m counting on you, master Daniela.”
“Sorry. I was too interested in the Adventurer’s Town, that I forgot to look it
up.”
“Ah, is that right. I don’t blame you for that. I’m interested in that place as
well.”
“Yes, yes. I am not to blame. By the way, the Adventurer’s Town is called
Replant.”
Yes, that was really useful to us now… It seemed like we were being a little
rude to the village we were about to arrive in, but I guess we’d find out what
the name is soon enough.
The sun was still high. And we would apparently arrive soon by just walking,
so I wanted to test out my gear a little.
These boots were made from accel panther leather, and that suggested
enhanced speed. I was looking forward to seeing what would happen with a
little magic…and so I hadn’t used ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ to
spoil the fun.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
“I want to experiment with my equipment. Like, how fast can I run with you
on my back.”
“Hmm… But you have to stop if it becomes dangerous. Alright, now

crouch.”
She gladly accepted my request. I love her. I carry her up and concentrate on
sending magic into my boots. I was momentarily reminded of what happened
with the assault kobold, but I could feel the power entering my feet, and there
was no miasma this time.
“Okay, here I go.”
“Understood.”
I enjoyed the sensation of her chest pressing into me as she held on tight. My
foot pressed into the dirt, and then I ran.
“Oh, ohhh!”
“This…is…fast!”
It really was quite fast. Perhaps close to 40 kilometers per hour… I would be
even faster if I wasn’t carrying Daniela. Could I run like this all the way to
the village? Instead of increasing my speed, I keep it level. Thanks to that, we
were able to reach the village just as the sun began to set.
…There was a gate. It had no doors. No doors meant no defense walls. I

guess they didn’t have the funds. It really was the countryside. There were
fewer houses then the village that my grandmother lived in.
“Ah, so what does that say?”
“It says, ‘Welcome to Senka Village.’ This is Senka Village then.”
“I see.”
Does that mean that I can’t read Flugelnian? As I stare at it hard, I start to feel
like I do understand the meaning of the words. I guess it changes when
necessary for me. I felt yet another wonder of being in another world, as we
passed through the gate of Senka Villiage.
chapter 91
Good Village, Good People, Good Things
“Who are you? Where are you from?”
“We’ve come from Valdorf. Are there any inns here?”
“Ah, travelers. Sorry to tell you, but there ain’t no inns here…go and ask the
chief. Maybe there’ll be an empty house.”
“Thank you. That’s very helpful.”
The first villager we met was a nice person who was carrying a hoe.
Thankfully, it seemed like it wouldn’t be one of those typical villages. You
know, where you witness a mysterious ritual, there is a strange noise and an
earthquake and before you know it, you are stuck there forever. And then I
would get shot by an officer. Horrifying.
In any case, we would start by looking for this chief’s house. Well, there
were not many houses here, so the one large one was easy to find. There was
a ninety-nine percent chance that this was the chief’s house. Daniela was
folding her arms as if she were my supervisor. I leave it all to you. That’s
what was written all over her face. I guess it was up to me to negotiate.
“Helloo. Is the chief here?”
I shouted as I knocked on the door. Then we heard footsteps coming from the
other side and the door slowly opened.
“…Who is it?”
“Are you the chief?”

“…No.”
“Asagi, why would this child be the chief…”
“Well, you never know…”
The person who had opened the door was a young girl. It wasn’t my fault that
I had wondered if some fantasy elements would come into effect and a child
chief would pop out as a result.
“…My grandpa is the chief.”
“Oh, is that right? I thought so. Is your grandpa home?”
“…Yes. Come in.”
The little girl opened the door and invited us in. The inside of the house was
clean and tidy, and seemed to have an earthen floor. We walked in still
wearing our shoes, and then an old man appeared from the back.
“Hm? Who are you people?”
“Travelers. We really need a place to stay for one night…”
“Ahh, that is too bad. But there are no inns in this village. But we can lend
you an empty house instead. It should be rather dusty, as it has not been
cleaned in a while. But it’s free.”
“Thank you so much. We’ll clean it before using it. Oh, and allow us to
introduce ourselves. I am Asagi. This is Daniela.”
“A pleasure.”
“I am called Rengel, the chief of this village. We may only know each other
for today and tomorrow, but I hope that we can get along well.”
Ah, he was thankfully, a nice person. I shook his offered hand and we
finished our introductions. Then the little girl came to us with some brooms.
Three of them.
“…I’ll help you.”

“Are you sure? Thanks. Oh, what’s your name?”
“…Merica.”
“Merica. Let’s clean that place together.”
“…Yes.”
She smiled a little. A very quiet but good-natured child. Alright, big Asagi
will pat you on the head.
“The empty house is on the outskirts of this village. Here is the key. Merica,
don’t get in their way.”
“…Yes, I’ll be careful.”
“Rengel, thank you. We’ll take good care of the place while we use it.”
“Bah, this place is peace itself. I don’t think anything could happen. Relax
and enjoy it.”
He said, and then disappeared in the back once again. The three of us carried
our brooms and left the chief’s house to go to the empty house. We greeted
any villagers that we met on the way. The house that we arrived at within
minutes was very, uh, small. Though, I wouldn’t exactly call it a shack. It
looked like there had been some maintenance going on.
I used the key to open the door. It was unsurprisingly quite dusty inside. And
so I took out three clean handkerchiefs from the hollow bag and handed them
to Daniela and Merica.
“Since it’s dusty in here. You should cover your nose and mouth, or you
might get sick.”
“Indeed. Let us start cleaning then.”
“…I’ll do my best.”
Merica said with determination and clenched fists. She wasn’t the most
expressive child, but it was kind of cute. Now, I better do my best as well. I
did work the night shift after all. A night shift at a convenience store meant
you would be cleaning most of the time. You might even call me a semi-pro.
First, I open the windows. All of them. Ventilate and allow the light to enter.
Now the interior of the house could be seen clearly. Hmm. Hmm. It was
doable.
Next, we needed to sweep the dust with the brooms. You start from the top
and work your way down. Remove the dust and cobwebs from the empty
shelves. Also the dust in the window frames and furniture. The fact that even
an abandoned house had things still lying around here made me wonder if
this village was rather well off.
I had assumed that they would just take anything that could be used and this
house would be empty…but there was even a table. I guess they left it here
for travelers like us to use. In any case, they were clearly not living like
beggars here.
“Daniela and Merica, you two should sweep all of the dust out of the house.”
“Understood.”
“…Understood.”
She was turning into Daniela. Maybe they understood each other on some
level…
Once we had gotten rid of the dust, it was time to wipe. Fortunately, we had a
good stock of cut pieces of cloth inside of the hollow bag. I had bought them
for cheap at a clothes store to be used to wipe the dirt off of our bodies or to
bind wounds. They were on the colorful side, but that was fine for rags.
Daniela made a bucket with earth magic and I filled it with water magic.
Merica watched this with bright eyes. Was it her first time seeing magic?
“…Is that…magic?”
“It is. Is this your first time seeing it?”

“…Yes. First time. It’s so cool.”
She looked back and forth at us with her dazzled expression. It was adorable.
I hoped that one day, Daniela and I would have a child that was just as cute
as her.
And then my eyes met Daniela’s. Given that her cheeks flushed, we were
probably thinking the same thing. That got a chuckle out of me.
“Alright, let’s wipe this place clean with these magical wet rags. It won’t take
long with the three of us.”
“…I’ll do my best.”
She said with renewed determination and clenched fists. She was a person
who expressed herself with actions.
“Daniela, stop thinking about lewd things and come and help.”
“F-fool! It is not lewd! It is natural! I think about it all of the time!”
“All of the time…”
“Ahhh…tsk. Asagi…this is not over…”
She said before leaving to wipe the shelves. And so I wiped the windows and
walls. Merica was cleaning the floor and table. It really did finish in no time
with three people.
When the sun started to set and the day was turning into night, we finished
cleaning. We washed our hands in clean water and stood in front of the
house. The doors and windows were left open for ventilation. The lantern that
we used in the mines was set on the table, which kept the house decently
bright.
“Ahh, it’s been a while since I cleaned this much.”
“…I did my best.”

“Aye, you did well. You deserve praise.”
Daniela picked her up and patted her on the head. I guess the two of them had
shed off their reserve as they cleaned together.
Alright then, it was time to take her back to the chief’s house.
“Merica, thanks for helping us today. We’re thankful.”
“…Oh, no. It was fun for me. Thank you, Asagi and Daniela.”
“Uh…A-Asagi, could we not take her with us…”
“That would be a crime, you idiot.”
Daniela hugged her tightly, and Merica hugged her back. I sighed as I picked
up the brooms and started to walk back to the chief’s house.
“Hellooo. We finished cleaning the place.”
“Ah, it’s Asagi. You must be tired. Come in and have some tea.”
“Thank you. Don’t mind if I do.”
The three of us entered the house and sat down in the living room, which was
elevated from the floor. The fatigue rushed into your body as soon as you sat
down. I stretched my limbs and rotated my shoulders as Rengel brought us
some tea.
“Drink it while it’s hot.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
“…Hot.”
I take a sip and sigh. A drink was the best thing to have after cleaning…
By the time we finished drinking our tea, it had become completely dark
outside. But we didn’t worry, as we had a place to stay. And it was time to
start preparing for dinner.
“We should be leaving now. Thank you for the tea.”
“Ah, I see. Well, come again tomorrow and return the key.”
“…Good night, Asagi and Daniela.”
“Good night, Merica.”
“Good night.”
We took turns patting her on the head before leaving. Then we waved
goodbye as she smiled, and left the house behind us.
We saw a few people on the way back. For a moment, I thought they would
shower us with ‘Get out of our village!’ and other such abuse, but they were
just the same villagers we saw during the day. One of them was the guy who
told us to visit the chief.
“Oh, there you are.”
“Ah, you’re that guy. Thank you. We will be able to sleep under a roof
tonight because of you.”
“Haha, it’s nothing. You were cleaning all of this time, weren’t you? Do you
have anything for supper?”
“No, we are going to prepare it now.”
“I thought so. I was going to give you this.”
So saying, he thrust a pot into my hands. Puzzled, I accepted it and

immediately felt that it was quite heavy. It wasn’t an empty pot.
“Eat this. It’s a soup that my mum made!”
“Oh, are you sure?”
“It’s fine! It’s fine! Just leave it at the house when you are finished! Good
night!”
“Ah, thank you! We’ll eat it! Good night!”
The villager waved at us and went on his way. Woah, this made me so happy.
It was so generous. It was a kind of warmth that was unique to the
countryside. I saw it on tv before.
“This is a nice village…”
“Aye, it has been a long time since I felt like this.”
Daniela felt the same… This was part of the pleasure of traveling. I loved it. I
loved traveling.
With an immense feeling of gratitude to the mother of the villager, we put the
pot over a fire. Thankfully, there was a kitchen. It started to boil after a few
minutes so we took it off and mixed the soup before pouring it into our
bowls.
“Let’s eat then.”
“Yes.”
I take a spoonful and bring it to my mouth. I could immediately tell that the
rich broth was from boar meat. Judging by how soft the meat was, it must
have been boiled for a long time. A time-consuming soup. Not at all the same
as the quick soup that I made. And it was delicious.
We kept drinking the soup as if we were competing, and so the pot was
quickly emptied. And we were full. I filled the pot with water. I would wash
it tomorrow and return it.
Hah. It was a good day. We met good people and ate good food.
“Hey, Asagi.”
“What, Daniela?”
“Merica, she was cute.”
I was wondering what she was going to say, but it was about Merica. Yes,
she was cute.
“Yeah.”
“I want a child like that.”
“Yeah. In the future, I do as well.”
“Yes. Perhaps we should at least practice then?”
“Huh? Hey!”
One moment she was next to me, the next she was kissing me. She had laid
out our camping blanket at some point, and she now pulled me towards it,
and knocked me down. Before I knew it, it was morning. My energy was now
close to zero
chapter 92
Farewell, Senka Village
While I was completely exhausted, I had been able to get a little sleep, and it
was now time to prepare for our departure.
First, I washed the pot that I had filled with water in the kitchen. It was easy
to clean, thanks to my forethought the previous night.
Next, we needed to clean this house that we had used. It was already clean
thanks to our work yesterday, but we had sort of made a mess of it again last
night, so there was some cleaning to do. Well, it was nothing a wet rag
couldn’t fix. Okay…I just needed to make sure that we didn’t leave anything.
Then we locked the door and it was over. Thank you.
“Come on Daniela, we’re leaving.”
“Aye, I know.”
She stopped staring at the house and turned around to follow me. We were
headed for the chief’s house.
I knocked on the door like I did yesterday, and Merica came out to greet us. I
didn’t know if it was because she was expressionless or she had just woken
up, but she looked up at us dumbly.
“Morning, Merica.”
“…Morning, Asagi and Daniela.”
“Is Rengel awake yet?”
“…Yes.”
She opened the door and we went inside. Rengel was in the living room and
drinking some tea. I greeted him and returned the key to the abandoned
house.
“Thank you so much. We’re very grateful.”
“Ahh, it’s nothing. I should be thanking you for cleaning the place for us.
Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Oh, by the way. Someone from the village gave us some
soup yesterday…he said to leave the pot here, and he would come for it later.
Is that alright?”
“Ah, yes, just leave it over there.”
He pointed to the corner of the room, and so I placed the pot there. That
really was some good soup.
“Please tell him that it was delicious.”
“Hmm, very well. And so, are you two leaving now?”
“Yeah. We’re not in a hurry, but we want to make the most of our time.”
“That is a good thing. I pray that your journey will be safe. Hey, Merica, say
goodbye to our visitors.”
I looked towards her and saw that she was staring at us with dewy eyes.
“…Asagi…Daniela…stay safe…”
She sniffed and looked at the floor. Ahh, so she would miss us, it would
seem.
We had only spent one day together cleaning a house. What a good child.
“Aye, you too, Merica. Stay healthy and grow strong.”
Daniela said as knelt to give Merica a hug. I could only see her back, but
since her voice trembled, she probably had the same expression that Merica
had now.
Rengel watched this with a smile.
And so I hugged both Daniela and Merica and said farewell.
“Goodbye, Merica. You take good care of your grandpa, okay?”
“…Okay…”
She brushed away the tears in her eyes and nodded. I felt that she would keep
this as an important memory in her heart. And it would be the same for us.
“…Asagi, I’ll give you this.”
“Hm? Oh, that’s cute…”
It was a very small figurine in the shape of a cute animal. There was a string
attached to its head that made a loop. I could use it as a strap for the hollow
bag…
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it forever.”
“…She’s called Gumi. Be nice to her, okay?”
“Ah, of course. Nice to meet you, Gumi.”
I attached the strap to the bag and petted it. Merica watched this happily and
petted it as well.
“Alright, we better get going. Thank you for everything.”
“Aye, stay safe.”
“Goodbye, Merica.”
“Bye-bye, Merica.”
“…Goodbye, Asagi, Daniela.”

We waved goodbye and left the chief’s house. We started walking to the
west. When I turned to look behind us, the two of them were standing in front
of the house and waving. We waved back one more time before walking
through the gate. After we had walked a little, I turned around again and saw
that they were now watching us from the gate. Oh, this was going to make me
cry. I mean, Daniela was already doing just that.
“Oh…sniff…they were such nice people…”
“Don’t cry…it’s contagious…”
I said with a snuffle. Ah, it was no use. I looked up to stop the tears and saw
my vision warp.
Finally, we reached a downward slope, and Senka Village disappeared from

our view. We continued to walk for a while as we sniffed. Little by little, the
highlands plateaued, and we came down to flat terrain. The land here was
shrouded in a thin mist. It reminded me of my first day in this world.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What?”
“How long will we have to walk until we reach, uh…”
“Replant.”
“Ah, yes, yes. When will we reach it?”
“It will likely take us three days.”
“Right…”
It seemed that a lot of these places were a similar distance from each other.
This empire made things quite easy for us travelers.
As the two of us walked through the mist, Presence Detection alerted us of a

monster. I unsheath the greatsword that hung from my shoulder.
“Grass wolves? Seems a little different this time.”
“I do not know… I have heard that there are monsters that only appear in the
mist. Perhaps it is that.”
“Are you serious? I was in the thickest mist when I first came to this world. I
could have died…”
“Do not worry. These monsters only live in Flugelnia.”
There really are all kinds of monsters in this world… And this one would
show itself any moment now. I wanted to see what it was like first, so I
lowered my sword to a defensive stance. Daniela also unsheathed her sword
and stood behind me.
And what appeared from the mist, was none other than those humanoid
monsters, goblins. But these ones were strangely pale. Perhaps it was a
camouflage for the mist? They wielded the same iron swords that the other
goblins carried. This one was thin and short, so close to a shortsword. He was
looked like an assassin.
“Mist goblins…monsters that attack you from the mist.”
“Is that their real name?”
“I think so.”
“I see… Daniela, we’re surrounded.”
“Aye, I know.”
With Presence Detection, I could clearly sense that we were surrounded. A

person who couldn’t use Presence Detection would likely get attacked
quickly in the mist, and die. It was a horribly frightening way to die…
I stared back at the goblin, not giving it an opening to attack. Then it pulled
back and vanished into the mist. In the same instant, a different goblin
jumped out from the side. Daniela moved to engage, as I turned to face yet
another goblin who came from the opposite direction. I blocked the first blow
with my greatsword, then cut through him with a swing. The blade was sharp.
There was something that looked almost exaggerated about the way the
goblin was hacked and how the pieces went flying back into the mist.
“Daniela, these guys are really coordinated! We can’t underestimate them!”
“Still, they are no match for us!”
Our backs faced each other as we defended against the goblins that jumped
out from the front and back. Just then, a second goblin appeared from behind
the one that I was facing. As both of my hands were full, I generated an ice
arrow in the air and shot the goblin. The goblin that was in front of me looked
shocked by my display of magic, and so I kicked him, then rammed the
sword forward as he stumbled. He struggled to pull the blade out, but his
strength was gone, and I shook the dying goblin off of the blade. Daniela was
also using her wind magic to fight.
“…Looks like that’s all of them.”
“It was quite an attempt…”
Daniela swung her sword to remove the blood before returning it to its
sheath. My sword was too big to do something as cool as that. And so I was
forced to use blue magic in the sword and create water to wash the blood off.
It created a great gush of water that cleaned the blade nicely. And I put it
back in my sheath and hung it over my shoulder.
“Hahh…that was scary. Let’s get out of here. It’ll really slow us down if we
get attacked again.”
“Yes, but wait. We have to collect the proof of the hunt.”
“Ah, right. I have to collect their weapons for my allowance as well.”
We squatted and quickly salvaged what we needed. I didn’t know what we

needed for proof, so we took the hands and ears. There were six swords in all.
And we had proof of hunting six goblins. The swords were in surprisingly
good condition. Where had they picked these up…I didn’t really want to
think about it.
We were attacked several times after that, but it wasn’t too hard to deal with.
I just watched as my allowance grew until we were finally out of the mist.
Our surroundings were the same flatlands, but there was a forest in the
distance. Apparently, Replant was on the other side of that forest. We camped
in front of the forest that day, and on the next, we plunged into the forest that
spread out before us.
chapter 93
A Mistake in the Night Forest
Passed the mining town of Alessa, between the mountains, spread the Berulu
forest. That forest was dark during the day, due to the branches and leaves
growing so thick that they covered the sky. But the forest that we were now
in was a quiet place where the sunlight leaked through the leaves. I wasn’t
sure what kind of trees they were, but they looked coniferous. Most of them
seemed to be an even distance away from each other, suggesting that they
had been planted here by someone. But that also made it easier to get lost.
Everything looked the same. Wouldn’t that be typical? Getting lost in a
forest.
“This forest has a clear view and should be safe.”
“You will get hurt if you let your guard down like that.”
Daniela warned me with a little elbow jab as I walked leisurely next to her.
Well, I was raised in a relatively peaceful country, so coming to forests just
made me think of forest bathing, negative ions, and healing spots. But I was
aware that I was no longer there. That wasn’t a place where I could wander
around with a greatsword on my shoulder.
One thing to be wary of while fighting in the forest was how much space you
had to swing your sword. Swinging a long sword around here might just turn
you into a lumberjack. Cutting trees instead of monsters is not the best way to
stay safe. Of course, a greatsword like mine would be close to useless.
However, because of this very reason, wouldn’t it mean that if I somehow

managed to be able to use it here, that I would be able to use it anywhere? I
started to seriously consider this possibility. Unfortunately, not a single
monster had appeared yet. It was peace itself.
“I think we might be out by tomorrow if we keep walking like this.”

“If things stay like this, yes.”
Daniela widened her reach of Presence Detection and constantly looked

around as she walked. At a glance, you might think was a traveler who was
enjoying the scenery, but I knew that her hand could reach her sword in an
instant. She was not letting her guard down at all.
Was she being too cautious? I couldn’t help but wonder. It was starting to
make me nervous. What if something really did happen? I lowered the hands
that I held behind my head and decided to walk like Daniela, so I could enter
a defensive stance at any time.
However, nothing did happen that day, and it was now night. I listened to the
familiar sounds of crackling firewood as I took the first watch. With a sword
reminiscent of a certain seasoned mercenary, I stared at the flames and spread
Presence Detection’s range.
“This is so boring…I’d rather be making out with Daniela…”
She was sleeping in the tent. We always took turns sleeping when we camped
outside. Never let your guard down. That was one thing we never did.
“Ahhh…getting used to the old routine makes it hard…”
I mumbled, but there was no one to talk to. I really was letting my guard
down in a way, recently. It was the same when I worked the night shift.
Being alone there with no one to rely on, I had been so cautious that I
wouldn’t even go to the bathroom until morning during the first days.
But then you get used to the job, you understand what time there are likely to
be customers, and so there was one time that I was so relaxed that I had fallen
asleep in the office. It couldn’t have been much longer than five minutes. I
woke up and frantically checked the security monitors to see that someone
was waiting in front of the counter. My mind went blank then. Fortunately, if
you can call it that, it was a regular customer who was kind enough to say,
‘It’s fine. You’re here all alone, so it can’t be helped.’ I could only apologize
as they chuckled.
Waiting for just one minute at the cashier felt too long. There were some
customers who would get angry if they were made to wait ten seconds. Had
this been a different customer…that made my shudder.
Of course, I never allowed that to happen again.
“I’m in the same situation now…”
I really was. A new place. A new task. And I was now familiar with it after
repeating it so many times. It was just in these moments where I was likely to
fail.
I slapped my cheeks hard, in order to pull myself together. Alright, I felt

awake now. The trick to living a good life was to not repeat your mistakes.
Still, there were always times when humans make mistakes that they have
little control over. And so it was when I had pulled myself together, extended
the range of Presence Detection, and concentrated on raising its precision…
…that I was unable to deal with the ambush from above.
Suddenly, a large object fell down onto the bonfire in front of me with an
explosion of sparks and wood. The sparks covered me for an instant.
“Gaah!”
I was so surprised that I held up my arms to cover my face. And that’s when I
saw that there was something in front of me. In the same instant, I
concentrate again on Presence Detection to see what it was. I felt magic from
it. And the wavelengths of that magic was that of a monster.
“DANIELAA!”
I swung my still sheathed greatsword down and called the name of my

reliable partner. That was all it took. I felt a strong magic reaction spreading
out from the tent, and I frantically dropped to the ground.
Immediately, a whirl of wind that looked like thousands of blades shot out
and smashed into the monster. The dissonant sounds of cutting wind and the
pained shrieks of the monster reach my ears. It tried to crawl away. That was
when I finally unsheathed my sword. At the same time, Daniela came out of
the tent, her sword also in hand.
“Sorry! It came from above!”
“So it attacked from the trees then. You are not to blame. It is very difficult to
use Presence Detection upwards.”
Perhaps Daniela was doing just that as we walked during the day. If she was,
I was one careless bastard. I wanted to punch myself.
“I couldn’t see it clearly. What was that?”
I pointed with my jaw. It had been shredded by wind and was now covered in
blood at it crawled and glared at us.
“Hmm. It is a blood ape… They fight well but are good with ambushes. They
are one of few monsters who can use Presence Block.”
“Presence Block…that sucks. I didn’t even notice it until I could see it.”
“That is what happens when the Presence Detection skill is lower than the
Presence Block. There was nothing that you could have done.”
But still…I think. This happened just as I had regained my resolve to do

better, to not fail. This really put a damper on things. I was mad.
The blood ape seemed to be forcing itself to stand in spite of the pain. Its hair
bristled as it snarled. I held up the greatsword and concentrated. But then
Daniela tapped me on the shoulder.
“That is the blood ape’s plan. He wants you to focus on him…”
She said as she turned around and thrust her sword out. A scream of pain
echoed.
“And the others attack from behind.”

The other blood ape’s right eye had been pierced through, and it was going
wild and trying to pull the sword out. It had been so close to us, and I had no
idea… This forest was insane.
“Now, concentrate. Blood ape’s will attack as a group. Consider the

likelihood that there are ten of them here.”
“Damn it. They won’t get me…!”
Daniela held her sword as she generated wind blades all around us. It would
probably be more dangerous to stay in one position and fight. I allowed my
magic to pour into my equipment, creating an armor of wind.
Undetectable monsters. Still, it was not as if I had always had Presence

Detection. I just had to remember how it was like back then, and kill them all.
“AGGGHHH!!”
I pulled myself together once again. I had failed repeatedly because of my

carelessness. My hands now gripped the handle of my greatsword tightly, as I
shouted and swung it high. I would butcher this dying blood ape first.
chapter 94
Daniela’s Mistake, and Further In The Forest
“Hahh…Hahh…Hahh…”
I stabbed the greatsword into the ground and leaned on it. My body felt so
heavy.
Three hours had passed since the blood apes attacked. And there were now
nearly fifty corpses scattered around us. Damn it, Daniela. So much for ten
more… This was five times as many…I am both mentally and physically
devastated. My arms couldn’t stop shaking.
“Ahh…well, rarely, these things can happen.”
“…it better be rare…”
I wouldn’t say that I had reached my limits mentally, but physically… I at

least knew that if I slept now, I would not wake up until morning.
But it wasn’t all bad. I noticed it while we were fighting, but the precision of
Presence Detection had gone up quite a bit. I was able to detect some of the
hidden blood apes, which made it possible for me to deal with the oncoming
attacks. It was probably because it had become higher than the Presence
Block skill that they had. Though, I couldn’t see the numbers to confirm
anything… The status card only showed the skills you had.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi?”
“There was something that’s been bothering me ever since we were

attacked…why didn’t the magic barrier activate?”
It was Daniela who said we wouldn’t be attacked with the barrier tools. Or at
least, I think she said that.
“No, I did not say that.”
“Really? Is that right? But the barrier…”
“The barrier only dilutes our presence and helps us blend in with our
surroundings. It does not keep them away.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I thought that you did.”
Well, it’s called a barrier. And so I expected it to keep things out. But,
okay…I do remember that Beowulf had attacked us when we were using it…
Why did ambushes always involve our bonfires? That shit was bad for my
heart.
But in other words, monsters with advanced detecting abilities were able to
find us. So we had to find them first and crush them. Good to know. Our
barrier wasn’t very useful here.
Well, well. The sky was starting to brighten. And yet I had not gotten much
sleep. And so I said a word to Daniela before taking off my armor and
sinking into the tent. The bedding was a mess, as she had gotten up in a
hurry.
“Damn it…”
I felt like a mother who was making their child’s bed after they left for
school. Then my finger got caught on the cloth. What, is this ripped? I
frantically pick the thing up. Ahhh, it was completely torn. I had chosen
quality material in hopes of it lasting…
“Asagi!”
Daniela called. I thrust the torn off piece into my pocket and grabbed my
equipment as I jumped out of the tent.
“What is it!?”
“Asagi, uh, sorry. I forgot something in the tent, so, wait here for a moment.”
“That’s it? …You scared me. I thought that it was monsters again.”
“Sorry…I will be quick. Wait here.”
“Ah, fine.”
Really. Scaring me like that. It couldn’t be helped, so I sat down by the fire
and stared at the flames. I was already at my own limits, and so it did not take
long for me to fall asleep.
“Hmm…mmm…”
“Hey, wake up…Asagi…”
“Mm…ahh…ahh…Daniela. Did you find what you were looking for…?”
“About that…”
I thought vaguely about the dream I had been having as I turned around to
look at her. I was shocked by how she looked. She was red. I almost
wondered if it wasn’t because of the firelight. Had she caught a cold?
“Hey, Daniela. Your face is red. Are you alright?”
“Ah, aye…I am fine. I am fine…”
“But…?”
“I, uh…could not find what I was looking for…”
“Huh? You left it in the tent, right?”
“I did…”
Daniela was more awkward than usual. It was strange. She was usually quite
blunt and quickly said what she wanted to. I didn’t know that she had this
side to her. It was kind of cute though.
“Uh, I just happened to notice it now, but what is that sticking out of your
pocket…”
“Ah, this? It’s a piece of our blanket. It got torn off somehow. I was really
bummed about it because that blanket was expensive. I put it in my pocket
when you called me.”
“Hmm…this is very, uh, difficult to say…but that is not part of our

blanket…”
“What?”
I tilted my head in puzzlement as I pulled the thing from my pocket and

spread it out in the firelight. The thing that was not an inverted triangle piece
of the blanket was thin, and upon closer inspection, was a completely
different material. At the same time, I knew what it was. I knew.
“Ahh…so it really isn’t then.”
“Yes…it is not. That is…my undergarment…”
It was surprisingly modern in design, perhaps made by light elves…but the

white piece of fabric was definitely underwear. I recalled the image of myself
hurriedly stuffing it into my pocket, and realized that I was just a common
thief. How disappointing.
“I’m sorry…here, you can have it back.”
“It is fine…I had forgotten about it…”
I put it into her hand. She took it and returned to the tent. Hah…this was so
tiring. Too much had happened this night. My mind felt too sharp.
Feeling sharp made me realize things too. So, why did she have to remove
her underwear? Why had the bedding been in such disarray?
I knew it then. I wasn’t the only one who was enduring the lonely nights.
I would have to be nice to her. As tired as I was, I made a promise to myself.
I pushed Daniela’s mistake away to the back of my mind and locked it away.
We would walk through the forest today as well. I used my upgraded
Presence Detection skills to carefully check in all directions as we moved.
But it was really taking a toll on my tired body. We took more breaks than
usual as we made our way through the forest.
“The trick to using Presence Detection for the space above you is to imagine
that you are looking down on yourself. Imagine that you are looking down,
and learn what that feels like.”
“Hmm, hmm…”
Imagine that I am looking down at myself from above… Thankfully, that was
a camera angle that a gamer would be well acquainted with. There were a lot
of action games with that angle. With a little help from ‘Jack of all Trades,
Master of None,’ I was able to grasp that feeling of looking down on me and
raise Presence Detection higher.
“Hmm…like…this…?”
“It would be easier if there was something up there to detect. But there is
nothing around us now.”
Indeed, I was not able to find anything. Well, it was either that, or I wasn’t
doing it properly. And while we were presently resting, we didn’t have time
to climb trees just to test this. We had to get clear of this forest within the
day, or the hellish ambushes would come again. I knew that I wouldn’t last a
second night. I would definitely die.
“Yes, try to hold onto that sensation until we are out of here. It should only
take two more hours. Let us hurry.”
“Aye aye…”
I whipped my tired body into standing, and moved one foot and then the
other. It was nice that that was all it took to move forward. If I was a beast, I
would have to use my hands as well. Though, I suppose they were front legs.
There were apparently monsters other than blood apes as well, and we would
occasionally detect some goblins. They weren’t mist goblins, as there was no
mist here. Just normal goblins. But we quietly avoided them, so there was no
fighting. Daniela had seen it in my face. It was as if I had gone out hiking
after my night shift without ever sleeping. If I had a mirror, I was sure that I
would see a haggard old face.
I felt like I was dying, but continued to walk, and finally, we escaped that
forest. It was as if we had come out of a long, narrow tunnel. I could sleep in
an instant now…
“Hey, Asagi. Do not sleep! Look!”
“Huh…?”
“This is no time to go senile! Look!”
Daniela hit me on the back. I felt like the impact would tear me up like paper,
but I looked up. There was something on the ground, and several people on
horseback were circling it.
“Is it some kind of ritual…?”
“Idiot! They are bandits!”
Daniela said as she pulled out her bow and unleashed an arrow. It caught one
of the riders and knocked him right off of his horse. Ahh, the thing on the
ground was a covered wagon! I finally understood what was happening.
“Shit, bandits!?”
“That is what I have been telling you!”
Frantically, I unsheathed Schwarz Tempest. I stabbed the greatsword into the

ground as I put the sheath into the hollow bag so it would not get in the way.
“We could use the horses, just kill the bandits!”
“You can say that, but I’ve never killed humans before!”
“Fool! They will kill us! And the people in the wagon as well!”
And it struck me. It wasn’t that there were just bandits here. There were
passengers in the wagon. I would have to kill, in order for those people to
live.
My sleep-deprived mind became clear then. And for the purpose of saving
myself and the others, I activated Legs of the Forest Wolf. With the speed of
the wind, I ran. Ran towards the bandits who turned to us after Daniela’s
surprise attack.
To save people. To save myself. That was all I thought of as the bandits
unsheathed their swords, cursed, and ran towards me as I swung the
greatsword.
Next Chapter
Translator:
We’re just a few chapters away from 100!
As the translator, I have a few small requests for anyone who has enjoyed the
journey so far.
Consider adding a rating or writing a review. Obviously, it would be nice to

get Asagi out of the 3-star rating gutter, but any honest review would be great
for telling people what this series is about.
Consider donating. December ad revenue was low so I won’t be getting paid

for a while, and unfortunately, January is looking very bad for me, and things
are quite tight for me this month. Any small contribution would be a
tremendous help and encouragement.
chapter 95
The Day That I First Killed A Man
With a flash of dark blue, the bandit’s torso goes flying. A shocking amount
of bright blood sprays from the stump. The sensation is very different from
when I cut through monsters, and I immediately feel my stomach turn and I
have to forcefully suppress the urge to vomit. I keep moving forward, as if
turning my back on reality.
“Haghh…gg…damn…damn it…!”
I felt like I was the one who was about to fall. I had been murdered myself,
and here I was now, killing others. Even if it was to protect myself and
others, a certain self-loathing and despair now clutched my core and would
not let go. It would not release me.
“You! You little shit!!”
One of the bandits looked at his fallen comrade and charged at me with an
expression of unconcealed rage. I used Legs of the Forest Wolf to jump in the
air and avoid him. And from that position, I used the momentum of my fall to
slash down. He tries to block the attack with his sword, but it’s no use, and
his blade shatters upon impact.
“Uhhhggg…!!”
His groan is almost inhuman, like a ghost. I was finding it hard to maintain
the mentality that all of this served a purpose. No matter how much I tried,
tried to switch gears, tried to stop thinking. It was what it was.
I couldn’t shut down. I wasn’t prepared for this. And so I swung my sword
with the sole intent of defending myself. It was the right thing to do in a way.
However, I couldn’t stop seeing it as wrong.
‘Unnecessary killing is evil…but that is why this is necessary…it is

necessary…’
I repeat Daniela’s words in my head in order to stay aware. I held onto those
words as I continued to swing, and eventually, there was no one left standing,
except for Daniela and I, who were both drenched in blood.
“Ughh…aghhgghh…:
I couldn’t hold it back any longer, and it all came rushing out of my gut. The
truth of what I had done. The truth that I had killed.
“Hahh…hahh…!”
I crawl away on my hands and knees as if escaping from that weight. And the
first thing I met as I moved away, was that severed torso of the first bandit I
had killed.
“Ah, hah….AAHHHH!!”
“Asagi!”
I heard her voice, but that was the last thing I heard as I lost all awareness.
□ □ □ □
“I am sorry, we should have helped you sooner…”
“No…please… It is a miracle that I am still alive like this…”
The girl in front of me had tears in her eyes as she held a man whose chest
had been pierced by a sword. Likely her father… He had apparently been
stabbed before we arrived. The girl looked up with glistening eyes and
bowed.
“Thank you, for saving me…”
“It is fine. Are you hurt?”
“No, I am fine… Is, is your companion alright…?”

She said with uncertainty as she saw his face as I carried him.
“Aye. Today was his first time killing a man… It was an unavoidable
situation, but it was still a lot for him. I think that his heart could not take it.
However, he is a strong man. He will surely recover.”
Yes, Asagi. The man that I loved would surely become well again.
Asagi had come from a world that forbade any killing. He had been nearly
broken from just killing monsters. He had held onto those words that I had
given him, about needless killing being evil. So what would happen when a
man like that killed another man? The answer was obvious.
And so I had planned on accepting a bandit suppression quest one day. It

would be a day when Asagi had grown completely accustomed to this world,
when his heart had become strong. However, when bandits had appeared in
front of us like this, I could not turn a blind eye just for his sake. I pulled out
my bow and so pulled him into this fight.
Asagi’s heart is still weak. He has only recently grown accustomed to the act
of ending a life. And those have only been monsters. It is a foreign mentality
for me, as someone whose parents were killed by monsters, and as someone
who has made a living off of hunting them, but I can understand it to a
degree. After all, I fear dragons. And there will come a time when I must
overcome that fear. When that time comes, I hope to have a stronger Asagi
there, protecting my back as I challenge the beast.
“I understand…I am so sorry, just for us…no, just for me…”
“Do not be bothered by it. A life has been saved. Asagi will be happy about
that.”
As one travels, being fooled by others is, well, common. I am no exception.

There were even times when my body was nearly defiled. And in those times,
I have killed people.
That feeling, when you desperately stretch out your hand, grasp that
shortsword and plunge it into your enemies chest. It hits against hard bone. I
remember frantically taking a second stab. Those memories will never
disappear. And if they will not disappear, you must accept them.
Those were necessary actions taken to protect myself. I had to do it. It was
their fault for tricking me. I killed because I was about to be killed.
I averted my eyes like that for a while, but the feeling of guilt took a strong
hold of me and would not let go.
And so I accepted it. All of that happened. However, it is because of those

actions, that I am here today. Because of those actions, I was able to meet
him.
I sincerely hope that this child who survived will become a salve to ease his
heart. Not I, who is loved by Asagi, but the girl who he helped. She is the one
who can save him.
It’s so dark. Dark. A darkness without light spreads before my eyes. Does it
go on forever? Or does it stop in front of my nose? I don’t know.
But I can sense that something is moving within that darkness. I didn’t notice
it at first. But my eyes slowly grew used to the darkness, and then I realized
that it was a moving corpse that was only a torso.
“Aghhh!!”
I screamed with horror and thrashed about in an attempt to escape. But I

couldn’t move.
“Damn you…you killed meee…”
A low, low voice that seemed to sound from the deepest depths reached my
ears.
“I had no choice…It was you who were attacking…!”
“It hurts…it hurts….”
The bandit used its arms to crawl up to my feet.

“Stop. Stop. Don’t come any closer!”
“Oooooooo…..”
The thing that was moaning had now grabbed my foot. And it was crawling
upwards.
“Hah…hhh…”
It grabbed my clothes as it climbed up my body, and when it was finished,

the thing wrapped its arms around my neck. It’s jaw now lay on my shoulder.
The sounds of its breathing brought a sense of dread as it said:
“But you will face the same fate.”
“Aggghhhhhh!!!”
When I realized that I was shouting, I was in the same field of blood that I
had been in before passing out. In a panic, I looked at my surroundings until
finally understanding the situation.
“Good morning, Asagi.”
“Uh…ah…mor…ning…”
Though I was stuttering, we exchanged the same greeting that we always did
after waking up. And then I realized that Daniela was carrying me.
“Sorry…I can walk now.”
“Are you sure? I do not mind carrying you.”
I immediately knew that she was not just talking about me, but about what I
was harboring. After all, we were deeply in love and of one heart and one
mind…heh. Even making jokes like that did little to raise my spirits.
“Um, are you alright…?”
A voice suddenly called from behind me. I looked behind me to see a young
girl looking up at me with concern.
“Who…are you…?”
“I am called Marie Elle. Thank you for helping me.”
Someone was alive then… So there was someone that had survived because I
killed the bandits…
Daniela slowly put me down. My legs still shook, and I immediately fell to
my knees.
The girl who had survived, Marie Elle, stood in front of me. A small girl. Her
dark brown hair was covered in a spray of blood. The way she held her hands
in front of her with uncertainty made her look even smaller.
I stretched out a shaking hand and touched her dark brown hair.
It was warm. I could feel the warmth. It reached a heart that had been chilled
by blood. When I felt that warmth, tears began to flow.
“This child, Asagi. You saved her.”
“I…”
“Yes. You fought to save others, to save lives. You fought, and you survived
because you won. And it is because of that that Marie Elle is here, living.”
“Living.”
I hear that word and then look at the girl in front of me. She must have
looked so concerned up until now because she was worried about me. Now
she smiled gently.
“It is because of you that I am alive. Please do not blame yourself.”
“Ah…ah…”
It was wretched, but what I couldn’t express after hearing those words, came
out as a sound. And when the words finally did come out, I embraced her
tightly.
“Thank you…for living…thank you…”
That was all I could do. Repeatedly thank her for being alive.
This gratitude that I felt, took over my whole body, and before I knew it, the
shaking in my limbs had subsided. Still, I could not stand. I surrendered
myself as Marie Elle’s hand gently held me, and I wept.
chapter 96
Relapse
“I see… So we couldn’t save your father…”
“No…but it is nothing for you to be sad about. Father was shielding me…”
When I heard that the bandits that we had desperately killed had murdered
Marie Elle’s father, I wondered why we could not have come sooner. We
might have made it in time if we rushed through the forest…
“…Asagi, you are regretting that we did not travel faster, are you not?”
“Ah, I am…”
“Are you that much of a stupid bastard? We did not know that there were
bandits until we were out of the forest. There is no point in having regrets
because of what we only know now. Yes, it is painful that we could not help
him. But you must move on. This is not something that we should have to
bear.”
Daniela’s words felt like thorns in my flesh. It was true… It really was no
use… But, still…
“But, it doesn’t change that this is sad… I can’t help but wish that I had been
able to help.”
“Yes… I could have worded that differently. You are not wrong to grieve…
We should mourn the dead.”
I nod and quickly stand up. My legs are now firmly planted in the blood-
stained dirt. I’m reminded of just how much blood I was soaked in. The
beautiful silver and green fabrics were dyed red, the silver armor glistened
under the blood. It wasn’t mine, none of it was.
“Daniela.”
“What, Asagi?”
“…I want to bury the bandits as well. Not out of sympathy. But so I can
move on from this…to put it completely behind me.”
“…Aye, I understand. Are you fine with that, Marie Elle?”
“Yes… I do hate them… But if it will help Asagi going forward, I would like
to do it.”
“Thank you…Marie Elle. I’m so sorry, for being selfish.”
“No, it is fine. You helped me…”
With Marie Elle’s understanding, we decided to bury them. Perhaps there

might have been one who didn’t want to become a bandit… I couldn’t help
but feel that with one wrong step, I could have gone down a similar path. Oh,
with said, I was not sympathizing with them. But as always, I was a hopeless
wreck. I shook my head to disperse the conflicting emotions.
“Ah, Daniela…do you need any proof of hunting bandits?”
“Yes…normally it would be their heads.”
“So they can identify them, I suppose…”
“Aye, they would have to confirm that they are wanted…”
In all honesty, I would rather not start cutting off heads. I was already feeling
the weight of what I had done, and to have to take their heads on top of it…
“Could it just be the leader’s head?”
“Yes, we could hardly take all of them. But are you sure? I can do it.”
“No. I think that I should do it now, instead of dragging this around with
me.”
In fact, I felt quite strongly about this. Would I really be able to move on by
just burying them? I asked myself. And the answer was that it would be
‘difficult.’ Burying them didn’t change anything. I needed meaning for what I
did. Marie Elle had lived. But not only that…I wanted proof. Something to
prove to a third party that what I had done was right
“Which one is the leader?”
“Likely the one that I killed… His equipment is the most decent. And the
leader is always the best dressed.”
That was true. On closer inspection, what had likely been fine clothing was
now covered in blood after Daniela’s blade had gone through his heart and
neck.
I unsheath Ashikirimaru and look at the blade. ‘Ashikiri’ meant to ‘cut legs’,
but its first use would be to take off someone’s head…
“Marie Elle. You should move away.”
“Yes…”
Daniela led Marie Elle behind the wagon. After a minute, Daniela returned.
She nodded at me to indicate that Marie Elle was waiting a short distance
away.
I was ready. I straddled the leader’s back and placed the blade at his neck.
And with a deep breath, I pulled Ashikirimaru to the side… I did something
that I didn’t want to have memories of.
After vomiting once again, I wrapped the head in several layers of cloth
before stuffing it into a sack and then a leather bag. I couldn’t bring myself to
put it inside the hollow bag. Daniela offered to carry the head, and so I
handed it to her. Then we returned to the wagon and pushed it back onto its
wheels. Marie Elle rested inside as we started to bury the dead. As I couldn’t
use fire magic too well, we chose a corner in the forest to bury them. We
prayed that their bodies would return to the earth, and result in the birth of
new life as we covered them with dirt.
“Asagi, what is that?”
“A grave marker from my world.”
“I see…Simple, but nice.”
“Thank you.”
I made wooden crosses and set them at the heads of the graves. Pushing them
deep and hardening the ground so they did not fall. The sun started to set by
the time that we were finished.
While I was busy carving the crosses, Daniela fed the gathered horses and set
up camp near the wagon. Of course, we avoided the blood-stained soil and
had to move a little in the dark. The lights of a town that was probably
Replant could be seen in the distance, but the gates were likely shut.
“Asagi, you should get some rest. I will make supper tonight.”
“Thank you…”
“Aye, I will call you when it is ready.”
And so I enter the tent that was pitched next to the wagon. The bedding was
already prepared. No underwear this time. I took off my armor and pulled out
a clean towel from the hollow bag and used water magic to make it damp
enough to wipe away the blood. The cloth quickly became a dark red, but I
was pretty clean after using a second one. But I could still smell the stench of
iron.
“Daniela, sorry. Could you make a bathtub with earth magic?”
“Aye, I do not mind…but what about the hot water?”
“We should be safe now, so I thought I would use fire magic.”
“I see.”
The barrier tools were set, and we weren’t in the forest anymore, so I decided
to use fire magic. I filled the tub that Daniela made with lots of water. Then I
thrust an arm inside and let the red colored magic flow out. After several
minutes at full power, you could see that steam was rising and the
temperature grew warm. After a few more minutes, it was hot enough to
bathe in. My magic was now depleted, and I felt incredibly tired. But the job
was done. I took out a large cloth, a towel and a change of clothing from the
bag. The large cloth was to create a partition. It was tied to one corner of the
covered wagon’s frame and the other side was tied to the greatsword that was
now piercing the ground.
Not the most reliable partition in the world…
“Hahh…that was tiring…”
I sat on the ground and looked at my finished makeshift bathhouse. I would

let Daniela and Marie Elle use it first. Would the water be too hot? Oh, this
was not the best place to sit and wait… I decided to rest in the tent until they
were finished.
I slowly roll my tired body onto the bedding. We had no blankets now, which
kind of sucked. We would have to restock on a lot of cloth as well… I lay
there, using my arm as a pillow and was slowly able to relax.
It had been a very eventful day. I killed someone for the first time. That
feeling of guilt would not disappear. It didn’t, but I now felt ready to accept
it, and not look away. It was because of Marie Elle. She was so strong in spite
of being so young. Her father must have taught her well. Regardless of the
guilt I felt, I hated the bandits for taking such a father away.
Was there a place to rest such conflicting emotions? The happiness of

knowing that she survived, and the sadness of having to kill to ensure it. The
guilt of murder and the sense of fulfillment through saving someone.
With such contradictions in my mind and the fatigue of exhausting my magic,

I closed my eyelids. I dreamed a little before Daniela came to wake me for
dinner. I think I saw myself killing someone. But I didn’t know who it was
that I had killed.
chapter 97
As a Person, as a Human
Daniela’s dinner did well for my tired body. It was also interesting to see a
completely different outcome from the same ingredients that I had bought.
“It’s really good…”
“Thank you. I am quite proud of it myself. What do you think, Marie Elle?”
“Yes, it is very delicious.”
“I see, I see. But did you know that Asagi is a much better cook?”
“Oh, is that true! I would love to try it!”
“Ah, if the opportunity arises, I’d be glad to.”
I smiled as I saw how cheerful she looked. In reality, it was she who was
going through the worst time. It couldn’t act so depressed. I’m older than her,
I have to be strong…
The pot was quickly emptied. We had all been more tired and hungry than we
thought. I had refilled my bowl twice. Well, that was still only half of what
Daniel ate.
“You two should use the bath first. I’ll use it later.”
“Are you sure? Well, if you insist. Marie Elle, let us go.”
“Yes.”
They disappeared behind the partition. I could hear some rustling and then
the splash of water. As their voices rang happily, I tried to remember the
dream that I had. But I couldn’t. With nothing else to do, I stared into the
flames.
“I really am a wreck…but maybe that’s to be expected…”
The red flames blurred in front of me. I couldn’t focus. I rubbed my eyes with
my hands, but it did little to help. And so I sat there, poking at the logs with a
stick, and looking back at the day. There were a lot of thoughts, but no
conclusion or common ground for it all…If there was one, I wouldn’t find it
alone.
“Hahh…that was nice. Asagi, your turn.”
“Hmm…? Ah, out already? That was quick.”
“Really? It felt quite long to me… You must be very tired.”
Slowly, Daniela put her arms around my shoulders and embraced me. I could
smell the soft scent of warm and moist skin. I drop the stick that I was
holding and hug her back. Gently, as if she could break. And then Daniela
tightened her embrace. She probably wanted me to do the same…she must.
And when I did, she laughed happily. I was correct.
“Now, take your time and relax. Wash away the fatigue of the day.”
“Yeah, I will. Thanks.”
“It is nothing. We are partners.”
She said and kissed me on the cheek before standing up. I would have like to
return the gesture… As I stare at her, her cheeks flushed for a reason that had
nothing to do with coming out of a hot bath. Then she bent over and offered
her cheek. Without a moment’s delay, I held her face in my hands, turned her
face, and kissed her lips.
“Mmm, mm…”
“Mm…ahhh. That was…surprisingly forward of you.”
“I don’t know…I just wanted to.”

“Hehe. If it is what you want, then you should. I am prepared to give you
anything that you want from me.”
“I see…thank you, Daniela. Stay with me, forever.”
“Aye, forever. Now, hurry up and go.”
“Hm, fine.”
I stood up with a grunt and made my way over to the partition when I saw
Marie Elle. Her face looked bright red.
She quickly hid behind it, but her shadow was clearly visible.
“Marie Elle. Over here.”
“Uh…yes…”
Red-faced and eyes downcast, Marie Elle slowly walked closer. I patted her
cleaned hair and said gently:
“Marie Elle. You must have been so frightened by what happened today…”
“Yes…”
“I don’t think you will ever be able to forget it.”
“That is likely…”
“But, I wouldn’t want you to forget today. The day that Daniela and I saved
you. The day that you were saved. The day where you were given a chance to
continue living. The sadness, the pain, turn it to your strength, and live.”
“Yes…yes.”
I wiped the tears that were falling from her eyes when she looked up. Then I
gently pushed her towards Daniela. Daniela hugged her before picking her up
and carried her to the tent. I watched them leave.
I added some water to the bath and reheated it with magic. The little power
that I had recovered by resting was used up immediately. But at least I could
relax in hot water now. If it came to it, I could still fight without using magic.
Of course, I would still want time to dress if that happened.
After the blood was completely gone, and I had soaked in the tub long
enough to warm my whole body, I got out to find that Daniela and Marie Elle
were fast asleep. The only sounds that could be heard were the crackling of
the bonfire.
The sky was full of stars. I was near the city when I worked the night shift, so
I couldn’t even see the stars at night. My neck started to hurt as I looked at
those stars that seemed like they could fall at any moment. And so I lowered
my head and sat down by the fire.
I was cautious enough to keep Presence Detection active. My detection

abilities have increased in precision since the blood ape attack, and there was
nothing that I could detect now. It was the same when I extended it above me.
Well, peace was the best.
Nothing did happen that night, and Daniela eventually got up and I slept until
morning. This time I didn’t have any dreams and slept like a rock.
When I got up, my head felt clearer. It was as if all kinds of things had fallen
out. It was like I could see things clearly now.
The morning light that shined over the plains, the clouds flowing with the
wind. The sawing grass, the fresh air.
I suppose this was what it meant to be alive. The day after a deadly battle.
The morning that only the victorious will get to meet.
At that moment, I felt grateful for being alive for the first time. I was happy
to be alive, from the bottom of my heart. It was clearer now than it was on
that day, when I had become unconscious after being stabbed, and fallen into
this world.
I took in a deep breath, filling my lungs with the fresh air and then exhaled.
The cold air gave a tickling sensation as it entered your body.
I took out the Glampanzer from inside the tent and practiced swinging it like
a kendo sword. A straight, downward swing. That was all. But my body felt
surprisingly light, and my arms didn’t feel much of the strain from swinging
it. The armored demon sword was quite heavy, but I could hear the sounds of
it cutting through the air, and when I stopped, I could hold it still without any
shaking.
I thought about this with wonder. But I could find no sure answer. However,
there was one possibility.
It must be that I had gained experience. Not experience involving levels and
stats, but experience as a person. I had grown as a human.
I had taken it all in, the good and the bad. The fun times and sad times were
carved into me. Wasn’t that how you grew as a person?
And it applied to me right now. That’s what it was. Well, I had no proof.
“Asagi, breakfast is ready.”
“Ahh, I’m coming.”
Daniela was calling. I put the sword back into its sheath and returned to
Daniela. When I took one last look behind me, the sun had risen and the
blinding light washed over me. Then I turn back around and walk slowly as I
gaze at the elongated shadow. I was sure that today’s breakfast would also be
great. And I was thankful to be able to eat it.
The memories of yesterday would not disappear, but I was prepared to accept
that. At the time, I wanted so much to be vindicated by a third party. But
now…now I didn’t need that. The guilt of killing someone, the fulfillment of
saving someone, my feelings towards the dead bandits, my gratitude towards
Marie Elle, I would accept all of it and make it my strength.
I would live today, and move on in order to live tomorrow. And I was sure,
that Daniela would be there, standing next to me. That comfort of having
someone, it enveloped me gently.
“Ahh, it is good to be alive…”
Those words that naturally poured from my mouth were heard by no one, as
they vanished into the clear blue sky.
chapter 98
The Horror of Being Identified
The three of us ate the breakfast that Daniela had prepared without leaving
any leftovers. Then we destroyed the bathtub and took down the tent. Marie
Elle insisted that we put our belongings in the wagon, and so I readily
accepted the offer and put the hollow bag in with the other luggage.
“What are we going to do with the horses?”
“Horses are in demand wherever one goes, so we can sell them at Replant.
But I will pull them until we get there.”
Daniela gathered the reins and gently pulled, and the horses followed her
obediently. Maybe horses liked to be pulled around by beautiful women as
well. I understood that completely. Daniela could ride me any time.
The horse that pulled Marie Elle’s wagon was also from the bandit group.
Their own horse had been killed to prevent them from escaping. These men
were clearly used to ambushing travelers. I hadn’t been able to save her father
or her horse.
“Well, let’s go then!”
Marie Elle sat in the driver’s set and gave the command. Impressive for how
young she was. Did people start working at her age in this world?
“I just watched father a lot…”
“I see…you’re very good.”
“Ehehe.”
I sat next to Marie Elle and patted her on the head as she looked up. She
smiled happily.
I was the only one who wasn’t doing anything… They were the right people
for the right job, I guess. And there was no job right for me. I felt quite bad
about that.
It felt wrong to just sit there, and so I decided to keep watch of the area. Of
course, on a horse.
“Woah…li-like this?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
Daniela praised me as I held the reins and directed the horse. Getting too
confident here would likely result in the horse throwing me off and running
away, so I remained cautious. I was quite nervous, as this would be my first
time riding a horse, but it felt really great. You could see much farther into
the distance, thanks to the height, and it also helped with the precision of
Presence Detection. But if I did have to make a complaint, it would be that it
made your ass hurt.
We were able to reach Replant without getting attacked by monsters along

the way. The front of the town was protected by a high wall. There were
bandits nearby, after all. And blood apes lived in the forest not far away, so a
strong wall must have had to be built here. The wall itself was quite battered.
There were marks left that suggested it had been attacked many times.
And this wall had a grandly arched gate as well. It had a proper portcullis,
unlike the places we had seen up until now. The ones that moved up and
down in medieval castles. That alone made this place seem more like a
fortress than a town. Would the people here be the barbaric type? I hoped it
was at least safe…
“Hah…how long will it take to get inside…”
“This is quite the line…”
We had arrived safely, but we had yet to actually enter the town. This was
because there was a giant line of people waiting to get inside. Where did all
of these people come from… They must have been camping nearby last
night. It was a good thing we hadn’t come any closer. It would have been
very loud with all of the drunkards. And I wasn’t in the right state of mind for
that… It was thanks to Daniela and Marie Elle that I could think and talk like
normal now. And getting sufficient sleep at last.
To be honest, it did feel weird to return to such normality only a day after
killing people. Perhaps it showed that I was becoming a part of this world.
Values, morals. The ways of thinking. I could sense that those things had
changed in the ‘Part-time worker, Asagi Kamiyashiro’ and I was now
‘Adventurer(Silvergreen) Asagi.’
However, I didn’t intend on changing everything. I would adapt when it was

necessary, but I wouldn’t change the foundation. The night shift part-timer
was an important part of who I was. I had gotten through plenty of difficult
situations with that business smile. I had horrible memories of drunk
customers, just like I had horrible memories of those bandits. And they all
helped in shaping me into who I am today.
And I’m sure that business-like smile would continue to be on my face as I

swing my sword. Wait, that makes me sound like a psychopath.
Hmmm…still, things were really rowdy around here. Adventurers really

weren’t the most relaxed creatures.
“Hey! You!”
Oh? It was a woman’s voice. A woman Adventurer…how rare. Well, Daniela

was one. But I hadn’t seen many besides her. Curious. And so I turned my
head towards that voice and our eyes met. …And then I realized how
awkward it was, and so I averted my gaze.
“Hey! You, I mean you! Are you stupid!?”
The insults poured as soon as I looked away. Damn…I would be scared if

that was directed at me. But no one would do that just because you met their
eyes. But who then? Who was this unfortunate person she was angry with?
I looked around to see, only to find that everyone was looking at me. What?
“Quit looking around!”
“Woah.”
The sudden shouting was much closer now. I turned around frantically, just
as the woman grabbed me by the collar.
Apparently, the unlucky guy who had attracted her ire was me.
“Wh-what’s this…that…hurts…could you stop that…”
“What is this! You are covered in blood! It reeks!”
“I see your point, but I can’t…”
This is what happens when you hunt bandits. We didn’t have time to do any
laundry. We would just have to do it once we found an inn. It’s not like I
enjoyed having blood stains on me…
“What!? Just clean it with void magic!”
“Void magic?”
What’s that?
“You do not know what void magic is? Magic with no properties?”
“Ah, of course! I have heard of that.”
“If you know about it, you should use it! Are you stupid!?”
Her fist tightened. I looked over at Daniela. Master Daniela was my tutor in
all things magic.
“Daniela, how do I use it?”
“It is not my area of expertise, so I do not really know.”
“So the both of you are useless then…?”

The Adventurer looked at us in disbelief. I felt that this was all a bit severe…
“Huhhh…’Cleaning.’”
She let go of my collar and sighed before raising both hands at us and saying
‘cleaning.’ And what do you know, my bloody clothes regained their original
freshness.
“…Woah, that’s amazing!”
“So you really are incompetent…? That is hard to believe…”
It was hard to believe. Hard to believe I had no idea of such a useful trick. I
looked towards Daniela and she too looked surprised.
“Daniela, you could have told me about something so useful.”
“As I said, it is not my forte… My mother never had the chance to teach me.”
“Oh…right…sorry.”
“No, it is nothing. You are not in the wrong.”
“Daniela…”
“Hehe. You worry too much, Asagi.”
Daniela slowly put a hand on my arm. The place she gently touched had been
stained with blood a moment ago, but now it was clean. It had the luster of
being brand new. Her hand was pretty too. It always was.
“Hey…quit fooling around…I will clobber you…”
“Ah, thanks for the cleaning.”
“Don’t thank me like none of that ever happened! You are welcome!”
This person had not stopped being angry for a second… Even Marie Elle
seemed to be too scared to come out of the wagon. I’m not sure this was good
for her education.
But looking at the Adventurer now, well, she was cute. She was wearing light
armor. I had never actually seen the typical revealing fantasy armor or mini
skirts here, which was too bad. That was the kind of equipment you wanted
to see once in your life.
Daniela’s armor was pretty formal as well. Well, the design did emphasize
her form, which was easy on the eyes. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want
Daniela to wear bikini armor. If she did, I would have to use Legs of the
Forest Wolf to crush every man’s eyes out in the area.
“And what are you looking at?”
“Uh, nothing much.”
“And what do you mean by that!?”
She just stayed angry no matter what you said… We were clean now, she
should just go back to her place in the line.
“Hey, you. She called you ‘Asagi,’ is that your name?”
“It is…and you are?”
“Never mind that! …But, could you be the one they call Silvergreen?”
“Uh…”
Damn it…so that embarrassing name had spread all the way over here as
well…? Bordow had joked about making a report to the other guilds. Could
that be the reason…?
“If you are ‘Silvergreen,’ then…you must be ‘Lightwind?’”
“The one and only.”
The one and only? She had even put on her mask to show off. But I could see
from the side that her mouth was curled into a grin.
When Daniela readily admitted to being Lightwind, the people around us
began to mutter. I could hear ‘Silvergreen’ and ‘Lightwind’ being repeated. I
did not expect to be recognized here… I hate you. Bordow.
“Umm…I uh…”
“You what…?”
“Could I have…your autograph?”
“…”
I hated him so damn much.

chapter 99
Adventure City
The Adventurer continued to pester me for an autograph, and so I

begrudgingly, unwillingly accepted the magical pen-like device that she
offered.
“So…where do I write…”
“On the back of my armor!”
So saying, she pulled up her hair to expose the back of the light armor that
she was wearing. Are you kidding me?
“Are you for real? There? My name?”
“Yes, right there! In big letters!”
“You’re crazy…”
She was acting like this was the most natural and accepted practice in this
world, as if there was no other place that I could possibly sign. With a sigh, I
moved the pen across the metal and wrote: . Bet you can’t read that! It was
my little revenge.
“Thank you… I, I have been a fan ever since I first heard about you…”
She turned around with tearful eyes after I had finished.
“I am sorry for coming down so hard on you. I will treasure this armor from
now on.”
“…Oh, uh, sorry. But is it possible to rewrite this thing?”
“Yes, you can… If you do it quickly. Just use the other side of the pen to
scratch it off.”
“Got it. I’ll write it again.”
In no way did I think that I was special, and I wasn’t going to show off just
because I had a second name. I’ve been that way until now, and I will
continue to be like that. Regardless of flattery or criticism, I will be me.
But I couldn’t play such tricks on someone who supported me to this extent
either. Damn it, I was too nice. Or just very naive?
“…There, looks better now.”
I rewrote it as ‘Silvergreen Asagi Kamiyashiro’ in the letters of this world. It

was stylized with a little slant, but I should be allowed to do that much at
least.
“Thank you! This means a lot…”
“Thank you as well. For back then and now.”
“Now?”
“Uh, it’s nothing.”
Until now, I only needed to live while thinking about Daniela. But now I had
to consider how other people saw me… I am just me, but it is because of that,
that I have to be careful about how I am perceived. And so I was reminded of
the importance in living an honest life.
□□□□
After that, Daniela signed her armor as well, and the Adventurer left with a
satisfied expression. When that was finished, the other Adventurers who were
watching…left us alone, as the line kept moving until it was finally our turn.
“Alright, I will see your status cards now.”
The guard talked as if we had been brought in for questioning. I guess it was
hard to stay polite when there were so many people.
I took the card out of my pocket and handed it to him along with Daniela’s.
“Ah, what about you, Marie Elle?”
“I am a resident here, so it is alright.”
She pulled out a wooden tag from around her neck that had a coat of arms
painted on it. I looked at in puzzlement and then Marie Elle pointed to the top
of the gate. The same symbol was painted there as well. Ah, so it was like the
Replant insignia. Something that people who lived here carry. A residency
certificate.
“…Huh? That is odd…”
Those dreaded words came from the guard.
“…Is there a problem?”
“No…Aha! This must be the old one!”
“The what?”
The guard slapped his own forehead with satisfaction. I really needed an
explanation now.
“These are the old status cards. In what remote countryside did you even
make these?”
“Uh, Fhirlado, in Lambrusen.”
“I made mine in Rostrica, Lambrusen.”
“Lambrusen, eh? I see. They have an entirely different system that still
accepts these artifacts, but Flugelnia has the latest machines installed. These
cards will not do. Most people who plan to visit the empire make new cards.”
Did that mean that we could not enter? After coming all this way here?
“No, just wait a moment. I have heard of something like this happening
before, so there must be an old machine somewhere. To be honest, I am
rather new to this. Just wait for a while at the guard house.”
He gestured towards a door behind the gate, and so we headed there.
“The young lady with you can go inside. Hmm, you seemed to have left with
another person…”
“I…um, my father was…it was bandits…”
“…I am sorry to have asked. But it is good that you are safe.”
The guard knelt down and patted her gently on the head. Then he looked up
at us and asked, ‘And you two helped her?’ And then he stood up and bowed.
“I must thank you for saving the life of a citizen of Replant. I believe that I
represent us all when I say that we are very grateful.”
“We just happened to be passing by. We regret not being able to help her
father…”
“The root of it is that we have become lax in our monitoring of their

movements. We will do everything that we can to prevent such a tragedy
from happening again.”
“That is good to know.”
The guard thanked us and returned to his post. Now it was only me, Daniela
and Marie Elle who were here.
“I guess this is goodbye then.”
“This is my home, so we can always meet again.”
I felt bad about sending her off on her own, but we had to stay here.
“Indeed. We will meet again if there is such an opportunity. Until then, take
care, Marie Elle.”
“Yes, you too, Miss Daniela!”
Daniela looked into her eyes as she talked and then hugged her tightly. I gave
her a hug as well, and she laughed happily.
“I’m really sorry about not being able to help your father.”
“…Father was protecting me…but I am sad that he is no longer here…”
Saying goodbye to us. Returning to this town alone. It was as if it all finally
registered in her head, and Marie Elle shed tears for the first time since
meeting us. Daniela and I couldn’t help but feel moved, and the three of us
shed tears together.
As our eyes and nose turned red, the guardhouse door swung open, and a
guard came out to meet us.
“Are you the people who are waiting to have your old cards read?”
“Yes…sniff..that’s right…”
“What’s all this…”
The guard looked a little disgusted, but what could you do? We were sad.
We shook hands with Marie Elle and separated. Though, we did wait until
her wagon disappeared into the town before going inside.
“Now, your status cards, please.”
“Here.”
I handed over the two cards and they were inserted into a dusty old machine.
Huh, so that’s how it worked…I’ve never seen it done before.
“Alright, you can go in now. You should have these updated at the guild, first
thing. Getting the card changed is a guild matter, so it should be free of
charge.”
“I understand. And which way is the guild?”
“Why, it’s the largest building in the town!”
He pointed out of the window, and there was one building that loomed over
the rest. The guild house was huge, as was appropriate for a place known as
the Adventurer’s Town.
“Well, then. Allow me to welcome you, to the Adventure City, Replant!”
Was it an empire thing to spread your arms grandly when welcoming

people…? I was getting used to it, but it was hard not to smirk a little.
We had been made to wait for quite a while, but we had finally arrived.
□□□□
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
“That guard, he just said, Adventure City, didn’t he?”
“He did.”
“This place must have grown even more since then.”
“…What you are trying to say is, that I have lived for a very long time.”
Daniela looked away as she mumbled darkly. Her information was

sometimes useful and sometimes…outdated.
“So, how old are you exactly?”
“Asagi, are you really asking a woman this question? And an elf, no less?”
“Well, maybe it is bad manners. But it interests me.”
“Elves dislike revealing their age once they reach a point where they must
say ‘in human years.’”
I understood that. I wondered just how large the discrepancy between humans
and elves was.
“So, how old are you, dear Daniela?”
“…I will be three hundred this year.”
“Three hundred?”
“Three hundred.”
“And in human years?”
“Around thirty.”
Didn’t she say that she was around two hundred back in Fhiraldo?
“You lied to me? In that situation?”
“I wish to look young regardless of the situation.”
“But there are limits…”
You would think that one hundred years was taking it a little too far…
Daniela’s revelation surprised me in multiple ways as we walked down the

cobbled street. Our perilous journey had come to a close, and we were headed
towards some peaceful and relaxed days. I had such hopes in my heart for
this Adventure City, Replant, as Daniela and I made our way to the
Adventurer’s Guild.
chapter 100
The Genius in the Smoking Room
We walked through the current of Adventurers, asking guards for directions

while sometimes bumping into people, as we made our way to the guild.
“There are so many people here… We might get separated.”
“Do you want me to hold your hand?”
“Don’t be stupid, I’m not a child.”
Damn it…I glare as Daniela laughs mockingly at me.
“Ah, but maybe I am close to a child, considering your age.”
“I ought to punch you for that.”
It was a surprisingly short trip, as long as you followed the main road and
didn’t take any detours. We looked up at the giant building in front of us and
saw a sign that read: Grand Guild.
I suppose it meant that this was not just any guild. Perhaps it was an elite
facility with welfare and other benefits. Even the gate was extravagant with
its double doors. Each side was draped with a hanging banner with an
insignia on it. A dragon, sword and shield and…was that a shoe? Did they
represent the grand guild then? Fighting, protecting, and exploring?
“Well, let’s go in.”
“Even I am feeling a little nervous now…”
“So you still get nervous even when you’ve lived so long.”
“You should not tease me too much. My revenge will come at night, and you
will cry in defeat.”
“You better not. I’m not a fan of anything painful.”
We joked as I opened the doors.
“Ahh…it’s big.”
It was large, like a hotel you would find in the city. The ceiling was open all
the way to the third floor, and a giant magic illumination device was hanging
in the center. I stared up with a stupefied look. Daniela suddenly jabbed me
in the ribs.
Oh, right. First impressions were important. We couldn’t let others take us for
fools.
I looked at the front to see that there was a row of counters. The resting
rooms and dining hall were on the left and right. We could hear pleasant
laughter and music coming from the dining hall. And a number of
Adventurers were talking in the resting area. Hmm, the atmosphere here was
nice. As was fitting for a place named the Grand Guild, there was a notable
absence of Adventurers with bad behavior. Their management was competent
or the instructors were. But if the later was the case, we would probably be
hearing from the guild master at some point.
The counters had the usual signs reading: Registration, Accept Quest,
Rewards, Questions and Other, plus two new ones: Request and Convert.
Requests were usually done at Other, so they must have separated them to
decrease the workload. As for Convert, it was apparently to convert materials
from monsters into money.
There were quite a lot of people lined up at that counter, but each counter
here had two lines with two guild workers, which made things move faster.
“Alright, we better update these status cards first.”
“I suppose we should go to ‘Other’ then?”

“Well, it’s ‘Questions’ as well, so we’ll find out something either way.”
“That is true. We should go then.”
And so we took our positions in the ‘Questions and Other’ line. No one tried
to cut in or bother Daniela. It really was peaceful. But kind of boring, to be
honest. Encountering trouble gave you something to talk about. Matsumoto
was hogging all of it with his protagonist qualities. Poor guy.
“You two are next.”
Oh, the person in front of us was finished. Daniela and I took out our status
cards and walked up to the counter.
“Excuse me, we would like to have our status cards updated.”
“Yes, very good. Please hand them over.”
“Here.”
We put the two cards on the tray.
“Asagi and Daniela. It will be finished in ten minutes, so please wait in the
room over there.”
We were politely directed over to a room that had a sign reading ‘Waiting
Room.’ The walls were made of glass so you could see inside. It was just like
a smoking room.
“Alright. Thank you.”
The guild worker bowed slowly and Daniela and I headed for the smoking…
the Waiting Room. We could see that there were several other Adventurers
waiting inside. Oh, someone would definitely try to talk to us. Yeah, right.
Haha. I’m not Matsumoto.
“Excuse me.”
“…”
We opened the door with a word so it wouldn’t be awkward. The
Adventurers who were sitting looked up to see who we were, but they
quickly looked away without much interest. The floor was apparently much
more engaging. All of the chairs were occupied, so I would not be able to join
them in their stare-down with the floor. And so we leaned against the wall
and waited for the time to pass.
It really was boring. Daniela was wearing her mask and staying very still. She
usually put on her mask when we first arrive in a new town. But she also
tended to take it off the next today, so it might have been some kind of
defensive instinct of hers. I kind of wanted a mask like that for myself… Oh,
but then I could just wear the hood on this poncho. And so I tried putting the
hood on. Deep over my eyes.
“…”
“…Hey, you. It’s stuffy enough here without you doing that.”
“…Oh, sorry.”
Another Adventurer who was killing time next to me complained. Damn it,
this was embarrassing. I shouldn’t have bothered.
Were ten minutes always this long? Daniela was so still, and no one else was
talking. Was there another rule besides having to stare at the floor? I never
heard about having to keep quiet as well.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
It was no use, I can’t bear it. To kill the time and for a little practice, I begin
to play with a little water magic on the palm of my hand. And then I tried
making it into an ice statue that looked like Daniela. First, I carved the finer
details out with magic, then added the clothes with a different layer. It was a
highly detailed figure. Even the mask could be taken off. Her eyes
underneath were tightly shut in a sage expression.
Hmm, it came out quite nice. I could probably sell this if it wasn’t made of
ice… I thought as placed the completed figure at Daniela’s feet and smiled. If
I had more time, I would make more and line them up so they became
progressively smaller.
And then I leaned back on the wall and looked up. Everyone was now
looking at me with wide eyes.
“…Wh-what is it?”
“You, did you make that with magic…?”
“Yes…I was bored…”
“Are you serious…”
Those who had been staring at the floor were now looking back and forth at
Daniela and the figure with the same intensity. That looked painful for their
necks…
“So, so you can use ice magic?”
“I’m pretty good with it, I think…but I’m a fighter in training, not a
magician.”
“So you can fight close-quarters as well…”
Hey, you. Would you want to form a party?”
The Adventurers suddenly gathered around me with invitations of their own.

Was I really that capable?
“I’ll pay you! Would you go with me to the dungeons?”

“My party is trying to hunt the lord of the lake. It would be awfully helpful to
have ice magic.”
“Uh, I, umm…”
Desperate faces crowded around me. This was such an unexpected

development, that I didn’t know how to respond.
“Hey.”
And she raised her voice. My favorite elf, who had been still as a statue a
moment ago. The Adventurers looked shocked, as if the furniture had
suddenly started talking. Daniela continued flatly.
“That is my partner. And I have no intention of losing him.”
Damn, she was cool…My heart skipped a beat.
“I see, sorry.”
“It was ill-mannered of me. Beg your pardon.”
Perhaps they were better disciplined here, because the Adventurers backed
off quickly. That was a relief, but at the same time, I had no idea that I was
considered to be valuable personnel. I was pretty capable, apparently.
I had unexpectedly discovered my worth and fallen a little harder for Daniela.
The rest of the ten minutes passed quickly, and we left the smoking room to
go back to the counter.
chapter 101
Update, Street Stalls, Inn
“Thank you for your patience. Your status cards have finished updating.”
“Thanks.”
The cards we received looked roughly the same. I handed Daniela hers and
turned my mine over to see the back. It was just an ordinary card.
“So, what is different with this one?”
“These new cards contain much more information. Such as the level of your
skills and the general skills that were not shown before. Your alias is also
displayed.”
“Skill level!”
That was information I had been wanting. That was good…!
“You should look through it when you have the time. Please come again if
you have any questions.”
“Yes, Thank you.”
“May you have luck and protection on your adventures.”
With that said, the explanation was over, and we moved away from the
counter. We walked over to a corner and both of us immediately checked are
statuses.
“I wonder how much has changed. I haven’t checked it for a while. This is
going to be fun.”
“My skill level…I have never cared about it before. But now that it is
available, I do feel curious.”
“Well, let’s take a look. Status open.”
“Status open.”
◇◇◇◇
Race: Human
Alias: Silvergreen
LV: 65
HP: 632/632
MP: 600/600
STR: 308 VIT: 305
AGI: 684 DEX: 331
INT: 304 LUK: 29
Skills: Jack of all Trades, Master of None(-), Legs of the Forest Wolf(-),
Single-handed Sword(7/10), Shortsword(6/10), Spear(2/10), Bow(2/10),
Greatsword(2/10), Presence Detection(6/10), Night Eyes(3/10)
Magic: Ice Magic(8/10), Water Magic(7/10), Fire Magic(2/10)
Quests: None
Equipment: Armor
Head – None
Torso – Ice Dragon Breastplate
Arms – Ice Dragon Gauntlets
Legs – Ice Dragon Legguards
Feet – Accel Panther Boots
Weapons – Glampanzer
Ashikirimaru
Schwarz Tempest
Clothes – Wind Dragon Poncho
Wind Dragon Waist Mantle
Wind Dragon Trousers
◇◇◇◇
Race: Light Elf
Alias: Lightwind
LV: 79
HP: 943/943
MP: 638/638
STR: 436 VIT: 351
AGI: 348 DEX: 461
INT: 427 LUK: 31
Skills: Fresh Green Eye(-), Presence Detection(8/10), Single Handed

Sword(8/10), Bow(8/10), Shortsword(6/10), Spear(3/10)
Magic: Wind Magic(10/10), Water Magic(6/10), Earth Magic(6/10)
Quests: None
Party: Asagi Kamiyashiro
Equipment: Head – Mask of the Forest People
Body – Light Armor of the Forest People
Arms – Patchwolf Gloves
Legs – Steel Claw Leggings
Feet – Forest Lizard Leather Boots
Weapons – Rapier of the Tree of Life and Death
Bow of the Tree of Life and Death
Accessories – Cape of the Forest People
Pendant of the Forest People
Hmm…hm….I see, yes, I see…
“The amount of new information is hurting my eyes…”
“So the maximum skill level is ten…”
Yes, the skill levels stopped at 10. But it seemed like unique skills didn’t
even have levels, so ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ could never be
raised. There was no ‘Master of All.’
As the smaller skills were also displayed now, I could get a better idea of my
proficiency with different weapons. The single-handed sword that was my
main weapon, had gone up quite a bit. My sub-weapon, the shortsword as
well. The bow and spear were still low, as I had barely used them. I meant to
raise my skill with the greatsword next, hopefully reaching the same level as
the shortsword at least.
Well, seems like that’s it for things to check.
◇◇◇◇
We left the guild now that we were finished, and went out into the large
street. The next thing to do was to look for an inn. Looking for an inn has
mostly been a smooth experience, but we didn’t know anyone here, and so
we decided to go and look around.
There was no free information office. In fact, most of the buildings here
seemed to be selling armor and weapons. You could hear the hammering of
metal and lively shouts echoing from all directions. Quite fitting for the
adventure city.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi?”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I was waiting for you to ask.”
We were tired of walking and incredibly hungry. This town apparently had a
street stall district, and many of the people on the streets were carrying food.
This was our chance. I won’t have to make any food. Cooking skill? I had no
interest in skills that weren’t displayed on my status card. No, I wasn’t
feeling bitter about it!
“I smell something very good coming from over there.”

“If you think so, it’s probably true.”
“You are not wrong, but why do I feel like you’re mocking me?”
“It’s a compliment. Now, let’s go.”
We turned at a crossroad and entered a street that was just as wide as the one
we had been in. And just as Daniela had said, it was tightly packed with food
stalls. A large variety of smells assaulted our noses and stomachs.
“Alright, let us start from this side and work our way down.”
“Yeah, we should decide after we have seen everything first.”
“What are you on about? We are going start buying from this side.”
“What kind of stupid bastard are you?”
The screws in this one always tended to become a little loose when she was
hungry…I had to hold her hand tightly and keep an eye on her, or her wallet
would become completely empty.
“This looks good.”
“Yes, we should start with some meat.”
“Ah, you have good taste, young lady! It is five silvers for a skewer!”
“I will take two.”
“Much obliged!”
She was buying stuff already. Well, it did look good.
“Thanks.”
“Oh?”
“What? But, isn’t that for…”
“They were meant for me…but if you really want it… I suppose I have no
choice.”
“Thank you!!”
She really was a mess when hungry. Well, no one was perfect. And damn,
this stuff was good…
She continued to show off her unfortunate characteristics after that. And I
sipped some fruit water and walked around with her. We forgot about finding
an inn until the sun had started to set, and while we frantically searched the
area, we could not find one. And so we had ended up sitting by a fountain in
the central plaza, wondering what to do, when an old man approached us. On
closer inspection, he was the man who had sold us the meat skewers.
“Oh, if it isn’t the couple from earlier. What’s wrong? You look troubled.”
“Ah, well…we were a bit distracted by buying food and…forgot to search for
an inn…”
“You what? How in the…”
He looked at us with exasperation. It really was quite pathetic.
“Well, you should have asked me! We have an inn!”
“What!?”
Daniela grabbed the old man by the shoulders.
“Is that the truth?”
“Of course it is. My son runs the place now. I am sure he can spare you a
room if I ask.”
“Really! Please let us stay! Please!”

“Leave it to me!”
Ah…god, so we would not have to spend the night in the cold streets after all.
This was due to our daily good deeds wasn’t it…not that I could remember
doing anything.
In any case, after a long while, we were able to find an inn to stay at.
You really never knew when you would have chance encounters like these.
Regardless of what town we were in, we would always be saved by such
encounters. By people.
You should live every day with gratitude. I had not forgotten this important
trick to living, and so I thanked the old man, and the three of us marched off
to the inn.
chapter 101.1
I tried using Presence Detection to see if anyone was hiding, but of course, it
was not so simple. Still, I tried narrowing it down and raising the accuracy.
That was when I detected something strange. It was behind me to the left. But
it was blocked by the wall of a building, so… It was above then.
“Hello?”
I tried addressing the intelligence folks. According to Presence detection,

there had been no movement yet.
“Uh, intelligence…”
“Don’t move.”
“!?”
Someone had suddenly appeared behind me. I didn’t move. I could feel
something sharp poking me through my clothes.
“I was told to monitor you. However, I was not given permission to make
contact.”
“Then why?”
“Because you instigated it.”
I felt the sharp object retract from my clothes and so I slowly turned around.
The person hid their face with a mask. A woman? She was about my own
height and dressed in black. Only her mouth was exposed, and they were
plump and pretty lips indeed. Of course, the person could also be an
abnormally pretty man, but I prefered the scenario where I maintained my
sanity a little.
Just then, I noticed that several other figures had appeared behind me. I was
surrounded…
“…So, what do you want?”
“The thing is, I was told by one of your men in Usk, that I was to depend on
him if I ever needed help in the imperial capital. But I can’t remember his
name…”
“It is the man who told us to monitor you. Captain Tames.”
“Ah, that’s what it was! Mister Tames!”
Mister Tames. Tames. So much had happened since then that I had forgotten.
But I do remember him saying I ‘might be monitored,’ but it turned out that
he was the one to give the order. Was it…so I wouldn’t be too alert?
“What do you want with the captain?”
“Right. I want to meet him. Today.”
“That won’t be easy. Is it urgent?”
It’s the biggest emergency!
“We’re having trouble finding an inn. Please help us.”
“You… You do realize that we are agents of the Empire…”
She sighed. I didn’t get it. It was their captain that told me to do this.
“However, if that is what the captain said, then we have no choice. We will
have to secure you an inn.”
“Thank you. Thank you!”
“Raise your head. Damn it. Why must I…”
She muttered as she produced a paper and pen from her pockets. I suppose
she was going to write something… Then I should take out the table.
“Here, you can write on this.”
“Thank you… I’ve seen you use it before a few times. It really is
convenient.”
“It’s an important buddy for sure.”
Seen me use it before? Well, at least I hadn’t been doing anything I was
ashamed of. But as far as lewd things go, yes, we did those things.
The intelligence agent began to write on the paper and then stamped it. I had
no idea what it was…
“Here. Show this to the inn you wish to stay at.”
“What? What is that?”
“It’s a military priority pass.”
A military priority pass?
“You will be offered services reserved for military personnel.”
“Really? That seems ridiculously convenient!”
“Aye, that’s exactly how I would describe it.”
While I could only see her face, the smile was about as smug as could be.
“But, won’t I get in trouble? I’m just an ordinary Adventurer.”
“The captain’s words and my authority will make up for that. Now, go in
peace and enjoy the capital.”
“Uh, thank you.”
I put away the very important piece of paper in my bag. When I looked up
again, there was no one in sight. I could not even sense their presence.
“I’ve been underestimating them…this is kind of scary.”
Intelligence agents of the empire… I would have to stay on my guard the

next time we came in contact with them.
“Well, at least they were nice enough. I better go and find Daniela now.”
While it was highly unlikely, she may have even found herself an inn. I had
to hurry. And so I used Presence Detection to find her.
Daniela appeared to be inside one of the inns. I followed the signal and
arrived at a very luxurious looking building. She didn’t compromise…
I opened the door and entered. Daniela was facing the counter with her back
to me. Quite the negotiation seemed to be in session, and I could hear them
from my position.
“…As I said, we really must have a place to stay.”
“But the thing is…”
“We will pay double. So give us a room.”
“But we do not have any rooms available…”
Oh, dear. She wasn’t backing down… Well, I had been the one who
provoked her into doing it.
“Daniela.”
“Asagi. Just wait one moment. A room will be available soon.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
And so I grabbed her shoulder and peeled her away from the counter.
“Sorry. We’ll be back later.”
“What are you saying, Asagi? I almost had it.”

“Hush your voice for a second.”
And with that, I pulled her out of the building. Then we moved to a back
alley, where I took out the priority pass from the bag and explained to her
what had happened.
“…So, that’s what happened.”
“You could have told me sooner and just used it!”
Do you know how many years I have lost because of this? Daniela grumbled.
“Well, this means we can stay at almost any inn that we want now.”
“That is quite forceful of the military. How do they enforce it?”
“They probably write over some reservation.”
Knock out someone’s reservation… That seemed really slimy. I would hate it
if it happened to me.
“Well, let us go and see if it works.”
“Yeah. I hope it does…”
And so we returned to the inn we had just left.
□ □ □ □
“I am terribly sorry…but we do not accept these here.”
“Hmm?”
They don’t accept them? Were these only usable in select places then?
“I’m sorry, but could you explain to us how this works? I think that I might
have made a mistake.”
“Ah, I see. Well, to put it simply, these military priority passes allow you to
receive the same services as soldiers of the Empire. In other words, facilities
that are exclusively for military people. They can not be used in civilian
facilities. If you could, there would be people who abused their right…”
“Ahhh… That’s very helpful. I get it now.”
That intelligence agent hadn’t told me anything. How was I supposed to

know it was only usable in military exclusive facilities? Besides, why was it
even called a priority pass anyway?
“So, we just need to go to such a place then.”
“Indeed so. By the way, most of the military facilities are concentrated
towards the north. I would advise you to hurry…”
What. That’s on the opposite side!
“We have to hurry! Excuse us. And thank you!”
“Thank you.”
I grabbed Daniela’s hand and we ran without waiting for a reply.
After mulling over it for a while, I decided to use Legs of the God Wolf. Of
course, I used it up in the sky, so we would not disturb the civilians. I also
avoided getting close to the nobles district or the imperial castle.
I was carrying Daniela as we moved, and surprisingly, no one seemed to

notice us. We should have been visible, but it was as if we weren’t…or was it
just me?
The north district…where all the military facilities were. I see. Most people
here were in uniform. However, there were also civilians and tourists. The
most important facilities would be closer to the center of the city. From what
I could see, there was no security gate for entering the district. It felt that they
lived quite closely with the civilians. Perhaps this was a place where they
could interact freely with each other.
In any case, we were able to reach the place without losing any time. There
was still plenty of time until sundown. First, we would have to find an inn.
Was there a direction board anywhere?
“Asagi. Over there.”
“Oh, right…”
There was a guardhouse. We should ask them.
“Hello?”
“Yes. What is it?”
A woman in military uniform shuffled some papers before looking up at me.

Hmm, quite pretty. Daniela stomped on my foot.
“Could you help us with directions?”
“Yes, I can. Where are you going?”
“We’re looking for an inn to stay at.”
“I see. An inn. But they are military facilities, and only those in the military
may use them…”
She scratched her chin uncomfortably as she tilted her head. It was kind of
cute… Daniela’s heel ground into my toes.
“But we have this.”
“Oh… A priority pass. Where did you get it?”
“I have my connections.”
I covered my face so only my mouth was showing. She looked at me with

surprise. Apparently, she had gotten the message.
“Very well. I shall take you to an inn.”

“No, you just need to tell us where it is…”
“You are important guests. Allow me to take you there.”
She gave a sly wink and then called another member of staff. As she was
leaving someone in charge, she clearly meant to be thorough in guiding us
there.
“Let us go then. I am Licoris Ladiaray. Management Division of the Empire’s

North District. It’s a pleasure to meet you two.”
“I’m Asagi Kamiyashiro. And this is…”
“Daniela Villesilf. A pleasure.”
“You two are… Yes, I understand. Silvergreen, Asagi Kamiyashiro, and

Lightwind, Daniela Villesilf. Please allow me to escort you.”
She gave a most elegant salute then. Clearly, someone who had been in the
military for a while.
Now, would we get there alright…? No, of course, we would. What I was
actually worried about was what this place would be like.
chapter 102
A Luxury Inn
The food stall man cum innkeeper led us through the main street and turned
into a quiet alley. There were not many Adventurers here. I had assumed that
there would be other traveling Adventurers at this inn and was a little
disappointed.
“And here we are.”
“Oh…”
The building we stopped at was, well, impressive. It was large and had fancy
engravings from corner to corner. It looked expensive.
“It is a beautiful building.”
“Thank you, uh…”
“Ah, I am Daniela. This is Asagi.”
“Name’s Veiken. Nice to meet you!”
We walked through the opened door and were greeted by an entrance that
was unusually illuminated by indirect lighting devices. There was a counter
to the left where a man was scribbling something before he looked up to see
us.
“Welcome. Are you looking for a room?”
“Ah, Vegun. I brought customers! Treat them well!”
“Father…get out of my way. You are hurting the business…”
The man named Vegun sighed as he looked at his father. Veiken shrugged
and looked away. He had said that his son took over the business, but it
looked like he still had some concerns.
“My name’s Asagi, and this is Daniela. We came at Veiken’s

recommendation.”
“I am terribly sorry about him…”
“Oh, no. We were in trouble, as we could not find an inn. He was a great
help. We will likely be staying for a while, if you can accommodate us.”
“Yes, it can be difficult to find an inn in this town… Thank you. Rooms…
ah… There is only one room available, would that be alright?”
Veiken had not been wrong about there being one room. Well, it wasn’t
really a problem for me and Daniela.
“Yes, that’s fine. And…would it be possible to stay for at least two weeks?”
“Certainly. That will be two gold pieces and twenty silvers. Your room is on
the third floor, the furthest in the back. Here is your key. Welcome to the
Lamb’s Hoof. I hope that you enjoy your stay.”
I pulled out my wallet from the hollow bag and counted the money carefully
before lining them on the counter. Vegun counted them again before pulling a
key off of the wall and handing it to us. The key had a ‘310’ marked on it. I
suppose there were ten rooms per floor. That was quite a lot… It didn’t seem
that big from the outside. I thought to myself as we turned to thank Veiken,
who was folding his arms as he scrutinized his son at work.
“Veiken, you really saved us. Thank you.”
“Bah, I’m sure you’ll return the favor. But it’s nothing!”
“I shall eat at your stall again.”
“Aye, Miss Daniela. I will be waiting!”
He was a nice guy. And I had Daniela’s sense of smell to thank. You never
knew where it would lead you, so it was not to be underestimated.
We left the counter behind us and crossed the carpeted floor to the stairs.
Even the stairs here were carpeted. It was comfortable and added a sense of
luxury.
We walked up the stairs to the third floor together and reached the room that
was the furthest in the back. The windows in the hallway showed that night
had completely fallen now, and lantern lights were flickering all over town. It
was the beginning of a Replant night. It would likely be very fun to go out
there during this hour, once we grew a little more familiar with the place.
“Here we are.”
“I do wonder what it will look like.”
“Yeah. …Okay, now to open it.”
I push in the key, open the lock and turn the knob. I always felt excitement
when opening the door of an inn in a new town. I slowly opened the door and
we peered inside.
“Ohh…”
“This is quite…”
The interior could best be described as that of a luxury hotel. First, it was
very big. As was the bed. It was big, but not overwhelming. Because the
room was big enough to match it. With a bed this big, sleeping alongside
Daniela would not be a problem. Yes, no matter how much she flailed around
in her sleep, I will have plenty of room to escape.
Beyond the bed was what appeared to be a glass table with a metal frame. I
did not like how fragile it looked… The chairs were made of wood but were
padded with soft cushions. They had nice armrests as well, promising a high
level of comfort.
“Asagi, there is a door here.”
“A what?”
I looked around as Daniela called to me. Indeed, there was a door in the wall
that connected the entrance to the room. Daniela cautiously opened it.
“Well, that is a…”
“…This is too good to be true.”
It was a bathing room. There was a huge bathtub waiting for us. The floor
was made of polished marble, and the whole room looked very clean. There
was even soap. Had I gone back to Japan?
I left the bathing room and looked at the bedroom again. There was a large
window that directly faced the entrance, and you could see the rest of the city
from it. The view really was nice from the third floor…
“This place is incredible…”
“As luck would have it, we do have enough money. But I would have been
quite angry with Veikin right now if we were in a less stable position.”
“Damn right.”
We sat down together and looked at the ceiling. It was pure white and
without a single stain. That meant…I would not be able to count the stains as
I fell asleep.
I turned my head to the side and saw that there was a shelf near the entrance,
and it was lined with the usual security devices.
They really were everywhere…
“Two gold pieces and twenty silvers for two weeks… That’s around fifteen
silvers for a day. It really is quite expensive.”
“However, seeing it now…and considering it is for both of us, seven silvers

and fifty coppers is a fair enough price.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t stay here alone…”

Still, we really did not have infinite funds. A lot of the money used for the
wyverns went into my armor. And the reward money for the kobolds and
assault kobold went into buying supplies and replacing my cursed equipment.
We had enough money to stay here for a month,
but we would have to start making money again soon, if we wanted to rely on
it in an emergency.
“We’ll have to start making money soon.”
“There are so many Adventurers here. We might have to fight for the best
jobs.”
“At least we can convert materials. Maybe we can just make money on
random hunting quests.”
“But I would not be surprised if they have become scarce from so much
hunting”.
Monsters occurred naturally in the world, and there was no danger of

extinction. However, if so many Adventurers in this town were hunting them
at once, they would just be fighting over who got them when they respawned.
Well, the Adventurers here did seem pretty well behaved… But we were still
new here and didn’t really know how things worked. We would have to ask
around at the guild later.
With that decided, I decided to take a bath.
There was a faucet-like magic device near the bathtub. I tried turning it,
expecting a gush of hot water, but nothing came out. Hmm…how did this
thing work? I tilt my head to the side and a small box catches my eye. There
were stones inside, blue and red. And also a metal tool. Even more confusing.
How was I supposed to use these?
I thought about it for a moment…and inspected the faucet. There was a dent
inside that I had assumed was part of the design, but I now realized that it
was the same size as the stones. It wasn’t hard to figure the rest out. I placed
the blue stone in and tried turning the valve. The once unresponsive faucet
was now gushing.
“Yes…!”
The blue stone was water ore. But who wants that? This red one was likely
fire ore. And it would give me the hot water that I craved.
“Alright…there…wha!? Whooah!!”
It breathed fire!! Why!?
“You idiot!! What are you doing!”
Daniela heard my scream of terror and rushed into the room and closed the
valve. The fire vanished and all you could see was a slightly blackened
bathtub.
“Just a little panic…”
“I am the one who panicked…what are you…how in the…”
“But water came out and…who wouldn’t think the fire ore would result in
hot water…”
“This is how you use this thing.”
Daniela picked up the tool that was in the box and started hammering the ore
into small pieces. Ahhh, that’s what the tool is for… Then she mixed the
grains and put them into the hole and turned the valve. Steaming hot water
now poured from the faucet.
“Huh…”
“Really… You are not from here, so of course, you would not know. You
must ask me for help before you hurt yourself.”
“My bad. I’ll be careful next time.”
“I hope so. You do realize that it would be quite costly to pay for destroying
such a large bathtub?”
“I know, I know.”
So, we just crushed all of the ore and put it in. Does that mean it can only be
used once…?
“Hey, Asagi.”
“Should we go in together, like back in Alessa?”
“…Yes.”
This really was a day for overheating.

chapter 103
A Day for a Child’s Quarrel
The next morning.
I woke up shivering in the cold after having been robbed of my blanket. Next
to me lay a happy, very warm and sound asleep Daniela. I had a momentary
urge to take the blanket back, but I lost the will to do that after seeing her
carefree expression.
And so I changed into my usual outdoor clothes and washed my face. I only
woke Daniela up after brushing my teeth and fixing myself up. She stared
dumbly with half-open eyes and sat with crossed legs on the bed. It reminded
me of how I used to act before getting up to go to work.
“It’s a nice day again… The town is beautiful, and the room was great. Don’t
you think, Daniela?”
I said as I looked around. Daniela had fallen back from her sitting position
and was attempting to go back to sleep. But life was not so easy. And we
were supposed to go and check the guild quests!
“Come on, get up. We’re going to the guild. We’ll be late.”
“Uh…”
She shook her head in disagreement and buried her face in the pillow. She
really was terrible at this…
“Do you want me to leave you behind? I would, you know?”
“…I will go after you, you go on ahead…”
“Hahhhh…”
I did want us to go together…oh, well. I scribbled a little note just in case and
placed it on the glass table. Then I slid just the Glampanzer into my belt and
left the room.
I greeted the other guests as I made my way down the stairs and to Vegun at
the front desk.
He noticed me as I came walking, and greeted me politely.
“Good morning, Mister Asagi.”
“Good morning. I’m off to the guild.”
“I see. And the key?”
“My partner is still sleeping…”
I had left the key near the door. On the shelf with the security devices.
“Ah, then I will have someone lock it from the outside.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“It’s nothing. Have a good day.”
“Thank you.”
And with that, I went out into the sunlight. There weren’t that many people in
sight until I reached the main road, but once I was there, there were large
crowds of people. I noted how energetic they seemed in the morning as I
walked towards the guild. I also took note of the many Adventurers I started
to see. Some wore light leather armor, others were huge and covered in full
plate armor, and there were women who wore hoods and carried staffs. It was
like an Adventurer showcase. I’ve been to a couple of guilds now, but I’ve
never seen so many Adventurers before. But this was Adventure City.
Adventurers crowded the area near the guild. I feel like this was the first time
I was seeing a real crowd of people since coming to this world. Many of them
were holding something that looked like paper. Was it for quests? If it was,
most of the lucrative ones were probably gone by now. With that thought in
mind, I frantically entered the guild and checked the quest board. My
shoulders dropped. There was almost nothing left on the board.
“Damn…really…”
We were way too late…I hadn’t imagined that things would be this
competitive. I thought that they would try to keep things a little more
satisfying for everyone…I suppose it was the true Adventurers who rose to
the top in this struggle. In that case, Daniela had no chance at all. I bet she
was still sleeping right now.
“Well, might as well check these…”
If it came to it, I would just have to collect herbs again. I actually enjoyed it
in a way. It was easy to mindlessly collect things.
“Okay…”
I looked at the sad quests that had been left. Goblin extermination, Grass wolf
hunting, Lost pet, Poisonous herb gathering…poisonous herbs? And what
would you do with poisonous herbs…?
“There is nothing here that’s worth a damn…”
All of them were bad. The goblin one…was really the only one that allowed
you to make extra on top of the reward money.
Oh, well. I will just have to bear it for one day… And so my hand stretches
out for the notice. Just then, another hand stretched towards it.
“Hm?”
“Hm?”
I follow the arm and see a boy who is looking at me. He looked like the most
typical sort of newcomer.
“Hey, you! How dare you try and steal my quest!”

“Uh, no. That would be you. There wasn’t even anyone here when I arrived.”
“Shut up! Get out of my way!”
It seemed that I had no luck with children. Well, as irritating as this was, I
was an adult. I suppose I could allow the new kid his first quest…
“Ah, very well. Good luck out there.”
“Sure, you cowardly old man.”
My ears twitched.
“…Hey, what did you call me?”
“I said you were a cowardly old man.”
I could feel my temples convulsing.
“Now look here, I won’t let anyone call me an old man!”
“Shut up, geezer! I’m not going to talk to some beggar who can’t even afford
armor!”
“You f*cking little shit! You’re dead!”
I had no money, but I did have armor! My fists were clenched as I was
overcome with the urge to put him in his place with a good punch. But then
another figure interrupted us.
“Hey, you two. No fighting inside of the guild.”
“Oh?”
“You really want to do this, don’t you?”
I probably looked like the hated bastard Adventurer now, but I had my pride.
I was a young man who had yet to reach thirty. Clearly, not an old man. And
I had to make this kid understand that. But this huge guy who came in… I
take a better look at his face. …Was I remembering things wrong? I knew
that face.
“Hey…you’re…”
“Are you, Gardo?”
“Asagi!?”
That stern face. That huge frame. There was no mistake, he was the
Adventurer I had known back in Fhiraldo.
“It’s been a while!”
“Yes, but what are you doing here, Gardo?”
“Well, why wouldn’t I be? Every Adventurer wants to come to Adventure

City!”
“I wouldn’t know. But you look great. What happened to Ness?”
“Ah, he’s having his breakfast in the dining hall over there. But that reminds
me, where’s Daniela?”
“She’s sleeping at our inn. She’s the worst in the morn-!?”
As I was talking, something kicked me in the back of my leg. Who the hell
would do such a thing, I think with hatred as I glare at the likely culprit.
“You two! How dare you ignore me!”
“This kid…”
He had his hands on his hips and stood proudly as I glared.
“You seem to have your hands full, Asagi. But that’s nothing new for you, is
it?”
“You make me sound like the hero of some story…damn, that hurt…”
“Do not ignore me!”
What was it with kids these days…they were the easily pissed off
generation… I was just starting to feel a sense of fear as I looked at the little
shit, who was nothing more than the most incomprehensible of creatures,
when a guild worker approached us to see what was happening. It was really
too late.
“What is the matter?”
“This kid is kicking me. He even tried to steal my notice from the quest
board. Then he went berserk.”
“Ahh.”
The guild worker looked at the kid who stood behind us and let out a deep
sigh.
“It is you again…”
“Shut up! How dare you look at me like that. You’re nothing but a guild
worker!”
An Adventurer who defied guild workers. What was going on here? What
was wrong with children these days?
“To the contrary, the guild master has told us all to treat his son exactly as we
would any other Adventurer.”
“What!? Are you suggesting that I am equal to those mediocre Adventurers

over there!?”
He thrust a finger at us to make his meaning unmistakable. Mediocre…I,

wait…? I just heard something important.
“Son? The guild master’s son?”
“Yes. This is Cline Mavis’ son, Penrose Mavis.”

“Hmph!”
The son folded his arms and grunted with a look of self-importance.
“He is also Rank G.”
“That’s not necessary!”
So the guild master’s son was an impressive little…rock.

chapter 104
“Young Penrose, if you insist on being the cause of further trouble, we can
always strip you of your membership. What will it be?”
“Tsk…”
While he may have been the guild master’s son, he was also an Adventurer.
And so he was not permitted to break the rules. Or so the guild worker said.
Penrose seemed to be of the opinion that being the son of the guild master
made him superior, but the rest of the world was not so naive. The world was
not kind. And he was quickly defeated in the face of this possibility. There
also seemed to be a hidden threat behind the words. There would be no
second chances after this. This guild worker was not to be played with.
“Damn it… Why, why is this happening to me…!”
Young Penrose didn’t seem remorseful at all. He glared at the floor with rage.
As for me, I was standing next to Gardo as the guild worker explained things
to us. ‘As you can see, he is this way, so please be careful with how you
handle him.’ It seemed a little strange for the guild master’s own son to be
treated as a problem child, but apparently, the guild master himself was
having trouble. And so the other workers were told to be severe. Was there
ever a more annoying creature? And how was I supposed to prevent
something like this? I didn’t want to be around this place. I would leave.
“There weren’t even any good quests, so I’m leaving. What about you,
Gardo?”
“I found a good one, so I’ll be going with Ness. I’ll tell him that we met.”
Gardo must have gotten up early for that. If only… I bet it’s going to pay
well too.
“Well then, we should have dinner together. With the money you’ll be
making, of course.”
“Bastard! I’m not exactly rich over here! …Oh, alright. The Anthill is cheap,
but good.”
“The Anthill? That’s an odd name.”
“Their meat is stacked like an anthill. It’s crazy.”
“Hmm, Daniela will be pleased.”
And with that settled, we had secured our dinner. And it had been a while
since I met Gardo, so it wasn’t a terrible morning. Now then, I might as well
explore the town a little… Daniela would have surely gotten up by now.
Maybe we can go on a date!
“Hey, wait. You mediocre Adventurer.”
“Eh?”
Young Penrose called after me as I was about to leave.
“Let’s stop calling people mediocre.”
“Shut up! You’ve really inconvenienced me today! I demand an apology!”
“What? I’m the one who had to suffer. There were no good quests, and I had
the likes of you trying to pick a fight.”
“Who cares about that! You can help me on my quest! Then I might forgive
you!”
What the… Was this guy crazy?”
“You know, as a G ranker, you are not likely to succeed in any hunting quest.
Those start at F rank.”
“That means nothing to me. I said I would do it, and so I will.”
“Well, you better go and do it then. Leave me out it.”

I turned around and headed for the door. I didn’t have time to play with the
little shit. And I definitely didn’t need his forgiveness. And who knows what
other problems would arise? It had nothing to do with me.
I quickly moved towards the exit. I was making plans about what I would do
next and throwing out any thought of the little shit from my mind. But when I
opened the door, it was me who was thrown out.
“What!?”
The sudden impact on my back threw me off the floor and I went rolling
outside of the guild. My face hit the dirt. The suddenness of it all baffled me
as I turned around.
Ah, what a surprise… His foot was still extended out as he stood there.
“Hmph. That is what happens when people ignore me. Mediocre

Adventurer.”
“Alright…”
I was completely out of patience now. I didn’t do anything to deserve this. I’d
have to give him a lesson on how to behave around people. Of course, with
my fists.
“You shouldn’t be so disrespectful to adults.”
“I obey adults. If they are superior to me.”
“Oh? Then let’s hear it. What kind of adult is superior?”
Penrose snorted under my glare and proceeded to explain it to me.
“First, they must be an Adventurer. Challenge danger, brave the unknown

and leave great results. A man has to leave town and go on an adventure.
Travel, make money, carry strong weapons, and wear quality armor.
Adventurers with cheap clothing like you are a laughing stock! And an
adventurer should strive to have an alias! Yes, that is the dream. That is a
guild rule that everyone knows. Though, someone as mediocre as you would
never come close to getting one! Do you understand now? Strong weapons,
strong armor. A second name. A brave and curious Adventurer is a truly
superior adult!”
He folded his arms and looked up at me as he lectured. I see, I see. So that

was his idea of superiority… Right, right. Very well. Next, I will give him a
lesson of what that really means.
“Wait here for ten minutes.”
“What?”
“I’m telling you to wait for ten minutes.”
“Why should I?”
I looked down at him.
“Because I am about to teach you what a superior adult really is.”
“…Hmph. Fine. But when you fail to live up to your promise, I’ll have you
stripped of your Adventurer’s membership. I swear it, on my name, Penrose
Mavis. I will!”
“Yeah, sure. But if I turn out to be this ‘superior adult’ you talk of, then you
will apologize. I’m sorry. I was wrong. With your head grinding the dirt!”
“Hah, that is what will happen to you! You will pound your head to the floor
and say, ‘I am sorry, I was so very wrong. Please return my membership.’
And I will refuse!”
We cursed each other loudly.
“Alright, wait here.”
“Get out of here. These are the last minutes of your life as an Adventurer.
You better enjoy them.”
He didn’t know when to shut up. I’d make him apologize for it.
I turned my back on the guild and ran into a back alley. And then I went
behind the back alley and activated Legs of the Forest Wolf, stepped on air
and jumped to the top of a roof. Once I confirmed the direction, I made a
beeline for the Lamb’s Hoof.
It didn’t take longer than a minute. I pushed the doors open, announced my
name at the front and accepted the keys to room 310. Then I dashed up the
steps to my room.
“Ahh!”
Daniela had had just come out of the bath and now frantically covered her
breasts.
“…Oh, it’s just you, Asagi.”
She sighed with relief and put her hands on her hips.
“Don’t you want to put some clothes on?”
“There is no point in doing so now. But, why are you in such a rush? You did
say that you were going to the guild, but…”
“Yeah, I went to the guild alright. And there was a little incident. I could use
your help too.”
“Fine. What should I do?”
Daniela agreed immediately without asking the reason. She really was cool.
“Just change into full battle gear for now. And, we’re going to the guild. I’ll
explain as we run.”
“Understood!”
We both began to change at full speed. I took out our gear from the hollow
bag and handed Daniela hers. I also took my clothes off and put on the wind
dragon clothes. Daniela had it easy as she had nothing to take off first. But
we were quick, and it only took five minutes until we were done.
Then we flew out of the room and dashed out of the building before realizing
that we had forgotten to lock the door. Damn it, what a stupid time loss. I ran
back up the stairs, apologizing all the while to the other guests. Then I gave
the keys to the front desk and rolled out the Lambs Inn, picked up Daniela
and vaulted into the air with Legs of the Forest Wolf.
“So, why are we in such a hurry?”
Daniela asked with slightly flushed cheeks as she looked up at me. I

condensed the story in order to fit within the time constraints. Sorry, Gardo.
“…So that is what happened. So, I thought I’d teach him a little lesson.”
“Huh…Asagi, is that really something a ‘good adult’ would do?”
“…”
It hit me then. Daniela was right. I had been so enraged that I hadn’t been
able to realize it myself.
“However, that is only true in a general sense.”
“What?”
“He called my Asagi mediocre. Blood must be shed.”
“Well, let’s not go that far.”
Then we’ll really be stripped of our membership. We talked like this until we
arrived. We now stood on top of the closest building to the guild house.
Penrose was still standing there with his arms crossed. There were other
Adventurers around him now. Oh? I was puzzled at first, but they were likely
spectators who had heard his verbal assaults. They now stood around him in a
semicircle. Perfect.
“Daniela, we’re going down there with wind magic. Follow my lead when we
land. This is the plan…”
“…Hehe…I see…yes, very good.”

“Alright, let’s begin!”
I took out the dark blue greatsword and removed it from its sheath. I gripped
the handle as we stood side by side and jumped from the roof. Then I used
Legs of the Forest Wolf and Daniela used wind magic to kill our momentum
as we landed with victorious grins in the center of the half circle.
chapter 105
I used Legs of the Forest Wolf, and Daniela used wind magic as we slowly
descended to the ground in front of the guild. The spectators gasped at our
sudden aerial arrival, but our business was with Penrose alone. We wouldn’t
be dealing with anyone else.
“Wha-…you…!”
Penrose looked at me and then at my new companion and took a step back.
“I never did introduce myself. I’m Asagi Kamiyashiro. A ‘C’ Rank

Adventurer. They call me Silvergreen.”
“And I am Daniela Villesilf. I am Asagi’s partner and a ‘B’ Rank Adventurer,

also known as Lightwind. I heard that you did Asagi quite the favor. I have
come to thank you, little boy.”
“What, you…you have an alias…? And…you are…the…Silvergreen…!?

And…Lightwind…!”
I don’t know if I was ‘the’ Silvergreen, but how many could there be? No one
else would want such an embarrassing name, surely. Honestly, I didn’t even
want such a title, but here it was actually useful for once. I imagined
Bordow’s laugh as I cursed him and thrust my greatsword, Schwarz Tempest
into the ground.
“This is the last greatsword crafted by a blacksmith with blue magic and was
made by the bones of the legendary monster, the tempest whale. There is
nothing else like it in this world.”
“My rapier is made from the core of the tree of life and death and has been
passed on by the light elves. There is nothing else like it in this world.”
She pulled the sword out of its sheath and brandished it like a knight.
“Kk…”
“Would you like to hear about my armor as well?”
“Damn it…!”
Penrose finally fell to his knees. I had won…! I pulled out my sheath from
the hollow bag and placed the sword inside before returning it to the bag.
Daniela also resheathed her sword and folded her arms in front of her.
“Tha-that’s Silvergreen…”
“The one who killed a wyvern solo in spite of still being a D Rank
Adventurer?”
“I heard that Lightwind and Silvergreen suppressed a stampede.”
“But… This seems a little immature?”
“He is an impressive Adventurer if you look at the results, but…”
“But Penrose has been a pain in the ass. I am honestly grateful…”
There seemed to be a mixed reaction, but I ignored them. Knocking Penrose

down a peg like this was bound to make everyone happy.
“Do you get it now? Don’t judge people based on appearances.”
“Grr…”
“Indeed, it’s important to respect excellent Adventurers. However, that does

not mean you should look down on those who are not. There are many who
deserve respect who are not Adventurers, and there are many that you owe
debts, even if you don’t realize it. You’ll never be much of an adult if you
continue to bite in every direction.”
“Ugh… So…I was…wrong…”

Penrose had a look of intense regret.
“Yes.”
“Tsk…”
Then I walked up to him and looked him in the eyes.
“However, it’s a mistake that can be fixed.”
“…”
“Just do better from now on.”
“…I…was wrong…”
“Yeah. Well, I wasn’t being very mature either. Sorry.”
I grabbed his hand and made him stand up. The other Adventurers nodded
with warm looks of approval.
“Penrose! Let’s go hunt goblins together when your rank goes up!”
“I’ll go too!”
“So will I!”
“I don’t have an alias, but I’m no slouch either!”
Penrose looked surprised as he turned to see the other adults around him.
They were all smiling. I could see that his eyes were slowly filling with tears.
“See, they say that they’ll go with you. Don’t you have something to say?”
“…Yes!”
We stepped aside to allow him to pass. Penrose wiped at his eyes with his
sleeve and stood in front of the Adventurers. He looked at each face before
lowering his head.
“I am sorry for all of the trouble I have caused! From now on, I will strive to
become a great Adventurer!”
The Adventurers went silent for a moment. Then they erupted into applause
and cheering. With this, Penrose was likely to be able to become a good
Adventurer one day. The little shit would be gone, and a different G rank
Adventurer would be born.
As Penrose stood there bashfully, I placed a hand on his head and stood next
to him.
“We should get going then.”
“Going? But where?”
“Where? To kill some goblins of course.”
“You are really going to go with me!?”
“Why not. We’re already prepared.”
“Yes! Thank you, Asagi!”
He had become honest at the turn of a hat. Really, children were such strange
little creatures. I watched Penrose as he ran off to get his gear. And I smiled
in a way that I rarely did.
□ □ □ □
Penrose became a temporary addition to our party. And we accepted the

goblin hunting request, with me as the party leader. The guild worker behind
the counter looked astonished at the sight of Penrose, but a few of the others
seemed to have heard about what had happened, and they smiled with good
humor.
“Please leave it to us.”
“Very well. We would not normally allow a G Ranker to do it, but since you
two will be with him, I will allow it. Please give me your status cards.”
We took out our status cards and placed them on the tray. The cards were
inserted into the machine to record the quest information. This was done to
all three cards before they were returned to us on the tray. I accepted them
and confirmed that it had been recorded. Yes, perfect.
“Now you have accepted the quest. There are many goblins in the forest to
the west of the town. Please be careful.”
“Thank you. We’ll be off then.”
“Yes, may you have luck and protection on your adventure.”
With those parting words said, I said my thanks and walked away. We moved
to a corner to discuss our plan of attack.
“Now, we’re going to kill some goblins. They’re small fry, but they can be
strong as well. You’ll die if you let your guard down. Do you understand?
Penrose.”
“Yes. I have trained for this day. I won’t make a mess of it.”
“We’ll start by attacking lone goblins. And when you’re used to it, we’ll
attack a pack of them.”
“Understood!”
The brief meeting was over in a minute. Well, there wasn’t really a lot to
discuss when it came to goblins…
“But one thing. Penrose, from what I can see, your weapon is a one-handed
sword.”
Daniela said as she looked at the sword strapped to Penrose’s waist.
“Is that not too long for you?”
It was. I had noticed it myself. The blade of his sword was a little longer than
was usual. Longer than the Glampanzer even.
“Ah, this was specially ordered. My reach is not as long as an adult, and so
the blade needs to make up for it.”
“I see. But can you really handle it? A long sword will pull you when you
swing.”
“I have trained to be able to deal with that. It was difficult at first, but I can
handle it now. Don’t worry about me.”
“If you say so. We shall do something if necessary. Well, Asagi will.”
“Me? I guess I will then.”
I looked at them to ask if there was anything else, but they shook their heads.
Then there was nothing to do but set out. Our path lay to the west. A forest.
Today’s target was goblins.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
He was enthusiastic at least. Daniela and I might have to help a little to

prevent his excitement from getting the best of him, but goblins weren’t
much of a foe, to begin with.
We bought something to eat for lunch at a street stall before leaving through
the west gate. Several people who recognized Penrose looked at us with
astonishment, but he didn’t seem to mind and kept walking. Perhaps he
meant to show that he had changed through his actions from now on. At the
end of the day, he seemed to be pretty serious. He said he’d been training, so
maybe he was just the type to confront things that benefited him with
everything that he had.
In that case, we could help him grow in the right direction.
Perhaps Presence Detection would be a good place to start?

chapter 106
Training the Newcomer
And so we found ourselves in the forest. Everywhere you looked, it was

trees, trees, trees. And some bushes. And fallen leaves.
“They tend to hide behind bushes, like the ones you can see over there.”
“I know that much. But I haven’t seen any yet.”
Well, this was his first time out. We wanted to start off with a single target,
and so I used Presence Detection to search for a goblin that had separated
from its group, and we followed it.
There were apparently three types of monsters that lived in this forest. The
first were the goblins which we were about to hunt. They were typical
goblins that you could find anywhere else. They attacked you with wooden
spears or other blades dropped by humans. And they didn’t seem to take care
of them, as the blades were always rusted. But then again, they were a
surprisingly great source of extra income if you were a G Ranker. I told all of
this to Penrose.
“I see…iron is iron, I suppose.”
“Exactly. The blacksmiths will be happy to take them off of your hands. And
they’ll be much more likely to make you good weapons if they like you. So
you can’t go wrong.”
Penrose nodded eagerly. I didn’t have anyone to teach me when I started out
and suffered a lot for it. It must be nice to have an older Adventurer help you
out. I could only hope that Penrose would do the same for someone else once
he became a veteran…
Now, as for the second type of monster that lurked in the forest. This was the
forest wolf. They were the same type that were in Lambrusen. But there they
had lived on the opposite side of the forest to the goblins. This had to do with
the mana that Beowulf emitted, but Beowulf was not here. In other words,
there was no mana that one liked and the other hated. Goblins and forest
wolves coexisted in this forest. Well, that was most forests, I guess. Penrose
knew about it already, and it was apparently common knowledge in most
countries. I was the only one who was extra careful about it. I had to be wary
of the possibility that both would attack at the same time, or I might panic
and make mistakes when it did happen.
“I heard from father that it was Beowulf who gave Silvergreen the power of
the wind.”
“That’s supposed to be confidential. Don’t tell anyone, alright?”
I was a little exasperated at Bordow’s loose tongue, but perhaps saying that
much would prevent any further sniffing around. But I was still pissed off…
“Everyone else thinks it’s just a unique skill.”
“I understand!”
The now honest Penrose said.
“By the way, Penrose.”
“What, Miss Daniela?”
“How old are you?”
This was rare. Daniela bringing up age… I’m not sure if it was a hole she
really wanted to dig.
“I will be twelve this year! A fine adult.”
“Adulthood starts at fifteen. You still have a ways to go.”
Daniela said as she tousled his hair. I didn’t see her being sociable often, but
it was nice seeing Penrose settle in as a party member. After all, this morning
she had said something about ‘blood needing to be shed’…
“And how old are you, Miss Daniela? Are you an adult?”
“Haha, Penrose. Daniela is-”
“Asagi.”
“…-a brilliant adult, and uh, you would do good to learn from her on how to
be an Adventurer.”
“Oh? I understand!”
A stare that was colder than my ice magic was directed at me. Letting your
guard down was a path to death. I learned a new trick to surviving.
The third monster is a woman who cares about her age.
□ □ □ □
Now, enough of that foolishness. There was a goblin behind the bushes up
ahead. We silently looked and saw that it was standing with its back to us,
and he held a spear that was thrust into the ground. This one had probably
been abandoned by the others. The ones who were no good at hunting had no
choice but to gather seeds from the ground. There was a feeling of sadness in
that back that faced us, but life was much the same for us. And so I thought
that we should get this over with quickly. It was time to hunt.
“There are no other goblins around. We have just one enemy. His weapon is
just a wooden spear, however, that will still kill you if it pierces your throat,
so be careful. Do you understand?”
As this was his first real fight, Penrose was too nervous to do anything but
nod. Looking at the longsword he was holding, I could tell that he was
gripping the handle too hard, but at least he wasn’t taking this lightly. A
certain amount of nervousness was good. Besides, the extreme nervousness
you feel would eventually go away once you’ve fought a couple times.
“Alright, go get him!”
I push his back, and he runs off like a bullet. His feet were firm on the
ground, and he was careful not to allow the leaves to cause him to slip.
He was behind the goblin in a flash and swung the longsword out. It struck a
good blow and the centrifugal force helped to take the goblin’s head off with
a clean cut. Once the fountain of blood subsided, the goblin’s body crumpled
onto the leaves.
“You did well! Splendid!”
“Hah…hah….!”
Penrose was breathing hard, but his face wore a big smile. I tousled his hair
after he returned to us, and we waited for him to catch his breath before
walking to the goblin. I looked at the motionless and headless goblin and saw
how clean the cut was. He must have trained a lot to be able to do that. It
would not take him too long to rise from his current G rank. So he was
gemstone after all.
“Well, that was an ambush. You just swing your sword on a still target. Pretty
easy, huh?”
“Yes… But, I can still feel the sensation of cutting…in my hands…”
His tight fists were shaking. This was the first time he had taken a life. It
carried quite a weight for someone who was only twelve years old.
“And you should not ever forget that sensation. It is when you forget it, that
you will fall from man to beast.”
“Miss Daniela…”
“To take a life. Taking and living. Do not forget it. Penrose, you are able to
live because of others.”
“…I understand. I will keep this feeling with me.”
That’s right…there was a time when I had forgotten it myself. Back in the
mines. I had seen myself as an ugly, cold creature that did nothing but kill.
Perhaps that was what it felt like to fall into beasthood…
“A very important person once told me that unnecessary killing is evil. It’s
one of the most important rules for me as I live.”
“Unnecessary killing… Yes, I understand, Asagi. I will become a great

Adventurer like you two. I want to follow my father and become the best
guild master in the empire!”
Oh, guild master, huh? Well, I could only pray that he would be better than a
certain guild master that I was acquainted with.
“…Hm? What is it? Daniela?”
“…It is nothing.”
Daniela was blushing as she stepped behind me. …Oh, it must have been
because of what I just said. How cute. Well, we were still on the battlefield.
We’ll continue this at night. But for now, it was off to the next goblin.
□□□□
“Can you see it?”
“Yes.”
“Now try closing your eyes and just feel its presence. See it, while your eyes
are still closed.”
“…Yes, I will try.”
He was practicing Presence Detection now. It was just like when Daniela
taught me. At the time, Daniela was in a terrible mood due to an unforeseen
disaster, but she was instructing him in an easy to understand way now. It
really was important to understand the feel of it.
“I think…that I can see it.”
“That is fine for now. As long as you do not forget that feeling, it will slowly
start to sharpen.”
“I understand.”
“Good…now go and get it.”
“Yes!”
Penrose opened his eyes and caught sight of the goblin as he brandished his
sword. I pushed him forward and he ran. At the same time, I launched a small
chunk of ice at the goblin.
“Grrgah!”
“!?”
The goblin howled with pain as it struck the back of his head. Then he turned
to look at us. The unexpected attack caused Penrose to look over his shoulder
as well, but there was no time for that. The goblin assumed that the attack had
come from Penrose, and he shouted and charged forward. A rusted short
sword swung wildly in his hand as he dashed.
“GYAGGAHH!”
“Wo-woah!”
Penrose frantically held up his sword and blocked the blade that came down
on him. While holding his sword in front of him, he took several steps back
and shouted at me.
“What was that! You did not say anything about doing that!”
“Battles don’t always play out in the way you discussed them. An Adventurer
should be able to deal with the unexpected.”
“Tsk…!”
While he was clearly irritated by this, he seemed to also understand. He held

the sword high and ran forward again. Then he pulled the sword back and
used his body as a spring to swing it up over his head and fall down in an
arch over the goblin. This attack had the most obvious trajectory in my eyes,
but this goblin was unable to deal with it. It would not move back. Instead, it
held its arms up over its face and was cut down. It really was different when
you had some prior training.
“…That was…dirty of you.”
“Dirty? What are you saying? That has nothing to do with combat. A great
Adventurer should be able to swiftly react and deal with any unexpected
situation.”
Daniela thundered in my defense as Penrose voiced his grievances. His

shoulders slumped at this, but he had actually dealt with it admirably.
Defense, reversal, the attack after fully understanding the situation. As far as
I could see, he had done well.
“Were it I, I would have not have stopped when he noticed my presence. I

would have closed in at a speed that he could not react to, and gut him before
he could let out a scream.”
“…”
Well, there was that way too, I guess. Goblins too would try to understand the
situation. And that would be the time to act.
“However, I will say that you were not wrong either. It increases other
dangers, but it is still safer.”
“Other dangers?”
I had been listening quietly until now, but this part puzzled me. Daniela
looked at me and sighed.
“Asagi. Are you really an Adventurer? It is obvious once you think about it.”
“Oh, you’ve gone and said it now…but, wait a second. I’ll think about it with
Penrose.”
“I do not know either…”

“Well, sometimes you need two heads to find the answer.”
Penrose and I sat down on a fallen tree trunk and thought. Not this, not that.
We pondered until we became hungry, and so the three of us decided to eat
the street stall food that we had bought. We traded ideas as we ate, and
Daniela provided hints. When we realized that the answer was ‘that he would
call the others,’ I realized that I had been depending on Presence Detection
far too much. I see, I still had a way to go then. Through teaching Penrose
and being taught by Daniela, I felt that I had grown a little on my way to
becoming a ‘Great Adventurer.’
chapter 107
Doting Master
After lunch, Penrose continued to practice using Presence Detection, as we

destroyed small groups of goblins. I tried to stick to goblins that carried
weapons. It was never too late to learn to fear a blade. Apparently, it was his
father, the guild master who taught him to use a sword, but he was going up
against monsters now. They weren’t teaching him, they were trying to kill
him. They wouldn’t play by any book, and the only will that existed behind
their every wild swing was a desire to end his life. But Penrose showed no
signs of letting his guard down. He didn’t allow them to surprise him and
handled the attacks well. Having a good tutor really made a difference. As I
watched him, the rays of the setting sun began to disturb my vision.
It was time to end the hunt and return to Replant.
“Thank you for helping me today!”
“Yeah, you did well. You had the basics down already. Having the guild
master teach you is a great advantage.”
“My father is the best!”
He really did like his father… Well, perhaps he was that great of a father
then.
“Alright, we’ll report to the guild and disband.”
“Yes…”
Penrose looked a little sad as he held his hands behind his head. But then he
laughed when I tousled his hair. Kids were the best when they were being
honest.
We entered through the western gate and headed straight for the guild house.
The town was starting to light up with glimmering lanterns. There was an
excitement in the air as if to say that things were just getting started. I
considered taking Daniela out and eating somewhere after disbanding…and
then realized I had forgotten about Gardo and Ness. I had to tell Daniela
about that.
“We are here.”
I looked up at Penrose’s voice. Thinking while you’re walking made the time
pass so quickly. It took me by surprise.
We opened the door and went inside. It was crowded with other Adventurers
who had finished their quests for the day. See how many monsters I killed! I
just thought of an amazing trick! Etcetera. It was a bit rowdy, but no one
bothered us. There was always a level of etiquette that was maintained here.
Wonderful.
But there was one that was different. A slender man with long blond hair that
was bound in the back was running around the room as if searching for
someone. The other Adventurers who noticed him cast suspicious glances his
way. After a while, the unsuccessful blond-haired man raised his voice with a
look of despair.
“Where are you!? Are you here!?”
The others began to murmur. But their faces showed no concern. If anything
they looked exasperated and annoyed.
“Where are you? Penrose!?”
Oh? Now there was a familiar name. I turned and saw that he who should
have been next to me was now in the far corner and chatting pleasantly with
Daniela.
“Hey, Penrose…”
“PENROOOOSE!!”
Just as I was about to call him over, the man with blond hair howled and
rushed past me.
“Ah, father!”
“Penrose! You! Goblin slaying…!”
“Yes, I went with Asagi and Miss Daniela.”
“Ah, ahhh, but that is so dangerous!”
So the blond man was his father… In other words, this man was the Empire’s
finest guild master(according to his son). Honestly, he looked like a
pushover…
“The master is looking for his son again…”
“He deserves a medal for doting…”
A pair of Adventurers muttered next to me. I see, so this was just the usual
for them. That made sense. Their face expressions. This happened all of the
time.
“Asagi and Daniela, you say? You mean that famous pair on the rise?”
“Yes! They were with me, and so I was fine!”
It was time to go…
Well, as much as I hated the complications that were likely to arise, I had to
at least make a report after taking his son with us.
“Pardon me, but are you the guild master?”
“Mm, yes… Ah, and you must be the young Asagi?”
“Yes, Asagi Kamiyashiro.”
“Thank you for taking care of my son… I never dreamed that he would go on
a hunting quest while still being G rank, and I acted a fool. I am sorry.”
“No, Daniela and I enjoyed his company.”
“That is a relief. Hmm, perhaps we could talk in the back room? I would like
to hear more.”
“Uh, sure.”
I shot a glance at Daniela and she nodded. Penrose also looked happy to be
able to be with us longer. And so all three of us followed the guild master out
of the hall. People stared at us as we left, but I felt like I’ve been caring about
that too much recently. Maybe it was important to just think, ‘stare if you
want,’ sometimes…
“Ah, I have not introduced myself yet. I am Cline Mavis. The guild master. It
is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“I am Silvergreen, Asagi Kamiyashiro.”
“Lightwind, Daniela Villesilf.”
“Please sit down. There is a lot that I want to ask.”
We started by telling him of the day’s events. Of course, that meant the
incident at the quest board. Penrose’s shoulders slumped as he sat in self-
reflection and so I tousled his hair. After that, I told him about how we had
revealed that we were Silvergreen and Lightwind in order to humble him, and
then we decided to hunt goblins together.
“…and so we started to teach him how to use Presence Detection. Penrose,

see if it appears in your status.”
“Ah, yes. Status Open. …Ah! It is there! Presence Detection!”
“All of this in just one day…I cannot thank you enough.”
“Ah, it was just done along the way.”
A guild worker came in and served us some fruit water. I glanced over at
Daniela, who was eating a snack for some reason. Wait, there were four
wrappers. Was that supposed to be for all of us?
“I and everyone else knows that I am a doting parent…but I have spoiled him
for too long as well.”
“You have. Well, for now, he is sorry and wants to learn to grow. I believe
that he will move forward in the right direction from now on. That’s what he
told me, you know? He will be the best guild master in the empire, just like
his father.”
“Ahahaha… Indeed, Replant’s Adventurers Guild is one of the most highly

esteemed in the empire. It is a good thing to aspire to.”
“Is that why it is the Grand Guild?”
“Yes. It is the guild that brings all of the other branches together. Though, our
actual headquarters is in a different place.”
I see. I didn’t know that. So this slender man, huh? He must have something
in him that is not visible to the eye. I wasn’t a warrior myself, so I had no
institution for actually being able to tell if someone was good. So I could only
judge by a person’s general physique. This guy was thin, that guy was
muscular. And so I tried to stay cautious, regardless of how people looked.
“By the way, Master Cline…”
“Hm? What is it?”
“You said you were a doting parent. And it seems like you are very fond of
telling your child stories. Stories of other Adventurers.”
“Ah, yes. The world is filled with all sorts of Adventurers. My son was very
happy when I told him of you two.”
Yes, that’s just the problem.
“And how much did Bordow tell you?”
“About you? Well, you were gifted with an enchantment from an abnormally
evolved creature…and…oh…”
“Yes. It would be very inconvenient for me if word of that spread.”
I could not help being worried about this point. Such stories might make
children happy, but this one could have consequences.
“After all, it could result in us being pursued…”
“I-I-I am sorry! It was just…I had never heard of such a thing before,
and…!”
“No, no. It is mostly Bordow’s fault. That man is the root of this problem.”
“Yes, he is a little… However, the league of guild masters are all in

agreement that he’s ‘Amazing! A fine Adventurer!’ I do not think that you
have to worry too much. Though, perhaps you have little reason to believe
me now…”
League of guild masters… And this was the Grand Guild that connected
everything. And he said something about a separate headquarters. Still, were
there any leaders that were more proper for the…
“I am treating it as a unique skill and I can make any number of explanations

for it. Perhaps it is just that I am being paranoid. Please don’t worry too much
about it. It is entirely Bordow’s doing.”
“Thank you… Uh, but, do you really hate Bordow that much?”
“I hate him just the right amount!”
That man has done too much already. You could even say that my life as an
Adventurer has gone wrong because of him. I would have my revenge one
day. I said as much to Cline before we finished our talk and disbanded.
Daniela was half asleep, but jumped at the words, ‘we should be going.’ She
was like a child who hated being in class. Penrose was sleeping as well, he
must have been very tired. Listening to adults talk was boring.
“Perhaps you might help my son again some time?’

“Sure. It gave me a lot to think about and was stimulating.”
“I am glad to hear that. But please do avoid any dangerous places? And come
home early, as he must be back by six. I would not want him to to be back so
late like today. I must tell this to Penrose as well. But that goes for you too,
Asagi. It is not good to be out there so late. The night is filled with danger,
and it would be best to return to your inn. Also…”
“Alright, let’s go, Daniela.”
“Yes.”
“Hey, wait! I am not finished ta-”
I closed the door and the conversation was ended. Seriously, that man should
put his energy into something more useful.
As we walked down the hallway, I told Daniela about Gardo and Ness. She
had remembered them too and looked pleased to be able to see them again.
Well, maybe she was pleased because I mentioned the Anthill restaurant. You
never knew with her…
chapter 108
A Reunion of Sorts
While we ended up being a little late due to the doting master’s talking and
getting lost, we were able to safely arrive at the Anthill.
The place was crowded with people, which gave me an idea of just how
popular it was. Each table here had a magic stove installed in it, and everyone
could cook their own meat how they like it. The Anthill was a barbecue
house.
“Ho! Asagi! Over here!”
It was a noisy place, but there was one voice that was louder than the rest,
that came from someone who was bigger than the rest. Of course, it was
Gardo. Next to him was an underweight man that looked very preoccupied
with his meat. It was Ness.
“Sorry that we’re late.”
“I thought you wouldn’t come.”
I pulled out a chair for Daniela and took a seat as well. There was a huge pile
of meat in front of us that looked just like an anthill. So that’s why it was
called the Anthill…I was drooling by just looking at it.
“Ho! Asagi! It’s been a while!”
“You look good too, Ness. How have you been?”
“The best!!”
He gave me a thumbs up with his usual foolish grin. I stuck my thumb up as

well and we bumped fists.
“It is good to see that you two are doing well.”
“And you haven’t changed at all, Daniela.”
“I am always doing well. But even more so when there is meat nearby.”
“Yes, nothing in the world matters if you have meat.”
It seemed that Gardo and Daniela had something in common. Don’t exclude
me!
We quickly got started by placing the wire mesh over the magic stove. The
wonderful sizzling sounds reached my ears. Once the meat was placed on it,
it was the beginning of a full orchestra. Wonderful.
“Ah, so how long has it been since we separated in Fhiraldo?”
Ness asked nostalgically as he poked at the meat. Hmm… I wasn’t keeping

track…
“I think it has been nearly two months?”
“Damn it, I have no idea.”
“You…what are you, a child?”
Daniela was better at such things. She could be careless one moment, and
then shrewd the next.
“Two months… I don’t know if that is long or not. I don’t see you for a
while, and suddenly you have aliases…”
“Well, Ness. I didn’t want it. It’s just that the guild master in Spiris is an
idiot.”
“Spiris…ah. Redflame Bordow.”
“Redflame? I didn’t know that he was called that.”

Redflame. He should really be called Loosetongue Bordow. But I suppose it
was because of his red hair and red armor. That was quite the eyesore.
“There is one legendary story about Redflame. A long time ago, he killed a
red dragon, alone.”
“A red dragon? Are they strong?”
“Strong? Why, they say that any monster whose name includes its color is of
the strongest order of monsters.”
Hmm…that’s news to me. So, looking at my equipment that was made of ice
dragon armor, did that mean there was a rank above it that was blue dragon?
Or was that for water attributes…
“No, the advanced type above the ice dragon is the icicle dragon. And above
that, you have the white dragons.”
“Ah, white. So blue dragons are for water.”
“Yes. Water dragons, aqua dragons, and blue dragons.”
You always learned something new from veterans. And I didn’t have much
opportunity to study under Daniela…ah, the meat’s ready. I secured my share
of the meat before creating a second orchestra with some new meat. Then I
threw the cooked meat into my mouth. Hmm, the fat of the fresh meat
combined with it beautifully. It was hot, but the heat itself was delicious….
“I heard that Silvergreen used dragon armor?”
“Don’t call me that. But, yes, it is.”
“Mmmm,*chewing* …Asagi’s armor was bought cheaply, thanks to the

price collapsing after the Hero suppressed a stampede.”
Daniela added as she stuffed her cheeks with meat. Yes, it was all thanks to
Matsumoto.
“Ah, I heard about that. It was a stampede that occurred near the north of
Lambrusen, wasn’t it? I remember because it was dragons.”
“Yeah, that. It was stopped because a Hero just happened to be there. And so
a lot of materials entered the market at once. I was able to buy the stuff at a
fourth of the original price. But it was still expensive.”
“Still, dragon armor is excellent. I’m quite jealous.”
“It really is. It’s comfortable, and has special effects.”
It had great ventilation and was light and durable. It was of a quality that I
was used to in Japan. And while I wore it often, it showed no sign of getting
worn out. The person who made it was great, and so were the materials. Still,
I would take care of it. I hereby ban any oil from splashing onto me.
“You can just use the cleaning spell to get rid of the oil from the meat.
Though, there are not many who can do it.”
“Ah, that magic thing. It really is useful. It got rid of the blood on my
clothes.”
“That must have been a very skilled user then. That would be quite difficult
to do.”
“Really? That person was in the same line as us and started yelling. She made
it sound like it was the easiest trick in the book.”
I just call her Fan #1. I had no idea what she was doing now… But, I guess
she ended up being a nice person?
Like that, we talked about the past, even though not much time had actually
passed. But we enjoyed acting nostalgic. And that happiness of reuniting
must have increased our appetites because the meat kept coming and our cups
kept refilling. And then Gardo started to talk about their own journey.
The two of them had left Fhiraldo shortly after we did. They were headed for
the capital of Lambrusen, Sousoleil. They had also considered going to Spiris
but then they heard that that was where we were headed. But they didn’t want
to meet us again so soon and had taken a different direction. And that was the
capital of Sousoleil. It was north of Fhiraldo and northwest of Spiris. In any
case, they thought it would be awkward to meet us, and so they went to the
capital’s grand guild to work.
They lived in the capital for a while, until they had enough of that, and
decided to make the Adventure City Replant of the Flugelnian Empire their
next destination. It was a place they had always wanted to visit. They arrived
one week before we did. And it had taken them a while, as they stopped by
many places along the way. We, on the other hand, tended to move in a
straight line unless we encountered trouble or anything else that was
irregular… But perhaps we could take little detours on our next trip.
“…And that’s how we arrived in the Adventure City.”
“I see… Uh, Ness, aren’t you drinking a little too much?”
“Ehhh? Asagi, you…are you…suggesting that…I am…too…drunk?”
“Not suggesting, I’m saying it. Slow down.”
“Don’t be an idiot, I, I’m just getting…started…here…uhhh…”
Uhh… Is it? This guy was always like this… I looked at Gardo, hoping he
would do something, but he looked like he was fighting hard to stay awake.
Hey, hey. These guys were going to go to sleep on us.
“Where are they staying…?”
“Even if we have no choice but to take them, we do not know where…”
“Well, we can’t just leave them here.”
I shook Ness and tried to get the name of their inn out of him, but he just
groaned uncomfortably. As for Gardo, he was fast asleep. Damn it, what the
hell were we supposed to do…
“Ah…ah, that’s it. Maybe we can ask the guild?”
“Some places do require Adventurers to report their locations…but not

everyone does it.”
“I’m not sure what we could do if that were the case. We’ll just have to pray
that they are the diligent types.”
We could go and ask. But I didn’t want to ask Daniela to run all the way
there, this late at night. She was stronger than me, but she was also bloated.
At worst, she would vomit all over the place. Alright, I guess it was time for
moderate-eater Asagi to go for a jog.
“Daniela. There was a park on the way here, remember? Could you wait
there?”
“That is fine, but how will we carry these two?”

“I have an idea.”
First, we needed to pay. They were supposed to be treating us tonight, but

maybe this was divine punishment for that time in Fhiraldo when I had let a
drunken Ness pay for me. This bill ended up being much higher, but I paid it
and then we dragged Gardo and Ness out of the restaurant. It was very dark
outside, and blond women could be seen in lascivious outfits as they tried to
attract customers. I looked at them with a little surprise, until Daniela gave
me a painful kick in the ass. Well then, I was all amped up. It was time to get
this done and over with.
“Here…hmm…yes…there!”
“Ooh…!”
I imagined it with Jack of all Trades, Master of None. And with a little help
from my specialty, ice magic, I was able to create a kind of ice trolley. I
probably used too much magic in making it, but the wheels seemed to be
turning fine. It should at least allow us to transport them to the park.
“Asagi, you seem to be getting more detached from the world.”
“Ah, stop it. I’m immune to flattery.”
“No, it was sarcasm.”

“…”
Are you trying to say that I’m weird!
I grumbled as we dumped Gardo and Ness onto the trolley and pulled them to
the park. Then I used Legs of the Forest Wolf to jump onto a roof and headed
for the guild.
In spite of it being so late, the guild was glimmering with lights. I felt like I
was entering a convenience store at midnight when I opened the doors. There
were quite a few Adventurers inside too, and they looked like they were
ready to work. Were they going to hunt some nocturnal monster? I’m more of
an ‘early to bed, early to rise’ Adventurer myself. Besides, I still remember
those nocturnal blood apes. Yes, I would not be participating in whatever
these guys were doing… Oh, I better do what I came to do. I headed for the
‘Questions and Other’ counter and waited in the short line. It didn’t take
nearly as long as during the afternoon, and I was quickly able to ask about
Gardo and Ness.
“Excuse me, but the Adventurers who we were drinking with decided to pass
out. I’d like to know where they are staying, if you have that information.”
“I see. Do you know their names?”
“Gardo and Ness. They form a party.”
“I will see what I can do. It will take about ten minutes, so please wait in the
waiting room.”
“…Yes, thank you.”
That smoking room again…Oh well, might as well go…
I waited for what felt like a very long ten minutes. I was so bored that I
nearly collapsed after a wave of drowsiness hit me. But I bore it until the
guild worker called me and told me the name and location of their inn.
Thankfully, they actually were the diligent types… Even now, Daniela was
forced to take care of those two messy old men. We needed to throw them
back into their inn as soon as possible so we could get some sleep. The fun
with Daniela would have to wait.
chapter 109
Whisperings from Daniela
“Hahh…”
Spirits join the night wind as they playfully fly around me. It is just the
perfect degree of coolness for my heated body, and I cannot help but smile.
The spirits laugh too. They fly around and eventually rise into the sky where
they disappear.
“Asagi looked so happy today…”
I recalled our little dinner party. That scene, where we reunited with Gardo
and Ness, old acquaintances from Fhiraldo. Asagi had laughed and enjoyed
himself so much as we ate. Sometimes he would act serious when Ness
teased him, but he always smiled, and then he would look slightly
embarrassed when Gardo commended him. Those smiles felt so genuine.
These two, who were now dozing off in front of me, do not know that Asagi
has killed people.
I had to deal with that bandit’s head. It was on the first day of our arrival.
□□□□
After Asagi finished playing with fire in the bathing room, I invited him to
come in with me. And we bathed together. I gave his body a good scrubbing
and then some. And he ended up quite exhausted and fell asleep right after.
Just as I had intended. I do feel guilty about that, but I had my reasons.
It was midnight. Asagi had sunk into our bed. I slipped out alone and poked
his cheek, but he did not respond. His eyebrows were somewhat tense,
perhaps he was still feeling the aftermath, but he looked cute when asleep. I
attempted to unknit those eyebrows of his, and he rolled onto his other side in
annoyance. I chuckled.
And so I took the root of Asagi’s recent problems with me and left the room.
The head of the bandit that was wrapped in many layers of cloth. It was now
stuffed in a bag so that no one could see it. And like that, I went out into
Replant’s night. My destination was, of course, the guardhouse. There were
diners on the way that were still open even at midnight, but I did not feel like
stopping. In a way, I had forced this action upon him, and that had resulted in
a deep, deep wound. With the root of that in my vision, I could hardly work
up an appetite.
I saw a guard on patrol on the street, and so I asked for the location of the
guardhouse. I had acted before actually finding out where I needed to go. Of
course, I might have dealt with this at the gate that we first entered from, but
these sort of things were best taken to the central guardhouse. As ultimately,
some of the work required you to contact the central guardhouse.
The patrolling guard had initially mistaken me for a lady of the night and
given me a contemptuous look, but a murderous glare caused him to jump
back in surprise and point his spear at me. Hmm. Shoddy, but at least
somewhat disciplined. This one might just barely be reliable.
“Excuse me, but there is something I need to ask you.”
“Fi-first, you will stop looking at me like that…!”
“Ah, forgive me. Someone was looking at me with foul eyes, and I could not
help it.”
“Fffo-for that I will apologize…! But…”
He looked like he was ready to faint. And so I fixed him with a gentler stare
and asked him where I might find the central guardhouse. When he was able
to breathe easy again, he said that he would take me to it. But he backed off
when I flatly refused and said that I would have no problem finding it if I
knew where to go. It helped that he understood what I was capable of.
With the hefty bag in my hand, I opened the door to the guardhouse. There
was a clerk there who looked at me through sleepy eyes, but he jumped up
after hearing what my business was and ran to the back to call his superior
officer.
“I am in charge of Replant’s central guard house at night. You can call me

Assam. I heard that you have some important business here. What is it?”
“I am Daniela. We suppressed a certain bandit ambush the other day. And I

have here brought the head of their leader. I would like for it to be inspected.”
“Hmm…it is in that bag then? Leave it here. You must wait in the back room
until we are finished.”
“I understand.”
I handed over the bag, and the captain…Assam, led me to a room in the back.
Hmm. It reminded me of that room in Fhiraldo that I had to share with Asagi.
One table. Two chairs. One bed. Bars over the window. A plain room. I sat
down in the chair and stared up at the ceiling. I thought of Asagi.
Hardly any time had passed since the incident with the bandits, and there was
a shadow behind his smiles. Sometimes I would see a sadness in his eyes as
he sighed. He seemed to have found heart again after that night we spent with
Marie Elle, but the wound was still there. And it would take some time for it
to heal. I could have made him feel good, and then we could have had slowly
talked about it, but I wanted to be rid of this head, the cause of it all, first.
□□□□
That was what I thought… But it seems that Asagi was able to relax a lot
because of those two. I had seen it as a role that I had to fill. But for his sake,
I am fine with the outcome. Well, I had been making my own plans while at
the guardhouse, thinking of ways to cheer him up. But I was rather hopeless,
as my thoughts quickly turned to more carnal ideas. I still had a lot to learn.
“Miss Daniela.”
Assam said with a knock on the door. I frantically shook the indecent
thoughts out of my head.
“Come in.”
It actually took me some time before I could say that, but thankfully, I had
returned to normal by then.
“We have finished inspecting the head. I will need a word with you.”
“Here?”
“No, there is an inspection room upstairs.”
“I understand.”
I got up and fixed the chair before following him out of the room. We
climbed the stairs that were four rooms down and reached the second floor.
The room in the center of this floor was where we were going. When we
entered, I was greeted by the head of the man I killed and Asagi had
beheaded. It was not pleasant, and I sighed and folded my arms.
“So, who is that?”
“This man was a former Adventurer who had been terrorizing the lands
around Replant. His name was Gargan Zeera. A former garnet. “
Hmm…garnet. A ‘C’ rank Adventurer. The same rank as Asagi was now.
Well, Asagi was still stronger.
“He had been imprisoned in the past for repeated acts of violence and
robbery. But it wasn’t until he forced himself on a woman that he was sent to
the mines. However…”
“He escaped then?”
“Indeed.”
To call the management of those mines careless, would be an understatement.

It was hardly surprising that people had escaped from there. If you found a
way to remove your shackles, there was little other people could do to
distinguish you. After all, this one was a C ranker. That meant a level of
accomplishment.
“And then he began his life as a bandit.”
“Indeed. We have sent our men out after every attack, but he has always
managed to escape. These bandits were living in the forest.”
“The forest?”
That was the blood apes’ territory. It seemed insane to live in there. However,
it must have been true, if they were always able to escape into the forest. But
I could not understand why they were not attacked.
“So, that is who we killed.”
“Aye, I cannot thank you enough. We have suffered many times because of
him.”
“You have my sympathy. We buried his men in a corner of the forest. As

well as their victim.”
“I have read the report. A girl returned alone…”
“Not alone. She arrived with me and my partner.”
“That is right. I thank you again, for saving a citizen, and for killing the
bandit.”
He bowed, as did the guard who had been inspecting the head. I nodded back.
My business here was finished.
“Of course, there was a price put on Gargan’s head. It had gone up, not only
due to his strength, but due to his repeated crimes. And so the bounty is now
ten pieces of gold.”
“Hmm… I will not say no to a full purse.”
Money was money. We needed it to continue our journey, and so I would

take it. That is something I learned in my many years of traveling.
“Then please confirm the amount.”

A purse of gold coins was brought and the guard emptied it on the table for
me to count.
“….Yes, ten gold pieces. Thank you.”
“Thank you for everything that you have done.”
“No, it was only by chance.”
We had merely come upon them while exiting the forest. I was sad that we
could not save Marie Elle’s father, but we were able to save her. I was sure
that her father, who had died defending her, would be happy that she
survived.
I put the purse away in my pocket and left the guard house. The wind felt
much colder now on my way back to the inn. Now, things were finished…no,
not really. Business-wise, it was. I was rid of the head. But Asagi’s heart was
still bleeding. And I thought of little else as I walked back. This time I made
no detours and remained deep in thought until I arrived.
I returned to the room and sank back under the covers. Asagi was groaning in
his sleep. Perhaps I was tired of thinking too much, because I quickly fell
asleep. And while I still felt a little tired, I woke up very alert the next
morning. …Thought absolutely no one, but me. Asagi told me this later, but
he had tried to wake me up, but I had kept sleeping. So that was why he
wasn’t there when I got up. And so I absentmindedly enjoyed a morning
bath… That was when Asagi had burst into the room. The rest hardly needs
to be explained. We scolded an arrogant child, hunted together, talked to an
annoying parent and dined on meat.
“I have to tell Asagi about it…”
About the head, of course. I sigh again and look up at the night sky. Spirits of
the wind flit in the air overhead. ‘Fresh Green Eye’ allows me to see these
spirits often. One of them catches my eyes and it waves happily as it
descends.
Suddenly, it looks away from me and in a different direction. I follow its gaze
and see Asagi, a pleasant wind of silver and green swirls around his feet. The
wind spirits seem to appreciate it as well, and they clap and cheer. I felt bad
that Asagi could not see them. I could not imagine not being able to see these
adorable spirits.
The one that descended now lands on my shoulder. It points towards Asagi
with excitement, but I put a finger in front of my lips and signal for it to be
quiet. The spirit mimics the gesture and we both laugh.
Now, Silvergreen is coming. I whisper secrets to the spirit and prepare to

greet him.
chapter 110
Savaged Silvergreen, Savaging Lightwind
“Were you cursed to repeat that every time?
Well, maybe I was.
“I found out where these guys are staying. Thankfully, they actually reported
it…”
“Perhaps we should do the same… But let us go.”
Daniela stood up from the bench. I grabbed the handle of the trolley and
pulled it while we walked. It was a little difficult to do so while carrying the
hollow bag, and so Daniela carried it for me. We were headed for the
‘Lizard’s Tail.’ It was both an inn and an ale house. Kind of like that place
we stayed at in the mining town of Alessa. They were often cheap, but had
great value. But we had been looking specifically for a standalone inn, as we
meant to stay here for a while, but we might have found an inn sooner if we
had been less particular… This was the Adventure City, after all. There were
probably a lot of exciting, slightly dangerous places.
Pulling a wheeled cart of ice tended to draw attention on the larger streets,
and so we entered a back alley. I just thought it would be cruel to display
them like this to the world. Well, there were still people in the back alleys,
and so drunken Adventurers still pointed and laughed. But at least Daniela
could stop them dead with a glare.
The Lizard’s Tail was mercifully close to the park. The night seemed to just
be getting started there, as boisterous laughter echoed from inside. I wasn’t
sure how anyone would be able to sleep in there, but then again, Gardo and
Ness looked drunk enough to be assured a deep sleep until the morning.
“I’ll go and call someone.”
“I leave it to you.”
I didn’t think she would go even if I asked her, and so I went up and put my
hand on the door…tripped, and fell through. There was a large bang and
everyone’s eyes focused on me. I was startled for a second but refused to
allow it to show on my face. Still, it wasn’t as if I didn’t care at all, and so I
shot them a quick glance. They seemed to be mostly Adventurers.
When I reached the bar counter, the bartender gave me a look that clearly
suggested he was not amused by my entrance. But I had business here, so I
took a seat at the counter.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Mister, this is a bar. Aren’t you going to buy a drink?”
“Oh, I’m not a customer.”
“Eh!?”
He-hey, relax now… I’m not a customer, but I do have business here.
“The thing is, I got two of your customers and-”
“You…”
“And I…”
I was about to say that I wanted him to take them away, but the sounds of
chairs screeching over the floor stopped me. I looked behind me to see the
other customers staring at me.
“Uh, what…”
“Ahh, I was just thinking about how Gardo and Ness are late.”
“Yes, and so…”

“You bastard…what did you do to them?”
“What? I just had dinner with both…of them…”
“You strangled both of them? You…!”
The threatening face on him was intimidating, and he wasn’t listening to what
I was saying. Wait, did he just say strangle?
“Get him! We must avenge them!!”
“Wha!?”
The others stood up, unsheathed their swords and took a step forward. Are
you kidding!? I stood up frantically, but there was nowhere to move. Daniela
still had the hollow bag. My only option to resist was… I felt a chill run
down my back, and I threw myself to the side without thinking. The crash of
splintering wood sounded behind me then, and I looked to see the bartender’s
fist had gone through the counter. What kind of brass knuckles… Even the
others seemed to stop with surprise at this. This was my chance!
I flattened my palms on the floor and allowed my magic to flow into the
floor. Everything from the entrance to the stairs in the back was under my
control, and I froze it in an instant. Just like that time in the mines with the
kobolds. Now that I think of it, I hadn’t given a name to this trick yet. I’ll go
with Ice Binder. It’s simple.
I pulled my hands off of the floor and exhaled a pale white breath. Everyone
in the bar had ice crawling up to their boots, and they were fixed to the floor.
“Damn, what is…”
“It-it’s cold…!
“What kind of magic!?”
“Who are you! Where did you come from!?”
I can’t answer so many questions at once! Damn it, this is why hate
drunkards. They were always a pain when I worked the night shift. Ah…just
thinking about it was annoying me.
“Alright, I’ve had enough! I’m the one who brought Gardo and Ness here.
And yet you pull out your swords on me without listening! I’ll tear you up!”
“Oh? They’re alive?”
“But didn’t you say that you abducted them?”
“Ah…I thought that you…”
They were finally starting to understand, and they sighed in relief. And
maybe it was because they were relieved, that one of them pointed an
accusing finger at me.
“Hey, you! Then why didn’t you tell us sooner!”
“Huh!? I would have if you didn’t try and attack me! Screw you!”
I shouted, and they fell silent.
It seemed safe enough now, and so I deactivated the magic, and the ice
immediately cracked and disappeared. And the room returned to its original
temperature. Damn it. Talk about a little excitement and danger.
“Anyway, if you can just take the two drunkards off my hands?”
“Ah…yes, of course. Pardon.”
Even the bartender looked apologetic with his slanted eyebrows and lowered
face. This was all starting to feel very comical, but I was so tired and just
wanted to get some sleep.
“Hey, Daniela.”
I called to Daniela, who was supposed to be waiting by the trolley. But there
was no answer.
“Daniela?”
Worried, I went outside to see what had happened. Daniela was sitting on the
side of the trolley and talking with someone. Though, I could not actually see
anyone there.
“Daniela.”
“…Hm? Ah, Asagi. Things sounded a little rowdy in there. Is everything

well?”
“You could have come and helped me if you were worried.”
“As if it was anything that you could not handle.”
Well, I appreciated her confidence at least.
“I finally got through to them, and they said that they’ll take them off our
hands.”
“Ah, splendid.”
Daniela grabbed Ness, and I dragged Gardo into the building. The drunkards
inside saw that they were sleeping and sighed in relief. Damned stupid idiots.
“Here. Take them to their rooms or something.”
“Yes. Thank you for bringing them back. What’s your name?”
“Asagi.”
I said to the bartender.
“Asagi, eh? That name does sound familiar… I’ll tell them that you brought
them back, when they wake up.”
“Yeah, thanks. Well, we’ll be leaving now.”
“Thanks again. Stop by for a drink next time. It’ll be on the house, of
course.”
“If the opportunity arises.”
Daniela’s head turned when she heard ‘on the house,’ but I pretended that I
didn’t hear it and left the building. Then I deactivated the magic that coursed
through the trolley, and it too vanished as if being sucked into the ground.
This was quite a night. We returned, exhausted to our own inn and slept until
midday of the following day.
The next day, we had a breakfast that was really a lunch at a street stall and
decided to explore more of Replant. The town was knitted with intersecting
streets, and Daniela had declared that we would surely find interesting stores
if we looked around.
And so with grilled skewers in hand, we walked through the streets and
wandered from alley to alley. If we happened to become hungry, we would
enter a random place and then continue walking afterward. If we were thirsty,
there were plenty of vendors in street corners that sold fruit water to quench
our thirst with. It was the most peaceful day.
We spent the entire day exploring…well, half a day. Who was it, that said we
needed to make money? We did no such thing and returned to the inn on our
tired feet.
“Hah… I haven’t enjoyed such a carefree day in quite a while.”
“A stark contrast to yesterday.”
“Yeah.”
“And the bandits…”
“…Ah, right…”
The word ‘bandit’ immediately took me back to that day. I had come to terms
with it in my own way, but it could still throb, like an old wound.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi?”
“That head…we obviously don’t have it anymore… Did you?”
We were sitting together on the bed. I looked her in the eyes as I asked. Her
expression didn’t change as she nodded.
“Aye, I did.”
“When?”
“On our first night here. While you were sleeping. I delivered it to the
guardhouse.”
“Daniela…is that why you got me wasted?”
“Do not complain. You were clearly enjoying it.”
“It’s not like I can help it, you idiot.”
Wait, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.
“That head was from the leader of a group of bandits who were terrorizing
these lands. A former C Rank Adventurer. His name was Gargan Zeera.”
That name definitely reeked of…something…
“He had repeated acts of violence and thievery during his Adventurer days.
And he was finally sent to work in the mines after attacking a woman.”
“So how was he… Ah, the mines. Yes, it would not be too hard to escape
from that place.”
“And that is what happened. He escaped and continued to ravage the area
until we destroyed them. That is what I heard.”
“I see…”
It was hardly senseless killing. This didn’t make me feel particularly great
about it all of a sudden…but I did feel lighter. The men we killed were evil.
We were righteous. Yes. But was that all there was to it? I didn’t know.
“Asagi. This may sound cold, but there is little point in dwelling on it. A life
does not carry the same weight here as it does in your world. Even if every
life is equal, the price is cheap. Bad people must die so the good can live.”
“It’s not that different. It was only peaceful where I lived, but countless
people died daily in other places. This only troubles me because I did it.
Here.”
I pointed at the center of my chest.
“Well… I suppose it would. But that is what it is. I can only tell you that it is
something that you must get used to. But it will not feel good.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t. But you’ll help me, right? So I don’t fall apart?”
“Hehe. Are you underestimating me then? I will do more than keep you
together.”
“Hey, wha…”
Daniela put one hand on my shoulder and the other around my waist as she
pushed me onto the bed before I could complain. Well, maybe I could count
the stains on the ceiling…no, it was pure white. A beautiful ceiling.
There was no use trying to keep quiet when Daniela held you in her hands.
She was becoming almost frightening recently. I might have to put more
points into AGI soon.
chapter 111
Master Daniela’s Magic Lesson
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What is it, Asagi?”
Our usual back and forth started on the bed in the morning.
“Yesterday, when I came out of the store to call you. It looked like you were
talking with someone. Was someone else there?”
“Ah, I was speaking with the wind spirits that time. You know, like, ‘it is
quite chilly today.’”
“Huh. I see.”
So that’s why it looked like there was no one there.
Daniela was able to see these wind spirits through her ‘Fresh Green Eye’
skill. And I suppose being able to see them meant being able to talk with
them.
“Actually, no. You must have a high affinity with them first. I am an elf, a
resident of the forest. Well, I was raised in the plains, but my ancestors were
from the forest.”
“Hmm…is that right.”
“That is right.”
So she had just inherited that affinity?
“What are these spirits anyway?”

“It is said that they are beings born from the mana from the dragon vein.
Attributes change depending on the mana in the area, and so the dragon
vein’s attributes also change depending on the location. And so the spirits
have different attributes as well.”
“So…ice spirits in cold places. Fire spirits in hot places…like that?”
“Yes. I have heard that there are people who specialize in studying spirits, but
I have yet to meet any.”
Well, the world was a big place. Not even Daniela had reached every corner.
I would need a weapon known as knowledge in order to continue with her.
Now that I think of it, there was so much about magic that I didn’t know.
After all, it’s something that I never had before.
“Since we’re here, why don’t you teach me a little about magic today?”
“It is not as if I know everything, but I will tell you what I do know.
And so Master Daniela’s magic class began.
□□□□
We ate breakfast in the inn’s dining hall and then returned to our room. I sat
on the opposite side of the table to her and pulled out some parchment and a
pen.
“So, magic. Explaining magic is very difficult for me. It is a skill, a

phenomenon that is so natural for me. It is like teaching someone to breathe.”
“The ‘don’t think, just feel’ thing, I suppose.”
“Something like that.”
It was easy to imagine it. Games and movies had it all the time. As long as
you could imagine it, you would be able to realize it. Still, I didn’t understand
how it worked.
“There are three things to keep in mind with magic. The first is the presence
of magic power in you. You cannot use magic without it. But I have never
seen someone who had none at all.”
Well, for a moment I had thought that I was one. I wasn’t from here after all.
And I seriously thought that that was just how it was.
“The other thing is attributes. There are seven general attributes, fire, water,
ice, earth, thunder, wind and dimension. And then there is also void. It is with
one of these eight attributes that magic can be used.”
“Can anyone have this void attribute?”
The others all had to do with what you could imagine. The heat when I was
stabbed in the stomach. The coldness of losing sensation in my limbs. The
flow of blood that rejected my wish to continue living. All of that existed in
me as the fire, ice and water attributes.
And what if I had not had that experience? Maybe then I would have only
had the void attribute.
“You could say that the void attribute is in everyone, or in no one. No matter
who you are, you will have an internal image of things. And if that image
leans towards an attribute, then the void attribute will become a zero.
However, there are rare people who are especially suited to the void attribute
alone.”
“Like that Adventurer in front of the gate.”
“Indeed. That was impressive void magic. Usually, you would not be able to
remove such stains completely. Removing mud is usually about all you can
do.”
Who was she anyway? The only thing I knew for sure, was that she was fan
number one.
And that she used void magic.
“The Hero, Yasushi Matsumoto was good with light magic. This is an
attribute that was said to have existed in ancient times. There was even
shadow magic back then.
“Was? So it doesn’t exist anymore?”
“That is the case. These were attributes that occurred in a Hero long ago.
Some of the Hero’s descendants were able to use it, but that line has long
been extinguished.”
“Matsumoto sure was lucky, being a Hero and all.”
“Does he have the light attribute because he is a Hero, or is he a Hero

because he has the light attribute… Well, those who wish to know should
find out for themselves.”
Yeah. His protagonist compensations had nothing to do with me.
“Well, that is what I know about attributes. The last thing to keep in mind is
the ability to imagine. If you can correctly imagine the phenomenon that the
rules of magic will achieve, then you will be able to use it perfectly. But if
you cannot do that…”
“You chant.”
“Correct. It is the first thing that they teach you in magic school. I have never
enrolled myself, but I heard this from one who did. If you wish to unleash a
fireball, you must say these words, ‘Gather around my palm, O laws of fire.
Gather and fly, fireball.’”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything more embarrassing.”
“I agree completely. You would look like such a novice. This is why
everyone tries their hardest to be able to cast spells by imagining them. But
casting without any form of chanting is difficult. Most will have to at least
say the name of the spell while casting.”
In other words, you had to say ‘fireball’ to launch one. Complete silence was
nice but saying the name was kind of cool too. At least, the kid in me still
thinks so…
I do have one question.”

“What?”
“Do my spells, Ice Sword, Ice Arrow, Upside-down Icicle and Ice Bind have
official names?”
“Indeed, they do. But, Asagi, you clearly have no talent for naming things.”
“Seriously?”
What’s wrong with keeping it simple!
“Frost Sword, Icicle Inverse and Frostheim.”
“What’s the difference between ice and frost?”
“Mastering levels. Frost is harder to learn. And there is a ‘Winter’ level

above frost. That is the most advanced level.”
“And uh, icicle?”
“Yes, that complicates things. Aside from general names, there are original
names that someone, somewhere have coined. There used to be many of
these until the schools of magic were established and the names unified.”
“I see… So basically, none of that even matters.”
“You could say that. It is much more important to imagine it correctly.”
“And none of my spells were original. I’m quite sad about that.”
Sad, but at least I learned that my naming scheme was perfectly fine. I was
relieved. I guess? But perhaps I would use official names if I ever had to say
them out loud. That would make things easier for everyone!
“Ah, we have gone off course. This is all because of your naming
sensibilities, Asagi.”
“I guess, but so what? And do you have to diss me like that?”

“I think you understand the principles. Now, let’s move on to the use of
magic.”
“Hey.”
Daniela forced a cough and stuck up two fingers.
“There are two types of magic.”
“Huh?”
“Or it might be more accurate to say that there are two ways of using magic.
Magic occurs when power flows into mana and the image in your brain
creates a phenomenon. The amount of magic also comes into play, but we
will talk about that later. Magic can be activated by using your own power
and mana alone, or you can use a medium of some kind.”
“A medium?”
“Yes. Like using a nearby flame for fire magic.”
So you can create a fireball from nothing, or use the fire from a torch or
bonfire.
“So, what is my ice magic being made from?”
“Either the moisture in the air or you are creating it out of mana. I believe
you are using them separately without really thinking about it.”
“Hmm… I wonder which I was doing for the ice magic in the bar yesterday?”
“You used magic in the bar?”
Daniela hadn’t seen it, because she was too busy talking to invisible people
outside. And so I told her.
“Hmm…it must have been mana then.”
“How do you know?”

“Did you not say that the ice cracked and disappeared? That was because the
mana was returned to the air. If you had used moisture, it would have
remained ice, even after the mana left it.”
“Oh, right.”
So, ice magic was magic that ‘robbed heat’ as a method for freezing. Taking
away heat made it sound like the fire attribute, but I suppose it was just a
matter of how you framed it in your mind.
You used mana and magic power to rob something of heat. And once you did
this, only frozen moisture remained.
If you just converted mana into ice, then the ice would crumble and return to
normal mana once the flow of magic stopped… I wrote all of this down and
nodded.
“Magic is hard.”
“No, it is easy. You can do most things if you can just imagine it.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Well, the amount of magic also limits you. You may be able to imagine that
the world has become encrusted in ice, but that will never happen if you do
not have the magic to do it.”
“How extreme.”
“But easy to grasp, no?”
“I guess.”
This world allowed you to do a lot more than I had thought. If you could
imagine it, anyway. As we came from worlds with fantasy works, films and
games, Matsumoto and I have a headstart in a way. Many of the residents of
this world saw the different phenomenon as mysteries. They did not know
what the speed of light was, for instance.
Daniela had a weapon known as knowledge, which she acquired through
many years of living. I could only see it as a gift, that she was able to reach
something close to modern people in just three hundred years…
“Phew… I am tired. I think it is time to go eat.”
“We just ate a moment ago…”
But Master Daniela declared that it was time for a food break, and so we went
out into the city streets. Then we found a nice park to walk in as we snacked
on some of Veiken’s meat skewers. This was the park that Daniela waited in
last night. And so we ate here and the lesson continued.
chapter 112
Master Daniela’s Magic Lesson, Continued
“Well, now you have the basics. There is really only a little more that I can
teach you.”
Said Master Daniela, two meat skewers in her hands.
“I will tell you a little more about attributes then. As it is an attribute, there is
something you need to follow.”
“Ah, I know about that. Opposite attributes, right?”

“You are correct, but it is wrong.”
“Eh?”
She was waving the skewers like a pointer, and so I snatched a piece of meat
off from one of them and ate it.
“…”
“So?”
“Not opposing, but anti-attribute.”
Daniela said bluntly and with a hateful expression. But I was really only
getting some revenge for her insults about my naming sensibilities.
“Not opposing?”
“The weakness of fire is water and ice. The weakness of water is lightning
and ice. The weakness of ice is fire and water. The weakness of lightning is
earth. The weakness of earth is wind. The weakness of wind is earth. But the
dimension attribute can only be dealt with by the dimension attribute.”
“Doesn’t seem very even. And ice’s weakness is water?”

“If the water’s temperature can be maintained, the ice will melt.”
Uh, well, I suppose so. But my gaming brain doesn’t really… But I could see
ice being a weakness to water. I thought of it in terms of my own attributes…
“Earth, wind and lightning have fewer weaknesses, huh?”
“Yes. There is no balance there, and so they are not opposing. However, there
are some who believe that the triangle of fire, ice and water, and the inverted
triangle of earth, wind, and lightning create a hexagram that means balance.
And the space of the hexagon that surrounds the triangle and inverted triangle
is…”
“The dimension attribute.”
Yes, Daniela nodded. She used her finished skewer to draw the hexagram on
the ground, and then surrounded it in a circle.
“And the space that is outside of the circled hexagram. This is the void
attribute. Some call this the hexagram theory.”
“This is getting annoying…”
My head was starting to feel quite full…
“Well, none of this is important to remember. Magic is the strongest when

you can visualize it well, and charge it with power.”
“But Daniela, ice can’t beat fire.”
“You can, if the amount of power put into it is greater. However, it will
usually take up to three times as much.”
“So, it’s basically suicide!”
In other words, magic was a skill that required thought, and there would be
consequences to using brute force. I would have to dodge, run or use physical
strength.
“But on that note, it is possible to have magic of equal amounts clash and
cancel each other out. If one is higher, it will override it and gain control. The
volume of magic is the deciding factor.”
“So, it’s just brute force after all.”
“No, this is actually a difficult skill. In the event that you cannot control the
overridden magic, the mana within both sides will clash, causing it to run
wild, due to the repulsion, and the mana in the area will vanish. This means
that the mana inside of your body will also be taken away.”
“What the hell.”
So the mana on both sides repel each other and are both annihilated…and this
affects your body as well. Magic was difficult.
“And so there will be no problem if you can crush your opponent with
overwhelming magic power, and grab it and control it.”
“I hope you know just how much damage you are doing to my opinion of
magic?”
Leaving her meathead advice aside, I start to consider it by myself.
Magic is realized with power, attributes, and imagination. Magic can be

created through mana or through the use of a medium. You can deal with an
opponent’s magic through an anti-attribute.
That was all I needed to know, I think.
“…Ah, that’s right.”
“What is it?”
“Hitting magic that was created from mana with anti-attribute magic, can
cancel it if done correctly, right?”
“Yes. If the amount of power is equal. If it is higher, than it will override it

and the mana will combine with yours, enhancing your magic.”
So that’s how overriding works…wait.
“Well, magic made from a medium contains material that isn’t mana, right?
So what happens then?”
“You mean like ice made from the moisture in the air or controlling the
earth?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t it return to its normal form when the flow of magic is
stopped?”
“It does. However, when you are using it for magic, the medium may turn
‘magical.’”
“Magical?”
“It will turn into a state that is very close to mana. In this state, it is possible
to cancel each other out. But not override.”
“Because the material will remain after taking the mana?”
“Correct.”
Alright. So if I was fighting while using water magic with a medium, and my
opponent used lightning magic in an attempt to override it. When the attempt
is successful, and the water molecules are integrated by the lightning magic,
it will no longer be actual lightning magic.
“The water attribute mana from the medium will be taken, and the mana
integrated into the lightning magic. The result; their magic will be enhanced.
The water that was from the medium will be thrown to the side, and then
Asagi dies.”
“Why are you killing me! Damn it…well, I think I get how it works for the
most part. The only thing I still don’t get is the spirits.”
I leaned back into the bench and pretended like I could see the spirits dancing
in the sky with the wind.
“So, what is the relationship between the spirits and magic?”
“Ah, spirits are capable of boosting your magic.”
“Are you serious!”
“They can boost it, but if your magic is depleted, then you will enter a state
of hibernation, and be returned to the dragon vein. So it is not something to
abuse.”
These spirits were impressive… So, was Daniela’s wind magic enhanced by
the spirits?
“I only recently discovered this, but my wind magic proficiency is a 10. I

believe that is the maximum level, but the spirits can help you reach one level
higher.”
“Damn…”
That’s basically a cheat…
“Well, it will cost you its value in magic, and furthermore, it is not something
that I can visualize. The strongest wind magic. Do you know what it is?”
“Hmm…wind, eh? Something scary that involves wind would be a tornado.

And nothing trumps a natural disaster.”
“I could create a tornado if I felt like it.”
“Damn…”
That is a cheat…
“See? You cannot think of something that exceeds a tornado, can you?”
“I guess… Seems like a waste of a gift, if only your imagination is stopping

you…”
Having a flexible imagination was important in using magic. Legs of the

Forest Wolf wasn’t just a means to travel fast, you could create a whirlwind
by jumping. Who knows what I would be able to do if I harnessed my ability
to visualize.
“Phew… That is about all, I think. I believe I told you everything I know.”
“Thanks. With the basics down, this jack of all trades and master of none will
make a great magician of himself!”
“Do not hurt yourself. There are countless stories of magic going out of
control, and whole towns disappearing.”
“…”
That afternoon, I decided in my heart that magic should be used while

following the instructions.
□ □ □ □
After that, I practiced visualizing with Daniela. Most of the time was spent
with me saying, ‘wait, is this the strongest?’ concerning uses for magic, and
Daniela shooting me down, but it was very stimulating.
My current methods for fighting were the magic recorded on my status and
swords. In combination with my AGI, the question was just how far I could
take my own power. With repeated combat, repeated reflection, and lots of
training, I wanted to take my unique skill one rank above. Master of none,
master of none. It didn’t seem too impressive, but it was just a matter of how
I used it. I wanted to believe that I could manage it in a good way.
And so the next morning, we returned to the guild. Daniela looked tired, but I
was pumped. I was anxious to try the new techniques I had fantasized about
before going to bed.
The front of the guild was filled with hot-blooded Adventurers. But none of
them bothered us. This was a civilized place.
“Ho, if it isn’t Asagi.”

“Hm? Ah, Gardo. Morning.”
“Morning…”
As tired as she was, Daniela was at least able to greet people, which was a
relief. Gardo raised a hand and casually walked up towards us. Hmm, Ness
wasn’t with him.
“Ah, he’s still sleeping…”
“He is? That’s too bad…”
“I wish I could sleep as well…”
You’ve slept enough. As I glared at her, she turned away, stifling a yawn.
She had some nerve…
“No domestic quarrels in front of me, now. Look, the guild is about to open.”
“You hear that, Daniela? Let’s go.”
“I want to return to the inn… My bed is calling to me.”
“The quests are calling to you. Let’s go.”
Daniela continued to mumble as I pulled her towards the door with Gardo.
We lined up with the others and charged into the door that opened with the
rising of the sun. We were headed for the quest board. I wanted a hunting
quest. We pushed and shoved our way forward.
It was just another morning in Replant.

chapter 113
Gacha Fail and New Acquaintances
It was insane. So this was the real early morning struggle for quests…
We pushed our way through the Adventurers, who had all but turned into
beasts, as we targeted the hunting quests, trying to grab the notices as if
grasping at straws. I was able to snatch a few of them. I would have
wondered where all of the civilized behavior had gone, but there was no time.
In fact, I learned from them as I lunged for the sheets. For once, I was very
jealous of Gardo’s huge frame.
Later, I would hear that this was quite the famous sight in Replant. The blitz
struggle. A time for Adventurers to turn into monsters. I’m not sure I liked it.
“Hah…damn it, that was tiring…”
“Ughh…”
Daniela had willingly dropped out of the race and was waiting on a chair by
the wall. I sat down next to her and inspected the three sheets as I rested.
“Let’s see what we have here…? Goblin Hunting…nope. Blood Ape

Hunting…double nope. Investigation of the Southern Valley…this one isn’t
even hunting. Damn it…”
They were all bad. This was worse than those gacha machines.
“Hahhh…”
“Hmm…Asagi, what is it…?”
Daniela opened her eyes and looked at me with a sleepy expression.
“Uh, it’s just that the quests I tried so hard to get were awful… I don’t even
know what to do.”
“Hmm…hhhhaahhh…hmm… Alright, let me see.”
She yawned, finally allowing herself to stay awake. Then she inspected the
quests I had brought.
“I see. You wanted a hunting quest, so these are no good.”
“Right? We can’t go hunting goblins at this point, and I’m sick of those blood
apes. And investigating a valley? What for?”
“It says, ‘increasing sightings of mysterious shadows.’”
“Mysterious shadows, sure.”
It would be fine if it were monsters. But it could also be bandits.
“What do you think we should do?”
“Well, doing nothing is not an option. And this investigation quest comes
with a hefty reward. I think we have little choice, we must accept this one.”
“Hhhhh…well, if you insist.”
I guess I won’t be able to test my new tricks using ice and speed any time
soon… I wanted to test them before I forget. But I wasn’t likely to get a
chance, if we were just investigating some valley. Unless there was trouble,
anyway.
I got up from the chair and stuck the blood ape and goblin quests back on the
board. It was just like all the other notices that were still stuck to it. Wrinkled
and messily returned. All these unwanted quests…
□□□□
“Yes, so you want to accept this quest?”

“Yes.”
I slid the sheet and our status cards onto the counter. We had done this so
many times that it felt like second nature. I guess I had really gotten used to
this life now.
“‘Investigation of the Southern Valley.’ Thank you. Recently, there have

been multiple sighting of something strange moving in the valley. We want
you to confirm whether it is a monster or bandits.”
“Not hunting?”
“Yes, just the investigation. But you can never be certain that you will not be
attacked, so you must go fully prepared.”
“I understand.”
“Good. You have now accepted the quest. May you have luck and protection
on your adventures.”
I put away my status card and handed Daniela hers. Now, it was off to
investigate. I was bummed that it wasn’t a hunting quest, but perhaps this was
one of the charms of being an Adventurer. Encounters with the unknown.
Will it be a demon, or a snake…
□□□□
I separated with Daniela and went out to buy the supplies necessary for our
investigation. I was to meet her at the southern gate when I was finished, but
until then, it was a rare solo excursion.
First, I go to the clothes store. I needed to restock on scraps of cloth after we

used them all during the bandit attack. Cloth could be used for anything. You
could sit on it or use it to wipe away dirt. It could be used to bind wounds if
you are hurt. You could never have too much clean cloth. I had gone around
to a number of shops, buying these in Spiris, but we were almost out of them
now. So it was a good time to buy them so we’d be prepared during an
emergency. And so I entered a random clothing store.
“Hello?”
I called the clerk in the back. A friendly looking elderly woman appeared.
“Hello. Oh, what is it, young man? Those are fine clothes you are wearing. I
hope that I can find something that suits you.”
“Ahaha. Well, the Paw Clothes and Accessories shop make some great stuff.”
“Oh, this is from that store? I’ve heard rumor of this place in Lambrusen. Let
me see!”
The old woman crouched and looked carefully at my clothes. Well…I was
trying to buy strips of cloth here. But then again, I had to advertise for Nick,
just a little.
“Hmm, yes…Ahh, dragons. That’s quite impressive, young man.”
“I got it on sale.”
“Well, if that’s your story! Sorry, for coming at you so suddenly. Alright, so
what were you looking for?”
“I want extra strips or scraps of cloth. As much as you can give me.”
“Ah, well, I have plenty of that, don’t you worry! Think of it as an apology!”
She winked. A very charming old lady. And very nice.
She came back with a whole armful of cloth. But it fit right into the hollow
bag without any trouble. My lovely vintage bag.
“That’s a nice bag you have there. And what a cute decoration.”
“Yes, they are from a man and young girl who helped me a lot.”
“Hehe. You must be a very kind Adventurer, then.”
Well, this was embarrassing. I wasn’t used to being complimented. But I

didn’t hate it either.
“Here’s the money.”
“Thank you! Have a good day!”
“Thank you, and you too.”
I bowed before leaving as the old woman waved. It was a random store I
found, but things had gone well. Somehow, the streets seemed more beautiful
as I walked now, remembering the compliment. This must be because of all
my good deeds. I will continue to do what I can.
Next was food supplies. I could cook simple dishes, but it would be good to
keep things simple for this little investigation, and so I went to the street stall
district. I wasn’t being lazy! I swear.
“Now…what should I choose…”
“Hm? If it isn’t Asagi.”
As I scanned the stalls, a voice called from behind me. I turned around to see
the arrogant child. The Adventurer, Penrose was standing there with meat
skewers in both hands. Hm, deja vu.
“Ah, Penrose. That looks good. Give it here.”
“Get your thieving hands away from me!”
How stingy. But I suppose Adventurers should not take meat from children.
It was positively criminal.
“Breakfast?”
“Yes. I accepted a herb gathering quest. I am setting out as soon as I finish

this.”
“Solo?”
“No. I formed a party as well!”

Oh… Who would want to party with… Well, yes, he did have a change of
heart. It was not surprising that some might have seen the promise in him.
And really, I was happy for him.
“We scattered for now, while we eat.”
“I see. What kind of people are they?”
“Close to my age. I did want to fight with adults before, but then I realized
something when I was with you and Miss Daniela. It is too early. I slowed
you down, and was very nervous… And so I wanted to team up with people
my own age.”
Hmm…so that’s what he was thinking. But, he was actually quite good. Still,
a children’s party, huh? Young boys and girls who dreamed of becoming
Adventurers… That sounded fun.
“That’s great. But don’t go anywhere dangerous, alright?”
“I know!”
“Oh, and here’s some advice from a veteran. They like it when you pick the
herbs carefully by digging up the roots. It’s pointless if you just tear them out
of the ground.”
“Alright!”
Ah, he was such a good kid now…your father’s proud of you. I thought
amusedly to myself, when a group of boys and a girl in leather armor
gathered around. There were five of them including Penrose. So this was
Replants boy scouts. Well, there was a girl too, but she looked a little
tomboyish…
“Hey, Pen. You still eating? Let’s go already!”
Oh, this girl was quite spirited…
“Hm? What’s your problem old man? Is there something on my face?”

“What did you call me?”
“He-he-hey-hey! Kikka, that’s Asagi’s forbidden word…!”
“What? Hey, wait…Asagi? The Asagi?”
I heard that unpardonable word, but I suppose I’ll ignore because of

Penrose’s intercession… I sigh and move on.
“I don’t know what other Asagi’s are around, but I’m Asagi, yes. Nice to
meet you.”
I offer my right hand and she grips it tightly. Surprisingly strong. And
covered in blisters. She must practice with the sword a lot.
“Silvergreen! Wow! Nice to meet you!”
“The real one? Really?”
“Woah, but he looks so average.”
“Asagi is amazing. He can fly.”
“Okay, you’re exaggerating now.”
The children crowded around me excitedly. Their unreserved opinions flew

in the air, and I looked up awkwardly at the sky. Ah, the weather was nice…
“Phew…”
“Ahaha, excuse us. We surprised you.”
“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t expecting to be recognized so much.”
I brushed it off as the children bowed apologetically. I could only chuckle

uncomfortably at the thought of all the bad rumors they must have heard.
“Ah, we need to complete the quest!”

“Oh, right. I forgot!”
The kids remembered that they were supposed to be going on a quest after
eating, and they frantically picked up their belongings. I was supposed to be
preparing for ours as well. Oof…I stand up heavily. Maybe I was an old man.
“I’ve got a quest to be going to as well. You guys be careful now.”
“We will!”
I nodded at their reply, and walked away with my veteran aura. So those little
runts were working hard. I couldn’t laze around then. Alright, I needed to
hurry up and buy some food, then head for the south gate!
chapter 114
Investigating the Southern Valley
The south gate where I was to meet up with Daniela was crowded with other
Adventurers. For a second, I wondered if they were going to investigate the
area too, but from what I could hear, they were just on a hunting quest. I
could hear ‘orcs’ being said several times.
But more importantly, where’s Daniela? Where’d the lovely girlfriend go…
“Asagi.”
“Woah!?”
I jumped at the sudden voice from behind me and turned around to see the
familiar face.
“Don’t scare me like that… Do you want to kill me?”
“You walked right past me, so I stopped you.”
Oh. I hadn’t even seen her. Maybe I was too focused on trying to hear what
the others were saying. In any case, we were reunited again, and so we started
to walk towards the gate. Even now, I could hear them going on about orcs.
“They say that orcs have appeared on the other side of the valley.”
Daniela began.
“Five days ago. A village was ravaged by them. An Adventurer who was
visiting home discovered the site and quickly came back and asked the guild
for help.”
“So they’re going out to deal with the orcs?”

“It seems like it.”
I see… So that’s why there were so many of them. The number of orcs must
be pretty bad. I fought against the orcs a while ago, but the thought of going
against a horde of them made me shiver.
“Did you hear anything interesting about the valley itself?”
“A few things about these mysterious shadows. First of all, sightings only
started to increase one week ago. The valley is usually shrouded in mist, but
the mist had thinned that day, and a merchant who was crossing the bridge
saw several wriggling figures.”
“A misty valley, huh? Isn’t it likely to be mist goblins?”
“Apparently, not. Because mist goblins do not show themselves when the
mist is thin. And the merchant claimed that these figures were ‘large.’”
Large… The mist goblins were quite small.
“And they never investigated it until now?”
“The orc attack was reported just two days later. The guild had to assemble a
party to hunt down the orcs, and the investigation was delayed. But there
have been other sightings in the meantime.”
“I see, and those guys are what they assembled.”
“Yes. As an Adventurer’s City, Replant has a sizable fighting force. And so

their connections with the empire’s military is kept at a minimum. So the
army will not be involved here. At most, there may be someone for sending
messages.”
I looked around us as I listened to Daniela, and saw that there really were
only Adventurers here. No one was dressed in a military uniform. Not that I
even knew what the empire’s uniforms looked like…
We were now just in front of the large gate. We told the gatekeeper that we
were going to investigate the valley, and showed him our status cards. We
didn’t have resident cards, because we weren’t Replant citizens. When that
was finished, we were allowed through. We thanked him and went on our
way.
Flatlands spread out beyond the south gate. There were a few trees here and
there, but it was mostly a clear, unobstructed view. There was a rocky area
that could be seen near the horizon. The village that had been attacked by
orcs would be somewhere over there.
“It is a five days journey to that village. And three days to the valley.”
“That’s far…”
“Well, we will take it easy. We are not going to be slaying any orcs.”
True. I turned around and saw the noisy clanging of the Adventurers party
behind us. I highly doubted they would even make it in five days. And I
didn’t like the idea of a large group of them tailing us. And so Daniela and I
decided to gain some distance from them, by walking faster than we normally
would.
And so we were able to arrive a whole day early. Two days after leaving
Replant.
“So this is the valley.”
“It really is shrouded in mist…”
We stood above and looked down into the valley. The mist was so thick that
you could not see the valley floor.
“Well, Daniela. Let’s move as planned.”
“Understood.”
Daniela prepared to use her magic. A jade colored magic. Wind attribute. She
also used the power of the wind spirits to enhance it further.
This was what we decided to do upon reaching the valley. First, Daniel would
use her wind magic to blow away the mist. Now that I knew that Daniela
could cause a tornado, I would fully rely on that. Daniela had been out
buying potions while I was getting the other supplies, and there were also
potions that replenished your magic if you ran out. I didn’t think we would be
using them so early on, but then again, we came up with this idea because of
the potions.
We assumed that whatever it was that was wriggling on the valley floor, did
not have the ability to fly. And so we thought of a bold plan to ‘blast the mist
away and use Legs of the Forest Wolf to move to the center and expose it.’
“Alright, here we go. Support me.”
“Hey!? Where are you touching, you idiot!”
I was so pumped up that I had made an error. I quickly fixed it, and Daniela
coughed before stretching both arms out towards the valley and unleashing
all of the stored up magic.
“Galestorm!”
As it was a great spell, she shouted the name as she activated it. The strongest
wind magic were these ‘gale’ types, and it was actually difficult to cast them
with just saying the name. But that’s Master Daniela for you.
The jade tornado that she created moved along the rim of the valley, it’s point
directed down toward the mist. Daniela’s outstretched arms moved to the
side, and the tornado began to move in that same direction. I watched as the
mist was pulled in by the strong winds, and the valley slowly became clearer.
I wanted to move forward to get a closer look, but I had to stay here and
support Daniela.
After only a few minutes, the galestorm had completely cleared the valley
floor of all mist. Daniela was drained of magic, and she collapsed on the
ground, her face eerily pale. And so I quickly opened a magic recovery
potion and brought it to her lips. Daniela drank it slowly and sighed. But she
had no strength to stand, and so she lay, her head on my lap, and rested.
“Ahh… I would recover much faster if this was the lap of an adorable girl…”
“Sorry, only ugly boys here.”
She was at least well enough to crack a joke. I brushed away her sweat
covered hair from her face and she smiled. Her silvery hair was thin and soft.
It was straight and felt like a luxurious cloth. Daniela’s hair was on the short
side for a woman, but it wasn’t because of the trouble of taking care of it. It
was short for ease of movement. She actually cared about it a lot.
“Now that I think of it, your hair is quite different.”

“It is?”
It was in this world, anyway. As a modern man…it wasn’t too unusual. I

suppose you would call ‘asymmetrical.’ Women in this world generally kept
it short or long and tied it up.
“I looked in the mirror after cutting my own hair once, and I like the results
enough to keep it.”
“Is that right.”
Oh, so she was just incapable of cutting straight… Maybe she cut one side
too short and kept trying to fix it by cutting the other side. I could imagine
her frantically fighting with the scissors already. Thinking about her look of
shock when she looked in the mirror was enough to make me start laughing.
“What is so funny?”
“Hehe, uh, it’s nothing.”
“Hmph…you are mocking me!”
I stroke her hair as she scowls at me. Then she immediately closes her eyes
quietly and relaxes. Too easy.
We rested like this for a few minutes until the potion’s effect had fully kicked
in, and Daniela felt better. I felt a slight feeling of remorse when her weight
left my lap, but then I picked her up and activated Legs of the Forest Wolf,
jumped, and hovered over the edge.
“Hmm, I did a fairly good job.”
“I doubt anyone’s ever had such a clear view of this place.”
The mist was completely gone now, thanks to Daniela’s magic. It was
impressive. But from what we could see here, there was nothing unusual
lurking below.
“Well, let’s go down a little.”
“Do not descend to the floor. We should investigate while looking down from
above.”
Slowly, I allow myself to fall towards the center. The valley seemed much
bigger when we were this close. And it was deep. We were already below
ground level. When I looked up, I could see the sky getting narrower as the
valley walls pushed in. Still, it was clear and blue.
chapter 115
The Results of the Southern Investigation
Now, what could be happening at the base of this valley? We were here to
find out…
“There doesn’t seem to be anything here.”
“No figures as far as I can see.”
We were getting further from the hang bridge, but nothing really caught our
eyes.
This valley cut diagonally through the land between Replant and the craggy
rocks. Even the hang bridge where we arrived at was set up diagonally.
Looking forward at the southern rocky area, it started from the back on the
left and came up front to the right. Or you could say it slashed through the
earth from the southeast to the northwest.
And we were here to investigate the base due to sightings of eerie shadows,
but there was not even a hint of it that we could find. What did this mean?
Where did these shadows go?
“Why don’t we just go down there and look?”
“It will be dangerous…but it seems we have no choice…Asagi, go slowly.”
“Understood.”
I adjusted Legs of the Forest Wolf and started to descend. As the floor of the
valley came closer, we could see it much clearer.
“Ah.”
“Hm? What?”
Daniela raised her voice and pointed, and so I stopped in the air. I stare hard
at where she is pointing …But, I can’t see anything.
“You cannot see? Look, there is a footprint.”
“Really?”
I tried hard to see it, but could not make anything out. And it was kind of
dark as well.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, we could get closer…”
Daniela sighed, and I felt a little bad as we moved closer. I continued to

squint and also scan the area with Presence Detection. When we were three
meters away, I finally saw it.
“See, can you see it?”
“…”
There was a single footprint that was mostly covered in the shadow of a rock.
How the hell was I supposed to see that!
“Sort of.”
“Truly? Well, in time.”
“How many years, I wonder…”
“Hey, we will not talk about that here.”
Daniela scowled and poked me in the throat. It was oddly irritating and I
didn’t appreciate it.
We landed next to the footprint. It was much easier to see from this angle and
distance. Daniela knelt down and began to inspect it.
“Hm…Asagi, look at this.”
“What?”
“This is not the print of a boot. A barefoot.”
“I can see that.”
As far as I could see, it was pressed hard into the ground before twisting to
the left. The toes may have slipped in the ground, obscuring the shape, but it
was clearly not the shape of a shoe. And there was something that looked like
a big toe. This appeared to be a right foot.
“And look at this.”
“Hm? …Is this, a hand?”
There was what looked like a handprint slightly apart from the footprint.
This…
“So, someone slipped here. The mist is very thick, after all. Perhaps they
bumped into this boulder.”
“And that’s why their foot dug into the ground as they tried to catch
themselves with their hand?”
“That is likely…”
Daniela said as she continued to look around. But it seemed that she didn’t
find what she was looking for, and so she stood up and brushed the dust off
of her knees.
“Barefooted and walks on two feet. A humanoid. It seems that this must be
the figure that the merchant saw from the bridge.”
“Yeah. But who would be down in a place like this… Were they headed over
there?”
The footprint and handprint were pointing towards the northeast. In other
words, there must be something in that direction.
“Let us go then. Prepare your sword, just in case.”
“Understood. I don’t know if there’s enough space for my greatsword

though…”
I put Schwarz Tempest back into the hollow bag and unsheathed the
Glampanzer, that hung on my belt. It had a comfortable weight that I was
accustomed to. I’m sure my raised stats helped also. Now, if only my skill
with it had gone up too.
Daniela unsheathed her rapier and we nodded at each other before moving
forward.
□ □ □ □
“If only I had Nighteyes…”
I smirked as Daniela grumbled. She was not able to acquire this skill because
of Fresh Green Eye, which was a different skill that affected eyesight. And so
I stood in the lead as we explored.
I feel like we’ve moved quite a bit since discovering the footprint. Partway,
the valley split into two sides. One side led to the southeast, and the other
turned to the right and continued south. Looking up, you could see that the
path to the south was eventually covered by earth. Maybe it was a path made
by wind and rain over time…
I talked about it with Daniela, and we decided to continue, and then turn back
after a while if no more footprints were discovered. First, we would go down
the southeast path. After half an hour of walking, we had still not found any
footprints or traces of something being dropped. I felt like there may be
something if we continued just a little further, but Daniela insisted we turn
back and try the route to the south.
The south path was very dark, and the ceiling came down lower until it was
as low as three meters. Until the ceiling had come down so low, it had been
difficult to walk due to all the fallen trees and boulders, but the path became
shockingly smooth after that. Just as I was starting to wonder about this,
Daniela called to me with an alert expression.
“This path, does it not seem familiar?”
“Huh?”
“Remember, the mines that we entered together. The depths.”
“…Ah!”
The mines we descended into in Spiris. Deep down, there was a maze-like
dungeon created by monsters called hole moles.
I looked at the walls again. And think back to those mines. And yes, these
walls looked familiar, like they too had been carved by something. I had not
noticed it until it was pointed out, but now it seemed obvious. This was a
cave carved and dug by hole moles.
“So, they’re the ones who dug this…? Wait, Daniela, but that footprint and
handprint looked human.”
“Aye, this cave was likely dug by hole moles. But that may not be who is
using this cave. Just like it was the last time.”
“…You mean there’s some other abnormally evolved creature down here?”
“I am not sure yet…”
A chill ran down my spine. An advanced monster. There was another one
down in this hole?
“We can only hope that it is not the case.”
“Seriously.”
But we had to continue on in order to find proof. I squinted and looked ahead.
Daniela spread the effect of Presence Detection. We relied on each other’s
strength as we kept moving.
The height of the tunnel remained the same, but it began to twist and wind
just like in the mines. However, it was one single path. We would have to be
careful of an ambush from both sides. It was difficult to fight when there was
nowhere to run. But I left that to Daniela, as I used Nighteyes to search for
objects or traces of movement.
Perhaps it was the tenseness or the darkness, but my perception of time was
starting to get hazy. And so I don’t know how long it took when we finally
found a hole in the side of the wall. Unlike the rest of the tunnel, it was
around two meters high. When we looked inside, we could see that it slowly
continued upwards.
“Do you think something went up there?”
“Yes, very likely.”
“It seems pretty big for a humanoid. Maybe an orc.”
I mutter.
“Wait, what did you say?”
“Huh? Maybe an orc?”
“…I see…no, wait…hmmm…:”
It seemed that something was bothering her, and she stopped to think. I
wanted to ask her what was going through her mind, but was afraid to
disperse any ideas as they came together. And so I used Presence Detection
in her place and checked to see if anything was close by.
After around five minutes of thinking, Daniela raised her face. There was a
ferocious look of triumph in her smile.
“Realize anything, Master Daniela?”
“Aye, young Asagi. Everything.”

“That’s my master.”
Daniela took my bag and pulled out the four barrier tools from it. She placed
them behind us, in front of us and then put one in the side tunnel. Then she
took the last one and placed it even deeper into the tunnel. Then she pulled
out some of the cloth I had bought the other day and laid it on the floor.
“…Well, now that we’re relaxing, I would like to hear your thoughts.”
“In a moment. Let us drink some water. It will be even more relaxing if we
drink while talking.”
I wanted to ask if we should really be letting our guard down like this, but I
suppose she wouldn’t be doing this without a good reason. She had even
taken the lantern out now and was telling me to light it. I did so with a magic
igniting tool and she asked, ‘What? You aren’t going to use your magic?’ But
I kind of hated using fire magic.
After that, I took out our cup and used magic to pull the moisture out of the
air to collect inside of them. The concentration required for this was pretty
much the opposite of relaxing…
“Alright, we’re all set up now. Let’s hear it.”
“Aye, very well then. First, about this cave.”
I tipped the cup into my mouth and took a sip; waiting for her to continue.
“This cave is connected to an orc nest.”
“Wh-what?!”
“…But is it really so surprising?”
“No, I just thought you’d enjoy a big reaction.”
“I do not require such consideration.”
“Sorry…”
Daniela took a sip, moistened her lips and continued.
“The handprint and footprint were from an orc. It goes down to the south
because that is where its purpose lies.”
“And what is in the south?”
“Do you remember what we talked about at the south gate in Replant?”
I put my cup on the ground and folded my arms.
“About orcs? Ah, a village was attacked around five days ago. In the south…
ah…”
“You understand?”
Daniela smirked.
“The orcs came through here to get close to this southern village. That way,
they can hide from the eyes of Adventurers. I believe that this tunnel will lead
to a place that is close to that village.”
“Right… They were seen one week ago, and then the village was attacked
two days later. But weren’t there sightings after that as well?”
“They could be reinforcements…or they were on their way back after the
assault.”
We weren’t sure which it was, but it would make sense if the sightings of
them were during their return trip.
“Seems a little crafty for orcs, though?”
“Well, that could be where the abnormally evolved being comes in.”
“Ahhh…damn it…”
This hole right here was a road for intelligent orcs then.
“So, what should we do?”
“Let us follow this tunnel to the village. There, we will join the party of
Adventurers and together, annihilate the orcs along with their leader.”
Daniela was smiling so viciously because she had already thought of our next
move and how it would play out… Well, it would definitely be great to fight
alongside the Adventurers, rather than alone. And now that I understood it
all, I could not help but have the same smile that Daniela was wearing.
chapter 116
Beyond the Valley Floor
“I said it was an orc nest, did I?”
“Yeah.”
“That was a lie.”
“A lie…”
Daniela said after we had finished our water and lunch.
“More accurately, it would be their frontline base. It should be up ahead. The

nest is likely on the other side, beyond the hanging bridge. And that would
make it quite far.”
“I see. You wouldn’t want to fight right after walking a long way. Perhaps
normal orcs wouldn’t care, but an evolved being might be cautious of such
things.”
I had an idea of their intelligence through my interactions with Beowulf and

the assault kobold. I didn’t know how this orc would be, but they were hiding
in the mist as they moved. It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
“Well, we’re done resting now. We should move on.”
“Yes. I will gather the barrier tools.”
As Daniela got up to collect them, I put away the other things we had been
using. I just had to toss them into the hollow bag and it was finished. Daniela
put the barrier tools in and we extinguished the lantern’s fire. All set.
“Alright, but let’s be careful.”

“Yes.”
I used Nighteyes and Daniela used Presence Detection as we moved up the

gently rising tunnel. While faint, I could feel a current in the air. A chilly
breeze brushed against my cheek.
“Are there wind spirits here?”
“No, I do not see any. It must be some other spirits, considering where we
are. Maybe they are telling you what lies beyond here?”
“How considerate of them.”
I couldn’t see them, but would they help? They must have hated that this path
was even made here. They were living here quietly until someone stomped
into their homes with their filthy shoes. Of course, they were annoyed.
“So, intelligent orcs can make hole moles obey them?”
“It is hard to believe… But this hole was dug perfectly to fit their purpose, so
it must be true. Perhaps they lured it with food.”
“What do those things even eat?”
“Ore. And even rocks if they are hungry enough.”
“Right…”
So that’s why there were no remains of dug up dirt anywhere. I guess they
never ran out of food then?
“Ah, so that’s why it’s ore.”
“They give it as a reward for digging.”
And so they used these hole moles to dig a tunnel near the village. And they
even made a base nearby as well… I wonder what kind of ore they were
giving to make them work so much. And also, what was so special about this
village to make them go to such lengths?
“I was not able to learn much about this village. But I did learn two things.”
“Oh?”
“The first is that is was a village of women.”
“A paradise for orcs.”
“And for you as well, I presume?”
Don’t be silly. I don’t need anyone else but you.
“Hm…well, as for the other thing…”
“Yeah?”
“There are ruins near this village. It is supposed to be an ancient temple.”
“Ruins?”
I immediately thought back to the ancient elven ruins… But Daniela shook
her head.
“This one is different. There was nothing inside of it. The village would have
developed a lot more had those ruins had had any value to researchers, but
many years of searching had brought up nothing. It is just an old, withered
carcass.”
“Hmmm…So it is just a boring village.”
“Even with the women?”
“I’m not an orc. But I can be one for you.”
“I, I see…hehe.”
I wonder if there are any other couples who would fool around in a dark
subterranean hole like us in existence? I highly doubted it.
After about half an hour of climbing upwards. We came out into an open
area. I quietly peeked inside, but there were no signs of anyone being there. I
turned around but Daniela shook her head to signify that Presence Detection
had not found anyone. I try using it too, just in case, but the result was the
same. There were no traps on the floor or in the walls. This was a completely
empty space.
“So this is the base you were talking about.”
“I believe so. Look over there.”
Daniela lit the lantern and walked in front of me as she carefully checked for
traps. As I followed her, a wooden chest appeared under the light. I gulped
and then used my sword to knock it over. Nothing happened. The wooden lid
had just fallen off. We approached it slowly and Daniela shined her light into
it. I gasped.
Inside, it was painted with blood.
“Wh-what is…??”
“Hmm…They must have kept their food in here.”
“What? Food…?”
“Aye. They would have put animals they killed inside of here.”
“Ahh…it’s animal blood then… I was afraid it was going to be dismembered

people that had been inside…”
“It is your imagination that is frightening.”
I calmed my breathing and then used Nighteyes to scan the rest of the area.
There were several other wooden boxes lying around. The others contained
the bones of animals, which proved that they indeed had been used to store
food.
Aside from that, there were bloody swords and broken shields lying around
as well. They were likely damaged equipment that had been abandoned after
the fight. I picked some up for inspection and saw that they were shoddily
made. Equipment that the attacks of villagers could have easily penetrated.
Even if it was a village of women, there would have been warriors. I hoped
they were still alive…
“Let us hurry on.”
“Yeah, alright. I can see another hole over there. That’s probably the path that
leads to the surface.”
I pointed at the hole that I discovered through Nighteyes, and the two of us
entered it. We continued to be wary of traps, but there was nothing. If it were
me, I would have anticipated humans entering this place and set up traps, but
I guess the orcs had not thought that far ahead.
“They were likely just told to rest here and organize before striking the
village. I doubt they were able to think further than that.”
“So you’re saying the abnormally evolved being stayed in the nest?”
“It is not unusual for leaders to do that. Leaving the hard work to capable
subordinates.”
I see… Well, we were certainly gaining a clearer picture of these enemies.
This orc who had evolved, had decided to attack a village while evading the
eyes of humans. He gave the order to his underlings, who advanced through
the valley and used the hole moles to get close to the village. Once they
rested at the base, they would attack in full strength. The captured women
would be taken back through the mist and to their nest.
And two days before the village was attacked, in other words, nine days ago,
they were seen moving through the valley. And two days later, seven days
ago from today, the village was attacked. They were seen moving through the
mist several times after that as well. Which meant that it took multiple trips to
bring the stolen goods and women back with them.
The women were likely suffering under their hands even now. Now that I had
a clear picture, the rage began to boil inside of me. These people had nothing
to do with me, but the fact that there were victims was frustrating to think
about. There was nothing right about humans submitting to monsters.
Perhaps there were some good ones. But the truth of the matter was that this
attack happened, and so these orcs were ‘evil.’
“There are no traps. Let us move quickly from here on.”
“Alright. Daniela, hold onto me. I’m going to run!”
Daniela nodded as I picked her up and activated Legs of the Forest Wolf. By
adjusting my current skills, I would be able to move through the dark tunnel
without bumping into any walls.
Once I was ready, I charged, and in the blink of an eye, we burst out into the
open air of the surface.
□□□□
We landed on flat ground after coming out of the hole. There was just enough
rocks, trees and bushes in the area to hide us. No one would see us unless
they came close…
The sky was a gradation of red and blue that showed it was almost evening.
We had gone down in the morning, so quite some time had passed. It must
have rained too, as the leaves and grass glistened wetly on the ground.
“The village…I do not know which direction. Let us look from above.”
“Alright, hold tight!”
I kicked the ground and launched myself into the air. I was getting used to
using this skill… The silver and green wind went well with my magic.
We looked down from above and saw burned houses towards the north. I see.
This tunnel was dug so they could attack the village from the back.
Considering that there would be visitors from Replant, the entrance would
have been made towards the north side. People wouldn’t visit from the rocky
mountains anyway. And so creating a path between the mountains and the
village would make their assault so much easier. Crafty bastards…
“Can you see anyone?”
“Hmm…wait a moment, yes, several of them. They are…searching through

the houses, I think. They are likely the Adventurers.”
“I guess we should go join them then.”
With our plan of action decided, we made a straight line towards the southern
village, like a comet over a sunset sky.
chapter 117
Joining Up in the Burned Down Village
One thing we realized once we came closer, was that the entire village had
been burned. It was horrible…pillaging, abducting and arson…
It seemed so thorough for orcs. No, it would have been ordered. But there
was something surprising about that level of leadership.
“Hey!”
I descended near the center of the burned down village while carrying
Daniela. We made ourselves known by calling out to them, but they still
reached for their weapons with surprise.
“Who are you! Where did you come from!?”
“Wai-, we’re not enemies! Don’t attack us!”
“They look suspicious…”
They gave us murderous glares. I put Daniela on the ground and dropped my
sword before raising my hands in the air. It was to show that I wouldn’t
resist, but I wasn’t sure it would get through to them…
“We have no intention of harming you!”
“How do we know you aren’t just trying to lower our guards!?”
“Believe us!”
The other Adventurers who had been inspecting the houses heard the
commotion and gathered around. There were several among them who I had
seen near the south gate. Perhaps they would understand.
“What, what’s going on?”
“Please listen to us! We did not come to hurt you!”
“Hm? Ah, why if it isn’t Silvergreen. I have met him at the guild. He’s no
enemy.”
Oh, so there was someone who recognized me. Great!
“Oh? But I don’t remember you being part of the hunting party?”
“Indeed, I didn’t see him during our journey here…”
“But I do remember seeing him at the gate. Him and Lightwind.”
More and more sightings were brought up. At this point, the Adventurers
who were still cautious finally decided to listen. Their hands moved away
from their swords.
“So it looks like you are not enemies.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry for surprising you. Thank you for believing us.”
“No, it is just…this village…it has put us on edge. I am sorry.”
I was offered a conciliatory hand and we shook on it. At least it had ended
quickly. One wrong move and we might have been attacked. The Adventurer
who had been the most suspicious then introduced himself.
“I’m Virgil. I was given command of this party. A Jade.”
“Asagi. Garnet. We came here to investigate the southern valley.”
The Adventurer called Virgil tilted his head.
“The southern valley. You mean that valley that is on the way here? Then
why are you here now?”
“That’s what we came to talk to you about. If you could gather all your men.”
“Your face suggests that this is an emergency…very well. I will do that!”
I thanked Virgil and then Daniela and I went over what needed to be said.
The hole leading to this village, the base, information from witnesses, the orc
nest. Daniela wanted to hurry up and relate all of this so we could move, but
there were so many people. I doubted things would move along smoothly. I
guess it depended on this Virgil’s ability as a leader…
□□□□
10 minutes later, all of the Adventurers from the party gathered around upon
hearing Virgil’s order. There were thirty in all. With this many men…I
wonder, but we really had no idea how big the orc party was. Even if we
were all strong as individuals, the power of united orcs was still unknown.
“First of all, thank you for gathering here.”
Daniela said as she took one step forward and scanned the group of men.
“I am Daniela. A Jade. Also known by the name, Lightwind. This is Asagi,

my partner.”
“Hi.”
As I gave a curt bow, I could hear the rumbling of the crowd. The quiet
mutterings of ‘Lightwind’ and ‘Silvergreen’ were proof of just how much this
horrible name had spread.
“We were out investigating the southern valley. I am sure you have all heard
rumors of it? When the mists become thin, strange figures are known to
appear.”
The listening Adventurers started to nod and ask each other about the rumors.
This stalled things, and so I coughed loudly to regain their attention.
“Here is our conclusion. Those figures were orcs.”
“Do you have proof?”

Virgil asked as the other Adventurers began to talk uneasily amongst
themselves.
“Yeah. There’s an underground tunnel behind this village that is hidden

behind trees and rocks. Beyond it is a base that was used by the orcs.”
“A base, you say? But you are talking about orcs?”
The Adventurers questioned as if this was hard to believe. Daniela raised her
voice.
“We have a report concerning that as well. We cannot be certain yet, but we
believe that there is an abnormally evolved orc among them. It should be
thought of as a subspecies, different than your average orc. And these tend to
have the intelligence to match humans. In other words, moving through the
valley’s fog, preparing a base from which to attack, these were part of this
being’s strategy!”
It was a succession of things that had never happened before, and the mouths
of the Adventurers closed. Either they were processing the information or
they were dumbstruck… From what I could see, it looked like a little of both.
Unsurprisingly, Virgil raised a hand first and spoke.
“Let us say that this is all true, could we win against such orcs? We
investigated this village ruin, and cannot believe that this was the work of
orcs. They took only what was valuable, killed the elderly they had no use
for, and set fire to the houses. It is a tragedy, and I would be much more
likely to believe you, had you said it was bandits.”
The others all nodded. Indeed, it would be hard for them to believe it was the
work of orcs. However, it would make perfect sense if an evolved orc was
behind it. Beowulf was intelligent enough to erase his presence and ambush
us at night. He was powerful and cunning to the point where I was convinced
that I would die. The assault kobold had used its knowledge in an attempt to
build a kingdom. He had a speed that humans could not keep up with, and I
could not dodge the attacks of his claws. He had planned for a stampede in
secret and continued to haunt me after death. I had made peace with Beowulf,
but the same could not be said for that assault kobold.
But that was how intelligent and powerful these monsters were. As we had
faced them, it made perfect sense to us. But it was hard to make the
Adventurers understand.
“But, that is the power of these abnormally evolved beings. Monsters with
high intelligence are not so different from us. If anything, as monsters, they
are much more dangerous than any human.”
“…You seem very confident about it. Are you?”
“Yes. There is no doubt that it is the work of orcs. And we believe there must
be an evolved orc behind it all, judging by the situation. But we have yet to
confirm it. That must come next.”
“So, you are saying that we must go and investigate their colony?”
“That is what I am saying.”
They wouldn’t believe us without evidence. Our words may have been based
off prior experience, but a report from an actual witness would carry more
weight.
“And so, if there are any Adventurers here who are skilled scouts, we would
like their help! Daniela’s detection abilities and my skills will support you!”
I say as I look at them. As this was an orc extermination quest, most of them
were heavy warrior types, but surely there were some with light equipment
that could help scout?
Right then, one Adventurer pushed his way forward from the crowd of men
and came forth. He was scrawny and wore light armor.
Clearly a scout type. The Adventurer smiled lightheartedly and said,
“Scouting? That’s my specialty!”
He said with overflowing confidence. Well, it was Ness.
“Ness. Why didn’t you say anything if you were here!”

“Ehehe. We thought we’d spectate to see how much you’ve grown. It was
Gardo’s idea.”
He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. Gardo was behind the group of
Adventurers and waving amusedly. Huh. I felt like a kid during a parent’s
observation day.
“Ness, can you go then?”
“Aye, leave it to me!”
Virgil asked him. Ness hit his fist into his palm as a show of his eagerness.
Now that I think of it, I’ve never gone on a quest with Ness or Gardo before.
“What about you, Gardo?”
“Look at me. I’m not cut out for scouting. But I do have a knack for killing
orcs. I’m sure that’ll come in handy in the end?”
Gardo waded through the Adventurers like Ness, and like Ness, he answered
us confidently. A reliable pair they were.
“Alright, so we have Ness as our head scout, but we need a few more. I’d like
to search a wide area.”
“I’ll choose some men for you then. But that is enough talk for now. It’s
almost nightfall. We’ve set up camp nearby, so we will move over there.”
I looked up at the sky and saw that a thick shadow was covering the sunset
sky. It would lose the battle soon and turn into complete darkness. Several of
the Adventurers were preparing torches now. I took out our own lantern from
the bag and lit it. Now that we were ready, it was off to their campsite. We
would talk in more detail there, and then return to the base once the sun had
risen again. And then we would start moving.
Our destination, the orc colony. Our goal, hunting down the abnormally
evolved being and the annihilation of the orcs.
chapter 118
Start of the Search
After that, we visited the camp that the Adventurer’s had set up. It was a
short distance away from the village, and there, among the tents and the fires,
we held a war council. Thankfully, most of the people there were veterans,
which made things move along quickly.
I was thinking that we should have the scouts search the southeastern area
around the valley, but someone suggested that it was likely in the valley
floor, and it was decided that we would search there. Thinking about it later,
it was quite obvious. Daniela and I had assumed that the hole was dug just to
attack the village, but there was a possibility that the hole mole had been used
to dig other holes too. This was quite the oversight on our part. It reminded
me that I had to keep a flexible mindset.
In any case, a surface squad and valley squad were formed. As Legs of the
Forest Wolf removed any limits of vertical movement for me, I became the
go-between for the two squads. Ness was the leader of the surface squad. The
leader for the valley squad was a scout who had Nighteyes, named Angelica.
“Hi.”
“Why, it is a pleasure to meet you!
There was something lady-like about the way she talked, and upon asking
her, she replied that she was born a noble. Shockingly, she took to the idea of
becoming an Adventurer and had run away from home. As for wanting to be
a scout, her answer was, ‘They are guaranteed to be the first to discover the
most mysterious things.’ It was true. You could probably hoard many things
of interest if you were in the lead. But it was also the most dangerous role.
And so she had to be quite capable in order to do it. She was a C ranker like
me. A garnet.
Well, that wasn’t the only thing we had decided on. If we did find the orc
settlement, it would result in a battle. Virgil would still take the lead as
commander. Among the thirty men, ten of them were magicians, and so
Daniela was assigned to lead them. I would go on a raid and make the most
of my speed.
“Asagi, go berserk, regardless of location and cause as much confusion as

possible.”
Virgil’s words.
We still did not know how many of them there were. I wasn’t sure how much
we could accomplish with our numbers, but if there really was an abnormally
evolved being, then we could expect cunning and efficient ambushes. There
were other villages south of Replant. So the damage would only increase if
we didn’t act quickly. But first, we had to find this settlement. That was our
priority. We could only pray that our numbers would be enough to handle
them. And if it turned out that they had far more than we were anticipating,
we would have to request reinforcements immediately. It was decided that I
too would handle that. And so I prayed that that wouldn’t be necessary, as we
lay down to sleep that night.
And now, Virgil stood as the lead commander. Ness was the leader of the
surface squad. Angelica was the leader of the valley squad. Along with orc
slayer Gardo, the six of us including me and Daniela were in the front base.
The other Adventurers were making preparations to leave.
“This…this place was made by orcs?”
“What is that wooden box for?”
“That was for storing food. There was animal blood inside.”
Virgil and Angelica looked around with disbelief. Ness was inspecting the
fallen weapons and boxes carefully. Gardo held up a lantern and searched the
walls.
“This is their frontline base. That entrance you just saw…that’s where the
orcs came from, to attack the village.”
“After seeing this, I am starting to believe your theory about the evolved
orc…”
Virgil folded his arms and thought.
“Orcs that have made preparations so very far in advance…I dare say, this
will not be the easiest of fights.”
“We can handle it if we are all united. Besides, Asagi is here.”
“Why, Miss Daniela, you sound quite infatuated with him?”
“Aye, he is a good partner.”
Daniela and Angelica’s voices echoed in the room and could be heard even if
you didn’t want to. Hey, Ness. Stop laughing!
We were unable to find anything new after searching, and so we returned to

the surface. Well, I didn’t expect to find anything. Still, by the time we
returned to the village, everyone was ready to leave.
“We just finished searching through the frontline base. It was a large, well-
built hall. However, we did not find any useful information.”
“And yet, I dare say that knowing what they are capable of preparing tells us
much. These are clearly no ordinary orcs. No, we must stay vigilant!”
Angelica had somehow become the vice-leader at some point. Perhaps it was
her background as a noble, because it was easy to understand what she was
saying, and there was a sense of authority there that was hard to ignore. Was
this called charisma? Something I had none of.
From here we traveled down south along the valley. The weather was cloudy.
But it didn’t look like it would rain. And even if it did, these guys were
professionals. I didn’t think it would be too much of an issue. And it would
also take nearly two days to reach the end of the valley, so the weather would
clear up by then.
I lower my raised head and look forward. The backs of the other walking
Adventurers enters my view.
I had fought goblins alone in the forest before. And then eventually, Daniela
was there by my side… And here we were now, hunting alongside a large
group. I had come a long way…
There were no attacks from monsters on the way, and it was peace itself.
Still, it only felt like the calm before the storm to me, and I felt tense all the
way through. It was the same with the others as well, with them constantly
looking around and staying cautious.
And it was in that tense atmosphere that we arrived at the end of the valley. It
cut into a forest part way in, and by the time we reached the end, the area was
thick with trees.
This was where the two squads would separate and search. But first, we
would set up a camp that would become our base, and so we found an open
area to pitch our tent. There would be no bonfires. With fires, there was a risk
of the smoke alerting enemies of our position, which could result in an
ambush. So those who could use fire magic would be prepared if it was
needed, but otherwise, we would go without it.
After the tents were pitched, we ate a light meal. Well, it was really just the
passing out of dried meat. This was my first time eating preserved food while
out… We always tried to make warm meals. We even dank warm soup in the
mines. But this was what Adventurers did normally.
As I chewed into the dried meat, Virgil stood up to address everyone.
“We have finally arrived. And this is where our mission truly begins. The
scouting squads will search the surface and valley floor first. In the
meantime, the rest of you will keep watch here.”
Everyone listened intently, dried meat in hand.
“We will search for their settlement for the next two days, but will have to
return if we cannot find it. Our food supplies are limited as this expedition
was only supposed to last four to five days. We did bring more than we
needed, but it is barely enough for the next two days and the two days it will
take to return. And so, we will do everything we can to find it in the time we
are given!”
Aye! They all answered. Even my own dark mood was lightened, and I felt
my determination return. I had an important role here. Contact would have to
be made stealthily. I would have to find the scouts and deliver messages back
to Virgil at the base. I would be quite busy. Forest, valley, forest, back
again…
“Daniela, I think I’ll take the magic potions.”
“Aye, I will take some from the other Adventurer’s if I happen to need
them.”
“Don’t get greedy, alright.”
I took out all of the magic recovery potions from the hollow bag and attached
them to my belt. I had prepared this belt, anticipating the need for it. It was
kind of cool, like a fighting alchemist’s belt. The small blue potions seemed
to glow faintly in the light. …I think. There were six in all. I would have to
use them carefully…
“Asagi, are you ready?”
Ness said as he led the other scouts. There were five for the surface squad
and four for the valley floor. As leader, Ness suppressed his typical giddy
expression and looked at me seriously.
“Yeah, ready when you are. Ness, I think this will be the first time we’ll get
to fight together.”
“…That’s true. I still remember that time when you rolled through the gates
of Fhiraldo. I never would have guessed that we’d fighting shoulder to
shoulder like this.”
“Haha. Well, that’s life for you. But this won’t be the last time. Let’s do this,
so we can continue adventuring.”
I raise my fist towards him.
“Aye! We’ll have a feast when we return!”
He says and hits his fist against mine. Yes, this wasn’t the end. This was just
the beginning.
“From here, we are going southeast. From what I have heard, there is a river
down there. If you are going to make a settlement on the surface…”
“You would stay near a river.”
“Exactly.”
Ness was going southeast then. As long as I had a grasp on my own position,
I should be able to find them without too much confusion. The problem was
which direction I was facing now.
“That direction would be the south.”
“Thanks, Daniela. You can always read my mind.”
“Well, you tend to forget.”
It was like we were married…
Ness and the others were smirking. I was a little annoyed, but there was no
time for that.
“We will be leaving now.”
“Be safe.”
“You too, Asagi.”
So saying, Ness and the others went deep into the forest. Now, it was time for
my first job. I needed to get Angelica’s squad to the bottom of the valley. I
looked around and found them discussing their plans.
“Angelica. Are you guys ready?”
“Yes, Mister Asagi. We are quite ready!”
Plucky. On further inspection, the other three Adventurers in Angelica’s

squad were also women. …Hmm?
“Aren’t you…”
“Ah, um. Yes… Hello, again?”
It was fan number one! I did not expect to see her here.
“I didn’t realize you were here.”
“But I realized that you were…”
“Ah, is that why you seem upset?”
“Indeed it is! Am I in the wrong!?”
“Uh, it’s my fault. Sorry, sorry.”
“Tsk… I cannot stay mad at someone I look up to…”
It seemed that not much had changed after all, but at least she was doing well.
Still, a scout who could use void magic, huh? She was wearing the same light
armor as before, and she could likely fight in close quarters as well. Was
there anything she couldn’t do?
“Are you two acquainted then?”
“Yes, while I was waiting in line to enter Replant… He was there and
covered in blood. Can you imagine? I had to frantically douse him with
magic.”
“It was a great help too. I heard about this later, but it’s actually quite rare to
be able to do that.”
“Is it really? I do not know many sorcerers, so perhaps you are right…”
“Hmm, I am not very fond of being ignored…”
Ah, the conversation was getting sidetracked. Come to think of it, I didn’t
even know her name.
“I don’t think I’ve asked for your name yet.”
“Oh, that is right. I am Lauria. A pleasure.”
“The pleasure is mine. Well, since Ness has already left, the valley squad
should start moving too.”
“Um, I do not like this at all. Will someone please answer me?”
Angelica was saying something, but to who? It was probably to Lauria. Well,
they could figure it out.
“I’ll take you all down one at a time. I will have to carry you, but please do
not take it the wrong way. Or they might arrest me when we return to
Replant.”
I said jokingly, and the others chuckled. Yes, there was no awkward
nervousness, at least.
“Okay, we’ll start with Angelica.”
“Yes, thank you…”
“Is something wrong? Well, let’s go then.”
Starting with the despondent Angelica, I made several trips to take all of them
to the valley floor. While Angelica was silent, Lauria held onto me tightly
and blushed. I’ll allow it. We’ll call it fan service. The others were not crazy
about heights, but I was able to bring them all down safely.
From here, they would search all of the caves and shadowed areas that could
not be seen from above. Ness and the others would search for a hidden
settlement in the forest or other caves that led into the ground.
Now, this is where things would get difficult. I placed a hand on the hilt of
my armored demon sword and headed towards Ness and the others.
chapter 119
The Discovered Possibilities in the Valley Floor
I had anticipated it to a degree, but searching for the surface party from the
air turned out to be bone-crushingly difficult. The trees would block
everything, making it hard to find them. On top of that, from the surface, I
was in plain sight. I knew that the orcs would see me in no time, and so I
decided to go back down and search for them with Presence Detection.
“Hmm…someone is close by. Five of them. Definitely the surface party.”
I detected a tight group that was moving towards the southeast, just like Ness
had said, and so I headed in that direction. No ordinary Adventurer could
outrun Legs of the Forest Wolf. The strong winds wrecked the trees that I
passed, but I didn’t think it was a big issue. I would keep a short distance
away, so I could confirm it was actually them before showing myself.
I pushed some branches out of the way and look.
Our eyes met immediately. Ahh, they knew exactly where I was. I should
have expected no less from a group of scouts. I chuckle awkwardly and
walked up to them with some relief.
“That was some speed you had there. But we noticed it immediately.”
“I should have known. So, did you find any traces here?”
“Aye, a little. We’ve been waiting here to make a report of it.”
Ness pointed a thumb to show me. There was a single tree. Parts of its coarse
roots were exposed, and it was overall very thick around the trunk. And on
that trunk, were scratch marks.
“Look down here as well.”

“Hm? …Are these footprints?”
The dirt had been disturbed. It did kind of look like footprints.
“Someone tripped over something, and their weapon hit the tree…something
of that sort.”
I listened to Ness’ interpretation and looked at it again. It was certainly

possible. The roots would easily trip someone here.
“In other words, some of them are traversing the surface.”
“Exactly.”
Ness nodded. Could that suggest that their settlement was up here then? Of
course, it was much too early to come to any conclusion. According to Ness,
they had not found any other traces. And so I decided that I would leave for
now and take this information back to Virgil.
Back at the base, the Adventurers stayed wary of their surroundings as they
sharpened and maintained their weapons and equipment. I entered the central
tent. Virgil was talking to several others but stood up when he saw me enter.
“Did something happen?”
“Ness discovered some traces.”
I told him about the discovery. Virgil folded his arms, as was his habit, and
seemed to be lost in thought.
“Considering these traces, it would be natural to think that the settlement is

on the surface. And yet they were in the valley…”
“Perhaps they had a tunnel created? I had thought that the settlement was in
the valley, so I hadn’t considered the possibility until now.”
“Do you mean they have a settlement that connects the surface and the valley
floor?”
A long tunnel dug up by the hole moles. If they could travel through it, there
was no reason to leave the surface and live in the valley. There was no food.
The animal carcasses that had been stored in the boxes were from the surface.
There were no animals on the valley floor.
“So then it must be on the surface. They have tunnels that let them move
underground and also appear in the valley.”
“If that’s true, we’ll need a surface party and valley party when we attack
them.”
“We’ll deal with that. For now, I want you to relay what we just talked about
to both parties.”
“Understood.”
Things moved along smoothly when your leader could think quickly. To be
honest, I was not cut out for this sort of work. I had to constantly change the
way I thought. If only I was a little sharper, like Daniela or Virgil…
After wishing for the impossible, I left the tent and immediately saw Daniela,
who was talking with her team of magicians. It was during times such as
these, that the communicatively impaired Daniela could hide that side of
herself and become a fine leader. I could see the looks of respect in their
gazes as they listened to her. That was one group that would be fine. I had my
own job to do. And so I headed for the valley floor.
I was now at the valley. Well, the closest part of it to the camp. Which was a
two-minute walk. I look over the edge, but the mist was thick today. I already
knew this, due to seeing it while I descended, but it was completely white
when viewed from above. However, the people down there were professional
scouts, and it was unlikely that any mist goblins would be able to ambush
them. If anything, I was the one in danger.
“I better be careful…”
I prepare myself and spread out the range of Presence Detection. I was still
not very good at detecting things above me. And so it was nearly impossible
for me to extend it below as well.
Hmm, there was one thing that I hadn’t tried yet. I start to imagine what I
wanted to do with Jack of all Trades, Master of None. Hmm…I think it’s
doable. After several simulations, I was sure that it would be an effective
method, and so I jumped over the edge and into the valley. Then I activated
Legs of the Forest Wolf. Silver and green wind enveloped my legs as I
plunge into the mist. Here, I loosen all control I have of Legs of the Forest
Wolf. The wind begins to blow wildly, turning into a furious storm. The wind
starts to affect the surrounding mist, pushing it away. I myself am affected by
the strong winds, but I somehow manage to prevent myself from being blown
away. Still, it’s so strong that I have to cover my face with my arms. My eyes
were getting dry.
After a few seconds, I lowered my arms. The silver and green winds had died
down. And the scene that spread out before me was the same as it had been in
my head. The mist had been blown away. It wasn’t all of the mist that was in
my view, but I had succeeded in getting rid of a large portion of it.
“Doesn’t quite match Daniela, but not too shabby either. Now…”
The monsters that had been in the mist were shocked by the sudden change.
Of course, they were mist goblins. There were…eight of them in all. It
seemed that their Presence Block skill was more effective inside of the mist,
and I had not been able to detect them. But that was hardly a problem once
they were exposed like this. I would usually have fought very carefully, but I
was in a hurry, so I used Legs of the Forest Wolf and the AGI bonus from my
ice dragon and wind dragon equipment to the fullest in order to take off their
heads at a breakneck speed.
“Now, Angelica and the others…over there.”
I run after the four figures that Presence Detection snagged. I had used a little
too much magic just now, and so I drained one of the potions on my belt.
There were now five left.
On the way, I was surrounded by mist once again, but I just used Legs of the
Forest Wolf to blow it away as well. This time, I was only clearing the area
ahead of me, so the magic depletion was not as bad. Specifically, I only
needed enough wind to wrap around one leg. After repeating this process
about three times, I saw Angelica and the others come out from behind the
shadow of a boulder.
“Hah… So this is the power of Silvergreen… I am quite surprised.”
“That was amazing!”
“Ahaha. Thanks. I have a report to make. We believe it’s highly likely that
the orc settlement is on the surface. If that’s the case, then there must be a
tunnel that allows them to come down here from their settlement. Have you
found anything that might be it?”
I reported what Virgil had realized as one of them looked at me with shock
and the other praised me with abandon. The other scouts also listened
carefully but also stayed attentive to our surroundings.
“No, we have not found anything like that at all. Not even a trace. Perhaps it
is further on that we will find this cave. Perhaps they have no business
southeast of here.”
“I see… So, if we’re going to find something, it will be in the northwest

direction.”
If that were the case, there would be a very long tunnel connecting to this
possible settlement on the surface to down here…? Or maybe it wasn’t near
the end of the valley but between the center and the bridge?
We had only ever walked on the Replant side of the valley. We hadn’t
walked on the side with the rocks. But what if the settlement was on that
side…?
What if the orcs had been watching us all along…?
“…Angelica. I’ll join your party from here. Once we find the cave, we’ll all
have to return to the camp.”
“It seems like you realized something. Would you mind telling us what it is?”
I nodded and told her about what I had realized. They seemed to have
realized how serious it was, and their expressions grew stern. Angelica stared
at the ground for a while and thought. Then she muttered.
“…They are going to ambush our base. That is your worst fear?”
“Yes, it’s very possible. And tonight would be the time to do it.”
“Indeed, it would not be much of a problem if they were just ordinary orcs.
But if there are intelligent monsters orchestrating this, things might not go so
well…”
Lauria clenched both hands into fists and yelled.
“Then we must hurry and find it! Why are we standing here!?”
The two others also looked frantic as they nodded in agreement.
“Lauria. A scout should not raise their voice in such a way. A scout must
always maintain a calm and silent disposition.”
“That may be, but…!”
“It exactly because of such times as these, that we must remain calm. Else we
are bound to stumble.”
There wasn’t much force in Angelica’s voice, and yet there was something
chilling in the way that she admonished Lauria. I shivered. These nobles were
not to be played with…
“Now, we will ask Asagi to clear the mist for us. These mist goblins are so
terribly annoying. Might we rely on your help?”
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
“Lauria, Olive, Oregano. Keep watch of your surroundings. Do not miss any
corners that might be covered in shadows.”
“Understood.”
“I won’t let you down.”
“I will do my best.”
They were apparently called Olive and Oregano. Alright, now that I knew all
of their names, it was time to do a thorough sweep of the place. I pushed
aside my desire to return to the camp immediately and looked on ahead. It
was an emergency, but I wasn’t here alone. I could probably do a general
search alone, but the scouts would find things that I would likely miss. If I
did, I would have to wander around here that much longer. This is what they
mean by ‘more haste, less speed.’ Besides, this was a good chance to learn a
thing or two from them.
I used Legs of the Forest Wolf to envelope my right leg and unleashed it into
the mist. The explosive silver and green wind blasted the mist, exposing the
mist goblins who were just about to fall on us. And just like I had before, I
beheaded every one of them. Without the mist, they were just ordinary
goblins.
“Ahh, the world is a large place…”
“Mist goblins are actually famous in the empire for all the trouble they cause
for Adventurers.”
“People often die on their first time seeing one.”
“This is bad.”
Olive and Oregano did not seem to approve of me very much… The four of
them sighed as they walked passed me. I followed them. We needed to find
this cave as soon as possible and return to the base. I bet Ness and the others
were exploring the wrong direction. I was starting to believe that the traces
they had found were a trap, and that made me even more frantic.
chapter 120
We were able to find the cave rather easily, thanks to the brute force method
of pushing away the mist and slaughtering the goblins in front of us. The
entrance was hidden between two boulders and would have probably evaded
my eye if I was alone.
“This is most likely the tunnel that will connect to the orc settlement. Please
take a look here.”
I looked to where Angelica was pointing. There were several layers of

footprints that went in and that went out. It was proof that this path had been
used repeatedly.
“Alright. This means that we have found what we were looking for!”
I nod at this declaration by Lauria. We accomplished that goal. Once I knew

the place, I just needed to make an emergency report to the base and then go
and search for Ness and the others. Blocking this entrance may hinder their
operations a little, but it wouldn’t mean too much since they had hole moles.
They would just dig through it again.
There were better things to spend your time doing.
“Let’s return with haste. I’ll bring you all back to the surface in the same way
we descended. Stay on the alert while you wait.”
“I will be last then. Please take the others.”
Angelica said as she inspected the cave. Alright, first was Lauria.
“Here we go.”
“Ah, ahh, of course…!”
She became red again as she clutched onto me tightly. If I were Matsumoto, I
would be bounding down the harem path right about now…
This time, Olive and Oregano were much calmer. If anything, their
unimpressed faces seemed to say, ‘is that as fast as you can go?’ They got
familiar with it quick… Perhaps it was a quality of Adventurers?
“Angelica. You’re up now.”
“Yes, thank you!”
I picked her up and kicked the air while I asked,
“What were you doing in the cave?”
“Hehe. I left some gunpowder. One trip over the wire I placed there and the
place will go boom! Indeed!”
This noblewoman was not to be messed with. A good reminder.
“You should all return together from here. I’ll tell Virgil everything.”
“Are you going on ahead, Asagi?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, but we have to part ways here. Sorry, Lauria.”
“Wh-why are you apologizing to me!?”
There was merit in teasing her because of such visible reactions. She was like
a cheeky younger sister. I was an only child, so it was certainly new… I hope
she comes back safely.
“Alright, I’m off!”
I said, and then dashed forward with the power of silver and green wind. I
could run here, as I was not yet in the forest, but I would have to move to the
sky once the trees grew thick. If the orcs were prepared to ambush me, it
wouldn’t matter if I was running in the forest or above it. In that case, it was
best to take the fastest route.
While I ran along the valley rim, I found something. Well, no. I had known
about it all along.
It was a log. I had seen it when we were making our way towards the end of
the valley. At first, I had thought that it was something that people who lived
around here were using, and paid it no attention. However, I saw things
differently now. This log could be used as a bridge for the orcs…they could
easily cross to the Replant side. And since this place was out of the way,
there was less chance of them being seen.
“It may not buy us any time, but…!”
I didn’t want to leave it now that the thought came to me. If it turned out that
we needed it later, I would just have to come back with a different log.
And so I unleashed a Legs of the Forest Wolf reinforced kick into the log.
The log split cleanly into half and tumbled down into the valley. There was
no saying that the orcs wouldn’t prepare another one quickly, but when can
hope… Alright, I can’t waste any more time on detours. I have to return to
the camp as soon as possible.
As they had made Replant their home of operations, it was no surprise that
these magicians were brilliant. Most of those who resided in the Adventure
City did so due to their skill. However…
“Miss! What is the secret to using wind magic!?”
“Please tell me as well!”
“I want to know too. May I suggest some night-time lessons?”
These ones were a little…unique, to say the least.
“But you are a fire magic user. And you, are you not a water magic user?
You are not fit for wind magic. And no, I intend to sleep at night. Sleep is
most important.”
“But, miss…!”
Ah, what in… Please save me, Asagi…!
“Hey, isn’t that wind from Silvergreen?”
I heard someone say. I turn my head. There was some wind coming from the
forest that was silver and green in color. Indeed, it was Asagi’s wind. Surely
this meant that my prayer had been answered. He was my Asagi, after all.
“Sorry, let me through! It’s an emergency!”
Asagi would usually control his wind a little more carefully in order to avoid
hurting people, but this time he landed without such considerations. The wind
that blasted down on the area carried away shields and shook the tents. That
alone showed that things were serious. I left the girls and jogged over to
Asagi as he approached Vergil’s tent.
“Asagi.”
“Daniela! Perfect. Come with me!”
“Aye.”
That was all we said, but I could see that Asagi had calmed down a little.
Perhaps I had that effect on him. Such were the foolish thoughts that entered
my mind as we went to the tent. But Virgil must have heard the commotion,
because he came out before we reached it.
“What’s happening!? What is it!?”
“I’m one to talk, but you should calm down. We’ll talk inside.”
Asagi said as he slapped a hand on Virgil’s shoulder and indicated towards

the tent. And so all three of us entered. There was a table that had been
brought from somewhere and a detailed map of the terrain was laid out on it.
It had probably been made by one of the Adventurers here.
“Please calm down and listen to me. The traces that the surface squad found.
I think that it’s a trap.”
“You what!?”
“Calm down, Virgil. I’m not finished yet!”
Asagi said in an unusually rough voice. It was a rare sight indeed, and my
shoulders jumped.
“My report of the valley squad’s search. There were no traces of anything at
the end of the valley. This means they had no reason to go there. On the other
hand, there was a cave on the northwest side.”
It was what we had been searching for. I gasped without thinking.
“We saw evidence of people entering and leaving.”
“Good…!”
Virgil made a tight, triumphant fist. But Asagi’s face remained dark.
“Asagi, is there something else?”
“…Yes. The important part is this.”
Asagi nodded to my question and continued.
“There were no traces around the valley, right? That means that they haven’t
come to this side any further than the cave. And then there is the tunnel that
connects the valley and the surface. I don’t think they would dig so far. In
other words, I think the settlement is on the way here.”
“However, there was nothing…”
“Yes, nothing. On the side that we were walking.”
“…!!”
Virgil gasped. I too froze at Asagi’s words.

“Do you get it?”
“They were…watching us…?”
“Exactly. I think they know about our location.”
“Then those traces…”
“I believe it was a trap to lead the scouts in the wrong direction. Well, it
might also have been an accident… But I am quite sure that this place is
going to be ambushed.”
Everyone fell silent. We had been searching for the orcs, when all along, they
had known where we were. And plotting an ambush no less… It made me
shudder.
“Asagi, we have to get Ness and the others back.”
“Yeah, I’ll go. Virgil, is that alright?”
“Ye-yes… Damn it. To come here…”
His fist tightened even harder.
“…Very well. Asagi, once you retrieve Ness and the others, have them go to
the cave.”
“What about the ambush? If they are headed here, they might bump into each
other?”
“Gardo will be there. He and a few others will be added to the surface squad.
We’ll have them do a little forceful scouting. It will be better to go out on the
offensive than stay here and be ambushed.”
“Understood. Then I will leave right away.”
“Good luck!”
Asagi ran out of the tent. Or he was about to, but then he stopped and looked
at me. Without saying anything, he just smiled gently, and then looked away
and ran. The tent swayed in the wind and Asagi was gone. He could be
impatient at times, but he would not forget that I was there. Really, it was
quite adorable.
“I have a request to make, Daniela.”
“What?”
“There should be users of earth magic in the group. You can take a few of my
potions here and have them create a wall to surround this area.”
“But are we not going out on the attack? Is this necessary?”
I asked, and Virgil’s eyes dropped to the map.
“If we make an enclosure with only one opening, the orcs will have to come
in through there. I do not want to create a situation where we have a
disadvantage if the scouts fail.”
Hmmm… It was important to consider the possibility of failure. It suggested

to me that this man had a lot of experience fighting.
“Understood. I will go and give the order then. I too can use earth magic and
should be able to help.”
“Here are the potions. There are four that you can share. Good luck. The
entrance should be facing the valley.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
I accepted the potions and left the tent. I glanced at my surroundings, but
Asagi was unsurprisingly nowhere in sight. But I knew that he would return
safely. After all, it is I who he is returning to. Hehe. The little rascal. Damn it.
And now, I must fulfill my own role so he can return safely.
However, I could not be blamed for taking my time before taking the first
step back towards those waiting girls.
chapter 121
I used Legs of the Forest Wolf as soon as I left the tent, searching for Ness as
I moved through the air. For an instant, I thought I saw an orc in the forest
below, but I couldn’t use Presence Detection below me. And I didn’t have
time to go down and check.
I continued southeast from the place where the traces were found until I saw a
river. It was not a very big river. The light of the sun reflected on the water in
a beautiful and dazzling display.
But what was on the other side of the river, was a sight that was anything but
beautiful.
There were several Adventurers lying on the ground by the banks. The water
that surrounded them was red with blood.
I could count three of them from above. None of them were moving an inch.
They just lay there by the river, completely still.
I could not contain my sense of panic and rushed down to where they were.
“Hey…hey! What happened?!”
I slapped the face covered in blood and dirt, but there was no reaction. Still,
he seemed to be breathing. And I was relieved from the bottom of my heart.
But his body temperature had fallen dramatically from being exposed to the
rushing water. And so I had to drag him out by his arms and over to a nearby
tree.
By the time I had finished moving the third man, the first Adventurer began
to murmur as his eyes opened.
“Agghhhh…hhhaa…where…”
“Hey, how are you?”

“You…are…Silver…green…”
“Yeah. No, forget about me. What happened here?”
He somehow managed to pull himself up and lean against the tree. Then he
muttered,
“Orcs…”
“It was orcs? But you are scouts. How did they catch you unaware?”
“They…ambushed us from the trees…”
From the trees… Did they know that it was difficult to use Presence
Detection from below…?
“Ness realized it before it happened…but we couldn’t react in time…”
“There were five of you. Where are the others?”
“Scattered…we fled to the river…I don’t know about Ness and…the

other…”
“I see… But I’m glad that you’re alive. I’m going to call for help. Just wait a
little longer.”
After hearing this, the Adventurer passed out as if in relief. I became frantic
at first, thinking that he was dead, but he was still breathing…
And now, I was heading back to the river after taking some men from the
camp. I was surprised to see the earthen wall that was now surrounding the
place, but Virgil told me it was a measure put in place to protect them from
an ambush, should the scout team fail. Seeing as that the surface team had
been crushed now, his decision had been correct. In any case, while it was
only a simple structure, it was important to bring the surface scouts back to
this reinforced base.
The Adventurers were still lying on the ground near the river where I had left
them.
However, there were swords stabbed into each of their chests.
“No…”
Strength left my knees as I crumbled to the ground. If only I had tried to carry
them back, as difficult as…no, that was not realistic. I could not carry three
adult men and move.
But, still. I had told them that I would bring help…
“Asagi, we have to think quickly. This is now orc territory.”
“Damn it…”
One of the Adventurers forced me to my feet. He was right. There were

casualties now. This was enemy territory. I used Presence Detection to scan
our surroundings, but there was no one around. And while I was not adept at
it, I tried scanning the area above as well, but there was nothing.
“Let’s go. We’ll take the bodies back to the camp. I’ll keep watch of our
surroundings. They may attack us from above, so be wary of the space above
you.”
I watched as the Adventurers picked up the bodies, then we made our way
back.
On the way back, when we were nearing the campsite, Presence Detection
snagged something. I gently raised an arm and signed for the others to halt. I
slowly looked up and saw that orcs were hiding among the leaves of the tree
branches. They looked just like the orcs I had encountered on my travels with
Daniela, but this one carried a bow. Our eyes met.
“We’re under attack!”
I said, and the Adventurers put the bodies on the ground and unsheathed their
swords. All around us, orcs fell from the trees, swords in hand.
“Damn it, they really were in the trees…!”

“I won’t die here, blast it!”
They Adventurers swore as they swung their swords. I launched an ice arrow
at an orc in a tree. The orc managed to fire off an arrow at the same time, and
so I blocked it by generating a shield of ice. I had thought of this as a method
for blocking projectiles. I think…that no one else had thought of this yet… I
would call this spell ‘Ice shield.’ I’m sure Daniela will mock me again and
tell me what the magic school’s official name was.
As the orc was preparing a second arrow, I rushed forward and jumped into
the air, slashing the orc and branch it was perched on. I was not so lucky as to
kill him in one shot, but one leg did come flying off. The orc was unable to
regain its balance and came plummeting down to the ground. It did not move
after that.
Scanning the scene, I could see that the other Adventurers were struggling,
and so I pulled back and joined them. I was used to fighting as a team with
Daniela, but surprisingly, I was able to work with these people that I didn’t
know. However, there were moments when we would bump into each other,
and I learned to quickly move away when sensing movement from the back.
It was a good lesson to learn here.
“Is that all of them…?”
“Hahhh, hhha…ahhh. Damn it. I twisted my ankle…”
“We’re almost there. Try to bear it.”
One of the Adventurers had to walk while using his sword as a cane, and so I
picked up the dead scout in his place and continued to walk. It seemed so
heavy for a body with no strength or life. I wondered if maybe living beings
have some sort of balance with nature that makes them less of a burden to
carry. These dead bodies swerved and leaned every time you moved. It was
sweaty, back-breaking work to reposition them so they didn’t fall. But I felt
that it was partly my fault that their lives had been lost. It was unthinkable to
me to make a single complaint.
After another thirty minutes of walking, the dirt walls came into view. It was
our base. We would have to circle it here on the valley side to find the one
entrance.
“Just a little further…”
“Hahh…ahh…finally…here…”
“I want…water…”
“Water…I’ll get you all the water…you can drink.”
“Thanks, Silvergreen…”
All of us were breathing hard now. We had not rested once on our trek back,
and on top of that, we had been attacked. I was honestly exhausted…
Suddenly, we saw that someone was coming towards us. I thought they might
be orcs at first, but it turned out to be Adventurers… In fact, it was Angelica
and the others.
“Ah, Mister Asagi!”
“Angelica… I’m glad that you all made it back safely.”
“We did, but…!”
Angelica gasped when she saw what we were carrying.
“The surface squad was crushed…we don’t know what happened to Ness and
the other scout.”
“Oh, no… No, you must come inside at once! Help them!”
At Angelica’s command, Lauria and the others picked up the fallen surface
squad. Angelica lent me her shoulder as we entered the camp. There was a
bonfire in the center, and the place looked like a real war camp now. The
walls were reinforced from within and looked very strong.
“Asagi!”
Daniela found me immediately and came running.
“Daniela, I’m sorry…we failed.”
“What are you saying? We are alive and we can fight.”
“Yeah, you’re right… But Ness…and the other…we can’t find them… They
may still be out there, fighting. I have to go and find them…”
“The sun is about to set. We can search tomorrow. Besides…”
Daniela stared at the entrance.
“Yeah, they will attack soon…I have to tell Virgil.”
“Let us go to him.”
Daniela walked on the opposite side of Angelica and supported me. I felt like
a wounded soldier. I had no strength and was exhausted…but I could feel her
breast against my arm, which cheered me up a little.
Virgil’s arms were folded as he was deep in thought. The depths of his
narrowed brows rivaled the depths of the dark valley.
“…I suppose we can at least be thankful that we had the foresight to build the
wall.”
“It was my fault. My hasty decision resulted in their deaths.”
“No, you could not have carried three men. I should have sent several men
with you from the beginning. It was my mistake.”
Both of us tried to take the blame. But then we were interrupted by the sound
of Daniela’s fist on the table.
“We do not have time for such a senseless argument. The dead will not rise
again, it up to us who are alive to continue fighting. Am I wrong?”
Virgil and I nodded silently at those words. She was right, of course. This
ambush that was about to begin…well, it was no longer an ambush. But we
had to prepare for it. We had no time.
“It is no longer possible to search for their settlement. And so we will stay
here and fight back. If things go well, we may be able to chase the defeated
orcs back to their settlement.”
Things may still turn out well if that happened. At least the walls surrounding
us prevented the enemy from being able to attack from all sides. There was a
possibility that it could be destroyed, but it could also be repaired again with
earth magic. And it was reinforced as well.
“I have one suggestion in regards to that…”
“What is it, Asagi?”
“Uh, I think we should make a second inner wall by the entrance that runs
parallel to it. It would help in dealing with the orcs rushing in. And we could
create a platform by the walls that the orcs cannot reach, so we can attack
from above…”
“I see. That is a good idea. The dead orcs will also help block the path.”
Virgil nodded at my suggestion and added some ideas of his own. This would
allow us to stay on the offensive and keep the orcs moving slowly. After that,
we just needed to have others protecting the outer wall as they fought. I could
look for an opportunity to enter the fray and wreak havoc as well.
“It’s decided then. We will start immediately. Asagi and Daniela, you two
can oversee the construction.”
“Aye. We’ll make a great wall!”
“You mean the girls who can use earth magic will.”
Daniela pointed out, and the atmosphere in the tent lightened a little. Now,
we were to fight the orcs. I did not want anyone else to die. The victors
would be us.
chapter 122
“Daniela. I’m gonna go cut some trees!”
“What?”
Daniela looked like she was looking at an idiot. She was looking at me, of
course. Well, it was almost sundown and I had Schwarz Tempest on my
shoulder and was ready to fly out of the fort. So it was hardly a surprise.
However, I had a reason for doing this.
I had made a round of the camp and saw that there were trees beyond the
walls of dirt. And I knew now that these orcs attacked with bows from the
trees and ambushed people. But the people here had not witnessed that. I had
told them, of course. But it was hard to fathom. It wasn’t typical of orcs to
fight like that. In any case, cutting down the trees in the area would prevent
them from shooting from the treetops. And I could use the fallen trees to
block the entrance. I had thought this through quite a bit.
I cut down the first large tree that caught my eye. Allowing some blue magic
to flow into Schwarz Tempest caused the blade of the great sword to be
covered in a watery layer. I had tried simulating this in my head with Jack of
all Trades, Master of None once, and knew that it would work. In short, it cut
through the tree very easily. Like a water jet cutter… It cut through almost
anything, which in a way, could be a problem. Besides, getting used to over-
powered weapons was a good way to halt my personal growth. It’s why I try
not to use the ancient elven sword when possible. I wanted to be able to make
the most of methods and means that were immediately available. That was
my style.
Well, this occasion was an emergency. And so I had no objections! With that
settled, I think I’ll cut more trees now. I went around and cut down any trees
that were close to the walls. Of course, I make sure that they fall in the
opposite direction of the wall. If I accidentally broke the walls by knocking
the trees on them…they would probably strip me naked and roll me out of the
gate for the orcs.
Now that I think of it, the orcs could also cut down the trees like that… Oh,
well. I guess I’ll have to cut down the trees over there as well. Ultimately, I
could make a wagon out of this tree and carry the logs with it. With the right
tools, Mister Jack of all Trades, Master of None can be a carpenter.
I try and pick up one of the fallen trees. But, it wouldn’t be lifted. As I stood
there and considered what to do, a few people who had heard me working
came to see what I was doing.
“Ahhh, what the…Silvergreen. What are you doing?”
“Oh, just in time! Help me carry this!”
“Huh….?”
The Adventurers looked puzzled, but I made them help me carry the logs. If
we placed them at the entrance, they would be a second defensive wall. Of
course, they would be destroyed eventually, but there would be a lot that we
could do until then. The Adventurers breathed heavily as I picked them up
and jumped over the wall and back into the camp one by one. Then I
generated some water in the cups that were on a table. I added a little ice to
them and not a single person complained about it. Too easy.
Next up, Virgil. I had to find our leader. I was moving about quite freely and
only making reports after the fact, but this was an emergency, so he would
likely understand. It might be cause for frustration for him, but this was so we
could survive the fight. I try to justify it, but it’s not so easy. Adventurers of
the guild were like employees of a company. You were supposed to report,
contact and discuss. It was an important trick to living in a society. I
reminded myself of this as I entered the tent.
“Virgil?”
“Ah, Asagi. I heard that you were doing something outside of the walls. I’m
not fond of freewheeling…”
“Sorry-sorry. Well, listen. The reason for it is…”
And so I gave a detailed account of everything that had happened and that
what I had done was a countermeasure.
“…So that’s why. To be honest, I thought it would be faster to do it alone,

rather than have everyone go out with axes. The logs were then used to block
the entrance.”
“If that’s the case, I have no objections. But you should have still told me in
advance…that made me nervous.”
“Sorry about that. Also, I thought of a plan…”
“There’s more…”
Virgil did not seem enthusiastic about the rest of the report…well,
suggestion. I kind of felt bad for him now. Well, it was my fault.
“…So, what do you think?”
“Hmmm… I think we better call Daniela and talk about it.
Virgil said with a nod after considering it. If everything went well, the fight
could become a lot easier.
“The orcs will likely attack us at night. That’s what I would do if I were
them.”
“I agree. They ambush from the top of trees after all. Attacking us while
we’re sleeping isn’t much of a stretch.”
“Aye. And we do not have much time. They might even surprise us and come
right now. We cannot let our guard down.”
“We’re counting on you, leader.”
“If you mean that, don’t give me cause to worry again…”

He said somewhat morosely. But this was just a one-time thing. I left the tent
and went towards Daniela and her team of magicians.
The magician team was drinking a herb tea that helped to minimize magic
depletion while also slowly recovering what was used. Now that I looked
closely, they were all women. It would be like a girls day out if there was a
little cake.
“Daniela.”
“Ah, Asagi. What is it?”
Daniela put her cup of herb tea down and turned to face me.
“A war council. Virgil wants you to come over to the tent.”
“Hmm…very well. You go on ahead.”
“Got it.”
Daniela drained the rest of what was in her cup and walked over to the others
who were inspecting the walls. She probably had something to tell them. I
might as well move along… As I started to walk away, I sensed that there
were eyes on me, and so I turned around. The members of the tea party were
staring at me. Somehow, I felt a sense of animosity in their looks… What
was it? Did I do something to them…
As I scratched my cheek in puzzlement, one of the girls, who I happened to

lock eyes with, started to come forward. I had a bad feeling about this.
“You. You are Silvergreen.”
“Yes. Uh, I’m called Asagi.”
“I do not care about your name! But it seems that you are together with Miss
Daniela?”
What?
“Do not play stupid! You should separate immediately!”
“Exactly! She is better off staying with us!”
“It is most alarming to see the likes of you by her side!”
Ah, I get it. It was some form of jealousy.
“Say something!”
“Say that you will separate, instead of being silent!”
“I do not like his face!”
The girls were closing in on me in a less than friendly manner. In fact, their
bullying was hardly persuading me to break up with Daniela, but they didn’t
seem like they would listen… Well, then. There was only one thing to do.
“Ah, Daniela.”
“Huh, Miss Daniela? Where!?”
I pointed in the opposite direction of the wall that Daniela was standing
nearby, but all three of them turned to look anyway. Everything had gone
according to plan. Now it was time to step on the gas. I dashed out towards
Virgil’s tent. Curses flew in my direction, but I was too busy to acknowledge
them. I would talk it out with them later if I remembered.
“…That is the plan we are considering now. Do you think you can do it?”
“I have no problem with it. It will be easy with the help of the other
magicians who can use earth magic. However, it will impact the defense of
the walls. I think I should do it alone.”
“That seems like too much of a burden for you alone?”
“Nonsense. The other girls can be on the offensive.”
“Hmm…that might work then. Alright, you can tell the magicians that we
will be going with this strategy.”
“Understood.”
Inside the tent, Virgil laid out the plan to Daniela. It was something that
Daniela and I were no strangers to. And so I had expected her to alright with
it, and I was right. This should make the battle with the orcs go smoothly. I
watched Daniela as she left the tent. Then Virgil and I sat down and sighed.
“Now, we just wait for them to attack.”
“Indeed… Asagi, we must make it out alive. We must return.”
“You’re saying the most obvious thing. Of course, we will.”
He was clearly anxious about fighting orcs that seemed to have a different
level of intelligence than what he was accustomed to. I had fought two
abnormally evolved beings before and fought orcs as well. Including the orcs
here. And so I was quite confident in our prospects. If they would come at us
with thoughtful strategies, then we just had to come at them with superior
plans and strength. We were humans…Adventurers with intelligence and
bravery, after all.
“Indeed… Very well. We will do this, Asagi!”
“Yes!”
chapter 123
Two moons illuminated the forest. When I looked up, I realized that one was
missing. This world had three moons. I wasn’t sure about the exact rotations,
as they seemed to increase and decrease. But there were two of them up in the
sky now, and they were not too bright. I wonder what time it was? It had
been nearly five hours since the sun went down, so it was likely around
eleven.
I had finished the last battle council with Virgil, and the orcs had still not
attacked us yet. We thought that they must intend to attack us in our sleep,
and so we set watchers in place and separated the rest into those who would
sleep and those who would stay alert. It was clear now that this would be a
night battle, and it would negatively affect us if everyone stayed awake the
whole time. By the way, I was part of the guarding team. I’m sure I would get
tired in the morning, but I could sleep once we had defeated the orcs. Of
course, if that didn’t happen, it would be an eternal sleep for me. In other
words, I would be fighting for the ability to sleep comfortably.
One hour passed since I was put on guard duty. It was now midnight. I was
walking in the trench made on top of the earthen walls. So far, there was
nothing to see.
I had asked Daniela to make it so we could walk here. It allowed you to see
outside and use your bow. It would have been easy, had it been done in the
beginning, but no one had thought of it then. The wall was just seen as a line
of protection. So I asked Daniela to make this walkway all around the walls
and then gave her a potion from my belt as a reward.
“Ah, but this is the one that I bought.”
“Well, uh, enjoy it.”
“…”
It was a refreshing way to replenish your reserve of magic. Kind of like those
drinks that are a measure against hangovers. Daniela downed the bottle and
then returned to the girls’ tent in an annoyed mood. She was part of the team
that would be resting.
There were several other Adventurers who were patrolling the dirt walls. I
saw Gardo among them and stared at him for a moment. Something was
wrong. He was looking at a single point in the distance and keeping still.
“Gardo, what is it?”
“…There. Those bushes. Something is there.”
“Really? Wait a second.”
I used my Night Eyes skill in the direction that Gardo nodded in. As I stare
into the darkness, my vision starts to become clearer. Beyond the bushes.
There was…
“Gardo, it’s orcs!”
“I knew it!”
After this confirmation, Gardo sucked in deeply and then roared so that the
entire camp could hear him.
“Orcs!!”
At this, Adventurers, who had been sleeping, came rolling out of their tents.
And those who were on guard unsheathed their swords or readied their bows.
Of course, the orcs would have heard this alarm. The ones who had been
peering over the bushes pulled back immediately. And then several arrows
flew out from the dark. I frantically ducked behind the wall to avoid them.
“We could have taken them by surprise.”
Gardo scratched awkwardly at his chin after realizing his mistake.
“That might have worked, but we don’t know how many of them there are.
What if we ambushed them, only to be surrounded?”
“That’s true. So, Asagi. What’s the plan now?”
“We’ll attack them from above the wall. Thin their numbers down.”
“Understood!”
Well, that was really the job of the bowmen. As part of the team that would
fight with swords, our turn would come later. I jumped down from the wall
just as the archers began to loose their arrows. I could hear the cries of the
orcs from outside. It seemed to be going smoothly for now, and so I left them
there and headed towards Virgil.
Virgil was holding two swords in his hands and barking out orders. I guess he
was a dual-wielder. Virgil noticed me and walked forward.
“It has started then.”
“Yeah. The archers are doing their job for now. How’s the entrance?”
“Aye, I wonder where they could have been watching us from. But they have
come to tear it down.”
The two of us walked to the entrance and climbed the wall in order to look
down. There were several orcs below, and they were using something like
sledgehammers. The wall shook with every loud hit, but it was too durable to
break from that. But the wood that was hit exploded into shards in the air.
I looked at this and grinned.
“If they only knew what hell lies after this wooden barrier.”
“Indeed… Well, there is no need to wait.”
Virgil sheathed his left sword and lined his forefinger and middle finger
together. With that, he made a slashing motion that started at his right
shoulder and ended on his left side. It was as if he were cutting an enemy in
front of him. And at the same time, he said the name of the spell.
“Aero Slicer!”
A light green-colored wind tore through the air when his voice rang. It flew
straight towards an orc’s arms, severing them both completely as if it were
nothing.
“GGGHRAAGGGH!!”
An expression of anger covered the orc’s face as it writhed on the ground,

attempting to use its non-existent arms to stop the bleeding. It’s blue blood
sprayed as it howled. Yet, it’s comrades ignored him, as they continued to
run towards the wooden wall with their hammers.
“Wind magic? You can dual wield swords and also use magic. Impressive.”
“Hmm? Sarcasm, is it?”
“Never. I’m honestly impressed.”
I said. But Virgil’s mouth twisted and he snorted. I was just admiring his
skill…
“Well, we might just make it if things continue like this. Perhaps they were
just orcs after all…”
“You shouldn’t let your guard down. These orcs are just fodder. Their seeing
how we react to them.”
“And yet our archers are making quick work of them. Replant’s Adventurers
are brilliant. An orc will die for every arrow we have.”
Virgil said as we watched the orcs moving in with their hammers. Indeed,
there were dead orcs with arrows in them lying all over the place. In one shot.
The deadly arrows caught their targets in the forehead. These were no
ordinary archers…
“Those were done by the leader of the archery team, ‘Surefire.’ He never
misses his target.”
“And that’s why he’s called ‘Surefire,’ huh… It’s a simple alias, but to the
point.”
“I doubt that there are many archers that can beat him. See there. That’s
Surefire Failnaught.”
Virgil was pointing at a middle-aged man who carried a simple bow. The
bow was in his left hand, and with his right hand, he would nock, pull and
release. But there were four arrows in his right hand. Apparently, he was
capable of shooting four arrows at once. And they all found their targets. It
was an inhuman feat.
With one shot, he could kill four orcs. With someone like that, I could believe
that an orc would die for every arrow.
“That’s almost horrifying…”
“Aye. It makes you wonder just how much time he spent honing his craft…
Hmm?”
As we talked, I heard the sound of wood breaking. The orcs had destroyed
one of the logs that I had carried.
“Alright. It is almost Daniela’s turn.”
“I’ll call her.”
I said as I jumped off of the wall. I activated Legs of the Forest Wolf right
before landing, in order to soften the impact. Then I headed to where Daniela
was. She was giving out orders to the users of earth magic, who had taken
their positions. This was so they could strengthen the walls by regularly
pouring magic into it. Daniela could also use earth magic and would find any
vulnerable spots quickly. I asked her if they didn’t need her here, but she said
it wasn’t a problem.
“They should be able to do it just fine if they can use earth magic. It is a basic
thing.”
She said lightly. But it was likely wisdom of the old. While she may have
been overselling how capable they were, it seemed like it would be fine to
take her away for now. We wanted to use her as part of the plan for the front
entrance.
“Daniela, it’s almost time.”
“Understood. Girls, I leave the rest to you!”
“Yes! Miss Daniela!”
Hmm, an almost cheerful reply. And yet, there appeared to be murderous

glances towards me that told a different story. It was honestly frightening.
Well, let sleeping dogs lie, as they say. I better get out of here. Daniela and I
rushed to the entrance. When we reached the top of the wall, Virgil looked at
us and nodded.
“There you are. We are counting on you, Daniela.”
“Aye, this is nothing.”
Daniela looked down at the orcs. I looked down too and saw that another log
had been broken. They would be going over them and advancing soon. Of
course, they would be advancing into an abyss.
“GRAGHAA!!”
There was an orc in leather armor who was barking out orders as he pointed
his club towards the entrance. Then the orcs with the hammers pulled back as
numerous orcs started to rush out from the forest. These were naked and
wielded clubs.
“They are really coming now! Daniela!”
Daniela put both of her hands on the earthen wall, the magic ran through. The
orcs who vaulted over the logs…did not land on the ground. Instead, they
descended into a deep hole that appeared under them
I had thought of this myself. I call it the ‘Oh, you thought you were going to
attack? Sorry, here’s an abyss!’ plan.
Daniela would create a deep hole with her earth magic and orcs would fall
into it. As most of her effort had gone into depth, the hole itself was not very
wide, but the moonlight was dark enough to hide it. This plan would have
likely failed if all three moons had shone in the sky tonight.
“Asagi, it worked! We can do this. We can!”
“Didn’t I say so?”
I said smugly as Virgil became excited. Daniela had used a lot of magic and
looked tired. But she quickly emptied a potion bottle that she pulled out. Oh?
I didn’t think we had any more.
“Hmm? Ah, the girls shared there’s with me. They insisted on it when I told
them of my part in the plan.”
“I see… They sure are nice to you.”
“To me, yes.”
Even Daniela had noticed that these magical girls had it out for me. I didn’t
hate girl on girl developments, but these girls seemed violent. They would
probably knife me one day.
As we stood there, more and more orcs disappeared into the dark hole. As
they had to vault over the logs, the other orcs could not see what was
happening. And so they did not realize that they were falling into a hole.
Besides, there was not too much of a difference between a death cry and a
battle cry.
In other words, until the hole was full or was exposed, it was an automatic
orc disposer. Whoever thought of this was quite shrewd indeed. But who
could it be? Genius, no?
We were in a good mood about this plan’s success, and so we called other
Adventurers to watch over the hole as we moved away. This was we could
check the other places and give out orders. Virgil went to the main tent.
Daniela returned to the magicians. I went to the raid unit. From here, we
would move outside of the wall and attack the enemy. With the automatic
disposer at the entrance and the rain of arrows, our swords were the perfect
thing to speed this process up. The only problem was how these orcs, who
were controlled by an abnormally evolved being, would move. And how
much they would move. It was going well now, but things were only getting
started.
chapter 124
There were three logs placed by the entrance. They were very thick logs. Two
of them had been broken, and once the remains were removed, the invaders
would be able to climb over the last one. There was no need to destroy the
last log. Of course, there was a hole on the other side. That was the basis for
this plan.
An hour had now passed since we started. It was now one thirty. If I were
still working at the convenient store, this would about the time that I finished
my exercises in preparation, and started to work.
I held my great sword and looked at the other Adventurers. Some wore light
armor and wielded one-handed swords. Some wore heavy armor and carried
battle hammers and great shields. There were even some who had small
shields and short spears. I was going to go out with these men and annihilate
the orcs outside of our fortress. Virgil would be leading this group. I was told
to act on my own. I guess my weapon was a little… Well, I did also carry the
Glampanzer on my belt.
“All of you. This is where our work really begins. From here, we are going to
go over the wall and destroy those orcs. We don’t know how many there are.
Furthermore, they are being led by an abnormally evolved being. This is no
ordinary orc. It is an orc with great intelligence and the ability to plan.”
The Adventurers muttered to each other at Virgil’s words. They had plenty of
experience fighting orcs, but never with any orcs of this kind.
“But do not be afraid! We are Adventurers. We are skilled fighters, and

Adventure City is our home! Intelligence is nothing. We will break them with
our power! Haven’t we always been that way?”
He said, partly in jest, and the others laughed.
“Yes! That is right!”

“We are Adventurers!”
“Wealth and honor, with our own hands!”
They banged sword against shield, gauntlet against armor, and cheered. I too
banged on my sword with my gloved hand. To be honest, the rush of the
moment was taking over me.
Virgil looked up at the archers on top of the wall. One of them gave the
signal that told him that there were no orcs on the other side, and then he
signaled to the magicians. Amber colored magic began to flow. The walls
began to twist with the flow of magic, and then a vertical tear appeared, and
the wall stretched open.
“Now, let us go! Let’s kill these cunning orcs!!”
“OOOOOOOOO!!”
With that battle cry, we began to run. There were no orcs on the other side of
the wall. But I knew, through Presence Detection, that there were numerous
orcs inside of the forest.
We had speculated that the orc settlement was past the forest. On the rocky
side near the center of the valley. In other words, they would come out in a
swarm from that direction. My weapon of choice was a greatsword. In that
case, it’s true worth would be shown in a clearing rather than amidst the
trees. Well, a little magic in the sword would make quick work of said trees,
but I didn’t want to destroy the forest. We should take care of nature, and all
that.
Now that they realized that we had come out of the wall, the orcs began to
come. And unsurprisingly, they dwarfed us in numbers. However, these
Adventurers were worth more than a crowd of orcs. And every orc that
encountered their swords founds their lives snuffed out.
I looked for Virgil as I ran, all the while cutting down orcs in my path. It was
partially through observing Penrose, but I was no longer just swinging this
great sword but handling it with more skill. I found his arch swing
particularly easy to do.
After killing five orcs, I caught sight of Virgil. His dual blades were
beheading orcs left and right.
“Virgil!”
“Asagi, what is it?”
“I’m going to kill the orcs in the forest. When their numbers thin out here,
advance with the others!”
“Understood! However, I am not letting you go in there alone. I’m sending a

few men with you. They should be able to help without getting in the way!”
“Yes, thank you!”
Virgil nodded, and so I was able to leave without any unfinished business.
Now, it was best to hurry. I would fight with such a fervor, as if I meant to
kill them all before my backup could reach me.
I started to run towards the forest, green and silver wind wrapped around my
legs. Three orcs stood in front, trying to block my path, but it was no
problem. I ran even faster, then I spun around, allowing the gravitational pull
to carry my sword through them as I passed between. Their bodies split into
halves. Then I turned again to kill off the rest of my momentum, and then
jump into the air. Some of the Adventurers must have been watching because
I could hear them cheering. With their words at my back, I continued to move
towards the forest.
Using Presence Detection downward was just as difficult as using it upward.

I could not do it. However, I didn’t need to. With Night Eyes, I could see the
movements of the orcs from between the trees. There were quite a lot of
them, but I didn’t think I would have too much trouble. Thankfully, Surefire
was with me. His arrows would find paths between the trees and catch their
targets.
There were orcs both in and out of the forest. The further I went, the trees
began to thin, and the orcs became more visible. Eventually, there were no
trees, and I could see them fully. This was my battlefield. I drained a potion
from my belt before the fight. My magic was replenished and I was prepared.
The orcs below me still hadn’t seen me. That meant I could ambush them
from this position.
I bring up a screen in my head through Jack of all Trades, Master of None. I

was going to simulate the magic attack that I planned to do. It helped me
visualize it. It told me how much magic I would need to activate it. While it
was a visual feed, the information was broadcast to my brain, and my body
understood it. And then I would be able to use the magic, just like the version
of me on the screen did.
I gather the moisture in the air. Not just the moisture, but the mana as well.
And with it, I create numerous Ice Arrows. Of course, they were directed
downward.
This was magic and it was a skill. A skill that used Ice Arrows. I decided to
name it. And I had hopes that even Daniela would not make fun of this name.
Not much thought went into it, but surely she would be satisfied.
“I will call you, Icicle Rain.”
As the name implied, these arrows would fall like rain. The rain of ice arrows
now fell. The countless arrows came down over the heads of the orcs, and the
scene below me was pandemonium. I was almost scared of what I had done.
Not a single orc that was within range of my arrows was safe. With my
greatsword in hand, I landed on the ground and plunged the sword into the
back of an orc who had survived.
Of course, this was not all of them. There were many more. The orcs that
were alive were glaring at me and howling. There were a few orcs who
appeared to be leaders. They swung swords instead of clubs as they roared at
the others to attack. The leader orcs were not green in color, but blue. No, a
pale, ash-like color. Perhaps they were usually a more vibrant blue, but the
battlefield was full of dust.
The green soldiers followed their orders and came rushing towards me, but
they sunk to the ground as corpses with every swing of my sword. They came
from behind as well, but in most cases, my sword split them open without our
weapons clanging against each other even once.
“Hahh!”
I cut down orcs, and whenever there was an attack that I felt like I wouldn’t
be able to dodge, I created an Ice Shield to block it. After that, I executed a
good shield bash and then attacked while they were stunned.
Their numbers had gone down a little now. The corpses that lay at my feet
were hindering me. I used Legs of the Forest Wolf to step on air, ignoring the
terrain as I moved forward. All the while cutting the orcs that I passed and
decreasing their count. The orcs could not follow my speed and so their
attacks never had a chance of landing.
Still, no matter how many I killed, they seemed to keep coming. I didn’t
know how many there were, but I felt that I must have killed two hundred
alone. Finally, one of the orc leaders seemed to have lost his patience, as he
stopped barking out orders and rushed towards me with his sword. The sword
was visibly old and in terrible shape. It seemed like it would be better used
for clobbering than cutting. However, it never had a chance to do either, as
his arm and head went flying in the air.
The blue blood sprayed out from the blue body, and I remembered just how
warm it was as it splattered on my cheek. Things were getting loud behind
me. It was probably the men that Virgil had sent. I used Presence Detection…
there were six of them. So that was seven including me. Perhaps we could
take on the settlement with these numbers.
Even after killing an orc leader, there did not seem to be much difference;
much chaos. After all, they had been doing little but advancing, to begin with.
And I was here to prevent that. And while I had brought their numbers down
a little, there were still many more. We would be able to kill much faster as a
group of seven. This would be the climax of this moonlit battle.
chapter 125
“Hey, hey. Have we arrived too late?”
A somewhat rough looking, slender man was walking as he dragged an orc

corpse and glared.
He had the look of a sadistic thug.
“This is…astounding.”
This was muttered by a woman with white hair. She reminded me of a school
prefect.
“Damn it. I rushed here by Virgil’s orders. And for nothing!”
Said a girl who carried a large axe.
“Indeed, it seems like we might as well have not come… Surely he can deal
with it alone…? What a waste of time…”
Said a sharp-tongued woman as she sighed. She was the gothic lolita type.
“…”
And there was a large man who remained silent. He seemed like the kind of
brute who would rather fight with his fists.
The last person in the group was a handsome woman. Daniela.
They were the group that Virgil had sent. I thanked them for coming all this
way before saying:
“Well, aren’t you a colorful group of characters!”
Of course, I didn’t include Daniela in that observation.

□ □ □ □
I had assumed that things would move much more quickly with these six
additions, but that wasn’t really the case. They orcs had struggled enough
when I was their only enemy, and now there were more of us. The orcs
started to retreat when they saw this, and we had to chase them as they
frantically fled to the other side of the valley. The orcs had prepared a new
bridge by bringing several logs. This time it was much wider, and it was
evident that it was prepared so that they could attack in much larger numbers
than before.
Elena, the prefect-like girl, asked me. Well, I assumed she was, as she was
looking towards me. But I didn’t have any authority here. It was Virgil who
made decisions.
“Why are you asking him? It is Virgil who decides. Are you stupid?”
I was happy to have someone come in with the same opinion that I had,
however, I did wonder if she couldn’t speak a little less venomously. Of
course, I was talking about Beatrice, who was the gothic lolita one. She was
currently twirling a black parasol over her head. It was a moonlit night.
“Well, let’s return then. Come on, Drake.”
The sadistic thug, also known as Dante, was silently obeyed by the large man
called Drake.
Having so many newcomers at once made it difficult to keep track of

things… But I suppose it didn’t matter, as long as I knew Daniela. Yes.
That’s it. Daniela was everything.
“Perhaps we should just confirm the direction that they headed in.”
Charlotte, the girl with the battle axe, said as she stretched her neck to gaze at
the other side of the valley. Then we all made our way back. Though, I too
memorized the location.
After that, I took the rear as we walked through the forest. There were dead
orcs everywhere. Cut, shredded, gouged, burned, buried, mangled… It was
the kind of sight that I could only describe as a kind of hell. If this was their
work, I might as well just hide in Daniela’s shadow like a cat and wait for
this battle to be over. It was quite frightening.
“Hey, Asagi. You seemed quite capable on your own?”
Charlotte said to me, as she walked backward.
“Well, yes. Ultimately I was fine being alone. But I was glad that you all
came.”
“Hah! You flatter us. But I don’t doubt your intentions. He’s a good one!”
She pointed a finger at me. I bowed slightly in thanks to her approval.
“But perhaps you could have told us in advance? I had wished to stay within
the fort, but was forced to come out here. I would not have wanted to fight
these filthy orcs.”
“Then why are you here at all? Wasn’t it to participate in this orc hunting
quest?”
Elena heard Beatrice’s complaint and did not ignore it. She really was the
prefect-type. She must hate things that she didn’t consider proper… But
really, this had nothing to me. And so I silently wished them luck and talked
only to Daniela.
“Daniela, are you sure that you should have left your magician group?”
“Aye, it is fine. I put a very capable person there in my place.”
“I see. Well, they must be doing well to be able to spare you.”
“Yes…I hope so…”
Even if she said it was alright, there seemed to be a little anxiety. She was
even walking a little fast.
As the forest grew thicker, we got closer to the fort. The number of orc
corpses also grew, and we could see how savage the fighting had been here as
well.
There were several light-armored Adventurers cautiously moving in the area.

Either they were searching for survivors or they were scouting. I waved a
hand at them and they waved tired hands back.
It was bittersweet, but we were happy to see that they were alright.
Shortly after, the walls of the fort came into view. There were now thorns
poking out from the walls. Strange. I would die if I fell on one of them.
“Hmm…it must be the work of one of the users of earth magic. It will be
harder to attack the walls now. You won’t remain unharmed if you got
close.”
“Ah, yes. It’s very intimidating to look at, but there is a logical utility as
well.”
Well, they were rather extreme. These worshippers of Daniela. These

methods revealed much about their personalities.
The entrance of the fort had two piles of orc corpses in front of it, almost as if
a bulldozer had driven through the snow. We passed the bodies and entered
the fort in order to rest. Those who saw us return waved to us happily. It was
a bit like a triumphant return, and I felt quite good about it.
And it was with such feelings that I headed for Virgil’s tent, when an
Adventurer ran up to me. It was Lauria, my first ever fan.
“Asagi, welcome back!”
“Ah, thanks. I see you’re also safe.”
Lauria laughed happily. A good girl.
“Oh, but you are drenched in blood again! Cleaning!”

Her magic cleansed me of the orc blood that was soaked in my hair and
clothing. It really was impressive… Beatrice and Charlotte, who were
walking with me, also widened their eyes in amazement.
“Thanks, Lauria. You’ve saved me again.”
“Oh, this is nothing. But more importantly, Virgil’s been searching for you.
He’s in the tent with Angelica.”
With Angelica. That meant the search was to begin.
“Got it. I’ll go at once. Thanks.”
“I-I’m just delivering the message! See you!”
She said quickly and then ran back to her tent. An upright person. Perhaps
having fans like that would help improve my bad reputation.
“Ohh…that was amazing. That magic.”

“It was… But she could have helped us too…”
My companions were still filthy. They looked at me a little reproachfully, but

it was hardly my own fault. Now, to see Virgil. …But first…
“Thank you for coming. I hope that we can fight together again.”
I said. I had not been able to see too much, but they were all brilliant. Very
skilled.
Elena’s abilities with the sword were so advanced, that some of her victims
continued to run for a bit before falling apart. Beatrice fought with a spear,
not her parasol, and pierced the hearts of orcs with precision. Not much
needed to be said of Charlotte’s axe. But there were no orcs who could
successfully avoid those heavy blows.
The Dante and Drake pair was also frightening to watch… the slicing,
shredding, choking and bashing… They must have been fun playmates as
children.
“Hmph. We were the most unnecessary reinforcements. But, well, I enjoyed
it.”
“Yes. He was just as the rumors said.”
“You do not get called Silvergreen for nothing. I am quite jealous.”
They said. And I suppose it meant that we were on generally good terms
now. Well, maybe not with Beatrice.
“I am going back to the magician group. I will see you later.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Daniela.”
“It was nothing. I belong in the place that you happen to be in. I was only
returning.”
She said, then turned away. Ah, she really was so cool… Alright, I would
have to continue to work so that I wasn’t an embarrassment as her partner.
I said farewell to the other three and headed for Virgil’s tent.
chapter 126
I entered the tent and saw that Virgil and Angelica were there.
“You came. I am sure that you are quite tired from that raid, and I apologize,
but let me just talk about the direction we will be going in.”
“I don’t mind. I guess, judging by the fact that Angelica is here, that we are
going to go search for their settlement?”
“Ah, yes. Well, things have been going so well up until now, that we could
hardly do anything else.”
The fortress had not fallen and seven of the strongest Adventurers, including
myself, had been let loose in the forest. The orcs were annihilated there, and
the others were driven back. So many orcs had fled. There should be a very
visible path leading straight to their base.
“To be perfectly honest, I hardly believe that there is a need for me to go

along with the search. These orcs are practically paving a road for us.”
Angelica said with a sigh. It was true. We had forced them to retreat with our
inferior numbers. Of course, this could also cause us to let our guard down.
“There could be traps. I think we should search for it carefully. If we aren’t

careful, they may retaliate in an unexpected and most painful way.”
“Well, you needn’t worry about that. ‘Tighten the strings of your helmet after
winning.’ Those were the words of a Hero who lived long ago.”
So someone from Japan had been summoned a long time ago… It was
interesting, but not something to discuss now. We needed to focus on
eliminating the orcs.
“And so Angelica, I want your valley team to search for the settlement.
Asagi, you and the others can rest.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, certainly.”
Ahh, I can finally relax. I had killed quite a lot of orcs and was honestly
exhausted. I would not be surprised if I gained a level. I will even allow my
hopes to get high.
“Hmm… Very interested.”
I entered one of the resting tents and lay down before taking the status card
out of my pocket. I didn’t think I would be able to sleep until I saw it.
“Status open.”
I said the usual words and my current status was displayed.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Race: Human
Alias: Silvergreen
LV: 69
HP: 621/673
MP: 581/640
STR: 340 VIT: 336
AGI: 724 DEX: 361
INT: 334 LUK: 30

Skills: ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’, Legs of the Forest Wolf, Single-
handed Sword(7/10), Short sword(6/10), Spear(2/10), Archer(2/10),
Greatsword(5/10), Presence Detection(6/10), Nighteyes(5/10)
Magic: Ice(8/10), Water(7/10), Fire(2/10)
Quest: Investigating the Southern Valley
Equipment: Armor
Head: none
Feet: Accel Panther Boots
Weapons: Glampanzer
– Ashikirimaru
– Schwarz Tempest
Accessories: None
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“Not a dramatic difference…”

Up until now, it felt like the numbers were bumped up greatly every time I
checked, but progress was slower this time. I guess gaining a lot of
experience from enemies of lower ranks did not result in gaining levels.
Daniela had also said that the pace in which you gain levels drops
significantly at a certain point… Thinking of it like that, maybe it’s
impressive that I gained 4 levels.
On close inspection, I see that Greatsword and Nighteyes have improved.

I’ve used them both quite a lot… It would be horrible if they hadn’t. I think I
might try my hand at the shortsword once I feel really confident with my
skills with the greatsword… Well, that wouldn’t be for a while.
I’m not sure if it was the relief of knowing what my status was or if it was
pure exhaustion, but I quickly fell asleep after that. It was with a short prayer
that the orcs would not attack us again, that I allowed my consciousness to
drift away.
□ □ □ □
Well, where should I begin? I am currently in the orc settlement. There is an

orc in front of me. An abnormally evolved being. He calls himself the King
of Orcs. His name is Arthur. He is inside of an underground prison cell that is
located in a passage that connects the settlement to the valley depths.
“Help me! Release me from this place!”
Explaining the encounter with this suspicious person would require me to go

back. I should start at the point where we Adventurers left our fortress and
headed for the orc settlement.
Let me go back to what happened this morning.
My awareness grew sharper as the sounds of rustling entered my ears. It was

with some effort that my heavy eyelids opened so that I could search for the
culprit. What entered my vision was a face that poked through the curtain
flaps to look at my face.
“Ahh…?!”
“…Who…is it?”
I rubbed at my eyes and squinted. Then I recognized her. It was Lauria.
“Lauria…?”
“Ahh, um…uh…”
There was something clearly suspicious about this. I yawned and looked
around me. It was bright outside of the tent. There had been several others
sleeping here when I had entered it…but they were gone now. That meant
that I had been the last one sleeping, and Lauria had come to wake me…I
think?
“So you came to wake me…hhhh…thank you.”
“Uh, oh, yes! Good morning!”
“…So. What were you attempting to do while I was asleep?”
“Hmm?!”
She had no need to act like this if she were only going to wake me up. And
she had been very close to my face when I first opened my eyes. I am not that
thick-headed…and there could be no misunderstandings between us. I had to
make her say it herself. But this wasn’t fun for me.
“So?”
“No, I…you wouldn’t wake up, so…”
“Yes?”
“Uh…I…I’m sorry…please forgive me…”
“No, no, no. I don’t even know what to forgive. Unless you tell me. How
should I know how to feel if I don’t know what it was? Come now, you can
say it. Can’t you?”
Lauria’s ears had turned bright red, and she was breathing heavily. I was
wondering who of us would be asking for forgiveness in the end.
“Hey, you stupid idiot. Come on out.”
Tsk. We weren’t quite finished, but there was no helping it now that Daniela
was here.
“Oomph… Lauria? How long are you going to stand there? Let us go.”
“Oh…I hate you, Asagi…”
Lauria was bright red as she followed after us. Daniela poked me in the head
as we walked towards the center of our fortress. Many Adventurers had
gathered there.
“So, did they find it?”
“Aye. Angelica and the others have just returned. They brought you a little
present.”
“A present?”
I turned around with much interest at this. Daniela laughed mischievously.
“You will understand when you see it.”
“Oh?”
I tried to imagine what it could be as we made our way through the group of
Adventurers. I was sure that Virgil and the valley team would be lined up and
talking about our plans.
“…And so, we will now head for their settlement!”
It was Virgil’s voice.
“The only thing left for us to do is to annihilate them! Do not let your guard
down!”
I saw them just as Angelica’s voice rang in my ears. As I thought, Virgil and
Angelica were there along with Olive and Oregano. And next to them…
“Ness!”
Ness, whose location had been unknown up until now, was standing there
with folded arms. The bastard was alive!
“Asagi. Sorry to have you worry.”
“Damn it. I was so worried that you were dead!”
“Hehe. Says the man who was sleeping all this time!”
Hmph. I couldn’t retaliate. But I was tired, and clearly not to blame!
The rest of the Adventurers were all split into units. As the only survivor of
the surface team, Ness was put with light armor unit. As we moved, I asked
him what he had been doing.
“So? What trick did you use to make it out alive?”
“One thing I will say, is that my luck was tremendous.”
After finding the tracks, Ness and the others had been ambushed. They had
barely been able to realize it was coming, but could not react in time. The
team was crushed and scattered. Ness had been lucky enough to escape
without being chased and he had cautiously continued the search. Along the
way, he had found another Adventurer who was running from the orcs. This
was the other man that I had failed to find. According to Ness, the orcs killed
this man.
Ness had realized that he could not fight so many orcs, and he continued to
run. He went northward as if running away from the end of the valley, which
was where we had speculated the settlement would be. And what he ended up
finding, was a village surrounded in trees. It was the orc settlement that we
had been searching for.
“I was running away from the orcs so desperately. I never would have
thought that I would end up bumping into their home. I thought I was going
to die then.”
However, once again, luck was on his side, and the scouts of the valley team
found him. They had both been using Presence Detection and located each
other. Who knows what would have happened if he were an ordinary
Adventurer. It was really a matter of timing as well. Had he been any earlier
or later…Ness would likely have been killed by the orcs.
After finding Ness, the valley team confirmed that it was the orc settlement,
and then quickly retreated.
“So like I said, I was very lucky. Though it pains me that the others in my
team were not…”
“It’s more my fault than anyone’s.”
I thought back on those three men.
“I heard. But Asagi, that was too much for you to do. Even Gardo would not
have been able to carry three men.”
“Maybe… But for a moment, I was saving them. I can’t help but have
regrets, you know?”
Then Ness looked straight at me and said:
“Asagi, I’m not telling you to forget it. But see it as it is. You don’t have to
repress your emotions. But be realistic. If you don’t, it will eat away at you.
You won’t survive that. I’ve seen it happen to other men. I know. One day,
you will allow it to kill you.”
“…I…I’ve killed men before arriving in Replant. They were bandits who
were attacking a carriage. It was my first time. I cut off their leader’s head. I
felt quite depressed after that, but my killing of them resulted in a girl being
saved. Seeing her live…it…I think that it saved me.”
I had held Marie Elle to my chest and said ‘thank you’ over and over again.
Within those words was a feeling of gratitude for saving me from the pit of
guilt.
“I feel like I have been thinking about life and death a lot more since then. I
know that killing is often necessary. But I don’t think I’ve come to terms with
the failure to save lives yet.”
“That’s it. That is what you must overcome Asagi, if you want to continue to
live.”
“Yeah, I know. And I will overcome it. Well, I just think it’s going to take a
while.”
Death in my heart. It was something I would live with. Not just the
Adventurers. The bandits as well.
“Thank you, Ness. I’m really glad that you’re alive.”
“Save it. I’m alive for my own sake. Not for you!”
He said as he slapped me on the back. Ness too had survived with the death
of his companions on his mind. But he had the greatest smile.
chapter 127
And like that, through the efforts of Ness and Angelica’s valley team, we of
the orc extermination group were able to set out for the orc settlement. Of
course, it was towards the center of the valley. We had wrongly assumed it
was towards the end of it, and this discovery was made with more than a little
sacrifice made.
Virgil moved in the front as we made out way through the forest. There were
still orc corpses lying around. The sharp stench of blood was in the air.
Eventually, it would all return into the earth and disappear into the current of
the dragon vein. But for now, it remained a scene from hell.
However, the sight that awaited us outside of the forest was even worse. Of
course, it was the aftermath of our battle.
“Ahhh, it is so much worse under the light of the sun.”
“Worse. That is an understatement…”
It was my own reaction to seeing the remains of what I left behind. But Virgil
now looked at me as if I was something to be feared. A little rude, to be
honest. I didn’t do it all on my own. Maybe about eighty percent.
Passed the scene of carnage was the valley and the bridge made of several
logs. It was all very visible during the day. The orcs had attacked us by
crossing here. They likely hadn’t used something so eye-catching up until
now, as they only needed scouts to cross it. That way, they only needed one
log.
It was all orc territory once we crossed this bridge. Angelica and the others
seemed to grow more cautious as we moved closer. In fact, we were attacked
by orcs a few times while coming here. But it was a very hopeless battle for
them, as we were well prepared. And we killed them without a single
casualty or injury. If this was all a trick by the orcs to make us underestimate
them, it was working very well. But in any case, we did not suffer any
significant counterattacks until we reached the settlement.
“So this is the orc…”
The place was surrounded in a wall that had numerous sharpened logs jutting
out of it. There was even a huge gate. If they had constructed this based on
the orders of the abnormally evolved being alone, then it was incredibly
impressive. But something was strange about all of it.
“Is it not too quiet here?”
Daniela muttered to no one in particular as she used Presence Detection. At

the same time, Angelica peeked inside through a crack in the gate.
“…There is no one here. I cannot sense anyone through Presence Detection.”
“So the orcs have left?”
Virgil glared at the wooden walls and seemed to be deep in thought.
“Well, we might as well go and see.”
Gardo said. He was walking behind me with Ness. He was right. We

wouldn’t know anything until we went inside and checked. Virgil thought
about it and agreed that there was nothing else we could do. He turned around
and gave the order.
“We will infiltrate the settlement now. We do not know what may be waiting
for us, so be careful.”
The Adventurers all nodded.
First, Angelica went inside through a gap in the gate. Next was Lauria, Olive,
Oregano, and Ness. After a few minutes, the gate opened from the inside.
Then the rest of us entered, weapons in hand. I was expecting to fight in this
settlement, and so this time I had left my great sword in the hollow bag. I
intended to dual wield the armored demon sword and the Ashikirimaru.
There were rows of wooden houses inside of the settlement. It was a small
village of sorts. On closer inspection, the houses were all very finely built. I
had expected shacks that were practically wooden boxes with a board on top
as a roof…
“This…is. Is this really the work of orcs…?”
Virgil said in disbelief. The others were also at a loss for words by what they
were seeing. While we moved, I used Presence Detection to scan the houses
around us. However, there was nothing to be detected in any of the houses.
Angelica and her team tried entering each one and checking, but they found
nothing. Though she did say that they appeared to be turned over. But it was
hard to understand what had happened.
“Everyone, listen to me.”
Virgil turned to look at us.
“We will all help search, not just the valley team. But there is still a chance
that we might be ambushed. So I want you to separate into teams and start
searching!”
Human wave tactics, I suppose. Still, what a horrible thing for Virgil to say.
‘Now, team up with a buddy.’ That was what he was saying basically. You
know, that’s how the loner dies.
Well, it’s not a problem for me. Because I have Daniela.
“Hey, Dani-”
“Now, Miss Daniela, let us go!”
“Indeed! Let us hunt these orcs together!”
“…Huh?”
“Ah…girls, there is no need to pull. Alright, alright…”
Uhhhh….Daniela is… Daniela is…

“…Huh?”
I looked around me frantically. Gardo…has left with Ness. Lauria is with

Angelica…Olive is with Oregano. Virgil…is gone somewhere. The group of
six have split up and vanished. And the rest of the spirited Adventurers have
scattered.
No way…
Right then, something slapped my shoulder as I stood there in despair. Oh, so

god was being merciful…! I turned around to see one of the magician girls
standing there. Ahh, did she mean to pair up with me as I could not be with
Daniela? …What a nice person…
“Hey. I’m all alone.”
“…”
That’s all I said. And the girl went running away.
With that finishing blow, all I could do was weep silently.
It only took me three minutes to switch gears and then step out of the
settlement. Hey, I was all alone during my night shift too. Of course, that did
end in me being stabbed to death by a thief, but I had the ability to fight back
now. History would not repeat itself. And so I began to search on my own. If
the others would search inside of the orc settlement, I would see what I could
find outside of it. And so I started to walk around the wall. No, it had nothing
to do with not wanting to be seen all alone. I didn’t come out here to wipe
away tears or anything.
“Daniela… She really is terrible for betraying me like this…”
There was a very petty man there. He was not the most charitable man and
felt bitter against the girlfriend who abandoned him for a lesbian harem. But
thinking about that started to make him feel more pathetic and sad. He really
was a wretched man. Yes, I mean me.
“Uhhh…hmph. …Hmm?”
I looked down at the ground then and saw a footprint. On further inspection,
it wasn’t a single footprint, as there were many in the area.
“No way…”
Was this a coincidence…? How had so many footprints gone unnoticed?
I found out quickly enough. Because the footprints led right into the wall.
There was some trick here. The wall hovered slightly above the ground. It
moved a little when I pushed it. And then it opened when pushed hard.
“A hidden door…are we in a ninja house now…?”
After the battle, the orcs who were in the settlement had fled from here
during the night. Such a sudden change could only have been by the order of
the abnormally evolved being.
This time I followed the footprints away from the wall. There was dirt, grass
and a few trees in the area. …This location looked somehow familiar.
“…I knew it.”
It was just like when that village had been attacked. There was a hole that had
been craftily hidden. Of course, the footprints had kind of ruined it, but you
wouldn’t be able to tell from far away.
But seeing the hole now, a certain question entered my head. There had been
so many orcs… And not a lot of time. Would they really have been able to
hide in there?
I turned back and retraced my steps. No matter how I looked at it, there were
clearly fewer footprints than there should be. If that many orcs passed
through here, then the grass would have probably been a lot more disturbed
than it was. It was all too strange. I would have to go back and call Daniela.
But then again, I did not want to meet her friends… Ah, I’m getting
emotional again. Oh, the pain.
“…What to do…”
“Hm? You are not going to go then?”
“Whaaaa?!”
I turned around in surprise and saw that Daniela was standing there.
“Huh? Huh? What? Why?”
“Why? Why what?”
I wish she wouldn’t look at me as if she were staring at some idiot…
“Oh, I just thought you had abandoned me and were now working on a
harem.”
“What are you saying? You really are a stupid idiot, eh?”
Apparently, while Daniela had been pulled away at the moment, she realized
that she wouldn’t be getting very far with girls stuck on to her like that, and
so she had left and searched for me with Presence Detection. I was hardly
abandoned.
“Damn it…I really cannot leave you alone.”
“Uhh. Daniela… I love you.”
“Come now. Stupid idiot.”
Now that we had safely reunited, we made our way towards the hole, having
absolutely no idea of the unbelievable thing that waited for us within.
chapter 128
Daniela and I continued down the slope. Surprisingly, there were steps,
which we slowly and cautiously made our way down.
“Asagi, have you noticed it?”
“Hm? Ah, of course.”
“…Are you sure?”
Not at all.
“Hahhh… Listen, these stairs we are descending now. They are moving away
from the cliffside.”
“So that means…this doesn’t connect to the valley floor?”
“Yes, it does not.”
So what was this hole made for… Well, I guess we were trying to find that
out.
After we had gone down for quite a bit, the path became level. It really didn’t
connect to the valley. Not only that but there were magic lanterns installed at
equal intervals. I had no idea what to expect, but Daniela’s mind seemed to
be swimming with possibilities as she muttered, ‘no…but…however…’ As
she was somewhat preoccupied, I was staying on the alert for her. But my
scouting abilities were not as good as hers, and I was a little worried.
After we had walked for about ten minutes, the path split into two. The path
on the right went further in. The one on the left was another staircase that
would take us downward. However, it too was in the opposite direction of the
cliffs.
“Which one should choose?”

“…The left.”
“Based on what?”
“My intuition.”
Daniela’s intuition. I trusted it. I had unprecedented trust in Daniela in

general, so if she said it was her intuition, then I would believe her. Of
course, I did have a tight grip on my sword hilt as we advanced. If something
happened, I was the only one who would be able to protect her. Though, who
knew if it would be necessary.
Twenty minutes passed since we went down the stairs. The stairs were wet
from an underground spring or something, and we had to walk slowly to
avoid slipping. That’s why it had taken so long. It would have probably not
taken us half as long if we had walked normally. But we didn’t want to risk
slipping and rolling down some stairs that seemed to go on forever.
When we reached the bottom, there was another path. It was just as I was
thinking about how long it was, that things suddenly changed.
“Is…someone there…?”
It was a man’s voice. I looked at Daniela and advanced, swords in hand. We

both used Presence Detection and caught it at the same time. It was strange.
Like it had appeared out of nowhere. Was it a kind of presence that is
suddenly detected at a specific distance?
“There are such magic tools. They are used to fool people.”
That was interesting. I’m sure it could be used for all sorts of things. If you
wanted to hide from someone or hide someone from others. Which was it this
time…? We stood there for a moment before it became apparent.
“Hu-mans…?”
It was a cell. The rock had been carved away and strong iron bars were set in
them. On closer inspection, each iron bar had magic flowing in them. Perhaps
this was what Daniela was talking about. And the person who was held inside
of the cell was…
“An orc…?”
Yes, an orc. However, he was not just any orc. This one had pale skin and
was able to talk in the human language.
“Help me! Get me out of here!”
“No, no, no, no. I’m not that stupid.”
“Please. There is no time!”
The orc pleaded as he came close enough to touch the bars. I had to think
about this one.
“Daniela. What do you think?”
“…From our own experiences, I think it is evident that he is the abnormally

evolved being.”
They tended to be able to talk and were highly intelligent.
“But if that’s the case, why is he in there?”
“I do not know… Perhaps he was betrayed by the others.”
The pale orc reacted to this.
“Yes, that is it. I was betrayed…by him! Him!”
Bam! He slammed a fist into the ground as his face twisted with anger.
“You must let me out of here so that I can kill him and free the others…”
“I see that you’re desperate, but I don’t understand the situation. Do you
mind telling us?”
Thinking about it wasn’t helping. I didn’t intend on believing everything he

said, but we would surely find something out by listening to him.
“…Of course. Yes, you would not know what to do if you don’t understand.
Very well. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the king of the orcs. My name
is Arthur.”
“King Arthur…”
We weren’t off to a great start…was he going to tell me that he pulled the

sword from the stone next…
“I am different from the other orcs, somehow smarter. From the moment that
I was born, I knew that I was not the same as other living creatures. Or
perhaps I should say that I was told.”
“Who told you?”
“I do not know. It was like an instinct. I am sorry, I cannot explain it well.”
It was as if intelligence in abnormally evolved beings was a gift of some sort.
“I was raised among orcs, even though, deep within, I was different. And one
day I realized it. How harsh and violent this world was.”
Arthur muttered quietly as he stared at the ground and made a fist.
“One day, the village I lived in was attacked…the Adventurers had come.”
Arthur didn’t look up as he continued.
“Everyone was killed. It didn’t matter if they were women or children. The
small house we had all worked so hard to build was overturned and burned
down. These Adventurers had the most twisted of smiles as they went around
killing everyone.”
Arthur talked slowly and painfully and now raised his face. But there was no
hatred or similar emotion that I could detect on his face.
“But I knew it. This was the way of the natural world. Orcs. Monsters. Such
creatures are meant to be killed by humans.”
“And so you created this settlement and attacked the village?”
“No, that is wrong. I wanted to develop this place and create an environment
where we could be independent. We would be orcs who did not attack
humans. I wanted to change the way that we lived. And perhaps, one day. We
would be accepted as our own country.”
This orc too? Was it the way of things for abnormally evolved beings to want
a country? A place where they could live in peace without anyone bothering
them.
“I have met someone like you before. A monster with the intelligence of a
human. He also wanted to build his own country.”
Daniela said. Of course, she was talking about the Assault Kobold.
“However, he meant to use military power to destroy humanity and then

build his county. Are you any different?”
“…I am sure he did want to build a country too, but I am different. I did not
plan on doing this for myself. I only wanted a place where we could live
happily. I had no intention of harming any humans!”
“And yet, an entire village was wiped out.”
Yes. There were victims in all of this. By the hands of the orcs.
“No…no…damn it. I was too late then…”
Bam! Arthur’s fist came down on the ground again.
“It must have been him then…the orc who betrayed me…Mordred!”
Mordred…who betrayed Arthur…
“It was Mordred who imprisoned me here. It was over two weeks ago.”
“The village was attacked after that, yes.”
“I am so sorry… There is no excuse…those people…”
Arthur scraped his head on the ground and apologized.
“But you have not done anything? Then there is no need to apologize.”
“But…I am responsible…as their king.”
“Then you can atone for it from here on out.”
I thought that was the best thing to do. Daniela looked at me and gave a
slightly exasperated smile.
I don’t know. But meeting with Beowulf and knowing that there were good
monsters had changed my perspective. I could never find myself becoming
an enemy of someone so sincere. Well, I would definitely be killing this
Mordred, but not Arthur.
“Should I really be spared… Is it really the right thing to live as an orc who
does not attack humans?”
“Yeah, why not? I’m quite fond of the idea.”
“…What is your name?”
There were tears in Arthur’s eyes as he stared at me.
“I’m Asagi. Asagi Kamiyashiro.”
“I am Daniela. Daniela Villesilf.”
“Thank you…thank you. Asagi. Daniela. I have a request for both of you.
Will you hear it?”
Daniela and I looked at each other and smiled.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Let us hear it.”
“Thank you…thank you. Please!”
Arthur stood up and said,
“Help me! Get me out of here!”
Daniela and I tore through the bars with our swords. My hands felt a little
numb after it, but it wasn’t too hard.
“Good. Now I will take back my country.”
“Let’s go then, Arthur.”
King Arthur killed Mordred but was then killed by Mordred. But we
wouldn’t allow that to happen. This kingdom of orcs who did not attack
humans…I wanted to see it. He had fascinated me. Was I so strange for
sympathizing with monsters? Daniela accepted me without saying
anything…but if it came down to it… No, I shouldn’t think about that now.
And that was how I met the captive king.
Now, time to make some plans. I decided that I would help Arthur. But I had
to think about how I would explain this to Virgil. If I didn’t do that now,
things would get very complicated later on.
chapter 129
I asked Master Daniela:
“So. What do you think we should do?”
“Indeed…I am in agreement with you, Asagi. But if you think about this
from the perspective of the Adventurers, the orcs building a country could
mean war. Though, it would not be a problem if they really would live
quietly in peace.”
I’m not too surprised… No, that was totally expected. I was not from here,
and to be completely honest, this development was something that I had read
in a novel before, and I had hopes based off of that. This idea that monsters
who were once hated by humans now trying to change the way that they
lived. I wished that it was possible. However, it had clearly not been the case
with the Assault Kobold. That was immediate death.
“I think that it would be great if everyone could live peacefully. Asagi, thank
you, but…”
“No, I’m just too optimistic. Don’t worry about it, Arthur.”
I should look at reality. This was another world. It was a world for humans. It
was not a great place for monsters. That was reality.
“I think that you should focus on creating an environment where you can live
without interacting with humans instead of creating a country.”
Daniela said.
“I see… What about making buildings that can move?”
I was thinking about nomadic people. A lifestyle where you could raise your
animals while moving from place to place. Constantly moving like that
would ensure that you did not run out of food for your livestock… Well, you
couldn’t plant crops or anything, but I doubted orcs cared much about that.
“Hmm. Raising livestock and not staying in the same place…I like that idea!”
Arthur nodded as he considered this possibility for the future of the orcs.
“Eating is very important for us. Orcs are very fond of meat.”
“All worldly troubles are nothing if you have meat.”
Daniela said with a perceptive nod. She was probably thinking about the meat
at the Anthill.
“The problem is if there are any orcs who would agree to such a thing that are
still alive.”
“I do not believe that to be a problem. Did you see that there were two paths
when you came here?”
There was. We had taken the stairs to the left, based on Daniela’s intuition.
The right side had a flat path that led straight…
“That was used to escape to a place far off from here. When making this
settlement, I wanted there to be an escape route to the valley floor in case of
an emergency. But then we encountered the hole moles. And so we had them
dig the holes for us…”
Arthur said with a dark expression.
“Mordred’s movements became most strange… And so I commanded the

hole moles without telling him. I wanted them to dig a separate passage in
case we needed to escape. I had only told a few trusted orcs who did not wish
to fight. Surely they would have used it to escape once Mordred started his
coup.”
We had indeed seen several other footprints leading to this place. You had to
follow the wall quite a bit to find them. The hidden door would have been
hard to find otherwise. They must have taken their times after he was
captured to escape during the night. And now there was no one in the
settlement. In other words, those footprints were the last of the group.
“I met them when they passed through here. I told them to leave without me
as I would go later. And so I have been waiting here for the right chance.”
“…Wait a minute. So what was this cell made for?”
They only needed an escape route. There was no need to create this cell.
“I wanted to keep Mordred in here. I thought that he might have a change of

heart after being confined for a while… It is rather ironic that it would be me
who was left here.”
He said with a self-deprecating smile and then sighed. I see…he wanted to

see if he could start over. Arthur. He wasn’t going to kill someone who tried
to rebel but give them another chance.
“Hmm…This is what we will do then. First, Arthur. You must escape. We

Adventurers will deal with Mordred.”
“I suppose things will only grow complicated if I am there…I am sorry.”
“Do not be. You must run away and follow your people. And live freely.”
“Yeah. That would be for the best. A moving building… I’m sure you could
think of something?”
“Aye. In fact, I have a few ideas. I look forward to trying them.”
Daniela watched as Arthur talked almost gleefully, and she laughed. To think
that he was looking towards the future with such optimism. I don’t know if he
was just being positive or if he was… Well, it was all up to us now.
“Still, perhaps it is all finished.”
“Yes… the path that leads to the valley floor. Mordred is likely hiding there.
There is nowhere else to go.”
“Humans are capable. He will definitely be discovered and hunted down.

Even without knowledge of what happened, orcs are orcs.”
It was sad, but that was the reality. I wanted Arthur to live. Without being
seen, choosing to live freely and peacefully with his people.
“Now, we should be going soon. Do you have any belongings, Arthur?”
“My sword should be here. No…Mordred has likely taken it. I will probably
never see it again.”
Sword…Arthur’s sword, huh?
“So, does this sword have a name by any chance?”
“Hm? Yes, it is the Excalibur.”
“The Excalibur…”
So, pretty much everything…
“By the way, Arthur. Were you given that name by anyone in particular?”
“No, I wasn’t. I named myself. When I decided that I would become a king,
the name flashed in my brain.”
“Then what about Mordred? Is he an abnormally evolved being as well?”
“He is not. He is just an orc. Well, perhaps he has evolved more than the
ordinary orc… His name too had flashed in my brain, just when I learned that
he was planning to betray me.”
It was a rather vague explanation, and also quite annoying. But was that all
there was to it…? There was some intelligence they had been bestowed with.
Could it have been from my world?
“Can we leave now?”
“Ah, forgive me. I have given up on the sword. I do not need it to be myself.
Let us go.”
“If I am able to find the Excalibur, I will come and give it to you. If we meet
again.”
“Hehe. Thank you, Asagi. But I have no hope of that happening.”
You could have just a little at least!
We carefully ascended the wet staircase until we reached the branching path.
Arthur would be free if he went to the right. He could escape from here
without the humans seeing him.
“Daniela will cover the hole when we get out of here.”
“Aye, thank you. You have done much for me, Asagi.”
“Don’t worry about it. And be safe.”
“Aye. And you take care as well, Daniela.”
We tightly shook hands. Orcs had very large hands…but he was gentle.
Arthur slowly walked away. He turned around after a moment and waved. I
waved back. Eventually, he was far enough that even the magic lamps were
not enough to see him.
“…So, we have some things to do now.”
“Aye, Arthur is one thing, but orcs who take up arms against humans are our
enemies.”
We started to walk. In the opposite direction as Arthur. We would leave this

hole and return to the settlement. There was a tunnel that led to the valley
floor that we had to find. Mordred would be at the end of the other side. And
we would kill him. There would be other orcs there who followed him. I had
killed a number of orcs in the valley already, but not nearly equal to the
number that had escaped. There would likely be a base along the way as well.
That would be the place of the last battle with the orcs.
□ □ □ □
I followed after Daniela, my arms full with the magic lanterns. If we were
going to bury this place anyway, then it would be a waste to leave them here.
That was what I thought as I picked up each one as we walked. Asagi
Kamiyashiro was a man who was haunted by the ghost of un-wastefulness.
Finally, I picked up the last one and we came out of the hole. I put them
down in the bushes nearby. I would come back with the hollow bag before
we left this place… I mean, it would be no trouble with Legs of the Forest
Wolf. I was a fast runner.
“Asagi, you are brilliant.”
“What’s that? You’re making me blush.”
“Do not worry, it was sarcasm.”
“…”
Alright, now Daniela would bury the hole and we could return to the
settlement. Virgil would be there, so we would have to explain the situation
to him and search for the tunnel. I could only hope that they hadn’t found it
already. I wanted to retrieve Arthur’s sword if I could.
chapter 130
Silvergreen’s Rush Through The Passage
I noticed it just as the walls of the settlement came into view. There was
something like excitement in the air. Daniela and I looked at each other for a
moment before we started to run back in a hurry. The Adventurers were
talking loudly and running around with weapons in hand.
“Maybe…we were too late.”
“Let us hurry.”
I nodded towards Daniela and went to look for Virgil. I would grab a random
person and ask where he was.
“Hey, is Virgil here?”
“He’d be right by the hole we discovered!”
“You found a hole then. Were there any orcs?”
“Aye, lots of them! It would be a great help if you went. We’re counting on
you!”
“Alright. I’ll go immediately!”
So they had found it after all. But it seemed like they hadn’t reached Mordred
yet, so there was still time. And so Daniela and I headed for the hole after
receiving directions. It was within the largest wooden building in the
settlement. Under it, anyway.
We entered through the open door and went down the steps to the
underground floor. The walls were all made of dirt here. Everything from this
point on appeared to be the work of the hole moles. Hanging lanterns were
attached to the ceiling. We continued to walk as covetous thoughts
concerning the lanterns went through my head, until finally, a wooden door
appeared in front of us.
And just as I was about to touch it, it loudly burst open from the other side.
“We have been waiting for you.”
“Angelica. You scared the hell out of me.”
“Hehehe. Consider it a punishment for being late.”
She had clearly been waiting with Presence Detection activated. Ahh, that
scared me. I turned around, feeling a little ashamed of my self. Daniela was
looking at me with an exasperated expression.
“Well, I was aware of it. That Angelica was waiting on the other side, that
is.”
“You could have told me then?”
“You would have known if you were careful and always using Presence
Detection.”
Daniela said with a mischievous laugh. It was true, I had deactivated it… I
guess I would have to be more careful in the future. Especially since I wanted
to raise my proficiency.
“Now, there is no time for idle talk! There are many orcs hiding beyond this
tunnel. Virgil has been saying that you may be able to do something about it,
Asagi.”
“Well, I’ll do what I can…but I’ll have to see what it’s like first.”
There should be even more orcs there…well, Angelica was in a hurry so it

would be best to rush to the scene as soon as possible.
The path continued for a while after the door, and then another door
appeared. I used Presence Detection just in case, and saw that there were
several people on the other side. And so I opened the door slowly. Inside,
Virgil, Ness, Gardo and the rest of the valley team were standing with grim
expressions.
“…Hm? Ah, Asagi. You’re late. Where were you?”
Virgil turned around as he noticed us.
“Uh, we were searching in the wrong direction…Ahaha.”
“You’re a strange one sometimes…”
He said in exasperation. But Arthur was to be kept a secret. And so he could

be as exasperated as he wanted.
“So, the rest of you brilliant folks found the orcs then?”
I said sarcastically, as I was still a little annoyed. Gardo chuckled and

answered my question.
“Well, it seemed obvious to check the largest building.”
“We were looking for a tunnel leading to the valley, so we checked the
basement…”
Lauria continued. Olive and Oregano nodded.
I looked at the hole. The floor here was made of wood. And in the center was
a rectangular hole with a staircase made of planks of wood leading down.
There was also dirt on top of it. It looked like footprints, probably because
orcs had traveled down here.
“Did anyone go down there?”
Daniela looked at everyone and asked. Virgil said, ‘We all did,’ in a weak
voice.
“There is a wide empty space that was likely a base if you go down there. Of
course, going down there would mean certain death.”
“They are waiting down there with arrows. It’s too dangerous to get any
closer…”
Gardo muttered with folded arms. I see. There would be a rain of arrows as
soon as they caught sight of you.
Hmm… It was frightening to think that this was a strategy taken by an orc
who wasn’t even an abnormally evolved being.
“Asagi. Surely you can break through their defenses somehow?”
“Uhhh…if there was enough space to run, maybe. Daniela, could you make a
path with earth magic?”
“Definitely.”
Master Daniela replied confidently. So reliable.
“Alright, let’s do this. I will run at them at a high speed and break through
their wall. I’ll do what I can with magic after that, I just need the rest of you
to take out the archers.”
“Asagi, that is a very careless plan.”
Hey, I’m not a military strategist. We were just going to have to be okay with
this quickly thought of plan. There was no time.
“Well, it’ll be alright. I’m pretty sure their ranks will crumble when I break
through. Yeah, that’ll do it.”
“I am not so sure…”
“He does not sound confident at all!”
Angelica and Ness were very worried. But did we have a choice?
“Anyway, Virgil is the leader. Virgil, what should we do?”
“…Yes. If Asagi thinks he can do it, then we should try it. There is no other
way.”
“If that’s what Virgil says, then we will do it…well failure here just means
that Asagi will turn into a porcupine. And I don’t mind that.”
“Hey, Gardo, that’s a little harsh. I could almost cry.”
“Aye, you should cry! Cry!”
Gardo insisted and everyone laughed. These horrible people. Damn it…well
then, I’ll have to show them something they’ve never seen before.
“Good. Then Daniela will create a runway for Asagi. It would be helpful if
you could also create a room for the Adventurers to wait in. As it will be
difficult for us to all sweep into the hole at once.”
“I can do it if I have potions.”
“Ahh, potions…”
I still had potions on my belt. The ones I got from Daniela.
“Here, use these ones.”
“Use? I am the one who bought them!”
“Hey, don’t hit-, not the ass!”
□ □ □ □
Now, preparations were complete. Daniela used earth magic to create a room,
and there were now twenty-six Adventurers standing within it. We had
originally been thirty. Four of the surface team had died…three of them were
strong in my memory. The scene of their impaled bodies under the tree was
still fresh in my mind. It renewed my resolve to succeed with the current
plan.
This room wasn’t the only thing that Daniela had made. She also made me a
runway. It went at a downward angle and extended for 200 meters. It was
clean and very even, which made it easy to run on. It went straight towards
the room where the orcs were waiting, but it was also out of their sight.
However, I could see the light from their magic lanterns. Had the runway
been level, then there was a chance that they would be able to shoot at me as
I ran. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about that. I would be able to reach
them without slowing down.
“Alright, I’m ready. Thank you, Daniela.”
“Hmm…everything is good.”
Daniela seemed a little tired as she drained two potions and then rested
against a wall. When I called to her she stood up and waited next to Virgil.
“Just as we discussed. Asagi will charge in, and then we will follow.”
“It is very simple. After all, we only have to run.”
“Aye, it’s Asagi who has the difficult part.”
“Indeed. I will probably have to run away if he fails!”
Gardo, Ness, and Angelica joked to lighten the mood. Even if I did succeed,
there would be many orcs left to fight. It was important to ensure that we
weren’t all too nervous. Though, they weren’t being the most flattering
towards me.
“This will be our final battle! Our victory!”
“AYE!”
The Adventurers replied. While I kept silent, and I was quite pumped as well.
This was my time.
“Asagi, we’re counting on you.”
“Yeah. I’m off then.”
I raised my fist towards Virgil and he raised his own to meet mine.
Then I unsheathed the Glampanzer at my waist along with the Ashikirimaru
on my belt. With the swords in hand, I stood on the runway and activated
Legs of the Forest Wolf.
Silver and green wind envelopes my legs. Magic flows from my body and
enters my equipment. The wind dragon armor has a blessing of the wind and
a minor AGI boost enchantment. Legs of the Forest Wolf raises it even
further. I was a whirlwind of silver and green. My agility was high. This
would be my maximum speed.
My hands grip the swords tightly as I move into a crouching stance. Though
the hand that is touching the ground is in a fist. Hahh. I sigh and glare at the
downward path ahead of me. As I lean forward, my hood falls over my face.
But I don’t pull it back as I continue to look ahead.
“Operation commence!”
At the sound of Virgil’s voice, I flew forward as if being fired. It was a good
start. I was at top speed in just three strides as I rushed down the slope. My
surroundings sped passed me as I moved as if falling. But it was only for a
moment. I thrust both swords in front of me and crossed them as I ended my
run in about three seconds. And then I was off of the runway and into the
room full of orcs.
chapter 131
Orc Extermination
The orc room, as the name implied, was filled with orcs. At a glance, the
distance of the archers from the entrance was the same as the length of the
runway. Considering how strong orcs were, they should have no trouble
reaching it with their arrows.
The orcs saw me as I burst into the room. However, I was faster than their
bow hands, and they could not stop me as I crashed into their line. My swords
thrust into the first orc in front of me, but I didn’t stop there. I broke through
the wall, dug my heels into the dirt and stopped as I arrived in the center of
the throng.
The first orc, who had been stabbed, now rolled lifelessly to the ground. I left
the sword in the corpse as I commanded the blue magic energy in the room. I
was forming ice bullets. I knew how to do it and what the results would look
like through Jack of all Trades, Master of None.
“Icicle Bullet-Around Shot.”
I didn’t need anything with the length of arrows. I recreated that same bullet I
had used to hunt forest wolves with Daniela that first time. I created countless
bullets on every side. Thankfully, these small bullets did not require too
much magic. They were smaller than the ice used for drinks. Still, the effects
should be devastating with this number.
The magic had a name in the vein of the magic schools, and as the name
suggested, it went in all directions. I knew what the result would look like.
The ice bullets would shoot the orcs dead. They wouldn’t miss. It was
impossible to escape so many bullets.
As expected, all the orcs within range now sunk to the ground. And it was
just as the archers who had survived pointed their bows at me that the
Adventurers, led by Virgil, came down the runway like a screaming
avalanche. Virgil saw me standing in the center of the pile of corpses and he
laughed with a twisted smile. So, beat your expectations, did I?
“Asagi has done it! Let’s go!”
The Adventurers roared in reply as they ran behind Virgil. The archers
frantically pointed their arrows at the Adventurers once again. In any case,
my objective was Mordred. His presence was large and Presence Detection
caught it immediately. I swung around to see a dark orc who was much
bigger than the others. He was holding a white sword and glaring at me with
hatred.
“So you’re Mordred, I suppose? You’re going to have to die for attacking
that village. Also, I’ll be wanting Arthur’s sword back!”
“BBRRGGRAAAOOOGH!!!”
Mordred thrust the sword forward as he shouted orders to the surrounding

orcs. He must be one of the most advanced of his species. I could tell that he
was moderately intelligent. No doubt he had also learned things from Arthur,
as he was quick to make decisions.
The pale, ash-colored orcs that surrounded Mordred now rushed at me with
their swords. They gave no regard to their fallen comrades as they trampled
them in their charge.
“BBMOARGRGH!!”
“Hphh…woah!!”
I pulled out my sword from the corpse and blocked the first attacker’s sword
with the Ashikirimaru, then I swung the Glampanzer and cut off his sword
arm. The orc froze in shock before I plunged Ashikirimaru into his heart.
After that, I continued to cut my way through the onrush of orcs as I made
my way forward.
“BGORGH!”
“GMOGH!!”
Two orcs came swinging at the same time in an attempt to stop me. If I
blocked it, I was sure that the orc behind them would attack me. If there was
no point in blocking it, then I should dodge it. With Legs of the Forest Wolf,
I accelerated in a flash, sliding through the swords of the two orcs and
coming out the other end to slam my fist into the stomach of the orc who
stood behind them. Then I swirled around and thrust my sword in their open
backs. I pulled the blades out and the two crumpled to the ground. The orc
who I had punched began to pull himself off the ground, and so I let loose a
kick that was aided by silver and green wind. Immediately, the orc took the
kind of damage only dozens of razers could have inflicted at once. He rolled
on the ground in pain as I slid my blade into his neck. And I move forward.
“BMORGH!! BMORRGH!!”
Mordred howls. However, the remaining ash-colored orcs seemed to have

realized they were no match for me, and they freeze in their tracks. They had
already run from us before. It was actually impressive that they came again.
However, they did not have the courage to attack for a third time.
Mordred’s teeth ground in frustration when his subordinates would not move
as he ordered.
“Asagi.”
A voice came unexpectedly from my side. Daniela was walking up to me.

Blood was splattered on her cheek.
“Daniela. What about the archers?”
“Virgil and the others are taking care of it. So is that one Mordred?”
“Yeah. And that’s probably Excalibur he’s holding there.”
I glanced behind me and saw the Adventurers fighting the orcs. But orcs with
bows were not going to be the best with close quarters combat. Their
numbers were falling rapidly. I was a little relieved as I turned away.
The huge, dark orc was still carrying the white sword that belonged to the
white orc. He raised the sword now and swung down onto the head of the
closest orc. Unsurprisingly, the orc’s head split open and he died.
“Bastard. He’s got quite a temper.”
“It is very sad. To kill your own subordinates.”
Human or monster, you were finished once you started to act like that.
You couldn’t survive on a battlefield if you couldn’t keep your calm.
Well, it was time for him to pay with his life. He had trampled over Arthur’s
expectations and attacked and burned down a village. Only his death could
make up for that.
Daniela and I stood side by side as we advanced towards Mordred. None of

the other orcs would attack us now.
Mordred’s face flinched as he took a step back. Having no intention of

allowing him to escape, we began to run. The distance was bridged in a flash.
Panicked, Mordred swung the Excalibur down at us. I crossed the
Glampanzer and Ashikirimaru in front of me to block it. Daniela took
advantage of the moment and aimed for Mordred’s heart with her rapier, but
he twisted his body and moved away. He was rather quick for someone his
size.
Daniela struck at him again, but Mordred countered her attacks with
surprising skill and quick feet. All the while I kept him in my vision. Perhaps
being in this position had an effect on his nerves, because I didn’t see any
inattentiveness in his eyes anymore. But it didn’t matter what state he was in.
I would kill him. Just as Daniela altered a thrust into an upward swing, I
moved in between them. His shocked face looked down at me. I would take
his mobility first. I thrust my swords between his legs and swung outwards.
“BGUAGH!!”
There was a hoarse scream as the blue blood gushed from his inner thighs. He
would not be so quick on his feet now.
Mordred burned with rage as he brought his sword down over my head, but I
intercepted it with an Ice Shield I had generated. He continued to press down
over it, but I had put so much power into it, that for now, the force on each
side of the sword and shield seemed to be equal. Of course, that meant he was
wide open.
“He’s open!”
Daniela’s stinging thrust pierced through Mordred’s face. Drops of blood

dripped onto the clear, ice shield. Just as I felt the tension on the shield
weaken, I pushed back and followed with a shield bash. Mordred reeled and
then fell on his backside. Blood was dripping from his left eye. That was
where Daniela’s sword had pierced. I stood next to her as she flung the blood
off her sword.
“He’s pretty strong.”
“Aye. One of the strongest I have ever fought.”
We kept our swords ready as Mordred glared at us through his remaining

right eye. Wounded monsters were sometimes the most dangerous.
Mordred used the Excalibur as a cane as he stood up. But then he thrust his
empty left hand at us, instead of the right hand which gripped the sword. For
a moment, I wasn’t sure what to do. And that turned out to be a lethal
mistake. I should never have assumed that an orc was incapable of it.
“No!”
Daniela pushed me hard to the side. My vision shook from the impact.
However, even through that blur, I could see something unbelievable. The
left hand that Mordred had thrust out was enveloped by crimson magical
energy. It turned into magic and then shot out towards us as a ball of fire.
“Tsk…!”
The heat burned my skin. But I was more worried about Daniela. She was
still on the ground after pushing me away, and had been swallowed up by the
fire.
“DANIELA!!”
The flames rose in a sudden blaze and then there was an explosion. I could do
nothing as the force of it launched me into the air.
I flew with the wind until I was dropped over a pile of corpses. But the
tragedy was far from over.
“Gggguh….!!”
A sharp pain ran through my left arm. The pain and the heat made me see
colors and I felt dizzy. My forehead was covered in sweat as I looked down
at my left arm. It was under my poncho. I pulled up my sleeve and saw that
my upper arm had been pierced by the sword of an orc. The fabric was
soaking up the blood rapidly. I had been so carried away in the slaughter. I
never thought that I would let my guard down here, but I just couldn’t believe
that an orc would use magic. It was an unguardedness that came from
ignorance.
“Damn it…!”
Still, there was no time to lie around. I tried to get up without widening the
wound, but the sensation of the blade sliding out of my arm sent a horrible
pain through my body. I had very personal reasons for not wanting to be
stabbed. It wasn’t just a matter of intense pain. My hand shook as
Ashikirimaru fell from its grip.
“Da-Daniela…Daniela…!”
I put down the Glampanzer in order to put Ashikirmaru back into its sheath.
Then I picked up the Glampanzer again and searched for Daniela. I couldn’t
see the hated figure of Mordred. I didn’t even know where to look.
“Asagi! Daniela is safe!”
Virgil’s voice rang in my ears. I looked towards where the sound was coming
from and saw Virgil holding an unconscious Daniela.
“I was somehow able to save her with my magic! You go and chase him!”
I nodded as Virgil pointed me in the direction that Mordred had gone. My

legs felt so weak as they moved. When I arrived at the spot, there was a hole
in the wall and a tunnel. The tunnel leading to the valley floor…
I looked down at my left hand. It was red with blood that dripped off the
points of my fingers. I had to finish him before I lost consciousness from
blood loss… That was the only thing on my mind as I went down the tunnel.
chapter 132
The path leading to the valley floor was a gentle slope. The carved walls were
conveniently lined with magic lanterns that illuminated the dark tunnels.
I sheathed the Glampanzer and held my wound shut with my right hand as I
moved along.
If I glanced down, I would see my red blood dripping. The drops were vivid
over the trail of blue blood that led down the tunnel. This blood was from
Mordred. I knew he had come down here. Our blood was still wet, yet they
did not turn purple when mixed.
“Ahhh..hahhh…”
My breathing was rough as I shivered from the pain. It always feels like this
when I am stabbed…even if I can think calmly, my body does not offer me
full control. It made me wonder if it was some kind of trauma from that time.
Something in me had not quite healed.
Still, I couldn’t stop walking. If I let him be, some other village would get
attacked. That was something that had to be avoided at all cost. And I did
want to retrieve Arthur’s sword.
Several minutes passed since I went down the tunnel. Presence Detection
catches something. I couldn’t miss it. It was Mordred. He had stopped a short
distance from here. It was probably because of the wounds I had inflicted on
him. Those wounds that had affected his mobility were showing their true
value here.
I let go of my own wound and wiped my bloody hand on my clothes before

unsheathing my sword. My left arm was useless, but I could still fight. I still
had magic in me. I create a Frost Sword in the air and have it follow me.
And then, finally, I saw him. Mordred was leaning against a wall and glaring
at the ceiling while he rested. There was nowhere to run. I wouldn’t allow it.
I summoned wind of silver and green to envelop my legs as I dashed forward.
For now, I force myself to forget the pain in my left arm. The Glampanzer is
held behind me, the Frost Sword levitates in front.
Of course, Mordred was quick to notice as I ran like this, and he turned his
eyes towards me. They were full of murderous rage.
“BOOOORGRH!!!”
“Haaahh!!”
I launch the Frost Sword towards Mordred as he roars. A corner of my brain

is thinking, ‘Frost Sword: Straight Shot,’ and other meaningless things as I
bridge the gap between us.
Mordred blocks the Frost Sword with Excalibur. I see my chance and swing
the Glampanzer down on him. However, Mordred quickly steps out of the
way.
“BGRRROGH!!”
“Tsk…!”
Mordred now goes on the attack. His toughened body attempts to tackle me. I
block it with the flat of my blade, but the impact throws me into the air. I am
barely able to regain my balance by manipulating the silver and green wind. I
land on my feet but as soon as I raise my face; all I can see is Mordred raising
his sword above me. In a flash, I jump forward and evade his attack by going
under his legs. Behind me, I can hear the deafening clang of metal against
stone.
I turn around and raise my sword. Mordred spins around and raises his. I pull
my right arm back, while Mordred grips his sword with both hands. We glare
at each other, searching for an opening. To be honest, there was nothing but
openings. Same for me. We were riddled with wounds. But these were the
bodies we had.
The room was so silent that our breathing seemed loud. We looked at each,
full of openings as we held our blades. As we stared, small fragments of
stone began to fall from the ceiling.
Clink.
With that sound, I dashed forward as if I were a released spring. I gripped the
sword tightly and looked forward as I ran. Mordred began to run as well. It
was as if he had forgotten the pain in his blood-drenched legs. He was faster
than ever.
Both of our swords are raised in the air. They were raised for the sole intent
of killing the other, and so they fell quickly.
“Hahh!”
“Bmorghh!”
However, the swords did not connect. It was as if we had passed each other
while avoiding the others swing.
Silence fell over the tunnel again. However, the result of the duel became
immediately apparent.
There was a loud clang…as a sword fell. It was followed by the sound of
something collapsing with a wet thud. I turned around. And there was
Mordred. On his knees with both arms severed.
In this state, the fight was over for him. He could no longer fight. However, I
no longer had control over my right hand. I looked at it and saw that there
was a shallow cut on it from Mordred’s sword. At the very end, Mordred had
cut me just above my gauntlet, where I was unprotected. But it wasn’t as bad
as my left arm. Though painful, I moved my arm in order to sheath my
sword. And then I generated a new Frost Sword. I would use it to deal the
finishing blow.
“Now, it is finished.”
“…”
I approach him from behind and raise the Frost Sword.
Just as the sword swings down, Mordred jumps forward and evades the
attack.
“Damn it!”
“BBgggooorrh!! Bbbmoorrgh!!”
I frantically chase after Mordred as he howls and screams. I didn’t think he

could last long in this state, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I couldn’t
let him get away.
“Stop!”
I take aim and launch the Frost Sword. It catches him straight in the center of
his back; and yet he continues to run. I prepare a second sword, but the tunnel
suddenly starts to twist and wind, and I can no longer take proper aim. If I
tried to use Legs of the Forest Wolf here, I would just crash into the wall and
it would all be over. And so I run desperately with my original speed.
Modred should be on the cusp of death. And yet I cannot catch him. Finally,
the tunnel becomes straight again. I take aim and I’m about to shoot, when I
see a light in front of Mordred. It was the tunnel’s exit.
“Ahh…”
I remember now. The exit of this tunnel…
“BMMORRGGH!!”
Mordred raises his severed arms as if reaching towards the light as he runs.
Just as he gets close to the exit, I hear a ‘click.’
In a flash, the exit erupts with an explosion of flames. I drop to the ground, as
there was nowhere to hide from the wind and impact. Thankfully, I was far
enough to not be thrown into the air once again.
I stayed on the ground for some time, keeping my hood down as I waited for
the dust to settle. The ringing in my ears finally subsides and I open my eyes
and squint. There was still dust floating in the air. I stand up…or try to, but
my foot gets caught on something.
“Hmm?”
I pick it up. It was a sheath. Excalibur’s sheath had been blown towards me in
the blast.
“Pretty lucky…glad I wasn’t any closer to it.”
I attached the dusty sheath to my belt. And this time, started to walk forward.
The exit was now hidden in rubble. It would be difficult to open the passage
up again without a hole mole. And I saw now that there was blue blood
dripping from the cracks between the boulders.
Mordred was dead.
“I’ll have to thank Angelica for this later…”
I muttered as I looked at what remained of him. …I was so tired. I wanted to

go back.
I turned on my heels and began to walk. The return trip was an upward slope,
which was quite harsh.
On the way, I found Excalibur. It was still connected to Mordred’s severed

arms. I crouched slowly and picked it up. The Excalibur was stained with
blue and red blood. I had no idea if this was a holy sword, but there was
something of an honest, incorruptible air that seemed to come off the
otherwise filthy blade. Who knows? Maybe it was the real thing. Well, it was
probably just Arthur slapping a name on it. But maybe with that name, it
would one day reach the heights of the real sword. It was Arthur’s job to see
that it happened. I swore to clean it when I got back, and then I put it in its
sheath.
□ □ □ □
When I returned to the orc room, I was greeted by a mass of corpses. The
extermination was completed. Even the grey orcs who had given up the fight
now lay dead.
I saw that the Adventurers were all resting against the wall, and so I decided
to search for Virgil first. I made my way through the corpses, searching
desperately until Ness found me and called me over.
“Asagi!”
“Ah. Ness… Where’s Virgil?”
“You’re horribly wounded! You better rest!”
“No, I’m still fine. I have to tell Virgil…”
I felt like I would no longer be able to move if I stopped, and so I continued

to walk while talking with Ness.
“You really are…fine then. He’s over here!”
“Sorry…”
I apologized, but Ness just scratched his cheek and told me to follow him. I
did so on my unstable legs. We came out to the entrance of the orc building.
Here the wounded were lined up on the floor. Virgil was there too. But he
was talking to some Adventurers, and seemed to be unhurt.
“Virgil.”
“Ah, Asagi. Glad to see you… you’re not exactly fine. Rest right there.”
“No, I have to tell you…”
“You’re here and alive. I presume that means it’s finished?”
“Well, yeah… Thanks to Angelica.”
I wanted to make a detailed report, but Virgil wouldn’t listen. Damn it, Ness.
He must have known this would happen when he brought me up here… I
turned around to see him chuckling.
With no other choice, I collapsed on a blanket that had been placed on the
floor and then sighed while staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, I turned to my
side and saw Daniela sleeping next to me. Thank god. She didn’t appear to
have any heavy wounds. Thank Virgil, really…
I think back on this battle, which was the longest I’ve ever experienced.
I never would have thought a mere valley investigation would turn into this…
Now that I think of it, it had always just been me and Daniela. And here we
had fought alongside so many others. It really was unexpected. Well, I feel as
if I thought about this before. Maybe it’s just me. My head doesn’t seem to be
functioning right.
Thankfully, while there had been plenty of pain, there were also good things.
I think, anyway. No, I can’t think properly right now.
I sigh once again. My eyelids feel heavy. In the end, I was just so very tired.
At the same time that I realized this, my consciousness faded into the
shadows. I didn’t dream.
chapter 133
A month has passed since that battle. I am now leaning on my elbow over a
desk on the veranda. Alone, I stare out at the view that the city of Replant
offers.
The sky is clear, with just one large cloud floating with the wind. It suddenly
begins to cover the sun, casting a large shadow under it. I lean back into the
chair and gaze up at the cloud. The round shape of the sun is slightly visible
behind the foggy cloud. I look back at the city before the sun comes out
again. The city is brimming with lively sounds that signal definite peace.
Replant was peace itself today as well.
□ □ □ □
After that fight, I slept like a corpse. When I finally awoke, I was on top of a
wagon. It might have been wind spirits who woke me up, as I felt the gentle
caress of wind on my cheek.
“Oh? You are finally up.”
“Hahh…ahh…morning. Daniela.”
Daniela was sitting in the same wagon and looking down at me. Hmmm… So
this soft pillow was Daniela’s thighs. I better pet them a little.
“So, where are we?”
“We are close to Replant. Leave my thigh alone, Asagi.”
I had slept for quite a while then. Our camp was quite far from Replant.
Two to three days, I think…

“I see…hmm…hhh…haaahhh…”
“Stop tossing and turning and taking such deep breaths.”
“I happen to be half asleep, Daniela…you understand…”
“I will kick you right off.”
“Actually, I’m all rested up.”
I was wide awake now, and so I hopped off of the wagon. Woah, where are
my shoes? Oh, whatever. The cool ground felt great. I decided to walk
barefooted.
The land here was flat. I could see some trees growing, just like there were
when we had come. I raised my head and focused my eyes to the far distance
and saw the outer walls of Replant. At this rate, we would be there within an
hour.
As we walked, Daniela told me about how long I had slept. After the battle,
the Adventurers had frantically gone around collecting all of the orc fangs
which were proof of the hunt. If left alone, the corpses would return to the
earth, but they remained once you took the fangs. I had no idea how it
worked, but that was the rule of this world.
The valley depths, the forest, and the orc room. They collected as many of the
orc fangs as they could and stuffed them temporarily into my hollow bag.
Still, even the hollow bag was not enough to carry all of them, and so my
belongings were moved to the wagon and carriage, and the rest of the fangs
were wrapped in cloths and carried by the Adventurers. By the way, Daniela
had passed out the food we had bought from the street stalls. The
investigation and all of the traveling had caused a shortage in their food
supplies, so I had no complaints in regards to that. Also, the magic lanterns
were in the wagon now. Daniela had ensured that they came with us.
Once the fangs were taken, we had left the settlement. We had made it this
far for the purpose of being able to return home as soon as possible. In fact,
now that I looked at them, a lot of the Adventurers looked like they had just
escaped from somewhere. In any case, I would definitely ask for my cloth
back later. But I’ll consider the stall food as a gift.
“Ah, we’ve arrived.”
“That was rather fast.”
Daniela and I looked up at the walls. My eyes happened to meet a soldier

who was posted on top of the wall, and so I waved at him. He raised an arm
that held a spear. I smiled.
We showed our status cards at the gate and entered the city. Then it was
straight to the guild to make a report of the investigation of the southern
valley, and also the orc hunt. Virgil breathed heavily as he gave the guild
worker an account of our work during the hunt, and so it was decided that we
would also be paid for our efforts in helping them. In other words, we would
be paid the reward money for the southern valley investigation and the orc
hunt, on top of being able to convert materials into money. I smiled.
That day, we all returned to our inns for the day. The day after that, we
gathered together to celebrate. The place was the Anthill, which I, Daniela,
Gardo, and Ness recommended. It was not exactly unknown, and so many
agreed with that choice.
“Well then, to the completion of the Orc Extermination Quest! Cheers!!!”
Virgil’s toast was the signal for the battle to begin. Of course, it was a battle
for meat. Several ‘anthills’ of meat were put on the table, but they crumbled
and dwindled at a rapid pace. Were these people even cooking it properly?
I chuckled with a little exasperation and then looked at Daniela, who sat on
the other side of the table in front of me. And the anthill that was there a
moment ago was now gone. Daniela’s averted her eyes, but her cheeks were
bloated. I suppose I would have to fight a little harder for scraps. The ensuing
battle between me and Daniela was hotter than the iron grill that cooked the
meat.
Virgil couldn’t quite hold his liquor, and I saw him confess his affections
towards Angelica and he was immediately rejected. Something rather similar
happened with the drunken Ness and Oregano, who had helped save him.
Gardo seemed to have enough sense to stick to his meat.
As Daniela and I continued are meat war, the members of the valley team
who had just finished getting rid of the two men, came to our table.
Thankfully, they had brought their own meat. So I was like, sure, take a seat.
“Mister Asagi, you were brilliant on this expedition.”
“You weren’t bad yourself, Angelica. It was your bomb that defeated
Mordred.”
“Mordred?”
“Hm? Oh, uh, nothing. Let’s eat!”
I hadn’t told them about Arthur and his story. I took some of Angelica’s meat
and threw it onto the grill.
“Ahahaha! Asagi. How crude!!”
“Lauria, you have had too much to drink.”
Lauria was in good spirits, and she started to lean on me. I could smell the
alcohol.
“Oh, I haven’t drunken nothing! See, my cup is half full!”
“Well, it is your fifth mug.”
“Lauria cannot drink so much, and yet she does.”
Olive and Oregano explained as they turned the meat over on the grill.
Surprisingly, these two were rather perceptive. Daniela and I would just
throw the meat on and eat it almost carelessly. But they would line them up
neatly and wait for the perfect time.
“By the way, are you two sisters?”

“We are twins.”
“Sister Adventurers.”
Twins, huh? I hadn’t noticed, as their hairstyles were so different. But now
that they mentioned it, they did have the same face. I pushed Lauria over to
Angelica and ate the meat that the two had cooked. Hmm, it was good.
We continued to enjoy the meat and drinks for some time until Daniela
suddenly collapsed. It was as if her batteries had died and she could now do
nothing but snore over the table.
“Oh, so is completely gone.”
“I doubt she’ll get up until the morning… Ah, well. I think we’ll be leaving a
little early then.”
“Ohhh, you are going then, Asagi?”
“You should go too, Lauria.”
She was completely wasted! Yes, there was something cute about how red
she looked as she clutched at my clothing, but I was starting to feel really
sorry for her.
“Virgil is over there and surrounded by the men, so we may as well leave
him. Let us take our leave, girls.”
“Ignore Lauria.”
“Leave Lauria.”
“I’m going with Asagi.”
“No, we are taking you with us!”
It seemed like the whole valley team was staying at the same inn, and so they
all left together. I carried Daniela outside. It was time to say good night.
“Well, our inn is in that direction.”
I said and waved at each of them while saying goodbye.
“Do be careful. And it was such a pleasure to fight alongside you!”
“I enjoyed it as well! Maybe we will go on a quest together again!”
“Good night, Asagi.”
“See you later, Asagi.”
I waved and left the scene behind me. The sun had set completely, and it was
now dark. There were stars in the sky, but the numerous bonfires made it
hard to see them clearly. This night in Replant would be full of life and
clamor for quite a while still. Daniela mumbled something in her sleep as I
carried her on my back, but I couldn’t hear it through all the noise. However,
I did hear my own name.
□ □ □ □
The month passed by quickly after that night. I helped with Penrose’s
Adventurer training and hunted blood apes with Daniela, Gardo and Ness.
If I remember correctly, we had gotten very drunk one boring afternoon and
had somehow decided to go and party in the forest, which led to the battle.
I also had to listen to Cline talk about his parenting woes, have dinner with
the valley team, and be chased around by Daniela’s old entourage.
“Asagi… How long are you going to sit there? We must get ready.”
“Hmm…ahh, I’ll be right there.”
We would be leaving this pleasant city soon. In fact, we were going out to
restock on our supplies today. To be honest, it was so comfortable here, that I
didn’t want to leave. However, we were traveling Adventurers. I don’t know
if I would say we were rootless trees, but I didn’t see us staying anywhere
permanently.
And while it was difficult, there was still that excitement of going to a place
that was unknown.
A new town. New people. There was so much of the world I still wanted to
see; to see with Daniela.
And so I stood up, heavy-hearted as I was, and followed after her. There were
things we had to get for the road ahead.
chapter 134
Well, these preparations were much the same as always. Restocking food and
equipment. My hollow bag had been filled with orc fangs, which meant I had
to reorganize a lot of things later.
Currently, it was filled with the cloth I had recovered from the Adventurers.
Of course, I had them wash all of it before returning them. There was also the
magic lanterns had gathered from the caves. Now there was no need to fear
the dark of night.
However, I had been quite greedy in collecting them and ended up selling the
ones we couldn’t carry. So that left about twenty for us. And then there were
the four barrier tools that Daniela had. I also had Schwarz Tempest, the
ancient elf sword, ancient elf short sword, ancient elf spear, and ancient elf
bow.
Lastly, there was the Assault Kobold sword, short sword, boots, and
necklace.
To be honest, I wanted to sell the Assault Kobold set, as they had some kind
of personal curse in them. But I had a suspicion that the curse wasn’t specific
to me. And so I just had to keep them for now.
At least they wouldn’t hurt anyone…
But really, we were really out of traveling items. We needed food, especially.
And so today, Daniela and I went out into the street food district. As always,
it was lively and full of delicious smells. The first order of the day was to
satiate Daniela’s appetite. Otherwise, she would start eating our food
supplies. Because that was what she did.
“Sooo, what should we eat today.”
“Yes, today…meat.”
“You seem to eat nothing else.”
She had recently taken to saying that ‘life’s problems were nothing if you had
meat.’ And it was true that once I gave her some, she would listen to almost
anything I had to say. I gave her a meaty dinner one night and said, ‘how
about being a carnivore tonight as well?’ But she ended up listening to this
silly request, and we both woke up very sore the next morning. I’ve been
more moderate with my requests since then…but well, that had nothing to do
with the present. The point was that she was currently very hungry.
“Old man, I’ll take three of those.”
“Coming right up!”
The old man poured his special sauce on the meat that lay on the grill. The
sauce dripped down and sizzled and burned with the most delicious smell. I
thought that I could pretty much die right there. I accepted the meat. He gave
me one and gave Daniela the other two. I suppose he just knew.
“Thanks.”
“No, thank you!”
“Ahhh, it’s actually our last day here. We’re leaving the city tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s too bad…”
He folded his arms and scowled. I suppose he was quite sad about it. We had
come here quite often.
“I won’t be making as much anymore…”
“…”
“I’m joking!”
Really?
“Well, we’ll stop by one last time. I’d like to eat some more of this while on
the road.”
“Ah, I’m happy to hear that! Alright, I’ll cook a lot of it for you. And at a
discount!”
“Thank you! Well, see you later!”
I waved at him as we left. Daniela had finished her meat while I was talking,
and she was already searching for the next place. I hadn’t even gotten started
on mine.
“I’ll be eating at the usual park. You go on ahead.”
“Really? I will go and buy some more then.”
“Have fun.”
We separated as I walked over to the park and sat down on a bench in order
to enjoy the sizzling meat. I had no idea what kind of sauce it was, but it
really was delicious.
As I chewed happily, children started to come to the park. They had also
bought food at the stalls and were looking for a place to eat it. On further
inspection, it was Penrose’s party.
“Hey.”
“Ah, it’s Asagi.”
“Hello.”
“Good morning.”
I moved over so they could sit on the bench. They were all children, so we
could all sit down. Actually, it was just a little cramped.
“Are you free today, Asagi? We should go goblin hunting together.”
Penrose said as he stuffed a buttered, baked potato down his throat.

Hmm, not today.
“Sorry. I’m actually busy. Uh…we have to prepare, so we can leave the city
tomorrow.”
Penrose froze, potato in hand.
“What…Asagi, you’re leaving?”
“Yeah…We’ve been here for a long time, but Daniela and I were originally
trying to go to the Empire.”
“I see… Oh, I thought you two were going to stay here.”
“Sorry.”
I started to feel a little uncomfortable as I scratched my cheek. I didn’t like

these farewell things.
“Well, it can’t be helped. I’m sure you have your reasons, Asagi.”
“Yes…”
“We’ll miss you.”
“*Munch-munch*…but I feel lucky that we met you.”
Kikka muttered as she picked her teeth with her finished skewer. The other
children followed by muttering their own feelings about it…
“Well, that’s what it is. And while I’m not saying this is our last chance, how
about a little fight, to help with digestion?”
I suggested, seeing as how Penrose and the others were carrying their
weapons. They were probably about to go on a goblin hunt.
The children brightened as they jumped to their feet.
“Yes, yes!”
“I’ll beat you this time, Asagi!”
“Alright, then. Line up over there, you little brats. One at a time!”
They lined up with Penrose in the lead. I held up the sheathed Glampanzer in
front of me. I had no other equipment but this sword. My clothes were cheap.
The same clothes that Penrose had mocked, in fact.
“Here I come!”
“Bring it on!”
Penrose charged with his long sword. I pointed my sword at his head and
waited.
□ □ □ □
The ground was littered with children. I returned the sword to my belt.
“Well, I best be off. You guys take care. Don’t do anything reckless.”
“Ahh…you…I’ll get you one day…”
Kikka was the only one who replied. The others were all out of breath,
though they did have enough energy to wring their fists into the air. I
knocked fists with each of them and left the park. Daniela was waiting there,
she was carrying two bags full of food.
“It seemed like you were busy, so I finished the shopping.”
“Sorry about that. And thanks.”
I accepted them and put them in the hollow bag. I looked through them
quickly and saw that she had thankfully bought a few items that were not
meat as well. At the end of the day, that was what I liked about her. She knew
what she was doing.
“Let’s go then. I think it’s just perishables now.”

“We can say our goodbyes as we shop.”
“Yeah. There’s Vegun, Veiken, Gardo, Ness, Virgil, Angelica, and her
crew… Oh, and your entourage.”
“I met them in the street stall district already. They started to insist that they
would come with me…”
“Give me a break… I’m not sure I would survive that. You do know that
they’ve been chasing me around? I think they’re trying to kill me in order
release you.”
“Yes, it is because of that. I told them very plainly. ‘I have no intention of

separating from Asagi, nor will I travel with any who dare hurt him.’ That is
what I told them.”
“You’re so gallant.”
We left the street food district and bought some clothes and underwear before
checking Gardo’s inn. Unfortunately, Gardo and Ness were out. And so we
decided to visit the guild to see if they were there. They saw us from the
exchange counter as soon as we arrived, and waved.
“Hey, so you two didn’t go anywhere today?”
“Yeah. We’re making preparations for our departure tomorrow.”
“What? So you’re leaving already?”
“We’ve been here for quite a while. And we were supposed to be headed for
the Empire.”
Gardo and Ness looked very disappointed as their shoulders slumped. Last
time, I had not been able to say goodbye to them back in Fhiraldo, and so I
wanted to do it this time. And while it was nice that I was able to, it was a
little sad to see their disappointment.
“Well, you have Daniela with you. So we won’t have to worry.”

“Oh? What does that mean?”
“Daniela, please take care of him.”
“Aye. Do not worry, I will not let anyone else take that role. You two take
care.”
“…What the… Goodbye. Though, I’m sure we’ll bump into each other
again.”
“I have a feeling we will. But we’ll be staying here for a while, so it won’t be
for a long time.”
“Gardo’s really fallen for this place. Well, I like it just fine too. So we won’t
be leaving anytime soon.”
It really was a nice city. It was hard leaving. But going around saying your
goodbyes made you more determined…it made you really feel that you were
indeed going to leave. And once you feel it, you have no choice but to go.
Well, it was now time to go to the next place, and so we left Gardo and Ness.
We would surely meet again in the most unexpected place. I somehow knew
it.
Angelica and her team drew a lot of attention. It was a party of very pretty
people. You only had to prick up your ears to hear people talking about them.
“Hey, did you see them? That party of beauties?”
“Yeah, and there was a single man mixed in there…how unfair…”
Oh, the rumors were a little different today. A man? I was so curious that I
had to ask, and it turned out that this supposed harem party were seen in the
weapons district. And so Daniela and I went to look for them, and we soon
saw Angelica. She seemed to be moving independently from Lauria and the
others…and there was the man. It was Virgil.
“Hey, surprised to see you here.”

“Agh…Asagi.”
“What? Is there some problem with me being here? Virgil.”
“No, I didn’t say that…”
But what a strange pairing… Hmm?
“Hey, Virgil.”
“…”
“I see you two are walking arm in arm.”
“Oh, this, uh…”
“Didn’t she reject you rather harshly that night?”
“About that…”
“I am very willing to give you an explanation on that matter!”
Angelica stopped her amused chuckling for a moment as she squeezed

Virgil’s arm and explained the situation to me.
“The thing is; after some time had passed since that night, Virgil repeated his
confession while in a much preferable, sober state. And so I accepted!”
“But, what changed?”
“A confession made through the momentum of drinking? Outrageous! But

you see, he did apologize about it during his second attempt, and my heart
was quite moved…”
Angelica and Virgil both looked a little red.
“Well, this is news to me.”
“Sorry about that, Asagi. I was a little embarrassed, and wanted to keep it a
secret…”
“Well, you’re not exactly the type to brag, Virgil… Uh, congratulations, you
two.”
“Thank you, Asagi.”
“Thank you very much.”
They smiled happily. Yes, they looked happy. Something about their
presence reminded me of a long-married, mature couple.
“Oh, right. I had something to tell you two.”

“What is it?”
“Uh, it’s goodbye. We’ll be leaving the city tomorrow.”
“What?!”
“What?!”
Now they were reacting in the same way… I repeated the same explanation
for the fourth time today and they accepted it somewhat grimly. I wasn’t
quite sure why it was up to me to persuade anyone of anything.
“…So that is why I was looking for the old valley team and Virgil. Where are
the others?”
“Oh, they are at the armor shop.”
“They should be back soon…oh, there they are.”
Virgil waved over my shoulder. I turned around to see the three of them
walking towards us.
“Ah, it’s Asagi. What are you doing here?”
“Well, the thing is…”

Such and such.
“…I see. That’s too bad. But, it’s fine. By the time we meet again, I will have
my own alias and become a famous Adventuerer. I would have caught up
with you completely!”
“Lauria is persistent.”
“I’m sure she’ll achieve it.”
“So, don’t die until that happens!”
I pat her on the head as she stares at me. She was my number one fan, so I
had to treat her well.
“Of course. Don’t do anything crazy, alright?”
“Yes…goodbye.”
That was all she said before turning on her heels and walking away. I thought
I saw tears. She was so kind as to be saddened by this separation.
“And goodbye to the rest of you as well.”
“Aye, you too. And Daniela. Let’s meet again some day.”
“Please be safe! Maybe you will hear about Virgil and I getting married next
time!”
“Goodbye, Asagi.”
“Goodbye, Daniela.”
We waved and left the scene behind us. They continued to say words of
farewell as we walked, and I kept waving my hand.
When all our preparations were finished, we walked back to the inn. On the
way, I started to reminisce of the past. It was about when I was a high school
student.
After graduating from high school, I had gone on to college. It was
stimulating to live so far from my home town. The city was full of charm and
I never grew bored of seeing the different people.
That was how I forgot it all. I forgot about the friends I had spent so much
time with during high school. They too went to separate colleges, and we
contacted each other less and less.
I made new friends at my school who were on the same path as me, and
eventually, I stopped talking to my old friends altogether.
But even my new friends were eventually lost to me. They all found jobs,
while I continued to fail. That was how our friendships ended. They were
busy working during the day, while I had to work a parttime job during the
night.
People change with their environment. That’s what I’ve learned through my
time up until then. And in the end, I was killed and lost my relationship with
my family as well.
But strangely, in this world, my relationships had not changed no matter how
much my environment did. I think back to having dinner with Gardo and
Ness. That meat really was delicious…
And I think. The truth was, I had not put enough effort to maintain my
friendships in the past. I had not been completely sincere in the way I
interacted with others. It was all just on the surface.
Perhaps it took coming to this world, where I was close with no one at first,
for me to realize this.
A strange twist of fate, perhaps. A once in a lifetime chance. They say a

meeting by chance is preordained. Encounters with people should be
cherished.
It’s one of the most important tricks to living. That’s the lesson I relearned
today.
chapter 135
Daniela and I returned to the inn and quickly finished packing. We had
stayed here for so long, but once it was decided that we would be leaving, we
began to pack our things a little by little every day. And so we were mostly
prepared to leave.
“So this our last night here.”
“You seem a little sad?”
Daniela turned to look at me as we lay in bed.
“I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t.”

“Do you want to stay here then?”
“Don’t be silly, Daniela. We decided to go together. You can’t just leave me

here.”
It was just a suggestion she made, knowing how hard goodbyes were for me.
But saying goodbye to Daniela was the one thing that I would not do. It
wasn’t something I could express with words, and so I rolled onto my side
and wrapped my arms around her.
“I am sorry. That was thoughtless of me.”
“Don’t worry about it…hahhhh…I’m sleepy.”
I was so relaxed when I was around her, that a yawn escaped me. And since I
felt no desire to fight the waves of drowsiness that swept over me, I allowed
my eyelids to fall shut.
“Good night…”
□ □ □ □
When I woke up, Daniela was gone.
No, of course not. I woke up with my head on her chest, just like when I had
fallen asleep. It was a typical morning. I saw the sunlight shine through the
window as I got up and went to the bathroom to wash the sweat off of me.
We had held onto each other all night and had sweated quite a lot as well. I
would have to recommend that she take a bath later.
The magic tools in the bathing room that had caused such trouble for me at
first, was now so familiar. The innkeeper refilled it whenever we were away.
I crushed the fire and water ore and put them into the hole above the faucet.
And then with a turn of the lever, the hot water came rushing.
I had recently discovered that the temperature could be adjusted by changing

the amount of ore used. Ever since then, I have been making it extra hot. It
just felt better that way.
Once the bathtub was full, I scooped some out with a bucket and poured it
over myself. It felt great and refreshing. I repeated this several times and
washed before entering the tub. A moan of pleasure threatened to escape my
lips, but I bit it down and sunk until the water reached my shoulders. It was
the height of pleasure. One might call it heaven.
“Hahhhhh…I love bathing in the morning…”
As I soak in the tub, I think about our plans for the day. First, we needed to
check out of here and go to the street stall district. There we would say
goodbye to Veiken and head to the southern gate. The imperial city of
Vellefrost was in the center of the empire. It was southeast from the mountain
gate of Alessa. So, far south of here.
Now that I think of it, we had walked a lot since coming here. We had gone
south through Alessa, and the east through the forest town of Valdorf, and
then through Senka village and down south. And then we arrived in Replant.
We would continue south from here before turning to the east. We would be
going to the Imperial Capital from the west.
This was the route that Daniela and I had talked about during the past month.
We would cross the valley we had investigated, pass that village and the
crags and head east. There were no towns around the rocky area, so we would
have to camp outside. But it should be fine. And there was a path along the
mountains, apparently. I wasn’t too worried.
“Ahh…I better get out now…”
Noisily, I got out of the hot water and wiped myself dry before putting on my
clothes. We would be leaving today, so I put on my fighting gear.
When I got out of the changing room, Daniela was awake and dressed.
“Ah, good morning.”
“Good morning, Asagi. Were you bathing?”
“Yeah. I suppose we were cuddling the whole night, and it got sweaty. Why
don’t you take one too?”
“Indeed… I have already gotten changed, but maybe I will.”
“The water’s still hot.”
“Hmm. Alright then.”
She decided and entered the changing room. Well, I suppose I should clean
up…
□ □ □ □
I stuffed all of my belongings into my bag and gathered any trash. Then I
moved all the furniture we may have rearranged. None of it took very long,
and by the time Daniela finished her bath, we were ready to leave.
“Aye.”
Daniela picked up her belongings, and we left the room. I took the keys off of
the shelf near the door and looked back at the room that had been our home
for a month. It was the best room we’d ever stayed in. I felt somewhat
sentimental towards it and bowed with gratitude before leaving.
The sight of lounging guests near the entrance was now so familiar to us. We
passed them and headed for the counter. Vegun was there and scribbling on
some documents when he noticed us.
“Ah, Mister Asagi. It was today, I believe.”
“Yes. Thank you for a wonderful stay.”
I said as I returned the key. Vegun took it and stared at it for a second as if he
were looking at something terribly moving.
“We will miss you.”
“Hearing that makes me very glad that we chose to stay here.”
“Hehe. That was probably not the best thing to say to someone who is going
on a journey.”
He chuckled and I grinned.
“Well then, let me do this properly. All of us here will be praying for you and
hope that your journey is a good one.”
“Thank you. Goodbye.”
“I am grateful. Take care.”
Daniela and I said as we bowed and walked away from the counter. And like
that, we opened the doors and stepped out into the morning city. I turned
around once to look up at the Lamb’s Hoof. It was a great place, and I was
sure that I would choose it again if we ever came back.
Well then, the next thing to do was to visit Veikin. We would buy some meat
skewers, eat, and then head towards our next town.
“I see…I’ll miss you.”
“We owe a lot to you. I think our stay in this city was much-improved thanks
to you.”
“Haha. I don’t know how anyone could not help you two after seeing you like
that. Well, be safe. And here, take this. It’s on the house!”
Veikin said as he handed some extra meat to me and Daniela. He really did
like to take care of people. And I had no complaints in this case.
“Thank you!”
“Thank you. We will take it gladly.”
“Aye! See you again!”
Veikin waved his hand. Daniela and I waved back and then we left. This city
was full of friendly people.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
I stared at the meat skewer in my hand.
“There’s one last place I want to visit.”
“What a coincident. So do I.”
“I see…then let’s go.”
“Yes.”
We chewed on our meat as we walked towards the market district. If I could

say goodbye to the person who should be there, I would be able to set out on
this journey without any regrets. I had been thinking about it since yesterday.
I hoped she was doing well…
I was somewhat afraid of meeting her. There was a part of me that wondered
if somewhere, deep inside, she hated me for not being able to save her father.
I recalled the smile and tears she showed the last time we met. My legs felt a
little shaky.
It was a small general goods store called the ‘Little Bird.’ It was her father’s
store. We pushed open the wooden door and a bell rang.
“Welcome.”
The voice of a little girl echoed from the far back.
“Can I help with…oh.”
“Hey, Marie Elle…it’s been a while.”
“Mister Asagi.”
Marie Elle ran up to me and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist.
Almost cautiously, I brought my hand up and patted her on the head. Then
she looked up at me and smiled.
“I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner.”
“No, I’m just happy that you came. Where is Miss Daniela?”
“She’s waiting outside. I’ll call her now.”
I opened the door and called Daniela. She entered the store as I held the door
open. Her eyes were a little teary.
“Marie Elle.”
“I’m glad to see you, Miss Daniela.”
“Aye.”
Daniela smiled gently and placed her hand over Marie Elle’s head. The girl
closed her eyes with a blissful expression.
“Marie Elle. We are going to leave the city today.”
“You are?”
“Aye, and so we have been saying our goodbyes. Your store is our last stop.”
“Then I will go call mother. I’m sure she will want to talk to you…”
“Oh…yes. Thank you.”
We followed her to the back. We passed a shelf of beautiful glass sculptures

and went around the counter. Everything passed there was their house. We
then entered one of the doors.
“Mother, we have guests.”
“Oh, who are they?”
There was a beautiful woman there. Seeing her made me feel like I was
looking at what Marie Elle would look like when she became an adult. I took
a step forward and introduced myself.
“It’s nice to meet you. I am called Asagi. We…happened to meet Marie Elle
outside of the city.”
“You… I see. My name is Yufy. Please, stay and have some tea.”
For a moment, there was a sadness in her eyes. The four of us sat down at the
table and talked. About the day we met Marie Elle. What happened. During
this time, I could not touch the tea that was set before me. I was overcome
with a fear that taking even that would be wrong.
“…and so the three of us arrived in this city.”
“I see… I had heard it from Marie Elle…but it must have been very hard for
you.”
“…What?”
No, it was Marie Elle and Yufy who had suffered. I didn’t do anything.
“I heard that you killed a man for the first time in order to save her? It could
not have been easy.”
“No, I… It’s nothing. It’s Marie Elle who…”
“Yes, she lost her father and we grieved. But it wasn’t just us. It couldn’t
have been easy for you. Could it?”
Something was welling up inside of me. But I would not let it show. I pushed
it down and looked at her.
“Perhaps you are right… But anything I may have felt was nothing compared
to what you have had to go through.”
“Asagi, there’s no need to discuss the weight of our emotions. That does not
matter. You do not need to endure it on our behalf.”
She said, then she wrapped her arms around my head. I wanted to pull away,
but I couldn’t. Silently, tears began to fill my eyes.
“I’m sorry…I’m sorry. I couldn’t…”
“It’s fine. My child is alive. That is enough to make me happy.”
“I…I…”
What did these tears mean?
Sadness over my failure? The joy of forgiveness? Or…
Her gentle hand caused me to well up with emotion. I felt pathetic, and could
not raise my head.
“I’m sorry… Sorry that you had to see this.”

“Don’t be. I cried a lot as well. I cried and washed away those feelings. And I
look forward. That’s the right way to live.”
“Yes…Thank you.”
My eyes felt hot as I wiped them. Just then, Marie Elle and Daniela came in
from the next room.
Daniela must have sensed something because they had left us alone for a
while. Though, I could see that Daniela was teary-eyed as well. I suppose
they had also been saying their goodbyes.
“Sorry about that.”
“It is fine. That is why I like you, Asagi.”
“Mister Asagi, do you feel better now?”
“Yeah, I’m fine now.”
Marie Elle looked into my eyes as I touched her cheek. She laughed happily.
She looked just like her mother.
I drank down the cup of tea I hadn’t yet touched, and then stood up.
“We should be going now.”
“You will stop by when you visit next time?”
We had to.
“Goodbye, Marie Elle. Take care of your mother.”
“Yes. Be safe, Miss Daniela!”
“Aye, goodbye.”
Daniela said and stood up as well. Marie Elle went ahead of us to open the
door, and so I followed her while pulling on my backpack. It reminded me of
the time we walked out in the city together. We had a carriage then. It was
one of the brief moments we spent together.
The four of us stood outside of the store. The sun was dimmer now as it was
afternoon. I crouched and hugged Marie Elle.
“We’ll come again.”
“Yes.”
We would. It did not have to be a long separation.
“Well, Marie Elle, Yufy. Take care.”
“You too, Asagi and Daniela. You do not need to worry about us.”
“I know.”
We waved and started to walk towards the south gate. Even if I knew it
wasn’t the last time we would see them, it was still sad. They say that every
meeting leads to a parting. I hated those words. I don’t know why, but I just
did.
I looked back several times and waved. There was nothing wrong with
finding this hard, I thought, as I waved almost excessively.
I continued until I could no longer see them.
Now, we were finished saying our goodbyes. I felt better about it all now.
From here, it would be a new journey with new encounters. I had already met
my soul mate, but surely it was still a good thing to meet as many people as
you could. I would continue to meet all kinds of people from here on out.
It seemed as if finally, my life was ready to take a new step in this world
again.
chapter 136
Five days have passed since we left the south gate.
Daniela and I were at the foot of the rocky mountains. It was a path we had
traveled through before, but as we were in a hurry then, I had not really taken
in the view. This time it was slower and I was able to enjoy the nature around
us. Though, we did have to pass the burnt down village yesterday.
“I never heard anything about it, but what happened to the people that were
captured by the orcs?”
“…They were alive, apparently. But…you can imagine the rest.”
“I see… I suppose it’s not something anyone would want to talk about.”
Gardo had told me about it once, back in Fhiraldo. They were kept alive once
captured by the orcs, and their days were miserable. Even if they are helped,
they would have to be taken to an institution to recover.
“…I hope they will get better.”
“Aye. Perhaps that village will return to its former state one day.”
We sat around the bonfire after setting up camp at the bottom of the
mountain. We were thinking back on that day. And then another memory
came back to me.
“There was a very old ruin near that village, wasn’t there?”
“Aye. It was weathered and broken down.”
“I wish I could have seen more of it.”
Perhaps there was something to discover there. I wondered. However, many

people had already investigated it.
“We could go and see it if you want?”
“Are you sure?”
“We are not in a hurry. Besides, I am curious as well.”
Oh, so she just wanted to see it too. Well, we could make a little detour
tomorrow. We didn’t have everything strictly planned out, so a little change
didn’t mean anything. And we had plenty of food to last…
With that settled, I entered the tent first. Daniela would take the first watch. I
would sleep and prepare myself for the latter half of the watch.
“Alright then. Good night, Daniela.”
We kissed each other good night, as all good couples do, and then I closed
my eyes.
I heard the whistle that signaled the start of the second half of the night. And
I got up to trade places with Daniela. We repeated our goodnight kiss, and
this time I sat down in front of the fire.
I stared at my surroundings as they were bathed in the firelight. Not only with
my eyes. I used Presence Detection to search the area, but there was nothing.
The night sky is full with so many stars that I think they might start falling.
Absently mindedly, I draw lines to create constellations but quickly forget the
placements.
“I’m bored…”
I didn’t think I was letting my guard down, necessarily. But I was bored.
There were supposed to be monsters known as rock lizards around here, but
they didn’t come out at night as it was too cold. They would just stay shut up
in their nests.
“Ah, that’s right.”

I took out a pen and some paper from the hollow bag and placed them on a
wooden low table. By the way, this low table was my own creation. I
borrowed some tools, got some help from my old master, Jack of all Trades,
Master of None, to make the measurements, then learned how to use the saw
to cut boards perfectly straight. Then I used a hammer to hit the nails with
precision. It was a foldable table. It didn’t need to be, since it was going in
the hollow bag, but this would make it easier if I ever needed to take it out to
make more space again. I had thoughtlessly crammed so much stuff into it
before, after all.
“…Well, who cares about all that.”
I was going to write a letter. To Fiona, in Spiris. When we left Spiris, I had
said I would write to her. And now I felt like I wanted to write about Replant.
“Hmmm. It’s been a while. I am currently in the Flugelnia Empire…”
The rather pointless letter began. I would drop it off at the next guild we
visited. I hoped there would be someone who was headed for Lambrusen.
My surroundings slowly grew brighter. The crackling of the fire was now
accompanied by the chirping of birds. The soft, pale clouds started to become
more brilliant in color, making the whole scene look almost mystical. I
finished writing my letter and then took out the pots. It was time to make
breakfast.
I made some water and then put it over the fire. Then the spices, meat, and
vegetables went in. Now I just needed to put the lid on and allow it to boil
until Daniela woke up. I was still annoyed that no gift for cookings had
burgeoned within me, and so I was left to satisfy Daniela with the most
simple of cooking. It didn’t matter how seriously I prepared every day, I was
no chef…
Maybe this was the work of Jack of all Trades, Master of None. Sometimes I
almost hated it…
“I should wake her up now… Hey, Daniela. It’s morning.”

I moved away from the bonfire and opened the tent flaps in order to pull
Daniela out of her peaceful sleep. What I saw there was a surprisingly
naked…not really. She was sleeping like normal. I put a hand on her slender
shoulder and tried to wake her up.
“Hey, wake up.”
“Mmmm…no…I want to sleep…”
“We’re going to see the ruins, remember? Come on.”
“Mmmaaahhh…shut up…”
“Hey, jerk…”
She was always so grumpy in the morning… But she would continue to sleep
if left alone…But then again, there were times when she got up by herself…
Hmm. Maybe she was using magic to improve her sleep?
Well, there was one foolproof way to wake up Daniela. It just took one shot.
“So I guess you don’t need your breakfast then.”
“Alright, get up, get up.”
Daniela was a woman who fully supported the eating of breakfast.
“Asagi, your cooking has been very poor recently.”
“What? It’s been what?”
“It used to be so luxurious.”
“…I can’t help it. I didn’t get any cooking skills. I’m very disheartened about
it, you know? I’m broken. And who cares anyway, as long as it tastes fine?”
“Hmph…but, I would like to eat like that again…”

Daniela said as she looked at me. However, I had no talent. None at all… But
I wasn’t such a failure that I could ignore her sweet, pleading look. Alright. It
hurt, but I would give it another try!
“I have no choice, do I? I’ll just have to make something that satisfies you.”
“Hehe. I love you, Asagi.”
“Don’t you mean, you love people who can cook?”
I said, just a little embarrassed. However, I was already getting distracted by

ideas of what I would make tonight.
□ □ □ □
We retraced our steps from the camp and headed west from the mountains
and village. There was a forest here. And in the forest, was the old ruins. I
had no idea what this old, decrepit building was, but it would have probably
made a very beautiful church.
“So this is the ruins.”
“It is as they said…there is really nothing.”
There was grass growing inside, and even some small trees, which made it
difficult to walk. Vines grew thickly along the walls and seemed to
accentuate how old the place was.
“From what I had heard, many teams were sent to investigate this place. They
wanted to know what stones were used, what purpose this place had, and how
old it was…”
“But they couldn’t find any information?”
“Aye. They searched the surrounding area as well, but they don’t even know
what country this would have been at the time. There were no towns around,
so this building was completely isolated.”
“Hmmm… Nothing but mysteries then.”

“Exactly.”
I looked at the building again. Of course, there was no ceiling, so the sunlight
came through directly. The collapsed ceiling, broken walls, and rubble that
had once been the floor was all piled together.
“It makes you want to clean.”
“It is an ancient ruin. Perhaps you will find something.”
“True… Ahhh, it’s no use once I’ve thought about it. Can I at least sweep the
floor a little?”
“Asagi…”
Daniela looked at me with exasperation. But I could no longer stand around

idly. I took out a broom from the hollow bag. Why did I have a broom in the
hollow bag? To clean our campsite, of course!
“I will not be helping you. I will go and look at the surrounding area.”
“Sure. Have fun.”
We came all the way here and… Daniela grumbled as she left. But I didn’t
care. I would move these broken stones and sweep away the dust. Well, there
was probably nothing here anyway. But I might as well tidy the place up for
the other tourists that would come here, I guess? I told myself as I swept. I
moved the larger rocks with the pressure of water magic. Water made with
mana would evaporate as soon as the supply of magic energy stopped. And
so there was no fear of flooding the place.
Rinse and repeat. I wanted a clear path from the entrance to the far back.
Partway into my project, I asked myself why the hell I was doing this, and I
suddenly remembered a very old ambition I had once had.
I was watching a television program about an Egyptian tomb. It had seemed

like the coolest thing at the time. Decyphering old letters that looked like
codes. Exploring places that no one else had seen… A treasure hunter. It had
been my first ever ambition in life. Now that I think of it, I suppose they were
actually called archaeologists.
And now, I was treasure hunting in a ruin with a broom in one hand. Was I
the caretaker?
“Huhh… Daniela won’t like it if I take too long…”
It had been my dream for a while, yes… But the reasonable side of me was
saying that the person I had promised my future to was more important than
the old dream I had for my future.
“I’ll stop after moving this rock…oomph…!”
I used the blue-colored magic to lift it. And then I slowly moved it to the side
against the wall.
“Hahh…I’m tired. …So tired… Hmm?”
I sat down on the now clean floor. There was a stone in front of me that had
been flipped over. And towards the bottom, I could vaguely see that there
appeared to be something like a pattern. I used my broom to sweep away the
dust and it became clear. It had only looked faint because of the dust. Well, it
had also been facing downward as well. In any case…this pattern. It looked
kind of familiar?
chapter 137
As I looked at it and wondered why it seemed so familiar, Daniela returned
from her stroll.
“There really is nothing around here… What, that, that…!”
“Ah, Daniela. Yeah, this. I know I’ve seen it before, but I can’t remember
where.”
“That is an ancient elven crest!”
“Re-really?”
I frantically took my bag off and pulled out the ancient elven sword. On close
inspection, it really did have the same crest on its handguard. I see. I rarely
looked at it and so I had forgotten…
“It’s the same…”
“So this ruin was made by the ancient elves… Asagi, this is quite a
discovery!”
“I guess. But if it’s so important, why hasn’t anyone realized it before?”
Supposedly this place had been investigated many times. That seemed very
inept on their part.
“Well, people had long assumed that there was some value to this place. They
must have been careful not to change too much. I imagine they would not
have been turning everything over…”
“So in other words, I was the first person to flip this rock here. And so it was
discovered.”
It was a weird coincidence. My job when I worked the night shift was mostly
cleaning, and so I liked to keep things tidy. And I suppose that tendency led
to this. My days as a part-time worker were not for nothing then.
“But this building is in a lot worse condition than the other one.”
“There would be some kind of preservation magic on the important parts.

That means there could be something where we cannot see.”
Now that was something our predecessors should have looked into. But I
guess they didn’t turn things over and shovel and sweep as part of
investigations in this world. In fact, seventy percent of the building had
practically returned to nature.
“Well then. If we investigate this place thoroughly, that could lead to a great
discovery…”
“I know that we are not exactly in a hurry, but surely you do not think we are
going to set up camp here and dig around forever?”
There was the matter of food as well. Daniela added. It didn’t seem the most
convincing coming from Daniela, but it would definitely be a problem. If we
stayed here for too long, we wouldn’t have enough food when crossing the
mountains.
“We could return to Replant once…”
“You…spent all that time saying goodbye to everyone, and you want to
return before a week has passed…?”
I have no shame.
“Ah, but one can’t ignore the possibility of a treasure right in front of him.”
“I understand how you feel, but it will not do. If it is there, then it is hidden.
You must start by searching for it. It could be underground or in the sky…”
“The sky? How would you hide something in the sky?”
Surely there isn’t a castle floating up there…

“They say that islands floated in the air during the age of advanced magic,
you know? Perhaps remnants of it still remain.”
“Huh… Must have been amazing back then…”
Islands in the sky on a sunny day. I looked up now, but of course, there was
nothing there. Maybe it was hidden…
“Huhhh…I guess it’s no use then…”
“I am disappointed about it as well.”
I get it…but I didn’t like it at all…!
“Daniela, you go on ahead.”
“What?”
“I’m a romanticist. I cannot abandon the possibility this lies in front of me!”
I wrung my fists and burned with the passion of an adventurous soul. Would I
be a man if I gave up here?
“How will you eat?”
“I’ll go hunting.”
“Are you stupid?”
“Maybe I am!”
She looked at me with exasperation, but it did not change my resolve.
“Huhhh… You can be stubborn at the strangest of times, Asagi. I suppose it

is I who must bend…”
“I’m sorry, Daniela. I promise. I’ll finish in two days. Even if I don’t find
anything, I’ll come after you once those two days are up.”
“…Very well. Walk straight from our last camp, then you will reach the
mountain path. It is an actual path with signs, so you should have no trouble
catching up to me with your speed.”
“Got it!”
I handed Daniela the hollow bag.
“I’m used to sleeping outside. You should take everything.”
“Two days. I hope you will not forget it in your fervor?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep my promise.”
I knew that I wasn’t making it easy for her. But surely it was fine to do as you
want, once in a while…
To crush just a little of my guilt, I picked Daniela up and used Legs of the
Forest Wolf to carry her back to our camp. This way, she wouldn’t waste any
energy on me.
“Well, see you in two days.”
“Aye. I shall have no expectations.”
“I’ll try to bring back something good.”
You will try. Daniela said with a laugh and waved. I returned to the ruin in a
hurry. I would find what so many had failed to find in a limited time frame. I
had to hurry.
And so my detour began.
And then the first day ended. I had found nothing. I even looked through the
sky, but it was no use.
With the power of Legs of the Forest Wolf, I could run in the air. I could
explore where no one else could. No one could search this world inhabited by
the birds…I think. Probably.
I ran up directly over the ruins. As there was a danger of me running into an
invisible wall, I created several ice shields above me as protection. And like
that, I went up as high as my body would allow me. It became cold very
quickly, and I couldn’t breathe… Still, I found nothing. Though the view was
quite nice. It was so surprsingingly beautiful, in fact, that I wanted to show it
to Daniela next time.
This world was certainly round, I thought, as I descended, having depleted

quite a lot of magical energy. And so the first day ended.
I was very tired as I searched for a place to sleep. I had given everything to
Daniela, so the only thing to do was to make some vine ropes and sleep in a
tree. It would be impossible, if there were any blood apes around, but they
have never been known to live around here. They stayed in the northern
forests of Replant.
Still, I set up some animal traps on the ground before climing the tree.
Besides, if something got caught in it, I would have something to eat later…
Well, I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high. And with that, I tied the vines
around my body so I was secure, and closed my eyes.
The next morning, I woke up without having had any dinner the previous
day. I sighed as I looked down to untie the rope around my stomach, when I
noticed there was a racoon caught in the trap below me. Oh, so I suppose
there would be breakfast after all. I untied the ropes and then launched an ice
arrow into the brain of the squirming animal. I landed on the ground and saw
that it had died with one hit. After joining my hands in front of it respectfully,
I began to gut it. Then I gathered some branches together and used way too
much magic to create a fire. I disliked fire magic a lot… I understood it for
the most part, but I didn’t have the right attributes, which made it irritating to
use. Otherwise, I would be causing explosions with a snap of my fingers…
Well, maybe I would just have to settle with freezing things.
Freezing an entire area with a snap… That would be so cool…
The fire went out as such stupid thoughts distracted my mind. I felt very
miserable as I wasted even more energy in making the fire again.
I walked around the ruins while stuffing racoon meat in my mouth. If it
wasn’t in the sky, then it must be in the ground. After all, things always tend
to be buried when it comes to ruins. They were always excavating things on
TV. Buried gold or earthenware. All underground. If it was one thousand
years ago, it could easily be buried, with trees growing over it.
Of course, that was my view as a modern man, and that wasn’t very useful
here. After all, this ruin wasn’t even underground. It didn’t matter if it was a
thousand years ago.
Unless they hid it underground from the beginning. They hid it there and
built a building on top. Yes. They put a building here to draw all the
attention, all the while hiding what is really important. But they still wanted
someone to find it, so they left a hint. Otherwise, why leave any kind of
marking on the surface?
In that case, what ever is hidden must be incredibly valuable. I told myself
this as I spat out the bones from the meat and marked the place that I would
dig.
I couldn’t turn the whole place upside down. I would concentrate on one
point and cause an explosive wind with Legs of the Forest Wolf. Obviously,
it would use a lot of magical energy, so I would not be able to do it many
times.
First, the center of the ruins. That is where I would dig. I used Jack of all
Trades, Master of None to visualize it. It allowed me to try different methods
through simulation, and pick which method would be the most effective. The
unique skill was really good for that reason…now if only my techniques
could catch up with it.
After a few minutes, I concentrated the green and silver wind around my legs
to the underside of my feet as I levitated in the air. It went from my legs to a
single point below me. It was like piercing the ground with a needle and
allowing the energy to explode from that point. The power of the Forest Wolf
caused a great wind directed towards the ground. I was blown up into the air
by the force of it, but it was all according to my predictions.
“Hmmm… It must be a success then…”
The dust slowly blows away in the wind. And the hole in the ground shows
itseld. It worked. There was now a two meter deep hole there. However, there
were no visible traces of anything being hidden. Once the dust had settled
completely, I went down and inspected it.
“Hmm…mmm…? What’s this?”
I had tried using Presence Detection, and that’s when I noticed that there was
magic flowing inside the ground.
I wondered if maybe I had made a mistake, and so I tried again after getting
out of the hole, but everything was normal again. So then I went back in the
hole and activated Presence Detection. Same strage feeling. It was like I was
inside of a dragon vein.
“Is there some magic at work here…?”
Maybe this was the preservation magic? But I wasn’t strong enough to be
able to analyze it. Though, there was definitely something here. I knew that.
The ruins were quite broken down, and yet, it was somehow still a vehicle for
this magic. It was when I thought this, that something started to bother me.
“Could it be…that it was made like that from the beginning?”
How…aged it looked. Broken down…that atmosphere. And that ancient

elven crest that had been flipped over almost purposefully. What if it acted as
some kind of magic circle?
I was afraid to find out. What if I destroyed it and it exploded… No thanks. I

didn’t want to meddle with it if it really was what was preserving the place.
Someone who knew about these things should look at it. But then again, no
such person existed in this world anymore.
“If there is preservation magic, and I can dig up the earth here. That means
the ground is not protected…so it only affects manmade things?”
I should dig a little more. This is the place where the crest had been. Maybe I
would find something. Treasure Hunter Asagi smirked as he gathered a
second wind to his feet.
chapter 138
“YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!”
My cry of triumph echoed from the hole. I wiped at the dirt on my cheek, in
effect, smearing it further. But I didn’t care about that at all. After all…
After all…!
I had finally discovered the underground entrance!
“How could I not be happy! I want to tell Daniela! Yes!!”
□ □ □ □
I had to concentrate the power of Legs of the Forest Wolf to a small point in
the hole a few times…it sounds simple, but it was actually very hard on me. I
had to remove a lot of the soft dirt first, and there was so much of it.
I was positively exhausted after just a few rounds of that. And using the skill
was hard on my nerves, causing me mental exhaustion as well. And yet I
continued to dig until my hands hit something hard.
Frantically, I brushed away the dirt to reveal a hatch. There was a kind of
circular door with a handle, the kind you might see in a submarine. It was
buried in the ground. What on earth could it be, if not an entrance?
And that was how I found the door to the hidden area.
□ □ □ □
In any case, that was the reason for my cry of triumph. But I had only just
discovered the door. Now, I would go inside.
“Alright…here we go…!”
I grabbed the handle with both hands and tried to turn it. …But it would not
be turned. Was I pulling the wrong way? I tried the other direction. And then
it turned. There was a hiss as the old air below joined the the air of the
surface. The space that had been locked away for a thousand years was there,
but it did not smell particularly strange. I guess it was the effect of the
preservation magic.
Still, I was glad that it opened. It could very well have been a door that was
locked to anyone who was not a descendant of the old elves. I was quite
relieved to see that the ancient elves were big-hearted in that regard.
I lifted the door and saw that there was a ladder inside. There were lines
carved into the walls that let off a dim glow. I would not need a lantern then.
But I was cautious as I went in, as there was no telling what might be waiting
inside. And so I descended the latter slowly. Even after touching it, the
material of the ladder was a mystery to me.
Clang. Clang. The metallic sounds echoed as I descended. It took about three
minutes until my feet hit the ground. When I was standing on my two feet, I
turned away from the ladder to see that there was a straight path leading out
up ahead. There were no other paths. This was the kind of linear map you
might find in a shitty video game.
In any case, I used Presence Detection as I made my way forward.

Unsurprisingly, there were no living things to detect, all I could sense was the
environment preservation magic. It was likely due to the magic that this place
still existed like this. Powerful stuff.
As I continued to walk, I saw that there was a door to my side. But the path
still continued on ahead… But I suppose I could take a little detour and
explore. Checking every room I come across is the Asagi way, so I wasn’t
going to pass it.
“Excuse me…”
I turned the doorknob and pushed. It was not locked and there didn’t seem to
be any traps. The room inside was the size of four and a half tatami mats.
There was a pile of things against the back wall.
It would be the most embarrassing thing if I entered the room, the door
closed, and I was locked in forever. And so I was sure to open the door as
wide as I could and fix it in place with ice. Once I was sure it was secure, I
moved deeper into the room.
There were lines of glowing light along the walls of the room like in the
hallway, and so I could see clearly. I could see what was piled up.
“Huhhh…crazy…”
The things that were all piled up there, were dolls. They weren’t moving, but
they were the type that could move on their own. Automata, I think. The
bones were completely visible on some, while others had a skin-like material
covering them. I didn’t know how they worked, so turning them on would not
be possible. But this was definitely something that would excite researchers
and enthusiasts. Though, they were thrown in a pile as if they had no
importance.
“Ohh…”
One of them…looked to be in especially good condition, and so I pulled it

out for inspection. It had no visible damage. Its arms and legs were not
twisted in impossible directions. It was good as new. By the way, it was a
female model. This was most evident by the lack of clothing and rather
questionable level of detail in the anatomy. Well, perhaps it was used for
such things. Maybe the ancient elves were enormous perverts.
“I wish I could take this with me… But not sure if I have the courage to carry
this and walk out there.”
It was a naked body that wasn’t breathing. I would look like a murderer.
Even if it was a doll, I couldn’t be so careless with it. Things that were dead
and motionless could be stored in the hollow bag, but if this thing moved… I
wonder what would happen? Could a moving object be stored?
“I have many questions, but I have to move along for now.”

Well, maybe by the time I came back I would have the nerve to take it with
me. And so I took it out of the room and left it in the hallway. There were
other undamaged dolls as well…but I wouldn’t be able to carry more than
one.
I deactivated the magic and closed the door. For a moment I wondered if
taking it out and closing the door would turn the thing on, but it didn’t.
Maybe it was the environment protection. In any case, I would leave it for
now.
Click. Click. My leather boots rang on the floor. I felt like I had walked for a
while, but there were no more side doors and no traps. It just continued
without change until it finally stopped.
There was a door much like the last one right in front of me.
“Is this the treasure room?”
I slowly touched the doorknob. It was neither cold nor hot. There was no
static electricity. Very welcoming, I must say.
And so I turned it and pushed the door open.
“Uhh…?!”
What had just been a few lines of light were now numerous as they drew
patterns on the walls, floor, and ceiling. The increased brightness forced me
to narrow my eyes. After a while, the white faded and my eyes adjusted.
This room was slightly bigger than the other. About six tatami mats. Perhaps
the ancient elves liked their rooms to be cozier? Were they cozy-loving
perverts?
“Ah…”
There was a box in the center of the bright room. A long box. Did it contain a
sword then?
I could not hide my excitement as my heart began to beat quickly. I couldn’t
help that it rang loudly in my ears. But all thoughts of that were quickly
swept away as I knelt in front of the box, and with shaking hands, reached out
to touch it.
Then the lines on the ground began to shine brighter and extend towards the
box. They surrounded it once before connecting.
When the lines met, there was a small click, and the box opened.
“…”
I gulped. Then I picked up the lid and set it to the side. As for what was
inside…
“………………………hm?”
There were two pairs of glasses.
“Gla-glasses?
The long box contained two of them side by side. One had a frameless design
and the other had a light green square frame. The green looked familiar. The
mysterious metal.
“My eyesight isn’t bad, but…”
I tried picking one up. It was an ancient treasure, after all…and so I slowly
put the square frame glasses on. Then I looked around the room, but there
didn’t seem to be a difference. It was like putting on a pair of fake glasses.
“Well, that’s a disappointment…”
My shoulders slump as I looked down at the hand on my lap. It was horribly

dirty after all the digging. I sighed and wondered what to do next, when
something very strange happened.
My hand…well, the gauntlet. A line ran along the surface and then letters
appeared.
“‘Ice Dragon Gauntlet.’ …I know that!”
Wait.
“Oh, does this appraise things?”
Other worlds and appraising. Appraising and other worlds. I’ve never
actually seen anything being appraised before. I didn’t really think it was
done here.
However, these glasses were a magical appraising tool.
“Yesss!!”
I shouted in triumph for the third time today. I was very happy to be able to
bring back something good for Daniela.
It took me quite a while to finish appraising all of my equipment. However, I

learned a few things by doing it.
The first was that these glasses did not require any magic to use. I discovered
this by using the glasses to look at each other. The lenses were made of
magical stone. Void ore. That is what they were made of.
And I also realized that looking at something closely gave you even more
detailed explanations about it. For instance, this is what it looked like for the
Ice Dragon Gauntlet.
‘Ice Dragon Gauntlet. Gauntlet made of Ice dragon hide and black steel.
Slightly raises the power of ice magic. Raises resistance to fire magic.’
Something like that. This feature was rather brilliant, and it even appraised
the lenses of the appraisal glasses. According to the results, there was a
special magic pattern carved into the lens that allowed for the appraising of
objects.
It used the mana in the air to work, which meant the user’s magic did not
deplete.
“This is great…!”
I was very pleased with what I had uncovered. I was sure that Daniela would
be pleased as well. It was great luck that there were two of them.
“After all, I’ll get to see Daniela wearing glasses!”

chapter 139
I closed the lid now that I was ready to leave. In the next instant, the box
began to sink into the floor by itself, until the surface was perfectly level with
the rest of the floor. For a moment, I wondered if there was some kind of
trap, and I frantically turned around. But there was nothing to suggest the
doors were going to close on me or that some guardians were going to appear
out of nowhere. It was merely signaling the end of the attraction. And so I
picked up the two pairs of glasses and left the room.
The hallway seemed a lot shorter this time, now that I wasn’t nervous. I felt
like I reached the Automata again in no time.
“Well, well, what should I do about it…”
I tried appraising it with the glasses, and it was indeed an Automata.
‘Automata type F. Out of order due to lack of reactor core.’
You needed something called a reactor core to make it move. Type F must be
for female… But what was a reactor core? Where did one acquire it? I tried
flipping it over and searching. There was a barely visible slit on the back of
its neck. I dug my finger into it and the skin rolled back.
“Uhhh…that’s bizarre…”
Underneath the skin, I could see bones that were similar to the other dolls in
the room.
“…Ah, it’s no use. I don’t think I’ll be able to fix it.”
I wasn’t an inventor or scientist. Any more tinkering would probably result in

permanent damage. I gently returned the skin flap to normal then searched
through the dolls that had exposed bones. Upon searching one that was a
similar model, I saw that there was a lid in between the shoulder blades and a
hole which something could be inserted in. This was probably where this
reactor core thing went.
So that was the next thing I searched for. I used the appraisal glasses to
search each doll and see why they were out of order. If it was for a reason
unrelated to the reactor core, there was a chance the doll still contained one.
“I haven’t found any so far…what about this one?”
I looked at one doll which had no arms or legs.
‘Automata type F. For lovers of sadism. Inoperable due to bodily damage.

Currently out of order due to lack of magic energy.’
Sadism…? So it was broken by a sadist? Okay, these ancient elves really

were perverts. Complete, total perverts.
However, there was good news too. If the reason was that it was out of
magic…
“I knew it. So this is the reactor core.”
I opened the lid on its back and a multifaceted crystal-like object came out. It
was like a large super ball. When inspecting it through the appraisal glasses,
it displayed, ‘reactor core for Automata.’
‘Automata Reactor Core, Remaining Magic: 0’
So I could probably recharge it by sending magic into it. But I felt a little bad
for the broken one… To end your run on such a note. I brought my hands
together for a moment of silence.
Then I tried sending magic into the reactor core in my hand. It was pure void
magic. Would it work?
‘Automata Reactor Core, Remaining Magic: 5%’
Well, it worked a little. Good.
I recharged and rested a few times. After this, I would sleep and meet up with
Daniela tomorrow. It was safe down here, so I decided that this would be
where I spent the night.
After repeating the process a few times, I checked it again with the appraisal
glasses and saw that it had reached 100%. Now the Automata should move.
…But it was kind of difficult to move that skin flap. So I decided to practice
on a nearby doll.
That night, I forgot to eat dinner as the time went by and I tinkered with the
machines.
□ □ □ □
“…Mmm… Ahh…I fell asleep…”
I awoke in the room that was littered with the Automatas. As I had slept on
the bare floor, my body hurt all over. And plus, it was very cold.
“I want a bath…and food…”
Though, there was no one there to make my wishes come true. I now had four
more of the reactor cores in my hand. I had removed them from the other
machines that I was tinkering with. Though, these ones were empty.
As for the skin peeling, I was quite good at it now. This was the result of
practicing on models that were missing arms or legs. I even practiced on a
complete model as well, and was able to return the skin to its former place.
And I made another discovery. The dolls were based on humans in both
appearance and bone structure. Strictly speaking, they would move just like
humans, in spite of being machines. Their joints could not move in the wrong
way and they had no structural features that humans lacked. The only things
that they didn’t have were organs and blood. They ran on the magic supplied
by the reactor core.
There was a spherical object inside of their heads that acted as a brain. The
appraisal glasses informed me that it was covered in magic patterns. I
believed it held information, programming that made the machines move.
There were new discoveries the more I looked. These things were full of
ancient technology.
After much searching, I realized that there was no switch, and they should
move by just putting the reactor core into their backs.
“…But what happens then?”
I had been excited due to how unusual all of this was to me, but suddenly, I
was struck by the dilemma of what to do after I turned it on. What was its
purpose? Did it have a will? What if it turned out to be an enemy of all
mankind? That would be incredibly annoying.
“Sometimes, romanticists meet cruel ends…”
Perhaps treasure hunters always had to take a degree of responsibility for

what they uncover. As the first person. That meant I had to see this through.
Sell it or manage it. If I wanted to claim ownership, I would have to remain
responsible. Of course, I did.
“I’ll talk about it with Daniela.”
It was too difficult a problem for me alone. This was another world, and it
had its own rules. I would just push the burden of the decision to Daniela, I
mean, um, discuss it with her. Yes, that would be for the best.
However, it would be very cumbersome to carry this thing. It was the body of
a woman with almost scientifically approved proportions. And naked. And so
I took off my poncho and waist mantle to hide what needed to be hidden. The
five reactor cores were small enough to fit into my pockets. Then I just
needed to carry the thing on my back and I was ready.
“…I’ll just have to be careful that no one sees me.”
This was probably what people felt like when they did something shameful…
I tried not to pay any mind to the two cushions that pressed onto my back as I
went down the hallways and reached the ladder…which I could not climb.
And so I used Legs of the Forest Wolf to go up. After all, my hands were full.
“No one around…? Good…”
I searched the area with Presence Detection as I came out of the hole. There
were no humans or monsters about. For a while, I wondered what I should do
about the hole. If I buried, it would likely never be found by anyone again.
And so I closed the hatch but decided to leave it as is. It wasn’t because I was
lazy or anything. But a treasure hunter had to leave evidence of his great
accomplishments.
I stepped on the air and vaulted up in a straight line towards the mountains in
the south. The forest rushed below me, and I could see the burned village.
Then I noticed some movement and stopped.
I could see that there were figures who were pulling down the burnt houses
and cleaning the rubble. They had started with restoring the village. They
were tough people… The village would likely return to its former state in
very little time. I couldn’t help them as I was carrying something, but I
wished them well in my heart as I continued to run towards the rocky
mountains.
chapter 140
Two days have passed since I separated from Asagi. That means he should be
returning from his excavation today.
It has been quite a while since I traveled alone like this. From our campsite
up until the start of the mountain road, I had this feeling as if Asagi was right
next to me. But once I began to climb the mountain, my footing started to
become slippery.
“Ah, this will not be an easy climb.”
I caught myself cautioning the usually clumsy Asagi. I could only sigh and
laugh at myself then. It seems that I have become so used to traveling with
him. It was odd since the times that I traveled alone were so much longer…
I suppose, in the end, I was rather lonely.
While the road was well trodden, there was no mountain cabin along the way,
and so I was forced to pitch a tent and camp out in the open with a fire. Asagi
had collected branches along the way, so I did not need for firewood. He was
often very clumsy, yet he could be very perceptive as well. Now that I was
alone, I could see that he did such things in order for our journey to be as
comfortable as possible.
“Hahhh…”
I could not help but sigh when I thought of being alone another night. It was
surprising just how much I missed him. Even my food seemed to lack flavor.
It was the meat from Veigun’s stalls, it should be delicious… But perhaps it
was now lacking the greatest spice of all. In the end, I only ate four skewers
that night.
The next morning, I advanced through the thin mist. Not much was known
about the mist goblins, but it was said that they did not appear in this level of
mist. It had to be very thick for them to come out. But where were they
usually?
I passed others who were climbing the mountain. We greeted each other and
went on our ways. Asagi would have greeted them happily. I found that I did
not talk much when he was not around. I had always traveled alone and spoke
as little as possible. It was not that it pained me or that I disliked talking. No,
it was not a fear of talking to strangers!
That was the last time I saw anyone, but it did remind me even more of his
absence. I was that lonely. My old self would have seen this as a great
weakness.
I was a weak person who now depended on someone else to live. I was
codependent. Spoiled. I was so immature that being alone made me anxious.
Individual strength was important if you wanted to make it against the world.
There was a time when I believed that was the only thing important for me to
survive. But traveling with Asagi and depending on each other made me see
that the world wasn’t only harsh, it was also gentle.
I did not see this as a ‘regression’ for myself. I saw it as growth. And I was
happy when I realized that it was because of him.
“Ah, I had worked so hard up until now, so that we could meet.”
That was the feeling that seeped into my heart and enveloped me.
When I recalled that feeling, the lonely night became nothing at all. Asagi
said that he would return. Then I would believe him and keep moving. I
would bear the lonesome nights and dream of the moment that we would
travel together again.
□ □ □ □
“…Well, such were my thoughts last night. It was how I made it through the
cold.”
“…”
“And yet Asagi… To think you could feel joy by the sight of a naked
machine. I am terribly disappointed in you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry!!!”
Master Daniela had blown a fuse. The reason, clearly, the Automata.
“What a thing to bring with you!”
Such was our reunion. After that, Daniela told me of her feelings during the
past few days. It was the most heartwarming story, but her eyes were not
smiling in the least. I was sweating down my back.
She was furious.
It was as if my wild instincts, or sixth sense that I had cultivated since

coming to this world had run away crying. Goodbye, sixth sense. Your
sacrifice would likely end in vain.
“Huhhh…What do you mean to do with that…”
“I wanted to ask you…”
“Put it back where you found it. We do not have any time to spare for some
automated doll.”
“Oh, but I’ll take care of it! I’ll recharge it!”
“You say that now, but clearly I will be taking care of it eventually! It is so
obvious!”
“I will…”
“Hahhh…”
I complained, but it was no use. My efforts in retrieving the reactor cores
were for nothing.
“…Perhaps we could auction it with the reactor cores in the imperial city. It
should fetch quite a price.”
That’s horrible!”
How could you sell such a cute doll!
“So what do you want to do? It would be very difficult to bring such a thing
with us.”
“It could help us.”
“I can help myself.”
“Take the night watch…”
“It is best to do it yourself and keep your guard up.”
“Uh…”
It was no use… Daniela was strictly anti-Automata. Her opinion was a firm
NO. I put her opinion and the doll on a scale. Tragically, the scale tipped
heavily to Daniela’s favor. I would have to give up…
“Well, if you’re against it…”
“I would rather be with you alone. Even if it is an Automata, it will get in the
way.”
“Sorry. Really, I’m sorry for leaving you.”
“Asagi…”
“Daniela…”
The distance between us began to shrink. I felt as if I were being pulled into
her green eyes. Her eyelashes lowered over them, and I closed my eyes as if
to follow her.
□ □ □ □
Now, the place that I had reunited with Daniela was slightly passed the
mountain peak where the road began to go downward. It was still very high
here, and very cold. However, Daniela and I realized that we would quickly
become warm if we exercised, and so we did. We generally kept a rule to
avoid exercising while on the move, but Daniela had been away from me for
a while, which stirred something within her. Besides, we were so far up that
no monsters would appear, and so we exercised a lot.
The next day. We wiped each other’s bodies with a cloth soaked in hot water
as we prepared for the day’s journey. We just needed to climb down the
mountain. Once that was passed, it was through the southeastern pass. And
then we would reach the imperial city of Vellefrost.
“We must go south first. After a while, we turn east.”
“Just like when we went to Replant.”
“Yes.”
Would there be a place like Senka Village then? I hoped that Merica was
well… I thought as I stroked the strap doll that hung on the hollow bag.
Daniela saw this and immediately knew what I was thinking. She smiled.
“We already took down the tent. We should go now.”
“Yes, we’ll eat breakfast as we walk.”
We bit into our meat skewers as we started to move. It would not have been
so leisurely if this was not a beaten path, but there were roads and even stairs
in some places, which made it easy to walk.
As for the Automata that I’ve been avoiding bringing up until now, it was in
the hollow bag. As a nonliving thing, I was able to store it just fine.
We had decided to auction it after reaching Vellefrost. It was an ancient elven
artifact. A relic from the age of advanced magic. Surely that would ensure a
hefty price for it. And we could sure use the money… Even if I didn’t intend
on buying a new set of armor, it would need maintenance. My equipment had
seen a lot of use… I’m sure there would be fine craftsmen in the imperial
city. It would be nice to go on a new adventure with equipment that had been
fully repaired.
“To be honest, Asagi…”
“Huh?”
“I do not want that Automata nearby, because of how rare it is.”
According to Daniela, such an Automata had been found in the past. It was
over ten years ago, and the single automated doll had resulted in someone’s
death.
“It would be for our own safety to let it go.”
“Even I wouldn’t…want to keep it around if it meant danger.”
“I understand the fascination.”
Daniela got it. She was an Adventurer, after all, and there was a sense of
romanticism in the discovery. But she was also much more experienced than
me, and her sense of reason was stronger. She was reliable because she
thought before she acted, unlike me.
“You even took some reactor cores with you. They will definitely sell.”
“How much do think we’ll get for them?”
I asked. Daniela folded her arms while still biting on her skewer.
“Hmm….considering how much it sold for before…”
“Yeah?”
“Probably about five thousand.”
Five thousand? Gold pieces?
“Of course. You have the reactor cores, after all. The one that sold before was
one thousand with one reactor core. Considering the condition it is in and the
extra reactors cores and the rarity of it, the price should go way up.”
“Daniela, there was another one in good condition there.”
“Well, it is too late.”
Damn it. With a little more work, we could have made ten thousand in
gold…!
I cursed my own foolishness as we descended the mountain. Daniela was just

laughing as if with exasperation.
The mist eventually faded, and a soft, warm light shone down on us. It was as
if it was blessing us, as we walked down a path that was so close to the
clouds. …Yes, it really was great traveling together with Daniela. This was a
good reminder.
chapter 141
It’s now been…uh, how many days since we left Replant?
“I think it has been ten days?”
“Really?”
It was a little vague, as we had made detours and all, but if Daniela said it
was, then it must be so. I had wasted two days, but Daniela had been
climbing the mountain during that time…so perhaps the journey felt longer
for her. Neither of us had ever spent so much time camping outside.
Still, today would be our last day descending this mountain. It felt very safe
traveling along an actual road, and it allowed us to make good progress. So
we were quite relaxed at the moment. And so I decided to reveal the other
discovery I had made at the ruins. The delay was caused by the automated
doll, which happened to easily draw much more attention.
“Ta-da!”
“Hm? Well, it does suit you.”
“Hehehe. In fact, I have a pair for you as well. Here.”
“Thank you. However, my eyes are quite fine.”
“Well, don’t be like that.”
I pushed and pushed until Daniela put the frameless appraisal glasses on. Her
hair was almost more platinum than blonde, and her asymmetrical, punkish
short hair made her beautiful face even cooler. Now, how would some
intellectual eyewear add to that…
“Hmmm… These are false lenses then. What do you think? Do I look good?”
“Me like.”
“You missed a few words there…”
What destructive force… So this was my Shambhala…
“…Huh?”
“What?”
“These glasses…oh, wait a minute.”
Daniela was looking around with the glasses still on. Her eyes fixed on the
rapier that hung on her belt. After a while, she understood what it meant and
then she looked up at me in a awkward motion that reminded me of a rusty
gear.
“Oh, Asagi…this…”
“Yeah, they’re appraisal glasses. I found them.”
“You…this is a great discovery…”
Daniela’s lips were trembling as she slowly told me about what I had found.
“These appraisal glasses… Such things would usually be locked away in the
back of the most secure treasure rooms of kings.”
“Not too surprising… These things will tell you what everything is. Like that
grass over there. Let me see… ‘Yori grass. Perennial Plant. The roots can be
used to stop bleeding.’ It’s so useful.”
“That is an understatement. Things that have been unknown up until now,

things that we believed in, such things could be turned on their head… That
is why they must be kept safe. If it is able to expose everything, then there
will always be people who will find that very inconvenient…”
If some swindler claimed his pot was an antique and very valuable, these
glasses could prove that the claim was false. Yes, a swindler would not like
these.
But what if it was something much larger? Like a holy sword that was passed
down through generations of kings… These glasses would see through it all.
It could be the root of much chaos or cause friction between kingdoms.
These glasses would be capable of all that.
The appraisal cheat was almost a standard in other worlds. It was a way of
gaining knowledge of things you were seeing for the first time. And it
showed you how to make the most of it in an efficient way.
It was the right of the protagonist.
However, I never saw myself in that way. After all, this world had its own
Hero, who had been summoned. Matsumoto. And yet here I was, with this
cheat item.
Thinking of it like that, it was rather scary. What if these glasses ended up
involving me in something horrible? A chill ran down my spine. This was the
kind of pressure that protagonists were supposed to deal with.
And they probably could deal with it. And overcome it.
But that wasn’t me. I knew that better than anyone.
“Daniela, what do you think we should do with them?”
“It is quite simple. These are not things that should be allowed to circulate in
the wild. We should use them as little as possible.”
“What about letting go of them completely?”
“No. It would be much worse to let the world see them.”
“Hhhh…I see…”
It was a time bomb. An artifact that a powerful Hero was supposed to have
that had fallen into the hands of a convenience store clerk…
“The fact that it can be used by anyone is what is dangerous. It is a treasure

that children and adults could use… People would die for such a treasure.”
“…Well, I suppose it’ll just take up space in my bag then.”
“We must use it ourselves in secret…”
I had already decided that the ancient elves of the ruin were major perverts.
The fact that they had such tastes while also creating such things as this was
scary to think about. It was insane.
“An age of advanced magic, huh…crazy.”
“Aye. One should not be careless with their gifts.”
There were more and more things in my hollow bag that I could not unleash
onto the world. Honestly, I wanted to empty my bag on Matsumoto. That
bastard, where was he? If he would only come and take it all away.
We stopped to take several breaks as we descended. By the time we reached

the base, it was getting dark. The area here was rocky ground, and there were
many boulders that looked like they had rolled down the mountain. That
made me very apprehensive of camping close by.
“Shouldn’t we move out a little further before setting up camp?”
“If you think so, Asagi.”
Daniela nodded. I felt bad, as we were quite tired now. However, it was better
safe than sorry, and so we moved away from that spot.
After walking for some time, the boulders became smaller and rounder. And I
also heard the sound of a small river. There was a river close by. As it was
not raining and there was no fear of a flood, we decided to set up camp here.
I took out the tools for creating a bonfire from the hollow bag. Once it was
set up, the area was filled with a warm glow. I sighed as I was reminded of
how much this calmed me down. Daniela sat down next to me, and so I
leaned my head on her shoulder as we stared into the flames.
“This is nice.”
“Aye…hey, Asagi.”
“Hmmm…?”
I stared at the side of her face as it was illuminated by firelight.
“I am hungry.”
“…”
I sighed at her ever unwavering tendencies and then stood up and pulled out
the pot from the hollow bag. I had promised to make her something delicious,
and this darkness was not enough to stop me from opening Bistro Asagi
tonight. There wouldn’t be any pasta, but I would serve some soup and
something roasted.
First, I gathered some water from the river and boiled it. I had found that you
could always get by with some hot water in this world. While the water was
boiling, I pulled out a cutting board to the side and cut the vegetables. It was
large, random chunks, but big was better. And no one cared. Well, I did
prefer smaller chunks sometimes.
I pushed the vegetables aside for now and took out the meat. I chopped that
up too and threw it into the pot. Then I added salt and some mysterious sauce.
Once it was bubbling in just the right way, I dumped the vegetables in. Then I
set the lid on and let it stew.
In the meantime, Daniela had gone into the bag and was now biting on some
meat skewers. Was she that hungry…? I’m working so hard over here…
“Hm? What is it?”
“Nothing…”
“?”
Yes, it was cute when she tilted her head like that… Well, I suppose this was
business as usual for her. I decided to leave it alone. My fragile heart could
not take any more.
As the soup was on the fire, I pulled out some more meat. These I cut into
smaller pieces and put on metal skewers.
I had these made a long time ago by Chief Aragira from Fhiraldo.
He had called them estocs, but these were churrasco skewers. Well, that was
harder to explain, so I didn’t mind…
And to these meat skewers, I added an original condiment I had made with a
combination of herbs and spices I had bought. And then I stood them up
around the fire. At the end of the day, I had done a little research on this
cooking thing. This condiment would really bring out the taste. I had made it
when I was really starving for something spicy, and this was sure to get us
panting.
Daniela threw her finished skewer into the fire and muttered.
“We have really traveled together for quite a while now…”
“Uh…yeah. Has it been three or four months?”
“I think it has been a little longer than that?”
To be honest, our days were so eventful that it was hard to keep track.
“You know, Asagi. I told you before, but what I want, is to see the world.”
“Yeah. I want to see it too. There has to be a reason that I was brought here.
And I’m so glad you’re here with me.”
I turned the skewers around to cook the other side.
“What scene do you imagine will be waiting for us at the end?”

“I don’t…know. I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure we will be there together.
Looking at whatever it is.”
I imagined the moment as I stirred the contents of the pot.
“I was alone when I started this journey. But now you are here next to me. I
am truly happy about that.”
“Hey now, you’re making me blush.”
“Hehe. Well, thank you for everything.”
The soup was ready now, and I filled Daniela’s bowl and handed it to her.
Daniela accepted the bowl and stared at it.
“I put my heart and soul into making that. And it’s good.”
“Aye, thank you.”
I filled my own bowl and sat next to her. Daniela blew over her soup before
slowly bringing it to her lips. After taking a sip, a smile blossomed on her
face.
“It is delicious.”
“That’s a relief.”
chapter 142
The journey continues. Of course, me and Daniela’s journey. It had started in
Fhiraldo and continued through Spiris, Alessa, Valdorf, Senka Village, and
Replant. We had walked through many towns, villages, and cities.
There were many that were incredibly comfortable. We met new friends that
were difficult to part with. Encounters and partings were supposed to be the
best parts of traveling, but they were often surprisingly hard. But each time, it
meant going on a new adventure and to new encounters. Obviously, there
would be more partings after that, but I knew that it wasn’t the end.
Now, what sort of encounter awaited us here on out?
Would it be something wonderful? Perhaps a surprising reunion?
My curiosity was endless. I enjoyed imagining what our future held, as we

traveled together every day.
□ □ □ □
We spent the night by a small river and then headed south. As the river was
flowing to the south, we just had to follow it. The clear rushing of the water
was a nice backdrop as Daniela and I talked, occasionally rested, and ate
when hungry. If we were ever attacked by monsters, we killed them and cut
off any pieces that we thought would be proof of the hunt. That might sound
a little rough, but it really was a peaceful journey. Or perhaps I had just
become so accustomed to this life that I was able to see it that way.
While we were following the river at first, it eventually changed course and
turned west. And so we crossed the river and continued to go down south.
Our surroundings had been a field up until then, but there were now short
trees everywhere. This forest was the landmark, apparently. According to the
map in Daniela’s brain, there was a small village on the other side of the
forest.
That night, we made a fire next to the forest and slept.
It was four in the morning. I tossed some wood into the fire and got up to
stretch my limbs.
The sky above was still dark, but I could see some light colors rising in the
east.
It was just before sunrise. Recently, I had been keeping Presence Detection
on at all times, and now, it caught something. I had been checking a wide
area, but something had just entered it. I stretched my hand out to grab the
Schwarz Tempest, which I swung over my shoulder before heading towards
the spot where there was movement.
It was inside of the forest, but visibility was low. I used Nighteyes and tried
to see between the trees and in the bushes. Then I narrowed down the focus
of Presence Detection and continued to search until I sensed something
behind some trees at two o’clock. I held my sword and walked closer in order
to see what it was, all the while erasing the sounds of my feet as much as
possible. It was necessary to go around the trees so I would be behind
whatever it was when I came out.
Then I stared quietly through the grass towards the root of a tree. That’s
where it was. Thanks to Nighteyes, I could see even if the forest was dark.
What was there, was a forest wolf covered in wounds.
Perhaps the signal had been so weak because it was dying. They say that
wounded beasts are the most dangerous, but this degree of injury would mean
it would barely be able to move. The problem was, what had done this to it?
I kept my guard up as I stood in front of the forest wolf. For some reason, I
couldn’t just leave it there. Maybe it was because I had the Protection of the
Forest Wolf. I was a little more attached to them than the average
Adventurer, anyway.
It glanced towards me and sniffed. But it showed no signs of resisting.

“Horrible cuts…”
It was covered in them. The blood was running so heavily that there was a
puddle underneath it. Spatters of blood were next to its path of pawprints.
“Kuun…”
Its whimper was so weak that I started to wonder if I couldn’t help it

somehow. The normal thing to do now would be to enjoy my luck, grab a
free proof of the hunt and then go and track down whatever it was that did
this. But this time, I couldn’t look away.
“Wait here.”
I didn’t think it would understand me, but I said it anyway before rushing
back to the camp. I hurriedly took off the greatsword and rummaged through
my bag for the appraisal glasses and a few recovery potions. Then I returned
to where the forest wolf was. It raised its head when I asked if it was alright.
Then I supported its jaw with my hand while pouring the potion into its
mouth. At the same time, I watched while wearing the appraisal glasses. The
deepest wound was on its chest. It looked like the work of claws. I somehow
managed to pour some of the potion over that area. It must have stung,
because it struggled weakly and tried to escape. But I held it down as it
healed. Thankfully, the wound closed up. Daniela’s potions were quite
effective. Then I gently picked up the forest wolf and headed back for the
camp.
When I laid it down near the fire, it closed its eyes as in great comfort. While
I was hoping that it would not die, another part of me questioned why I,
Asagi the Adventurer, was doing this. What would Daniela say? That side of
me asked. But Asagi Kamiyashiro was not so callous. I was still not at a point
where I could kill needlessly.
The east sky grew brighter and brighter. I used water magic to wash the forest
wolves wounds and thought about what I was going to do.
Well, the first thing was to apologize to Daniela…

□ □ □ □
“…So that’s what happened. Sorry that I used your potions.”
“No, I do not mind. I know you well enough to understand. That was not the
kind of moment where you could deal the finishing blow.”
“Thank you… I’ll give you the money for the potions later.”
Whether party members or lovers, we had decided to be clear in terms of

handling money.
And so I promised to pay for them.
As for the forest wolf, the visible wounds had all closed, but it still wasn’t
completely well. It was currently chewing on some meat from a skewer. After
finishing its second one, it licked the area around its mouth and then rested as
if satisfied.
“Seems kind of friendly for a monster…”
“Well, perhaps it was once kept by someone.”
Daniela said. Did such things happen?
“There are tamers. And I have heard that monsters are sometimes raised as
substitutes for guard dogs in the countryside. Maybe this one was a guard dog
that was attacked…it is possible.”
“You mean that it was kept in the village up ahead?”
“It is a possibility.”
I tried petting its back. It did not resist. It was almost too accustomed to
humans. It really was like a pet dog.
“Monsters are tough, which means that in some respects, they are easier to
raise than dogs. But the problem is that they are hard to tame. It depends on if
you can handle them when they turn their fangs on you.”
“Well, they are monsters.”
Considering how this one was, there were no problems in terms of being
tamed. I doubted it would start biting.
“This one seems quite tough. I am sure it will be able to walk again soon. We
should clean up here and try taking him to the village.”
“Understood.”
I agreed with Daniela’s suggestion and stood up. We cleaned up the trash and
took down the tent. All of our belongings were thrown into the hollow bag
and then I splashed some water over the fire to put it out. When everything
was done, the forest wolf got up and wagged its tail as it rubbed its face
against my leg. Damn, it was cute… Something about how it was resting
until the last possible second reminded me of Daniela.
“Hmm. I feel as if you were mocking me just now.”
“You’re imagining things. Let’s go.”
I picked up the hollow bag and started to walk. Then the forest wolf started to
walk in front of us as if leading the way. Of course, it was going east. In the
direction of the village. It was so smart that I almost believed that it
understood what we were saying.
It was a very unexpected encounter, but that was how we met this new
monster. And so began the short journey of two people and one wolf.
chapter 143
We followed the forest wolf through the forest, and by the time the sun
started to set, we arrived at the village. I immediately noticed that the roofs of
many houses had windmills. They probably got a lot of wind here then.
“Ruff!”
The forest wolf barked and then darted off. It seemed that we had been right
about it being a guard dog here. A lone monster would not have run into the
village like that, and the forest wolf had been wagging its tail before
abandoning us. I almost thought the tail would fly off on its own.
“Ah, he’s come back! Hey, Mido! Marco’s returned!”
An old man came rushing out of a house after hearing the forest wolf bark…
well, actually, he wasn’t that old. Maybe middle-aged. He squatted down to
hug the wolf before turning around to call for someone else. This was
followed by a young boy appearing from the back of the house. From what I
understood of the situation, this sweaty boy was the wolf’s owner. He must
have been frantically searching all over for his wolf. Was the older man
waiting in the house just in case the wolf returned? I could tell by how happy
they were, that they had been incredibly worried.
“Marco! Ah, I’m so happy… But, you’re terribly hurt! …Oh, but were you
treated?”
“We helped him because he was wounded.”
I called out once they calmed down and started to inspect the forest wolf…
Marco. At this, the two stopped hugging Marco and looked up at us.
“Adventurers… You helped him?”
“Yeah. I found him covered in blood in the forest. So I had him drink some
potions.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The boy called Mido stood up and bowed. Daniela patted him on the head.
“But it is a surprise to hear that Adventurers found a monster without killing

it…”
They were happy to see their forest wolf returned. However, they could not
help but wonder at the reason. They seemed almost suspicious of me.
“Well, I have a connection with the forest wolves. So I try not to kill them
unless they attack me first.”
“Oh…?”
The older man rubbed his chin as he stared at me. It was quite rude, to be
honest. But given the circumstances, I pretended not to notice. Daniela saw
that I did nothing and followed suit.
“Oh, right. Uh…Marco? He led us to this village. And we were wondering if

there are any inns here?”
“So you are travelers then?”
“Yes.”
The man looked at our clothes and weapons and nodded.
“This is a very small village as it happens. We have no inns.”
“…I see. Well, we’ll find a spot where we won’t get in anyone’s way then.”
“Then you must stay with us.”
The man suggested with a bright smile. This was a rather sudden change in
attitude…though, it was welcome, regardless.
“I believe that I can trust you. Besides, we must thank you for helping
Marco.”
“Yes! Please stay with us!”
Mido let go of Marco and stood up so he could pull Daniela and me by the
hand.
“Are you sure?”
“Aye. Stay and rest.”
The man started to lead the way. I glanced over to Daniela. ‘Well, I guess we
have no choice.’ She said with her eyes. Yeah…we’ll have to accept their
hospitality for a night.
“Thank you. Uh…”
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Yis. And you?”
“I’m Asagi. This is Daniela. Nice to meet you.”

“A pleasure.”
“Aye, the pleasure is mine. Welcome to Dana village. Now, please come
inside.”
Yis opened the door for us, and so we went inside. Mido and Marco
followed.
The house had multiple rooms and the first one we entered was the living
room. There were several other doors connecting from there. According to
Yis, he had built the other rooms himself. Indeed, it was unusual for there to
be a house this big in such a small village.
Out of the rooms, two were Mido and Yis’s rooms while one was a storage
room. The last room was given to me and Daniela for the night. We would
also be having dinner with them. It was to show our gratitude to them for
letting us stay. Well, I would be the one cooking.
“Do you have ingredients?”
“Yes. As we travel a lot, I keep a lot of things in my bag.”

“I see… A hollow bag. That is rare…”
Yis looked surprised when I pulled out some meat and vegetables from the
bag. I felt a little embarrassed. It’s not like I bought it myself… I hope
Russell was doing well. I was really starting to miss Fhiraldo. Some of the
things that happened really sucked, but the town had so much more to offer,
including some great people. Besides, it’s where I met Daniela.
“Hm? What, Asagi?”
“Uhh, nothing. Alright, I’m getting serious tonight!”
And out came the ingredients. Meat, vegetables, fish, fruits. The fish were
river fish. I had caught them by attaching a strip of vine and using some sharp
monster bones as hooks and then holding it over the water with some bait.
The fish looked quite edible. Good, even. It would be grilled with some salt.
The meat and vegetables were fried separately with the special sauce. After
that, I made some soup. It was a little spicey. The fruits were squeezed to
make juice, which balanced out the meal nicely.
I put all of the dishes down on the table and gave Marco some meat that I had
cooked separately.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Now, dig in!”
“Ah, don’t mind if I do.”
“Thank you!”
“Ruff!”
“Munch-munch.”
Yis and Mido put their hands together before eating. Marco barked happily
before digging in. Daniela tore into the fish straightway as if she was done
waiting. After the first bite, everyone was smiling. Good. I was relieved that
they liked it. Now, time to eat my own…
“Hey, Daniela.”
“Mmm..mm..hmm?”
“Where’s my fish?”
“Mmm…gulp. Why, it is right here. In my stomach.”
“…”
I don’t know what it was about Daniela, but all I could think of was, ‘oh, so it
tasted that good, eh?’ She really was…there was no use, really.
is left eyelid.
“A fairy tinkered with this eye. It was a long time ago when I was greatly
injured. A fairy helped me, but there was a mishap.”
“A mishap?”
Yis looked like he was trying to suppress a roar of laughter as he recalled it.
“Quite a mishap, too. This fairy had forgotten that human eyes are different
from fairy eyes. And so now, this eye can see good and evil in people.”
Yis added that he may originally have been the type of person that fairies
were fond of.
“So, fairies can see good and evil as well?”
“Aye. Though, not many people know it. Miss Daniela, she can see fairies
too, can’t she? She must have understood what I was seeing.”
Daniela had a tendency of becoming a poor talker when it mattered. Or she

just forgets to tell me important things… Or maybe she just thought I already
knew. That was nice in a way, but perhaps she had too much trust in me. I
was still an ignorant person from another world.
“Well, that was how I developed this unique skill. It’s called Eye of
Character. As the name suggests, it allows me to see a person’s character.”
“I had no idea that skills could develop in such a way.”
“It is definitely unusual. But it allowed me to save Mido’s life. And Marco is
well. Hahaha. All good things.”
I drained my cup. But it was just juice. Not the best way to end a meal.
Just then, the window in the living room began to rattle. It seemed like a
strong wind, but that was a little strange, given the time…and then something
slapped my cheek. I turned in surprise, but no one was there. I just felt a
gentle breeze move towards the door.
“Was that…a spirit?”
“The wind is strong. Something might have happened out there.”
“Wind… Do you think that something might have happened to Daniela?”
I frantically went for my sword, but Yis grabbed my arm.
“Wait, Asagi. I’ll go too.”
“Thank you!”
“I hoped that we would have a peaceful night…but it looks like it’s come. I
can tell.”
“It?”
I tried to calm down as I waited for his reply. Yis picked up his own sword
that was against the wall. He turned to me with a serious expression.
“The wyvern.”
chapter 144
“A wyvern?!”
My voice trembled a little at this unexpected answer. That was the kind of
enemy that you usually had to gather a full party for…but then again, there
was that time I beat one solo. Still, it was a victory achieved after Rex and the
others had chipped away at its health. Yes, I now had a good idea of the way
the wyverns moved, but I wasn’t confident that I could take on a healthy one.
It would probably tear me to shreds.
“To be precise, it’s a lesser wyvern. They are a weaker type, but there are no
Adventurers in this village… As a retired Adventurer, I do what I can to drive
it back every time, but I am not able to finish it. What I want help with, is
hunting it down.”
So that was the truth of it. Well, this was not the kind of thing to discuss with
Daniela at our leisure. If Yis died, then the village would be destroyed!
Even more, there was a possibility that Daniela was fighting it herself just
now. There was no time to waste. Still, I strapped on the Glampanzer,
adjusted my armor and also took out the Schwarz Tempest. More haste, less
speed, as they say. These were the times you had to make sure that your
equipment was right. Daniela was stronger than me, so there was no way that
she would be killed so quickly. I was confident in that. I would bet on it. Yis
was a veteran, so he too began to prepare while taking everything into
account. His armor was simple, but I could tell that the materials were good.
“Alright, let’s go. It should be attacking the farm.”
“Understood.”
Yis ran in the lead. There was a wind blowing at our back as if to rush us on.
But it was probably just the spirits. I started to think that it meant that Daniela
was calling me, and it made me anxious. Even though Daniela would have
likely said, ‘calm down, you stupid bastard.’
Suddenly, I looked down and saw that Marco was running right next to me.
“Mister Yis. It’s Marco!”
“What?! Hey, Marco. You stay at home!”
Yis said roughly as he turned to look while we were running. But Marco did
not listen. There was a look in the wolves eyes that suggested he would defy
any such orders.
“Damn it. Don’t do anything stupid!”
“Ruff!”
To be honest, a forest wolf would just get in the way.
“Yis, a forest wolf won’t be much help…and he’s wounded.”
“Ah, perhaps I haven’t told you yet? Marco isn’t any old forest wolf. He’s
part of a sub-species.”
“What?”
“To be exact, he’s a wald wolf. They are a rare breed that are sometimes born
among forest wolves.”
I’ve never heard of them before. Were they different from abnormally
evolved beings?
“No, their origins are different. Those creatures come to exist when they have
lived a long time and have taken in very thick mana. And that causes them to
evolve.”
“I’m surprised you know about that…isn’t that information classified?”
“Just as you know about it, Asagi. I have my sources.”
Yis said with a wink. Damn it, he looked cool.

“These wald wolves were born where mana was very thick. Apparently, they
change in the womb when the mother is exposed to the mana. The mother
might die if exposed for too long. However, even if she doesn’t die, it has a
great impact on the weak, unborn pup.”
“And that’s how these mutant, wald wolfs are born.”
“Yes. …Hmm, I can hear it now. It’s at the farm, after all. And someone is
fighting it!”
The streets were dark at night, but I could see, thanks to Nighteyes. We had
been quite active at night recently, so it had leveled up and I could see better
than usual. Past the buildings, I could see small but impressive wings within
an enclosure. The shape of those wings were carved into my memory.
Dragons.
“…Damn it. I forgot!!”
“What? Asagi!”
“I’m going on ahead!!”
Dragons. Dragons. Lesser wyverns are a species of dragons. The enemy that
Daniela hates the most! Damn it. I should have listened to Yis when I had the
chance.
I had Legs of the Forest Wolf on at full blast. I could no longer be so

concerned for Yis now.
“Wha-t?!”
I apologized silently as I dashed through the air, leaving a shocked Yis. A

flying wyvern would be less likely to expect an aerial attack. That was my
immediate idea. But at the same time, I wanted to look down from above to
see if Daniela was alright.
It was the center of the large farm. As it was night, the livestock were not
outside. Instead, there was one unbelievable monster. It was smaller than the
wyvern I had killed before, but its movements were very different. It was
leaping around rapidly and dodging attacks. Its tail swept around in a smooth
motion. Occasionally, it would bat its wings, sending a wind to rush through
the grass.
As I thought, it was Daniela who was fighting the lesser wyvern. Her rapier
was in her hand as she rolled and dodged the attacks, but she seemed slower
than usual. Still, as someone who had seen her freeze with fear before, I had
to sigh in relief that she was able to fight. I expected her to be shaking and
about to be trampled. But Daniela had overcome her fear to the point where
she was able to fight. Still, I could not keep her waiting any longer.
“I’m coming…!”
I held my greatsword up and sent a surge of blue magic into it. The sword
was enveloped with a swirl of water that enhanced its cutting edge. I didn’t
know how effective it would be against dragons, but it was the most powerful
attack I was currently capable of.
I faced the ground and kicked the air above me. The green and silver wind
launched me even faster towards the ground. I was targeting its wings. I
thought about going for its head, but that seemed like a bad idea, considering
I wasn’t sure if this attack would even work. The advantage of this ambush
would be lost. So I was intent on going for the narrow joints of its wings.
That was what I thought as I swung my sword.
“Daniela. Get out of the way!”
“…!”
I rose my voice when I was so close that the wyvern would not be able to
react even if it noticed me. That was all it took for Daniela to jump back. The
wyvern heard me too. It tried to turn its head to look up, but it was too slow.
It almost looked like it was still as my sword came down. Perhaps if it had
moved instead of looking, it would have been able to dodge it.
“Haaah!”
There was a flash of blue. And then the wyvern’s right wing came off
cleanly.
“GAGHHHHHAAAAA!!!”
The wyvern swirled around as it cried in pain. I moved away and picked up
Daniela.
With Legs of the Forest Wolf, I carried her away and moved into the shadow
of a building.
“Sorry that I’m late.”
“It is fine…you came…!”
Daniela wrapped her arms tightly around me. I held her back, happy that she
was unharmed. Her hands and body were shaking. She must have been
scared. It was a battle with her childhood trauma. Of course, she would be
scared.
“Are you injured?”
“No… I knew you would come. So I did my best.”
“Thank you…I’ll finish this quickly.”
“Mmm…I will be waiting.”
Daniela’s arms unraveled from around me as she wiped at her eyes with her
sleeve. I brushed her disheveled hair from her face and stood up. Through
Presence Detection, I could tell that the lesser wyvern had stood up and was
now searching for me. I needed to show myself quickly, or it would start
breathing everywhere.
I knelt down and kissed Daniela on the cheek before darting off. I passed the
building and deliberately appeared right in front of it. The wyvern saw me
and roared with rage.
“GRRRRAAAAGGHH!!!”
“Shut up, you bastard. You tormented Daniela! I’ll kill you!”
I held the greatsword up and ran. The lesser wyvern beat its remaining wing
to create wind. But the wind from a single wing would not do much…
“Ggg…Agh!”
Surprisingly, the wind cut at my fingers and cheek. I had assumed that it
would be an ordinary wind. I had actually witnessed a wind attack by dragon
magic before, but not an attack through the beating of wings. That was
because Rex and the others had hurt the wings so bad that they were
useless… But it seemed now that dragon magic affected the beating of wings
as well. Lesson learned…I wouldn’t be hit by it again.
A gap opened between us again, and this time the wyvern came to bridge it.
It’s two legs stomped on the ground and its open jaw showed countless teeth
as it attacked. I slashed horizontally with my greatsword, trying to cut it
before it could cut me. But the wyvern was no fool. It quickly closed its
mouth and clamped over the sword.
It was wounded, but it could still move. And as a dragon, it’s power was
immense. It swung its head to the side, nearly prying the sword from my grip.
I tried to hold on, but found myself being carried off of the ground. And so I
used Legs of the Forest Wolf to cover me, allowing me to move without
going against the force pulling me. The wyvern must have thought I let go
then, because its jaw loosened and my sword slipped out. I was still airborne
and upside down as I swung my sword at the wyvern below me. Its claws
slash through my clothes, but my sword continues to fall at the same speed.
The blue of the blade glows in the darkness of the night, falling towards its
target…but no. There was a horrible sound as the blade bounced off of its
scales.
“Tsk…so it didn’t work.”
The last wyvern I had fought had also blocked all swords. Magic attacks were
effective, but not swords enhanced by magic, it seemed. As I valued speed, I
had avoided using magic, but it seemed that I would have to cover the blade
with water like before… I probably should have went for the head when I had
the chance, but there was no point in thinking about it now. But I had only
been able to take the wing because it hadn’t been expecting me. Taking the
head when it was completely alert would be almost impossible.
“GRURURURRRUU…”
The lesser wyvern growled as it snapped at my sword again. While this one
was smaller, it didn’t necessarily mean that it was weaker. The look of
murderous rage in its eyes was real.
But suddenly, the lesser wyvern cried and let go of my sword. I used Legs of
the Forest Wolf then and jumped through the air and landed behind it. Now I
was able to see the Yis had come and was cutting at the wyvern’s tail.
The lesser wyvern turned around, feeling the pain. Yis predicted an attack
and lifted his sword to block it. But I wouldn’t let it attack at all. It’s back
was open. And that tail was long as hell. This time, I sent a surge of blue
magic through the sword, wrapping the blade in water as it swung down.
“Argaaahhh!!”
The greatsword cut through the dragon scales with ease. Both flesh and bones
were severed and the tail was cut off at the root.
“GGGRRYAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!”
It stumbled with a cry of pain. It’s dragon wind burst into a chaotic storm
around us. I somehow managed to dodge it as I rushed towards Yis.
“I underestimated you! That was incredible!”
“No! I just have great weapons!”
“Marco and I barely played a part!”
In fact, had I not had a greatsword with blue magic, my attacks would have
been very pathetic. I would have just been tickling it with an ice sword,
probably. This sword really helped me. I was so thankful to Kasil and the
blue-colored blacksmith.
The wyvern could not balance itself without a tail, and it was wobbly on its
feet. But more than that, the pain was taking over. Eventually, it would not be
able to stand, and then it would be over. The only thing left was to take off its
head.
“I’ll deal the final blow!”
“Be careful, Asagi. It can be the most dangerous during these moments!”
I nodded as I walked forward. The wild wyvern looked at me. I didn’t know
if it was anger or fear, but it howled and howled.
I held the sword up and imbued it with magic. It was as if the wyvern
recognized what this meant, and it began to suck in its breath. It was going to
try and end this here and now.
It was going to breathe.
However, that meant it was open for a second.
In that instant, an explosion of wind erupted around my legs and shot me

forward. There was no time for anyone to see the flash of blue when I
attacked and the head flew off. Its breath came the moment that my sword
went through, and the head was launched into the air. At the same time, fresh
blood shot out of the stump and covered the ground with red.
“In the end, speed beats everything.”
I thrust my sword into the ground and turn around. What I saw then was the
lesser wyvern. Life was gone from its eyes as it sunk into the ocean of blood.
chapter 145
It was just as the clamor around the farm started to die down that the villagers
began to gather. They were all holding torches. When the light in the area
increased, the devastation of the farm became clearer.
The grass was dyed with blood. The fences were broken by the wind. The
ground was all upturned… The first old man who appeared was the farmer
who owned this land. He was talking with Yis as they approached me.
“Ah, so you are the one who killed the lesser wyvern. Thank you. I’m Regar,
the owner of this farm.”
“I’m Asagi. Sorry…that we made such a mess…”
“What are you saying! It would have been much worse had you not put an
end to that thing! I am grateful, and see no reason why I should blame you?”
I looked up at his face then. Mister Regar was smiling as he offered his right
hand. I was a little surprised to see him so happy. And before I knew it, I was
smiling and squeezing his hand.
After that, I left the rest to Yis and went running back to Daniela. She was
sitting in the shadows of the same building and looking at us. She seemed
calm as she waved at me.
“I’m back, Daniela.”
“Welcome, Asagi.”
We hugged tightly. She wasn’t shaking anymore, but I held her close
regardless.
“Sorry that I was late.”
“It does not matter. We are both alive. What more could we want?”
She said as she slapped me on the back and then let go of me. She was fine
now.
“Still, Daniela. I’m surprised with you. You were fighting with it when you
had been so afraid before.”
“Not as surprised as I was. Perhaps being with you has removed some of the
poison in my body.”
She had been alone for so long… And maybe she had found her medicine. If
we stayed together, one day she might heal completely.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Come on, the others are waiting.”
“Aye, let us go.”
As we walked back to the farm, Marco came running towards us. I petted him
as he looked at us playfully. Yis was waving towards us. We waved back. For
some reason, his face lit up and he began to wave excitedly, which was a
strange thing to see from someone of that age. Daniela and I looked at each
other and burst into laughter.
□ □ □ □
Later on, everyone returned to their houses for the night. It had been decided
that the mess would be dealt with the next morning.
When the morning came, I, Daniela, Mister Yis, Mido and Marco walked
together towards the farm. The villagers had gathered as well. They were
excited to dissect the lesser wyvern. However, it would not be cut by ordinary
blades. And so I created knife-sized ice swords and passed them out. The fact
that maintaining the edge on those blades took so much magic energy that I
ended up being even more exhausted than I was after the battle with the
wyvern…would be kept a secret.
By the time we were finished taking the monster apart, the sun was about to
set. That was strange… It seemed like it had been morning only a short while
ago.
“Ahh, that was tiring work!”
Regar said as he sat next to me on the grass. He was wiping the sweat off of
his forehead, but looked incredibly pleased.
“It’s not exactly the first time I’ve killed a wyvern. But I never had to cut one
up before. I’m exhausted…”
“What? You have fought a wyvern before, Asagi?”
“Uh, yeah… I had been watching some other Adventurers as they fought one.
And things were looking pretty bad, so I butted in, let them escape and then
sort of just ended up killing it.”
“Ohhh… You must be a lot more dangerous than you let on…”
That being said, that wyvern was wounded. It couldn’t even fly.
“Still, I am glad that you came. That wyvern had been making a meal of
many of our livestock… We were all worried that it would move on to
human flesh…”
“It’s a good thing it was dealt with before that happened.”
“Aye. You are damn right!”
Losing your livestock was like losing the tools of the trade. It was losing the
foundation of your livelihood. And yet, Regar was laughing as if he had
never been more entertained. It was as if he found pleasure in just being
alive… Or gratitude…
“Well, then. You helped us greatly. But this is a small village, and there is no
guild. So we all pooled our money together in order to offer you a reward.
Though, I’m sorry that it is not much.”
“Uh, we didn’t have any intention of receiving anything… Actually, I

thought maybe you could all share the materials from it?”
That would go a long way to repairing the damage done to the village.
“No, no, no. We would not be setting a good example if we did that. And it
was you people who slew the wyvern. We cannot accept. It has already been
decided, and I would be very troubled if you did not accept it.”
“Uh, but…”
I felt a little awkward as Regar laughed, his eyebrows slanted in a somewhat

distressed expression. Just then, a voice rang from behind me.
“Please take it, Asagi.”
“Yis…”
He sat down next to me on the other side.
“I think I know a thing or two about you now. You’re thinking that the
materials should also go towards restoring the village, aren’t you?”
“…You’re damn right.”
“Haha. I knew it!’
Yis laughed as he pointed at his left eye. I suppose he was saying that nothing
escaped him…
“This is a small village. It is because it is small that we can work together in

unity. In a way, it is the strength of Dana village. We can survive even after a
wyvern has eaten some of our animals.”
“That’s…good, but…”
“Yes, is this not a great place?”
Yis looked at the village under the sunset sky. It was isolated. The sound of
the wind pushing the creaking blades of the windmills was very comforting.
The villagers were all smiles as they folded the hide and wings of the wyvern
and stuffed them into a bag.
A small boy was proudly showing his mother a fang that he had managed to
release. Of course, she snatched it away. This is for the Adventurers! She said
angrily. The boy looked sad, but nodded as she placed it back into his hand
and sent him running towards us.
“Here. You can have it.”
“Uh, thanks. As a reward, I’m giving it to you.”
And I put the fang back into his his palm and closed his fingers around it. He
tilted his head to the side. ‘Do you mean it?’ he asked. Of course. I said with
a nod. Then my eyes met his mother’s. I felt a little uncomfortable, but she
looked happy as she laughed happily and bowed. I smiled back.
“Thank you, mister!”
“Yeah. Later then.”
The boy waved his hand and then ran off. I waved back. He looked happy
from the bottom of his heart as he ran to his mother to tell her about what had
happened.
“This really is a nice village.”
“Aye. I am very fond of this place.”
“Yes, I’m proud to live here.”
Regar was now sitting next to Yis and they were laughing.
“…I think I will accept the reward. Gladly.”
“Aye, take it. I don’t know how it compares to your level or equipment, but
you can always sell it.”
“Yes, yes. You can never have too much money. If it helps you at all on your
travels, we will be very happy!”
It was very decent of them. I bowed and said thank you.

I watched the almost nostalgic scene of the sun setting, and thought again
about everything that had happened since coming to this world. Always. I
was always helped by someone. No matter where I went or who I met. I felt
that it showed just how good people were at heart in this world. Of course,
there were some who were not like that as well. But it was things that were
beautiful and shined that seemed to cover everything else and grab me like
nothing else could.
There was one thing that I had been thinking about for a while. The reason
that I had been brought here. That voice that had rung in my brain after I had
been stabbed and was about to take my last breath. I was starting to believe
that it was God. The last wish of a man who had been tired with life had been
heard.
I had wanted to live a better life. There was so much I should have done.
It was a vague wish, but now I see that it really had come true. There was
Daniela next to me, and so many great people. And I was grateful to be alive
now.
I watched the last glimpse of the sun disappear into the horizon. Now, I truly
felt that I was living the life that I had longed for back then on that day.
chapter 146
We spent that night at Yis’s house again. As we were all exhausted, we
quickly ate some of the street stall food I took out, then bathed and went to
bed. Both Daniela and I were tired from the work of the day. On top of that, I
had used up so much magic, that I fell into a deep sleep until morning.
When we awoke, Yis had prepared breakfast for us. It was scrambled eggs,
fried bacon and baked bread. Simple but it made the most of the ingredients.
And sometimes, that was the best. It was definitely something to take note of.
“Thank you. That was delicious.”
“That’s a relief. I wish you could eat more…but I believe you are leaving?”
Yis said as we were drinking some coffee. I was surprised that coffee even
existed in this place. I had not had caffeine in so long…but it was apparently
a popular drink near the imperial capital.
And so I savored my first cup in ages.
“…Yeah. We’ve bothered you for two days already.”
“I really do not mind. But I suppose that’s a different matter.”
He said with a laugh. That made me happy. It always did. But we were
traveling. Daniela and I intended to travel the world. We couldn’t stop
halfway down the road.
“Thank you. You’ve been a great help to us.”
“These past few days have been very good. Thank you.”
Daniela and I bowed. Yis was scratching his cheek as if a little embarrassed
by all of this. But Mido and Marco looked sad as they looked at the ground. I
patted them both on the head and they raised their heads and smiled.
“By the way, Mido. I heard from Mister Yis that you and Marco came to this
village together?”
“Yes, we did. I don’t remember it at all, but Marco led me all the way here.
We’ve lived with Yis ever since.”
“I see. I see. That was very smart, Marco.”
Marco barked happily as I scratched him. On close inspection, the forest

wolf’s eyes were a fiery red. Forest wolves usually had brown eyes…
Perhaps that was the difference between them. Interesting creatures…these
monsters.
“Mido. We’re going to leave now. You and Marco take care.”
“Yes…you too Asagi. And Daniela!”
“Aye. Goodbye Mido. Eat a lot and grow tall.”
“I will!”
“Ruff!”
Mido said cheerfully as he hugged his wolf. I could only imagine what had
happened to him up until he arrived in this village. And I hoped it would all
turn out well.
“Regar has been holding onto the lesser wyvern materials for you. Go and
collect them before you leave.”
I had to collect them. It was being given to use as a form of gratitude from
the people here. Yes…maybe I would have matching necklaces made for
Daniela and me once we reached a big city…that’s a great idea.
“Also, one warning.”
Yis suddenly looked very serious as he looked at us and continued.

“There is one town that you will most certainly have to pass when heading
towards the imperial capital. Unlike this village, it can be quite dangerous.
You should be careful.”
“Is that right… Things were pretty safe for us up until now. That makes me a
little anxious.”
“It is unusual for the empire… That is one place where the military seems to
lack control. A town of shadows. So be on your guard.”
“Yes, I understand.”
That was a little worrying… But as long as we knew beforehand, it should be

alright. We would be prepared for possible trouble.
After that, Daniela and I returned to our room to prepare for our journey. I
put on my armor and carried our belongings outside so we could lightly clean
up the room. Just a small show of gratitude. I was glad once again that I had
bought a broom.
Once that was done, the only thing left was to leave.
“Well, we’ll be going now. Thanks for everything.”
“Thank you.”
“Be careful. And if you ever find yourselves near us again, do stop by and
say hello.”
“Yeah, of course. See you, Mido, Marco.”
“Yes, see you again!”
“Ruff-ruff!”
We shook hands and hugged and said our goodbyes. There was a little regret,
but we had promised to meet again. So I wasn’t sad.
And so we left Yis’s house and headed for the farm. The fences were still
broken, but they had been temporarily mended, it seemed. Perhaps the lesser
wyvern blood had evaporated or returned to the earth, because I didn’t see
any red anywhere. Regar’s house was next to the farm, and he immediately
answered and opened the door when I knocked. He stood there with a big
smile on his face.
“Ah, you sure kept me waiting! But I won’t do the same to you two. Here are
the materials. Take ‘em!”
There were three large bundles next to the door. Wings, scales, hide etcetera.
“Thank you. We’ll take good care of it.”
“No, no, no. Don’t take care of it. You’re much better off selling it as soon as
you get the chance!”
He said with a laugh. He was very kind to offer such advice even as we were
leaving.
Daniela picked up the bundles as I opened the hollow bag. It looked like they
were being sucked into it. We repeated this three times and then we were
done.
“Well, well, well. That is convenient. And pretty expensive too, I wager?”
“I’m not quite sure? It was a gift, you see.”
“Ah, indeed.”
Regar stared at the bag thoughtfully.
“And that is a cute doll. Did you make it?”
“That was also a gift. It was from the grandchild of a village chief who
helped us out before.”
I touched the small figure that Merica had given me. I always felt better when
I looked at it.
“Hehe. It seems that many people are fond of you.”
“Many people are too kind.”
“Hahaha. Well, perhaps they see something that you don’t. In any case, even
I am sad that you are leaving. However, I know better than to try and stop
someone who is traveling.”
Regar put his hands on my shoulders and embraced me.
“See you around, Asagi. And you too, Miss Daniela!”
He gave Daniela a hug and then waved his hand.
“Take care, Mister Regar!”
“Let us meet again.”
We waved goodbye and then left. It really was a nice town. They were sad to
see a pair of Adventurers leave after only staying for three days.
As we walked through the village towards the east, people stopped working
to wave at us. All of them were smiling. By the time we were out of the
village, I was almost ready to cry.
“I’ve been feeling way too sentimental recently…maybe I’m getting old.”
“Asagi, you know very well that we do not talk about age.”
□ □ □ □
We headed east after leaving the village. There was supposed to be a wide
river that was a two days walk from us. The town we were headed towards
was by this river. Of course, this was all according to Daniela’s information.
“It must be the town that Yis was talking about. You cannot cross this river
without going through the town.”
“Hmmm… A rare and dangerous town within the empire, huh? …And
what’s it called?”
“Uh…I believe it was called the Riverside Town of Nicora.”
“Riverside Town…Nicora…”
It was a pretty name. But it was apparently the worst… I didn’t really want to
go, but we had no choice… We would just have to be careful.
“Well, we have two days if we take our time walking. That will leave us
plenty of time to be prepared. We can talk about how we will handle things
on the way.”
“Indeed. This will be my chance to shine. Prudence. Providing is preventing.

Prevention is better than a cure. I’m the master of all those things.”
“Aye, I will be counting on you then.”
Daniela’s career as a traveler dwarfed my own. But this was my moment.

After all, I worked the night shift every night without knowing if there ever
would be a robbery. I was sensitive to danger. But then again, I have a history
of getting stabbed, so maybe I wasn’t the most trustworthy. Asagi
Kamiyashiro. The sad, night-shift, Adventurer.
chapter 147
“Alright, Daniela. The first thing is cutpurses.”
Several hours had passed since we left the village and walked towards the
east. The sun had gone down and our stomachs were full from dinner. The
only thing to do was wait until morning. And so we started to discuss what
we would do to beat this dangerous town called Nicora.
“Hmm. Cutpurses. Yes, most of the times they just take what is in your
pockets.”
“Right. I think that if you’re not careful, they bump into you with an, ‘oh,
pardon me,’ and then rob you blind.”
That totally happens. I say this as if I’ve seen it happen many times, but I
never have. But I knew about it, so it was fine.
“But Asagi, do you not put your purse in the hollow bag?”
“Hmm? Oh… Well, yeah.”
I was afraid of dropping it, so I always kept it in my bag… So it couldn’t

exactly get stolen.
“And no one would dare steal my bag right? So it will be fine.”
“No. That is careless, Asagi.”
Daniela said as she threw some wood into the fire.
“I myself had had my bags stolen in the past.”
“What?”
Was she really that dumb…?

“It was a long time ago. I had been searching for an inn. And this child
appeared and claimed to be the child of an innkeeper, you see. And then he
said he would carry my bags and lead me to the inn. It was as I was
appreciating the thorough service, that the child disappeared into the crowd
and I lost him.”
“Woah…”
“These things happen. So you must take care of your belongings.”
That was the kind of mistake tourists make on their first trip abroad…
“There are other things that can happen as well. For instance, you are so
happy to be in a new town and you are taking in your surroundings. And
before you know it, your backpack has been opened up…and robbed of its
contents.”
“Ohhh…”
That’s something an amateur traveler who is too used to peace would… No,
no, no. I couldn’t let my guard down either. After all, this was a different
world. And so I decided to hold my bag in front of me.
“But Asagi, advertising the fact that you are being cautious like that can lead
to trouble as well. They will see that you are scared, so be careful.”
“What the hell do you want me to do…”
I can’t do this. I can’t do that. So there was nothing I could do to prevent it.
“It’s easy. Always be aware, and if someone confronts you, strike them
immediately. It does not matter if they are in a group or it is an ambush. Fight
back, head-on and annihilate them. Then they will not bother you again.”
“I’m not sure if the town is what I should be worried about…”
When in Rome, they say. But I didn’t see the point in lowering ourselves to
that level of barbarism. We were classy Adventurers. You know, smart,
elegant resolutions were my style.
“You say that, but force can only be conquered with force, you know? They
will not be moved by mere words.”
“That seems a little harsh. But then again, even if they do understand your
words, sometimes people seem to hear them through some mysterious filter.
It’s the same no matter where you are.”
I thought back to all the customers that were like that during my night shift. I
laughed.
“So you have experience, Asagi?”
“Sort of. In the other world, that is.”
“I see… So they are everywhere. You did of course, annihilate them?”
“I of course, did not.”
I would get arrested.
And with that, the fruitless discussion came to an end. I was not sure that we
were really going to be okay…
□ □ □ □
The following day, we were forced to march through the rain that started in
the morning. It was difficult to see, and the road was muddy as hell. I missed
asphalt dearly.
“Is there nothing to stop the rain from hitting you on these days?”
“Hmm… There are umbrellas, but they take up so much space. And they are
expensive. Most people put on a hood and bear it.”
Huh… I hated getting wet, but there was nothing I could do besides pulling
down my hood, which I did. Very deeply. At the convenience store, we
stocked those cheap umbrellas…
I pushed my damp hair out of my face and paid attention to my feet for the
next three hours. It was just as I was feeling very sick of all of it, that the
clouds started to thin. It seemed like the rain would stop soon.
Things were just about to get better. Horrible timing, guys. At least have the
decency to appear where it isn’t muddy.
I pulled out my sword. I had been keeping Presence Detection to a very
limited range because of the rain, but I spread it out now. And then I
immediately sensed something to my left. It felt like…goblins.
“Are these special rain goblins?”
“No, just ordinary goblins. But do not let your guard down because of that.”
“Do I ever?”
“Often.”
“…”
That’s a bold-faced lie! It was just as I was going to claim complete

ignorance towards this accusation, when we were attacked by several goblins
wielding filthy weapons. They seemed awfully energetic in spite of being
under the rain in their underpants, but they were a nuisance to me and would,
therefore, have to go. This would be an easy job. Block, find your opening,
chop off head.
Of course, I was also staying cautious of my surroundings, so any such

stupidity as getting ambushed from the back was impossible. After all,
Daniela was covering me. And I was also covering Daniela. But then again,
by the way she moved, it always seemed like she didn’t need anyone to cover
her. I was catching up to her in terms of level, but my on-field experience
was still lacking. But it was important to slowly and diligently work your
way up.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
“Up until now, I only thought of goblins as a resource for getting ironware.”
“Well, that is certainly horrible to hear…”
“So what do you need for proof of the hunt?”
Yes, up until now I just took the weapons and left the rest. Taking their body
parts to the guild might have made me some money, but not as much as
taking the iron.
“Ah, goblins… I have not had to gather anything from them for so long, but I
believe that it is the ear. But I do not remember which one.”
“Ears, huh?”
Well, I wasn’t going to start collecting them now, anyway. I was very much
alright with some stingy Adventurer coming in and taking them after we left.
I’m sure the goblins would appreciate their remains being put to some kind of
use. That Adventurer will probably not be the most capable, but that was
nothing to me. You could not grow without a fight. It was the trick to living
as an Adventurer, and I could not forget that.
I gathered their weapons and then we moved the goblin bodies to the side of
the road so they would not get in the way. We also put our hands together as
a small sign of respect, and then returned to our journey.
The rain had now stopped, and beams of light were shining through the
cracks between the clouds. What did you call that again? I forgot.
The thick clouds were pushed away by the wind, and by the time the sun was
visible again, it was already about to set. Our progress had been hindered
because of the rain, and we would not arrive at the town. In fact, we could
actually see it from where we were, but the gate would likely be closed by the
time we got there. I could have used Legs of the Forest Wolf, but this was
one time that making a showy entrance into a new town was ill advised.
And so we decided to search for a place to set up camp for the night.
However, it was muddy almost everywhere, which put me in a gloomy mood.
“What should we do?”
“Hmm… These are the times that fire magic would be useful. We could dry
the ground…”
Unfortunately, there were no users of fire magic nearby. Me? Nope. I’m crap.
That being said, this was not a good time to do nothing and wait for it to get
dark. We could get attacked by monsters.
“Surely there is something we could…hmm?”
“What is it?”
“Uh, over there…”
It was hard to see from here, but there was a small cabin near the trees.
Maybe we could borrow it?
“I would not advise that.”
“…What if it is used by bandits?”
“…”
I would not like that. But you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few
eggs.
“Let’s just go and take a look.”
“And what will you do if there are bandits? Will you kill them?”
“It would be pretty barbarous to cut people’s throats from the side just
because they are bandits. I’ll step back and do what I can with fire magic.”
That was one egg I wasn’t going to break easily. Unnecessary killing was
wrong.
As Daniela’s skill with Presence Detection was higher, she concentrated on

the front. I took the rear and sides. …Yes, there was no one around.
Tap. I tapped Daniela on the shoulder once and nodded. We slowly made our
way forward, careful to not make any noise. Of course, I wouldn’t do
anything so clumsy as step on a twig. We would explore most carefully.
After we had advanced to a certain point, Daniela stopped. The cabin had
entered the reach of her Presence Detection. As she silently checked inside, I
continued to scan our surroundings. There was still nothing. As there weren’t
many trees here, I didn’t have to use it above our heads. But that also meant
that we wouldn’t be able to hide. Not us or any potential enemies.
“…Asagi. It seems to be fine.”
“I see…we should look inside then.”
Just because there was no one there, it didn’t mean it was a normal cabin.
Maybe it was used by bandits and they happened to be out now. If we found
weapons, food or stolen goods, we would leave immediately.
We remained cautious as we stood in front of the door. Thankfully, there

were no traps.
Daniela also checked the door, and it did not contain any tricks.
“I’m going to open it.”
“Yes.”
I slowly reached for the doorknob and pushed. The door opened slowly. Then
I held up the lantern I had prepared in advance. It was the magic lantern I had
swiped from the orcs.
Unsurprisingly, there was no one here. There were roughly stacked boxes,
but no weapons or stolen goods. No corpses either. There were some coats,
bows and daggers. I suppose those were weapons, but they were for hunters.
“Hmm…so it was a cabin for hunters then.”
“What a relief…”
In any case, it was probably safe. That didn’t mean we wouldn’t have to stay
up and stand watch, but it was still a relief. There seemed to be a small
kitchen as well, so our last night on the road would be accompanied by a nice
hot meal.
chapter 148
Staying up during the night was something I was used to after many nights of
traveling. However, things were a little different this time. This was a small
hunting lodge near a dangerous town. Who knew what could happen? I had
to accept it as being preferable to sleeping out in the open, but it still made
me uneasy.
It was just past two o’clock now. Daniela and I would be trading places soon.
It would affect me badly the next day if I didn’t get my sleep… Even though
I had built up a little bit of resistance from all those night shifts.
I could also just stay up and let Daniela sleep…
“Mmmm…hahhh…”
I was considering this option when Daniela yawned and sat up. She never
picked the best times to start getting up by herself…
“Asagi…I will take the watch now.”
“You could have slept a little longer.”
“I do not know why, but I woke up. This is not the kind of place to sleep
easy…”
So Daniela felt nervous as well. We were so concerned about each other…
“Well, guess I’ll get some sleep then… At least, there are no signs of people
or monsters now.”
“Mmm. Yes. Rest well.”
Daniela caressed my head gently as I lay down. I didn’t know what it was,
but this situation was quite comforting. She didn’t stop even after I closed my
eyes. With every stroke my consciousness faded, until I finally fell asleep.
□ □ □ □
I can hear Asagi breathing in his sleep now. It is because we are in this
situation that I want to offer what comfort I can.
“Hehe…”
The way he looks when he sleeps always brings a smile to my face. He

usually acts quite reliable, but there are some things you can’t hide when you
are asleep. There is a sort of innocence there that awakens a maternal instinct
in me. Well, I am not really the age to be his mother. Much too old, to be
honest.
“Hhh…”
It is sad that I sometimes lead myself to feelings of depression with my own

thoughts. I brushed those notions aside and concentrated on my surroundings.
The rain has stopped before nightfall. The wind continued to blow strongly,
but it was mostly dry. The ground was still wet, but the wind felt good as it
brushed against my cheeks.
It continued to blow even now, coming in through the cracks in the walls.
The wind was always strong during rainy days. And it did not rain like this
often, so I could tell that the wind spirits were excited. They tell me that that
air is especially delightful on days when the clouds are that big.
‘The air, very good…’
The spirits say as they flow in the air in front of me. As someone who is not a
fairy, I worried that such strong winds would just blow them far away. And
this hunting lodge did not look very durable. The door was shaking noisily
even now. But Presence Detection had not caught anything, so there was no
chance of it being a human behind the door.
The breeze that came from the cracks were often just spirits coming and
going. That being said, they were often sleeping in their pajamas as this
happened, and it was not by their own will that they invaded. I watched and
wondered how these things happened, but there was no use asking. You had
to just believe what the fairies said. There was no point in thinking about it.
“…I feel bored.”
There was nothing to do. Not a single monster could be felt with Presence
Detection. Such peace was welcome, but having nothing to do also made me
sleepy.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, my mind wandered to the stack of wooden boxes. We had figured

out that this was a hunting lodge, but what were those boxes used for?
I stood up and opened the lid of the box on the top. Underneath, there was a
cloth. Perhaps to protect the content from dust? It seemed a little rude of my
to pry further, but I was bored and curious. And those two things can be very
motivating.
I held the edge of the cloth and slowly raised it.
“…Ah. So that is what this is…”
The box contained magic stones of many colors.
□ □ □ □
“Hello and good morning.”
We said good morning even though it was night during my night shift. After
all, the night would always end and the morning would come. The night shift
only ended once the morning rush did.
“Asagi, you look very tired.”
“Sorry… I’m just so, so, so sleepy.”
“Hey, I told you to get up!”

“Sorry.”
I always wondered if my boss suffered from having a split personality. The

way she could change was nothing short of outrageous.
Still, what she told me was your ordinary warnings. I couldn’t show myself
like this in front of customers. Stand straight, Asagi! I slapped my cheeks and
tried to wake myself up. Alright, almost there! …Huh!?
“Boss…could you not touch my hair like that?”
“Hehe. You have very nice hair. I’m jealous.”
This was her being sarcastic. In other words, she was telling me to get a
haircut. I didn’t have any work today, so maybe I could go to the barber…
Oh, here are the customers now. Unsurprisingly, they were mostly salary men
and students. After all, we were right by the train station. Sometimes I
wondered why they didn’t just use the convenience store inside of the station,
but these guys kept us afloat, so I wasn’t complaining. Thank you, and all
that.
“Asagi. You can leave for the day.”
“Oh? But I still have some time left…”
“You’ll be called soon anyway. Leave this to me.”
But it was still seven-thirty. I wouldn’t get paid for this hour if I left…
“Hey, I’m telling you to leave. Idiot.”
“Sorry.”
If the boss says it’s okay, then maybe it is. Besides, she’d kick me in the ass
if I stayed. So I pushed the button that meant I was leaving. Goodbye, money
I could have made…
“Well, see you la…mm…gg…uhh…”

Suddenly, I felt very dizzy. I felt sick. I couldn’t stand…
“See, they came for you. Go and have fun.”
“Bo..what…?”
“Later.”
She slapped me on the back. I was already feeling horrible, but that hit
pushed me over the edge and my vision went black. It was almost like the
time I got stabbed…? The thief? That memory…yes. It had happened.
“Ah…what. Oh, it was a dream…that’s why it had seemed so nostalgic…”
□ □ □ □
“…up, Asagi. Hey…”
“Mmm…”
“There you are. We must leave at once.”
“Is it bandits…?”
When I got up I felt a drop of something fall into the palm of my hand. What
the… Ah… Damn it. It was not as if I would ever be able to return. I’m so
weak.
“It might as well be. This place was only disguised to resemble a hunting
lodge. So… Hmm? What is it? Are you alright?”
“It-it’s nothing. So, how did you know that it was disguised?”
I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. Daniela was looking at me with worry. I

smiled and said that I was fine. Daniela nodded and then got to her feet
before opening one of the boxes.
“Hey, should we really be doing that?”

“No one can win against the power of curiosity. However, there are times
when it shows you the answer to your problem.”
She pointed at its contents, so I came next to her and looked. The box was
packed with magic ore of many colors. Huh…this was awkward. Why would
such a thing be placed in a hunting lodge?
“Woah…”
“It is horrible. I am not sure all of this would fit in the hollow bag…”
“Are you the devil?”
What kind of person has the immediate impulse to rob some bandits of the
fruit of their efforts? Wait, no. That actually sounded like a great idea. Now
that I think of it, the hollow bag had also been taken from bandits as well.
“It doesn’t seem right…”
“To be very honest, this is probably the funds that they use to operate. We
can force them into disbanding if we take it all.”
“Won’t they just steal back what they lost?”
“Regardless, taking is what bandits do. But take away their funds, and they
will not be able to buy food or equipment. They will be vulnerable to attacks
then.”
I wasn’t sure the people of Nicora would help in taking down the weakened
bandits… Sometimes Adventurers or caravans did. And I suppose it was true
that having money would make a difference in how they could fight. It was
something we experienced first hand.
“So it is settled then. We will take it.”
“You’re really set on this, huh…”
Years of traveling alone had shaped this Daniela. I would definitely have to
hear more of those years, later on.
And so Daniela and I put the boxes into the hollow bag. I had felt for a while
that the capacity of the bag seemed to have expanded, and because of it, all
ten of the boxes fit comfortably inside. It really was a cheat item. But then I
remembered where it had come from, and felt weary again.
“Now, let us make our escape before they come…!”
“You know, you’re really starting to sound like a thief yourself!”
Damn it…Daniela. I sighed. This was thievery no matter how I looked at it.
But, thank you.
“Asagi. Are you against taking something that is not properly owned by
anyone?”
“That’s an interesting way of putting it.”
“Then think differently, Asagi. Treasures are always acquired by taking them
for your own.”
“Maybe…”
“Either from humans or monsters. That is the only difference.”
Daniela looked as if what we were doing was the most natural thing. I felt
that my incredibly nostalgic dream had pulled my sensibilities and morals
back to that old world.
Now, I was an Adventurer. If this would lead to the weakening of bandits,

then it was quite normal. It was like taking food from your enemies.
“Yes…Daniela, you’re right.”
“Of course, we are still stealing.”
Daniela laughed, a little self-deprecating. I felt bad that I had pushed her into
feeling even a little guilt. While it wasn’t direct, we were fighting bandits in a
way by doing this. As long as we had discovered it, we could not ignore it.
We erased all traces of having stayed there and left the lodge. The moon was
still sitting in the sky, but it was only a matter of time. It would sink into the
west soon and the sun would rise in the east. Just where would we stay until
then? That was the current problem.
chapter 149
I felt guilty. Well then, what did I have to do to get rid of it?
We managed to find a relatively dry patch of dirt where we were able to lay
down a blanket. It was there that we huddled together and waited for the
morning. Daniela was on the alert the whole time while I wallowed in my
emotions.
This hollow bag that I had used all this time. It was also taken from bandits.
But it was confiscated by guards as part of their job, which made the means
completely standard.
But what of these boxes we had now? Was it right for any random
Adventurer to take them?
The answer was no. There had been no quest issued for us to retrieve it. And
so there was a part of me that insisted that what we were doing was nothing
short of robbery. It had been on my mind for a while now.
I was an outsider who came from a very peaceful world. But Daniela had
lived here ever since she was born.
We usually saw eye to eye on most things, so I was a little surprised to see
how different our mindsets were on this matter.
It was something that we needed to talk about seriously. Thankfully, we had

some time now.
And so I opened my mouth after deciding to speak.
“Hey…Daniela.”
“What, Asagi?”
The back of my nose hurt. Maybe I was just nervous.

“First, allow me to make my excuses.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“I’m not from here. I lived in a different world, and so there are fundamental
differences in the way we think. I didn’t say much because I didn’t want you
hate me.”
“Ah. Well, I do know how you feel.”
“Thank you. And so, it’s about those boxes…I don’t think we should keep
them.”
“Hmm… You will have to explain this to me so I can understand.”
Daniela said as she stared at me. Ah, my hands were starting to sweat. I hated
these kinds of things. We Japanese are not great when it comes to saying no.
Conflict like this was usually to be avoided.
However, I told her what I had been thinking. I wanted her to know how I felt
without looking away.
“…And so, because we did not acquire them by rightful means, we should
pass it on to the town guards. If we want to continue to live with pride. That’s
what I think.”
“…I see, yes. Asagi, your view is correct. I see nothing wrong with it. It is
good. However, Nicora is known for being a dangerous place. What will you
do if it turns out that the town guards are in league with the bandits?”
Of course, I had considered this myself. But…
“That is up to the empire to deal with. Even if it results in there being victims
in the future, that would not be on us. Of course, if that happens right in front
of us, I am prepared to kill those bandits.”
“So you are willing to risk the possibility that giving it to the guards may help
the bandits in the long run?”
“Yes. I have to. If I want to continue to live as an upright person.”
Yes, ultimately it was all just for a sense of self-satisfaction. I didn’t want to
think of myself as a criminal. I didn’t want others to think of me that way. I
wanted to live with pride. I didn’t intend on shouldering all the responsibility
even if it led to sadness for someone else. My way of thinking was nothing
short of selfish.
I didn’t want to commit a crime. That’s all it was. And that mere wish had
brought on a storm of emotion.
But as a human who had been brought up in a peaceful world, it was

something I wanted to cling on to.
“…Asagi, I understand how you feel. It reminded me of something.”
“Reminded?”
“Aye… There was a time when I thought just like you.”
Daniela sighed and then chuckled.
“Living so long really does things to you…before you know it, things start to
shift where your eyes cannot see.”
“But that’s how you’ve lived all this time, isn’t it? And there is nothing
wrong with that at all.”
“Indeed… But just now, there is something righteous and blinding about you,
Asagi. It makes me hate you a little.”
She said as she pinched my cheek.
“I too had a sense of justice. Evil is evil. We should do good, etcetera. But…
when pushed to my limits, I learned to take from others in order to survive.
And it turned out to be a much easier way to live. Before long I forgot what it
had felt like at first.”
“You’ve gone through so much…”

“Aye, in a way.”
She seemed to be staring off into the distance. I could see a whirl of emotions
in her profile. Sadness, regret, joy and nostalgia. The look in her eyes
changed at a rapid pace, as if she were chasing memories of her travels. But
there was something in her expression that I couldn’t read.
Still, I thought she had never looked more beautiful.
□ □ □ □
The spot we had chosen to wait was not far from the town. It was only about
a twenty minute walk from the gate. And so we could see the town clearly
from here.
It was surrounded by a ash-colored wall to protect it from monsters and

bandits. There was something very dark about it considering it was near a
river.
While it wasn’t as big as Spiris or Replant, it was quite big to be called a

town. Its walls were high and thick, with sentries holding torches standing
guard on top. It seemed that those men were at least doing their job. Perhaps
they were forced to do it against their will? I couldn’t help but wonder.
We could see the west gate from where we were. We had come straight from
the east, but there were also roads leading from the north and south as well. I
saw several carriages flinging mud as they dashed down the road. It really
was a necessary stop for any who wished to enter the capital. The last caravan
I saw was accompanied by many guards as they headed for the gate.
We were watching this all very leisurely because we were eating breakfast. I
wasn’t used to having arguments and it had made me hungry. It was
definitely a rare thing for me to be the first to suggest it, but regardless, I
started a fire and began to cook some meat.
Some people who passed us by gave us jealous looks. And they were quite
right to, as our breakfast was very delicious.
“Let me get this straight, Asagi.”
“Yeah?”
“So, we give the guards the boxes. The empire is now responsible for what
happens to them. And we immediately leave the town.”
“There’s no need for us to do everything for them.”
“I suppose so.”
Uhhhh… So, we stayed the night in this lodge, you see…and then there were
these boxes…uh…yeah…they were suspicious looking…and so we opened
them up and they were full of these rocks.
And with that, our conscious would be saved. We could leave knowing that
we were 100% in the right. After that, Nicora’s problems would be dealt with
by the country. I wasn’t from this world and I wasn’t from the empire.
“Alright. We’ve satisfied our hunger. Time to go!”
“Riverside Town of Nicora… I have not been to a shanty town in a while. I

must stay on my guard.”
“I wonder how it will compare to Alessa?”
“Alessa should be nothing in comparison. This is a place where their military

has no power. If one is not careful…hehe.”
“Which side are you even on…”
I put the dirty blanket back into my bag and got up. Now, off we go.
chapter 150
“Next.”
That’s the only word you could hear at the west gate of Nicora. It was eight
in the morning.
It was of course, coming from the guards. They smoked cigars and their
clothes were unkempt. If anything, I was actually relieved at this point to
have my expectations met. All the guards I had met up until now had been
rather nice and helpful.
“Next.”
The caravan that was in front of us moved along, and it was now our turn.
Daniela was silently wearing her mask, in hopes that no one would talk to
her. I took her status card and handed it over with mine. The guard wrenched
them out of my hands. I might have been annoyed if I hadn’t anticipated this,
but Yis’s information had given me a lot of patience.
The guard was otherwise doing his job in peace, but unfortunately, I was
about to create some more work for him.
“Uh… Sorry to bother you, but it so happens that we picked up something

rather…shocking…”
“…You did what?”
I was trying to appear diffident. It was something I was good at, as I used to
work with customers at the store. I often altered my attitude depending on the
age of the customer. And so I knew that my safest bet in this case was to
portray an awkward and uncertain male type.
The guard’s eyes looked at me for the first time. He looked around for second
before moving closer. He smelled of cigars.
“What is it?”
“It’s magic ore. You know, horrible rain yesterday, wasn’t there? And there
was this old shed you see. We escaped into it and found this.”
I whispered this to the guard before pointing at the bag. It’s in there.
“Huh… A shed. A shed… And you mean to say that you brought it all here?”
“Oh, yes, we did. You can fit a lot in this bag.”
“…Well, leave it in the back of the guard house then…”
Then he whispered more quietly.
“Be careful that no one sees you.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant, and I didn’t feel like asking. I could tell that any
further prying would lead to danger.
“Understood, sir.”
“That will be all.”
He finally pulled away and pointed at the guard house with his spear. That
meant we could go. Also, it was where we were to leave it. I decided to obey
quietly.
□ □ □ □
When we went to the back of the guard house, there were three middle aged
guards who oozed slothfulness as they raised lazy eyes towards us. Uh, this
was awkward…
“Eh? Who are you?”
“Uh, um. The guard at the gate said that we should drop up the things we
picked up over here.”
“Picked up? Have you heard about this?”
“No, I’ve heard nothing.”
The three old men stood up now. The smartest looking of the group then said
he would ask his superior, and then he left. Then the other two stood in front
of me. They looked incredibly strong and were also quite tall… I felt like I
had stood in the shadow of a tree.
“So?”
“Uh, just wait one moment. I’ll take it out.”
I put the bag on the ground and thrust my hands into it. Feeling the edges of a
wooden box, I pulled it out. Strangely, I never felt the weight of an object
until it was completely out of the bag. Something about the space within was
different. Though, I had no idea how it worked.
Gently, I place the box next to the guards. The process was repeated until all
twelve of them were stacked on top of each other.
“Just let me open it.”
I say as I take off the lid and pick up the contents. There was an amber magic
stone in my hand. It had the earth attribute. I wasn’t sure what it was used
for…
“The boxes are full of these.”
“Ah, I see.”
That was all that the guard said as he picked up one of the stones and sighed.
“Huhhh… You’re not from here, are ya?”
“You bet. We came from Lambrusen.”
“Ahh… In any case, hmm. We’ll be keeping this then. That’s why you
brought it, no?”
“Yes. Taking lost items to the guards. Isn’t that standard practice?”
“Aye, you’re damn right it is.”
The guard tossed the stone back into the box and signaled for the other guard
to move away. Alright, I guess this meant that we could leave now. It was a
good thing that these guys were easy to deal with.
“Well, good luck!”
“Aye, have a pleasant journey.”
I waved at them and turned to leave…but was stopped by a voice.
“Hey, you. Adventurers. Wait right there.”
It was the smart-looking guard. I quickly turned to look at Daniela, and she
shook her head. That was the signal that we should leave.
“Uh, we’re really in a hurry…”
“Bah, it won’t take long. The captain wishes to thank you.”
Now that was suspicious as hell. He had only gone to confirm something, he
didn’t even know what it was that we had brought. And why would the
captain want to meet us just because we dropped something off? It was like
when the police department offer letters of commendation or something.
“Now, over here. Come with me.”
He opened the door as if he would not take no for an answer. We couldn’t

turn back now. If it came to it, I would go berserk so that Daniela could
escape.
“…Well, since you insist. I suppose I will!”
“Aye, just in this room in the back.”
“Certainly.”
I really didn’t want to, but we had no choice. I didn’t want the tiger cub, but
would enter the cave anyway…
There was nothing particularly suspicious about the place once we were
inside. It was just a long hallway. But then I started hearing strange voices
from the other doors. Actually, it sounded like the sounds Daniela often made
at night. Could it… I would have to go check.
“Asagi, let us move along.”
“Uh, I just need to check something.”
“I will never sleep with you again.”

“Let’s hurry along.”
We had better things to do. We had to thank this captain person and then get
out of here. Ugh, so busy. So very busy.
We eventually arrived at the far back and were greeted by large double doors.
It was just a door, but was able to suggest that it led to someone very
important. I had no intention of worshipping the lord of this den, but I did
have a mind to not make them angry for no reason. So I knocked.
“Who is it?”
Surprisingly, it was a woman’s voice.
“The Adventurers who dropped the stuff off.”
“…Enter.”
Daniela and I nodded at each other and then carefully entered the room. It
was large. It could fit many people and many things.
“Excuse me.”
“…”
The caption was in the far back as she stared at us. It was the first time I had
seen someone with dark brown skin in this world. Her long hair was black
over her skin, and she oozed the kind of presence you might expect from a
famous actress. I could also see that her ears point out from her hair.
“An elf…?”
“Aye, a dark elf, Adventurer. And I see that you, are a light elf.”
“…”
She could tell. I guess some people just had that ability. Daniela slowly
removed the mask from her face.
“Hmph. I knew it. Platinum hair. The white mask. I thought it was you when
I heard about those two things.”
The captain chuckled. Then she raised her legs through the slit in her skirt
and lay them on top of her desk.
Almost…
“And what are you doing here, Daniela?”
“What?”
She called Daniela by her name before we had introduced ourselves.
“…It really has been a while. Eve.”
Daniela replied. Her expression was twisted in a way that suggested she was
looking at something very distasteful. The captain of this city of crime was an
acquaintance of Daniela. And there seemed to be some history there.
“Indeed. You look quite well.”
“No thanks to you.”
“You’re so stubborn. It’s been one hundred years. You should be happier to
see me.”
“I would rather have not met the likes of you at all.”
“Ahahahaa! You really do hate me then!”
They hated each other… Could this situation be any more uncomfortable?
Should I grab Daniela’s arm and make a run for it?
“You, over there. You’re Asagi Kamiyashiro, aren’t you?”
“Uh, yes.”
She knew…
“I checked the information from your cards after the report. I saw a very
nostalgic name there. Along with yours.”
“Ohh… So I guess captains are allowed to do that.”
“Of course, we can.”
The corner of Eve’s lip curled in a smile. Yes, she seemed very mean-spirited
indeed.
“Hmph… You have an alias now, Daniela. Ah, and so do you. In spite of
your face, I guess you must be moderately skilled.”
Eve smiled amusedly as she looked at the copies of our cards.
“So? Why have you called us here?”
Daniela seemed like she was out of patience as she asked the question.
“Nothing really. I just happened to hear that some fool had brought the funds
I sent to the bandits and wanted to give it back. Of course, I had to see the
face of such a fool. But to think that it was you, Daniela. What a surprise that
was!”
Eve clapped her hands together and laughed. So the guards really were in
league with the bandits…
“Well, I check all the cards at night anyways. So I would have sent people
after you eventually. But this makes things much more simple.”
“And why would you come after us?”
“You already know. To take the sacred treasures of the tree of life and
death!”
And with that said, Eve snapped her fingers. The door behind us burst open
and soldiers flooded into the room. They were all holding weapons.
“Now, give it to me. Then I will spare your lives.”
“I cannot do that.”
“I see. Then you will die along with that scum beside you!”
The soldiers moved. Now that they rushed towards us with weapons drawn,
they were our enemies. I wasn’t thrilled to fight against humans, but our lives
were in danger. We had to fight.
I quickly unsheathed the sword at my waist and blocked the first blade that
fell right in front of my eyes. I didn’t want to fight, but this was war.
chapter 151
I blocked the sword and rammed my shoulder into the first guard so that he
fell into the wall. Perhaps I was being too soft to still hope to kill as little as
possible in this situation, but they were guards. We still didn’t know
everything that was happening here, and I was scared that the truth might be
more than it seemed. They were helping the bandits, that was for sure, but
would we be held responsible for killing them?
“Daniela? Who are they?!”
“Eve is the leader of the bandits! So they are…”
So they were bandits who were pretending to be guards?!
“No, they are official guards. My subordinates all gained their positions
under me through the proper routes.”
“Under you!”
It was clearly illegal! So they were all bandits!
A sword swung down at me again, and I blocked it with the Glampanzer. The
soldier sneered at me as he pressed forward. Bandits. Yes, I could see it in
that face…!
“Kill them both!”
“Aye, boss!”
The bandits swarmed around us. I blocked an attack from the back with an
ice sword and unleashed ice arrows at the bandits coming from my left and
right. No matter how rotten, they lived as guards, and so they had armor
supplied by their country. The ice arrows were not able to penetrate the
armor, but it did make them stumble.
The use of multiple spells at once must have been surprising, because the
pressure on the sword weakened for a second. I saw my chance and pushed
the sword away and then slashed at his wrists. Taking them out of the fight
was all we needed to win.
“Daniela!”
“Aye!”
Let’s get out of here. Daniela’s magic blasted the guards who blocked our
way to the entrance.
…However, her wind was intercepted by Eve. When had she moved? And
she had somehow stopped Daniela’s magic.
“I happen to be quite adept with wind magic as well.”
“Annihilation…!”
If they had the same attribute, you could annihilate a spell by using the same
amount of energy against it. What impudence… In any case, it meant that she
could at least match Daniela when it came to wind magic.
I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, but we couldn’t panic now.
Slowly, Daniela and I moved towards them with our swords held up in front
of us.
“So, how did you become the captain of the guards?”
Daniela glared at Eve as she asked.
“Hmph. It was a simple matter. I merely captured the captain who had been
chasing us. A little torture and brainwashing followed. He was my slave after
that. And then I just claimed to be his wife and took command of the town. It
took a long time, but eventually, the place became well corrupted.”
I see. It was possible because elves lived so long. But torture and
brainwashing…horrible. But this at least told me that the town had once been
a safe place. The country had attempted to cleanse it before, but it would have
been difficult with such a captain in power. In other words, would the town
return to normal if she went down…? No, it wouldn’t. It would also take an
incredible amount of time. But if nothing was done now, the corruption
would only spread.
“That’s hardly our job…”
“What? What did you say?”
“Nothing. The only thing we’ll be doing is escaping from here!”
Magic rises. It is dark blue. Ice Magic, a favorite of Asagi Kamiyashiro.
“What…”
Eve was quick to react, but not quick enough. My magic was already
controlling the room. Well, the floor anyway.
“Frostheim.”
Everyone in the room except for Daniela and I were now sealed in ice.
“Damn it!”
Eve was struggling desperately, but unless she could deactivate my magic,
she could not be freed.
And since I had solidified the actual moisture in the room, it would not melt
quickly.
“Daniela, while we still can!”
“Aye! I will kill her!”
“Not…”
Daniela rushed forward at full speed and thrust the rapier of the tree of life
and death into Eve’s chest.
“Ha…ah…”
“It looks like this is the end for you and your rotten men.”
“Damn…damn it…!”
My hand reached out towards Daniela, but I didn’t move. Had it truly been
necessary to kill…?
“Damn it, damn-damn-damn-damn-damn-damn it!! Damn you!!!”
“!?”
However, in spite of being pierced through the chest, Eve was howling quite
loudly. I didn’t understand. This wasn’t normal.
“Daniela, move back!!”
I could see that Eve was enveloping herself with magic. I had a horrible
feeling about it. Just as Daniela used a burst of wind magic to throw herself
back, Eve’s body erupted into flames.
“Tsk…so it was no use.”
“What’s happening?!”
“Eve can use both wind and fire magic. And long ago, she stole a magic
substitute tool from me.”
Substitute? So not only was that last attack useless, but now my ice had
melted, and we lost our only chance to escape?
“Damn it! You made me waste it… Daniela!!”
“Hmph. It belonged to me. It is no business of yours what I do to it now!”
“AHHHHHH!!! DIEE!!”
A whirl of fire shot out towards us. Daniela raised a wall of earth to block it.
However, it was still hot. I felt like I was being burned alive even if it didn’t
touch me directly.
“Daniela, what should we do?!”
“We will not be able to force our way passed them. Asagi, pull through
somehow. I am going to blow this building away!”
“A tornado! Leave it to me!’
If she used that to clear the area, we would have a 360 degree escape route.
I activated Legs of the Forest Wolf and waited for my chance. I was waiting
for the moment that the whirl of fire stopped. And in that moment, I would
seal her movements.
“AHHHHH!!!”
Eve’s enraged cry sounded just as the fire disappeared. Now…!
“Hahh!”
“What?!”
I thrust my sheathed sword into her stomach as hard as I could. It would have
killed her without a doubt, had it been a naked blade, but like this, it would at
least hurt enough that she’d wish she were dead. In fact, she could not stand
the pain and collapsed on the floor.
“Boss! How dare you!!”
The soldiers who were still fixed to the ground began to throw their swords,
but I blocked them with an ice shield. I retreated then, but Daniela seemed to
be taking extra long to use her magic.
“Daniela, how much longer?!”
“…!!”
But there was no answer. Instead, immense power filled the room.
Within seconds, my sanity felt like it was being chipped away. I was
panicking. The bandits were glaring at me. Eve looked at us, and I could see
that she was slowly standing up. This was bad!!
“Yoooouuu!!!”
Her eyes were bloodshot as she got up and raised her hands. Magic began to
concentrate there. Shockingly, each hand was using a different spell. Her
right hand had wind, her left hand had fire. I hadn’t expected her to be able to
do that…!
I quickly prepared some magic of my own. This time, I was sure that she
would create an even bigger storm of fire, and so I made several layers of ice
shields. It was just as I had created the eighth, that Eve’s magic triggered.
“DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”
The violent wind around her right hand caught the fire in her left. That caused
it to burn so much hotter. The enhanced power of the combined spells tore
through my first four shields in a second. It was incredible. Unpredictable…!
“Die, die!!”
“DIEE!!!”
“AHH…!!”
“…!! Alright! Now stand back!!”
Stand back! I can’t even move!
“It’s no use. Just do it!!”
“As if!! Get away somehow!!”
“If I move now, she’ll get you! Hurry!!”

If she waited any longer, her energy would go berserk out of a need for
release. That would be pointless.
“It’s fine. I’m protected by the wind! Do it!”
“…Ahhhghhh!!”
Daniela groaned, but I could feel the magic coming towards me. I turned
around and saw that her eyes were full of tears as she looked at me. Sorry…
But I promise, I’ll make it out of here. Don’t worry.
I sent magic into the wind dragon armor I was wearing. It almost looked like
it was glowing, but maybe that was just the fire.
“You damned bastards!!!”
Eve’s magic rushed towards us. There was only one shield of ice left. I had
done well up until now. Good job Asagi. Good job.
Eve did her best as well. The last attack was more powerful than the others,
and the shield began to crack.
Just then, a horrible wind attacked me from behind. It was Daniela’s magic.
Perhaps it was because of my clothes, but I didn’t feel it as much as I had

expected.
chapter 152
My memory of the past and present is foggy. I’m currently in the air.
“…Ahh!”
I flail around in a panic, but Legs of the Forest Wolf allows me to stand
where there is nothing. I had been standing up until now, but now it seems
firmer. No different than standing on ground. It doesn’t feel like I’m
floating… It’s definitely strange.
Below me, I can see the remains of the guard house. It looked pretty much
flattened, but I was too high to up to tell for sure.
“Still…how did I get up here…”
I must have fainted for a second. But I wasn’t sure how that would have led
to this current situation. I calm myself down and think. …Perhaps Daniela’s
tornado had blown me into the air. Or it could be an effect of Eve’s reckless
combinations of magic. It might have caused an upward current of wind… I
don’t know.
I looked down at my body and saw that I was not hurt. This was dragon
armor after all… To be honest, I had been worried that I would come out
much worse. The protection of the wind would have helped as well, its effect
was tremendous.
In any case, the most important thing to do now was to make sure that
Daniela was safe. Everything would be fine as long as she had been able to
escape. However, there was a chance that she had used too much magic.
Perhaps it had weakened her. She would be unstable and vulnerable. I would
look for her from above, then we would cross the river. Honestly, we could
have crossed the river through the air from the beginning. But I wanted to
stick to the rules. If there was a boat fare then we would pay it. If we needed
to prove our identities, then I was prepared to do it.
It might be easy to cross the river on these legs, but there could be problems
later on. What if we needed official documents on the other side? It was us
who would be inconvenienced. Regardless, we hadn’t even discussed that
possibility, and had every intention of going through the town properly.
And yet this is what we got for it…
“I suppose being honest doesn’t pay…”
I didn’t know how to express what I felt. All I could do was weaken the green
and silver wind and drop to the ground.
□ □ □ □
“Find them! They should still be close by!”
I could hear the sounds of running guards in the distance. It would have been
wise to wait and hide here, but I could not do that.
“Hey you, where did you come from?”
“Sorry…I got lost. I shall leave now.”
“Lost…? You don’t look like you’re lost.”
On heavy legs, I had thrown myself through the first door I had found. The
person who confronted me must have been a resident of this town. Was he
good or did he work for the bandits? I could not tell, but he would not
appreciate it if I stayed here, and so I had to leave. But my body felt sluggish.
I had exhausted my reserve of magical energy, and now my legs would not
move.
“You look ill. Are you alright?”
“I am fine… I will be better if I can just rest somewhere for a short while.
Sorry that I bothered you…”
I somehow managed to raise my shaking arm and reach for the doorknob. All
it would require to open it was a little twist, and yet even that proved to be
impossible.
“Well, just wait a minute then. You can rest here.”
“No, I cannot…”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s really nothing to me either way.”
Then the man picked up a cup and filled it with water. He handed it to me
and helped me bring it to my mouth to drink. The cool water going down my
throat was so relaxing that I sighed. And with that, I regained a little control
over my body. I turn the cup in my hand as I slowly get to my feet.
“Thank you…you saved me.”
“You’re not well yet. Stay and rest a little longer.”
And so he lent me his shoulder and brought me over to a chair.
“Thank you… My name is Daniela. Please tell me yours.”
“I’m not someone worth remembering. But if I had to give you a name, it
would be Vent.”
“Aye, thank you…Vent.”
I had to leave this town as soon as possible, but my body was still working
against me. Only my hand would listen. I was worried about Asagi, and there
was still the matter of Eve. It did not feel good to have to lie here and rest
when nothing had been resolved. All I could do was fret, and that was of no
use to anyone.
As I stared at the table and willed myself to recover quickly, a plate was
placed in front of me. Two beautiful, yellow circles on white. It was fried
eggs. And next to them were three slices of crispy bacon, just the way Asagi
liked them.
I looked up just as he offered me some bread. To the side was a cup of water.
“You must be hungry. That’s why you have no strength.”
“No, I…”
“Don’t talk. Just eat. Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.”
Vent said and then laughed with amusement. And so I picked up the fork and
stabbed the bacon. I brought it to my mouth and then there was no stopping
me. While I was not as quick as I am during full health, I still scraped the
plate clean in very little time.
“You eat well. It was worth making it.”
“It was delicious… Thank you. I feel bad now.”
“Don’t. I wanted to feed you.”
Asagi, you have competition. Perhaps I am overrating him as tiredness

combined with hunger can have strange effects over a person. But it did taste
delicious. And I felt much better already. I had been even more tired than I
knew.
It would be best to wait here until I was at full strength again, but I could not
stop thinking about Asagi. I had seen him launched into the air after being hit
by the tornado. He had gone up so high that I lost sight of him. ‘Can people
fly so high?’ was the almost idiotic thought that first raced through my mind.
After that, I rolled away and ran as the building crumbled around me. If
Asagi had stayed there, he would have been flattened just like the other
soldiers. I did not even know if Eve was alive. I would not mind at all if she
were dead.
I stare at the table again and think. One hundred years… It reminded me of
just how long I had lived.
I first met Eve in the plains under the moonlight. At the time, I trusted no
one. My heart was ravaged by the stress of a long journey. And it was as I
walked unthinkingly to the next town, that I was attacked by bandits.
And the person leading the bandits, was the dark elf, Eve. I slaughtered her
underlings without hesitation. I tried to kill Eve as well, but a monster came
in my way. I saw the lucky elf run away as I dealt with the monster. After
that, I returned to my journey and arrived in the town safely. I thought that
that would be the end of it.
But one day, I came upon an ancient elven ruin within a forest. I had
wandered far before discovering it, but thanks to that, the place was
untouched. I could descend into the depths of the ruins without worrying
about being seen. And after a week of searching, I found the artifact.
Sometime after, I would learn from an old library book, that it was the magic
substitution tool.
Years later, I was working as a guard for a merchant caravan. A famous

Adventurer of that time was there as well, and I remember that he tried to talk
to me. But I was never interested.
It was when we were just two days from the town that the bandits attacked. It
was difficult fighting while protecting the caravan, especially as there were
those cowards who would run away.
While I fought, a familiar face caught my eye. It was Eve. She too saw me
and immediately unsheathed her sword.
“It has been a long time!”
“…”
“You are as quiet as before… Today, I will finally have your sword and bow.
The sacred treasures of the tree of life and death!”
She had seen the weapons during our first fight. Perhaps a unique skill had
allowed her to confirm it, or she had heard something. In any case, I had no
intention of giving them up. I did not care to indulge her, but I needed to fight
to protect myself.
However, we were disturbed yet again. Even now, I can remember the fear
that I felt.
The wyvern that appeared with an explosive wind in the darkness of the
night. It was enough to make me shiver with horror.
It landed between us and then slashed at me with its tail. I instinctively raised
my arms to protect myself. Then the sound of my bones breaking reached my
ears.
I was thrown into the air. That was when the magic substitution tool fell from
my pocket and rolled to the other side. My eyes went after it as I thought,
‘with that, I would be able to revive after the wyvern killed me.’ However, it
was no use if it was not on you. It would have no effect on me now. I would
be eaten alive. And that would be the end.
“Is that a magic substitution tool!?”
Eve’s voice rang, but I could not answer. The wyvern now seemed more
interested in the caravan than us. We were no longer in its sight. Eve saw her
chance and reached out to grab it.
It was then that the wyvern beat its wings and rose into the air.
The violent winds pushed me off of my feet, and I tried to protect my injured
arm as I rolled on the ground. As the world spun around me, I had a glimpse
of Eve taking the artifact. I wanted to vomit then, but I was suddenly
enveloped in a floating sensation.
“Huh…?”
My body was floating. There was no ground beneath me now. I had been
thrown over the edge of a cliff that had been hidden in the darkness.
This feeling of floating would not last forever. I was falling down to the
bottom of the cliff as gravity dictated. I could not fight against it. I would die
here. Just then, the faces of my parents after they had been trampled by
dragons appeared in my mind.
And then I lost consciousness. When I awoke, I was in a river in the forest.
There had been a river below the cliff, and I had been carried down here, all
the way to this forest.
My bow was still on my back, and it seemed that I had been desperately
clutching the hilt of my sword. But my armor had taken a beating on the
rocks, and was in tatters. Furthermore, one of my arms was broken. And so
even though I was alive, there was only despair ahead of me.
Well, in spite of that, I did manage to come out of that predicament alive…
though, that is a different story in itself.
In any case, that was the last time I saw Eve. I do not know what happened
after that. Not the caravan or that famous Adventurer. Perhaps they had all
been eaten by the wyvern. Or they won and lived good lives after that. There
was no reason for me to know, and I did not wish to know.
Now, the thing that was more important to me than anything was Asagi. As
long as he did not faint, he could go as high as he pleased. That wind of silver
and green would protect him.
Thinking about him now made it impossible for me to sit still. I wanted to
rush to where he was immediately, but my legs would not let me. And so I
had only anxiety to fill my heart now.
chapter 153
I couldn’t find Daniela. I was searching while staying hidden on the rooftops,
but I couldn’t see her anywhere. Did that mean she was inside one of the
buildings? That would suggest that she wasn’t able to move properly yet… I
would have to hurry.
“There he is!”
“Tsk…”
On the other hand, I kept getting caught. Maybe I was just really bad at
hiding. I could only pray that I would eventually gain a skill for that, as I ran
along the roofs and escaped my pursuers. Thankfully, I was very fast on my
feet.
“Where the hell is she… The guards…no, bandits haven’t said anything
about catching her, so she is likely still hiding somewhere.”
However, I could not relax until I knew where she was. My emotions were
causing me to grow frantic, but it was here that I thought to return to where it
started. In other words, the guard house.
I went back to running on the roofs, but this time was more careful to stay
hidden. Not that it seemed to matter much in my case… I didn’t understand
it, I shouldn’t even be visible from down there…
“Over there!”
“What…”
I had no confidence in my ability to hide at this point. Maybe there was some
malfunction when I was sent to this world?
I clicked my tongue as I ran towards the guard house. After jumping to

another building, I crouched down to catch my breath. This really was
tiring…
“Mmm…mm…hmmm?…”
I created water in the palm of my hand and drank it. Drinking from a floating
sphere of water made me feel like I was in a space station in zero gravity. The
clear water ran down my throat and I sighed while looking up at the sky. And
then I saw a building in the corner of my vision. When I looked at it I saw
that it was a tower. It was a simple building, but it would likely give me a
great view of the entire town. Maybe from there I could find Daniela… No,
there’s someone there… It’s…
“Damn it! Bandits!”
The people who were looking back at me from the top of the tower were
bandits. From that position, my roof running exploits would have been
completely visible!
I hadn’t noticed, as I was too focused on looking down and searching for
Daniela. Ahh, now I can see one of them shouting. I didn’t know what was
being said, but it sounded like he was barking out orders to his subordinates.
“Maybe I should get rid of them before searching for Daniela…”
I couldn’t focus on looking for her like this. If she was hiding, then I should
trust her and search for an escape route while also chipping away at the
enemy forces.
And with that, my plans were altered as I headed straight for the tower. I rose
in the air as if I were running up stairs. Then the bandits on the top of the
tower ducked frantically before returning with spears. Those weren’t going to
reach me.
“Ice Arrow.”
From what I could see, there were four bandits up there. And so I created four
ice arrows and launched them towards the bandits. The arrows found their
targets almost as if they were being sucked towards them. The brightness of
the sun behind me insured that they could not react in time. I’m sure that with
a little testing, you could create invisible arrows and even swords, but I was
incredibly clumsy and imprecise, so I was not too confident in being able to
do it myself.
I let myself into the tower, its floor was now covered by the fallen bandits.
One of them tried to stand up while holding a spear, but I bound the irritating
person to the floor with Frostheim.
“Damn it. Let me go!”
“I don’t want to.”
“Bastard…when boss hears about this…”
“I don’t care.”
I didn’t feel like talking either, and so I moved to suppress the tower. First, I
block the stairs with ice, as it was the only entrance to the tower. I made it
very thick so it would take time to melt even after I stopped sending magic
energy into it.
There really were four men up here after all, and when I looked down from
the veranda, arrows came flying at me from below. Woah, scary, scary. I
better stay inside.
The top floor of the tower was stacked with bows and other weapons. I tried
opening a wooden crate and saw that it contained food. Lucky me. I was still
dressed for the road, and so I had the hollow bag with me. Besides, it no
longer contained the wooden boxes, so there was plenty of room. I was still
fighting, and taking this would contribute to weakening the enemy, and so I
decided to confiscate them by tossing them into my bag.
“You bastard! Do you have any idea how hard it was to smuggle that up here
without the boss finding out!!”
“Yeah-yeah. I’m kind of busy right now.”
“Damn you!!”
Just how angry was he…
“It was so hard getting passed security to bring them here…”
“Aye…we went through so much…”
“The boss is intimidating, but she never came here. It was our sanctuary…”
“And now it’s all ruined because of him!”
“You took the only place we were able to slack off!”
“I don’t care!! You guys actually hate her, don’t you?”
They didn’t even seem to be obeying her very well.
“Of course we do.”
“There is no other woman who is so terrible…”
“I heard that a man was tortured recently for breach of discipline…”
“I don’t live in this town by choice. I had nowhere else to go…”
I guess they had their reasons… Well, I wasn’t going to help them because of
that. At the end of the day, my attitude towards bandits would remain the
same. I didn’t want anything to do with them. For a second, the possibility of
persuading them to join me crossed my mind. But they would definitely
betray me. As soon as I lost the advantage, they would flip right over.
“Your feelings towards her have nothing to do with me. I’m only fighting
here because your boss attacked us.”
“You and that light elf, eh? We were notified of that…”
“Aye, she was targeted. We’ll be leaving this town as soon as I find her. In
other words, I won’t hurt you and the others if you stay out of our way.”
“You’ve hurt us quite enough already…”
That’s because you got in my way with your spears. Just be grateful I didn’t
shoot you in the face.
In any case, this watchtower was now out of commission. No orders would
come in or out. Now, I just needed to go to the guard house…huh!?
“Damn it!!”
I frantically ran away from the veranda and to the other side of the room,
where I fell to the ground. Immediately after, there was the sound of an
explosion as a hurricane of wind came and blew the roof right off of the
tower.
What I saw was a massive ball of fire that shot straight towards me from the
guard house. That was clearly Eve… So she knew I was here?
Rubble from the part of the tower that had broken was pressing down on my
back. I would get bruises from this…but at least I didn’t break anything.
“Hey, you…”
I looked up to see what had become of the bandits. All four of them were
dead. Either burned by the flames or crushed by the bricks… I didn’t think it
was because I had wounded them. It just happened this way. I folded my
hands together, though I was sure it would mean no comfort to them.
“I feel sick…”
She’d kill her own men in the process…it was horrible. And she was an elf
like Daniela. Though, Daniela was about a hundred times more kind.
“And it came from the guard house…so it won’t be easy to go there.”
We would try to kill each other for real this time. I was clearly at a
disadvantage in terms of magic, but I was confident that I could kill her if I
could take her by surprise. But, was it alright to kill her? Daniela had tried
without a moment’s hesitation…
But Daniela was in danger even as I stood here and considered the question. I
needed to go with the resolve to kill her, or I could risk losing what is
actually important to me. I would not be able to remain sane if that happened.
I would probably go berserk until I died in this world. No, I knew that I
would.
“She tried to kill us… No one can complain if I kill her.”
A chill ran up my back. If I looked in the mirror now, I would likely see the
eyes of a murderer.
Kill before they kill you. Take their lives before they take yours.
I could feel my heart growing colder already.
However, falling into this state would help me save Daniela. And I wanted
nothing more than to help her now. That warm sentiment entered my heart as
well, and my heart was big enough to house both emotions.
I didn’t want to kill. But I didn’t want Daniela to die. And so I would kill first
and save her.
The two emotions led me to a single answer.
“Even if I have to kill, I will protect her…!”
I was small, and it was a small resolution. However, it now spread throughout
me. Then strangely, a strength seemed to well up in my battered body. I got
up and moved to the only spot that would allow me to go outside. There was
no hesitation. I felt that if it happened again, I would be able to kick that
fireball right back at her.
I took out the Schwarz Tempest from the hollow back and pulled my hood
down over my face. My body was ruled by an almost frightening level of
concentration. I bet I could make that invisible sword now.
My clothes flapped in the green and silver wind that blew out of me, but I
didn’t care.
If anything, the wind felt very comfortable. I felt that I could fly through the
air.
Now, it was time for some revenge. I would defeat Eve and get Daniela back!
chapter 154
I jumped out of the tower and ran towards the guard house. While I rushed
through the sky, another ball of fire shot towards me from the same direction
as the first. I switched on ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ as soon as I
saw it, and my body moved along with the images in my brain. My mind was
always one step ahead, which gave me a power that was like predicting the
future.
“Hyaahh!”
Thanks to ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None,’ I knew that it would work.
This leg that was aided by not only silver and green wind, but also blue
magic, could kick back even a fireball.
Well, turns out I had got one thing wrong. I was bound by the notion that ice
was weak to fire. But the laws of magic were special in this world. Ice was
weak to water and fire. However, fire was also weak to water and ice. While
ice could be melted, it could also extinguish a fire. In any case, it would be
about brute force. It all depended on who had more energy.
“It’s actually quite simple!”
Bandits started to fire off arrows at me from the ground. But I dodged them
in the air as a tail of silver and green streaked behind. I was on a nonstop
course to the guard house.
And then came the fire magic again. This time it wasn’t a large fireball, but
numerous bullets that blocked my path. I had to twist my body, jump over
and even kick them. And those that I couldn’t avoid, I cut away with my
great sword. An ordinary sword would have melted, but this sword was
carved from the bones of a tempest whale. A legendary monster that was long
extinct. It would take a lot more than fire to damage it.
By the time my vision cleared again, I had a good view of the guard house.
Eve was standing on a mountain of bricks and glaring at me. Daniela was
nowhere in sight. I sighed in relief, knowing that she was likely still safe.
However, it really was just a matter of time. I needed to get rid of the root of
all our trouble; Eve. Or they would always chase after us. I would crush these
bandits that were disguised as guards, find Daniela, and cross the river. If I
could do that, we would have won.
“Eve…!”
I ran towards the target. With my sword on my shoulder and in a lowered

posture, I increased my speed.
Eve’s hands started to gather magic energy. She was likely going to strike
with her combination of fire and wind again. I had nowhere to run the first
time, but we were out in the open now. There was nothing to stop me. The
field was mine.
“DIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!”
Once again, the enormous red tornado was unleashed. I maintain my speed as
I dodged it with the minimal amount of movement. However, the tornado
swerved violently every time Eve moved her hands to chase after me. Still,
the movement was relatively slow. Anything that is powerful yet lacks speed
is not a threat to me.
The scenery seems to rush passed me as I increase my speed. My sword is

filled with blue magic as I raise it above my head, then it swings down as Eve
looks at me with eyes wide with shock.
“HHh…!”
“Tsk!”
Eve clicked her tongue in annoyance, deactivated the magic, and rolled out of
the way. My sword cut through the air and landed in a pile of bricks, where
Eve had been a second ago. There was a deafening crash as the pile of bricks
went up in a cloud of dust and debris.
It was my own doing, but the dust was irritating. I couldn’t see anything…
Well, at least it meant she wouldn’t see me either. However, she was the one
who had dodged my attack. It was clear which of us was likely to attack first.
And so I dropped the great sword and jumped back. Just then, a flash of red
shot past me.
I activated Presence Detection in order to find Eve’s position as I generated a

sword of ice. This, I launched towards Eve. This was a magic I had devised
during my fight with Mordred, the Frost Sword Straightshot.
“GGggg…!”
I hear her groaning. I didn’t know where I had hit her, but hit her I did. In that
case, there was only one thing to do. She was not likely to be able to dodge
this while the pain made her sluggish!
“Icicle Rain!!”
Countless ice arrows came raining down from the sky. The arrows struck the
ground, causing it to thunder and quiver as if it were an earthquake. Then I
unleashed Legs of the Forest Wolf. The silver and green wind bellowed,
pushing away the dust clouds and exposing the entire scene of the former
guard house.
The arrows that fell had turned the bricks into dust, which was now being
cleanly blown away.
In the center of the now barren land, was Eve. She had created a shield of fire
and had avoided the lethal blow. She was a tough one. Still, there were
several ice arrows piercing her arms and legs. As she no longer had the
substitute tool, she could not allow herself to be killed.
“Hahhh…hahhh… Ggg…I underestimated you… I thought you were nothing

but her shadow…I was wrong…”
“Actually, you’re not. She’s very strong.”
“Hmph… I am aware. But you are far more dangerous…”
“Thanks.”
I had speed, but was not great with magic. I didn’t think that was enough to
beat someone who was truly strong. However, I could make it work if they
were at my level or lower. My own mistake had been mistaking how magic
worked here. But now that I felt that I could win, there was no fear or worry
in me.
“Allowing you to live would be putting an obstacle in Daniela’s path. And so

you will have to die.”
“Hmph… But can you really…?”
“What…?”
Eve searched in her pockets as if to take something out. I unsheathed the

Glampanzer at my waist and dashed forward in order to cut off her head
before she could finish what she was doing.
“Too slow!”
“Wha-…gggah…”
Eve had slammed it onto the ground. There was a flash of light that filled my
vision. I didn’t know flash grenades existed here!
“Haha! Is this your first time seeing one?’

“Damn it. Get back here!”
Her presence was growing smaller. She was getting away…!
I chased after her while relying on Presence Detection to see. But as I did so,
I sensed that others were approaching me from the sides. Humans. They must
be bandits… Reinforcements. Then I had to quickly get Eve and…
Hmm?!
“Ggaaah!!”
A sharp pain ran through my left leg. It forced me to stop and search for the
reason for it. My hand hit something stick-like. A chill ran up my back as I
checked the other side and felt the same stick.
“Damn it…!”
The reinforcements were archers…! They would have had to be special

arrowheads to pierce through wind dragon armor. If I kept going like this,
without being able to see them, they would make a pincushion of me in no
time. It pained me to do it, but I had to retreat…!
And I must do it quickly. It was just as I activated Legs of the Forest Wolf
and attempted to run in the opposite direction. Another human had entered
the field I was covering with Presence Detection. While not quite as fast as
me, it moved at an incredible speed towards the four reinforcement guards.
And in a flash, they were dead.
Who was it? A friend? It was coming towards me now. I focused on it with
Presence Detection. Ah…so she had been hiding after all…
“You saved me…Daniela.”
“Damn it, Asagi. You always let your guard down.”
It was Daniela. I was so frantic that it had taken me awhile to realize it was
her…
“…Ah, there’s no time to talk. Eve escape in that direction. Right now…I
can’t see… I’ll catch up to you, so you go on ahead!”
“I will deal with her!”
I feel something soft and moist on my lips. Then she immediately pulled back
and ran in the direction that Eve had gone. Damn it…
“I couldn’t ask for a more reliable partner.”
I sat down and let out a sigh. There was no one around me. Daniela had killed
them all… I needed to rest a little and recover my eyesight. Then I would go
after her. Daniela would be fine until then. I couldn’t help but smile.
□ □ □ □
As I rested in Vent’s house in order to recover my magic, I heard the sounds

of fighting coming from outside. Surely it could only be from Asagi. There
was no doubt about it. He would be fighting Eve.
“I have to go…”
“Hey, hey. You can’t go while you’re still like that.”
“My partner is out there.”
“Didn’t you say that you were lost? Who are you fighting?”
“…”
It would be hard to lie any further… But he was not likely our enemy. After
all, he had not put poison in the food. He had the compassion to aid a
complete stranger. I would have to talk to him and make him understand.
“I am not…lost.”
“I see. And…?”
“I…we are fighting against the captain of the guards.”
“What did you say?”
Vent’s expression grew harsh. Did I read him wrong…?
“Why didn’t you say this sooner! I would have gladly helped you crush her
once and for all!”
“What…?”
“Don’t look so surprised. Half the people in this town are no friends of hers.”
Half, you say?

“Is that true?”
“Aye. Though, to be precise, the people on the other side of the river are
against her. I’m working undercover, you see.”
“Well…you could have told me that sooner…”
“I guess that works for the both us then. Am I wrong?”
No. Not at all.
“So I suppose you weren’t merely tired from traveling?”
“Aye, my magic has been drained… Do you have any potions?”
“Just one. Well, it’s a very potent one, at least.”
So saying, Vent went to the back of his room and produced the bottle.
Ordinary magic recovery potions were a dark blue color. A deep blue…
which meant that it was low in quality. You could judge the quality of a
potion by the brightness. Darker colors meant worse quality, while brighter
colors meant higher quality. Of course, the higher the quality, the higher the
price.
And the potion that Vent produced was a bright blue color, just like the sky.
It would likely cost nearly thirty pieces of gold.
“But this is of the highest quality…are you certain?”
“I am. You are not from this town, but you are one of us. In my opinion, you
have a right to drink it.”
And so he pushed the bottle into my hands. I accepted it, looked at him and
then the potion, and hesitated.
“…I will pay you.”
“There’s no need to act so reserved. And hey, you complimented my

cooking. This is to show my gratitude.”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a playful smile. I couldn’t help but laugh as
well. Damn it…these good-natured people were everywhere.
“Very well, I will not act reserved then.”
“Aye.”
“And I will not pay you either.”
“Aye.”
“So there is no use regretting it later…”
“Just shut up and drink it!”
There was no more need to talk. I pulled off the cork. The scent drifted out of
the bottle and tickled my nostrils, but there was no time to relish it. I downed
it in one gulp. As one would expect from the finest quality, the sluggishness
in my limbs vanished in a second. I now felt as if I could fly.
“I have never felt better. Eve does not have a chance.”
“That’s the spirit. Go and destroy that leader of the bandits!”
“Count on it! And thank you!”
Vent raised his thumb towards me and I returned the gesture before flying out
of the house. He had helped me a great deal. I survived because of him and
also escaped hunger. And now, I would be able to win this battle.
“I sense Asagi’s presence over there.”
There was immense magic flowing from his body. Spirits were lured by my
jade magic and were gathering around me. And so I decided to ask for their
help.
“I want to go to Asagi. Will you help me?”
“Sure.”
They waved their little hands and granted me the protection of the wind.
Now, I could run almost as fast as Asagi. Yes, I would run faster than I ever
have in my life. Wait for me, Asagi. I will reach you faster than you can
blink.
And so I ran, cutting down the guards and kicking away any in my path.
Running. To where Asagi waited.
chapter 155
My vision returned to normal after resting for two minutes. But it felt much
longer… Still, Presence Detection hadn’t caught anything. Not the bandits or
Eve or Daniela. But I knew in which direction Daniela had gone. It was time
to go after her.
I found a trail of blood. Of course, it was Eve’s. I followed the still wet trail
until I could hear the sounds of fighting up ahead. I ran faster then, it was
towards the river, or what was the center of the town. As I advance, I detect
more and more figures through Presence Detection. I didn’t know if they
were bandits or citizens, but I decided to anticipate the worst and be prepared.
“Ah, you!”
“Huh…!”
A guard jumped out from the shadows. I raised my sword to cut down the
bandit.
“Wait-wait-wait!”
“What?”
“It’s me! You know, you left us those boxes!”
“…Ah.”
I’ve seen him before. The nice old man who had blocked our exit behind the
guard house. He had a sword on his belt now, but he did not unsheath it. Did
that mean he had no intention of fighting?
“What are you doing?”
“You’re trying to kill Eve, aren’t ya? I wish to join.”

“Oh? But aren’t you bandits as well?”
“No-no. I’m really from the other side of town. We’re enemies, you see. And
we’ve been planning on taking them down for a while.”
Huh. It seemed that Eve’s identity wasn’t exactly a huge secret here.
Apparently, they just hadn’t been able to get evidence, but it was an open
secret. But Eve was rather cautious, and it had been hard to catch her off
guard.
“The other two that were with me. They’re also spies.”
“And yet, who was it that wouldn’t let us go and forced us to meet Eve?”
“We had no choice then. But I knew there must be something to it, and so we
were watching you.”
“I see…”
Had they stuck out their necks to defend us, people would have become
suspicious. So perhaps they really did have no choice.
“In any case, there really isn’t anything left to do.”
“Really? Hmm…well, take this then.”
So saying, the old guard pulled out a few bottles from a pocket. All of them
were filled with a bright liquid…
“Recovery potions. The green one is for strength, the blue is for magic and
the yellow one is to cure tiredness.”
“Are you sure? Those look expensive.”
“Aye, these are the best potions we can get. It’ll heal most wounds and
replenish your magic.”
“But these are really expensive! Are you sure? I won’t give them back…”
“That’s fine. They won’t be of much use to me now.”
In that case, I would accept them. I did happen to be very tired…so the
yellow potion would do just nicely. I removed the cork and drank it.
“…Ahhhhh. Yeah, that seems to work…”
“That is good. Well, I’ll be hiding and staying out of your way then. Be
careful.”
“You too. And thanks for the potions.”
“Don’t mention it. Goodbye!”
The old man waved a hand and then ran away. He had good legs and
managed to hide in the shadow of a building very quickly.
That was an unexpected encounter… But now I was in peak condition. This
really was an interesting place… And I learned a thing or two. We just
needed to get to the other side of the town. As they were enemies of Eve,
they had no reason to be antagonistic towards us. Especially if that old man
spoke in our favor. I was now feeling quite enthusiastic.
My tiredness had blown away and my feet felt lighter. The green and silver
wind would carry me, like it always did, to Daniela.
“Well, I’m still the one who is actually running.”
It was my will that drove me. I ran and achieved victory with these very
hands. And I would do so again. Yes, without letting my guard down. I
wouldn’t mess up again like I did a moment ago. I would put an end to Eve
as quickly as possible. And I meant to do it through an ambush.
I flew through the city in a blur of green and silver wind. As I cut my way
passed bandits who swung their weapons, I could occasionally see guards
who were giving me a thumbs up. They must be here undercover as well.
And so I started to attack with my gauntlet, so as I wouldn’t accidentally kill
any of them. The pain might make them want to die, but they wouldn’t. I
would just have to apologize later…
“Hey, hey!”
Just as I had thrown my thirtieth bandit, a guard called me from the shadows.
He was tall…the strong-looking guard!
“Ah, I see you are well.”
“Judging by your expression, you must have met one of us? Well, that is
good. Eve and your partner are fighting up ahead. Thanks to you, Eve is
thoroughly wounded, however, I can’t shake off the feeling that she has a
trump card somewhere.”
“Then I have to go to Daniela at once!”
“Be careful! Ah, that’s right. Take this with you!”
“Huh…?”
He grabbed my hand and put something in it. I stared. It was a ring.
“Um, uh…the thing is, I’m already seeing someone…I can’t go off marrying
other people.”
“Are…are you stupid? It is a magic tool that blocks Presence Detection. It’s
not the most precise, but I thought it might be useful!”
Oh…that’s great! I put the silver ring on my index finger. It reminded me of

something. I think I bought something like this once in Harajuku. For one
1,000 yen.
“Thank you, I appreciate it!”
“Aye, see you later!”
We bumped our fists together. He grinned at me before disappearing behind a

building. And so did his presence. Hmm. Was this the power of the magic
tool? As I wondered this, the old man poked his head out again and gave me
a thumbs up. Yes, it allowed you to stay hidden. He disappeared for good
after that.
“Magic tools are great, as you only have to fill them with magic to use
them…”
A way to stay hidden. A Presence Detection block skill. Though, apparently

not that good. If only using this would help me gain a new skill. Well, life
would never be that easy. But for now, I relied on what cover it offered as I
ran in the direction the old man had pointed.
□ □ □ □
I noticed more and more destroyed buildings. If this was the aftermath of
Daniela and Eve’s fight, that meant that Eve still had a lot left in her in spite
of the wounds. I felt a cold sweat drip down my back. It made me anxious
about Daniela.
Daniela had lived for many years, but she had avoided combat as much as
possible. On the other hand, Eve was an elf who had done little but fight
during her many years of life. Being a bandit was its own type of race. A race
that lived by the killing of others. Fighting was something they did daily.
Daniela had started to fight a lot more recently, and was happy to see that her
level was increasing. But I still doubted that she was close to Eve. Still, as
someone who believed in her wholeheartedly, I could not doubt that she
would win.
“I should try blocking my presence now…”
There would be no Legs of the Forest Wolf from here on. I wanted to
approach her without her noticing. I would finish this fight with an ambush.
The sound of an explosion echoed. Dust and bricks flew up into the air. And
there was Daniela and Eve!
I ran. Thanks to the presence block, I passed by some bandits without being
noticed. I could have taken them down easily from behind, but there was no
time. I had to reach Daniela as soon as possible.
I ran. A mountain of bricks lay in front of me, and I used Legs of the Forest
Wolf for just one second in order to jump over it. I jumped much like a
certain character I had seen on TV a long time ago, but I messed up the
landing and rolled. Practice. I just needed practice.
I ran. A pillar of fire lay ahead. Just after that rubble. I pulled out the Schwarz
Tempest.
“AHHHHHH!!!”
Eve’s voice rang. I jumped over the rubble and inspected the battlefield. All
of the buildings here had been leveled. There were a few spots on the ground
that were burning from Eve’s fire.
“Ah…”
There she was, Daniela. Eve’s flames shot out towards her. Daniela dodged
it. They were right in the middle of this barren area.
I could see that Eve’s face was twisted monstrously. I didn’t know why, but I
became terribly worried.
‘I can’t shake off the feeling that she has a trump card somewhere.’
That’s what the old man had said.
Her face wasn’t like that because she was angry that her attack had missed.
It was because she knew she had won when Daniela moved to that position.
“DANIELAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
I shouted and ran. Something was about to happen. Something bad.
“DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!”
Something was slammed into the ground as Eve screamed. Then a magic
circle appeared at Daniela’s feet. I had never seen anything like it before. It
floated in the air and shone with a jade light. What appeared next was a giant
jaw. Its red tongue and rows of fangs tore into Daniela’s left arm. Then the
rest of it climbed out of the circle. It was huge and something I had never
seen before. But I knew what it was.
It was a dragon.
chapter 156
“Aha-ahahahahaha! Ahh-HAHAHAAA!!!”
Eve’s laugh rang in my ears. But my eyes were locked on the dragon that had
appeared from the magic circle.
The dragon was a green color. It was the color of wind affinity. Its two wings
were much bigger than those of a wyvern, and its tail was like a long and
thick whip. All four limbs were strong and had sword-like claws at the ends.
And those fangs. The numerous teeth were sinking into Daniela’s arm. Her
resistance was the only reason the jaw hadn’t closed completely…
“I’m coming…!”
The dragon’s eyes turned towards me as I ran, sword in hand. Its eyes were a
green that was even darker than the scales. The moment they fixed on me, a
blast of wind followed. It wasn’t an ordinary wind. It had the power of a
dragon in it.
I was nearly blown away, but managed to thrust my sword into the ground
and hold on. By sending currents of magic through my clothes, I was able to
weaken the force of the wind a little. Eve must have been watching me,
because she started to laugh once again.
“Ahahaha!! See this! My secret weapon. A magic passed on by the dark

elves, summoning magic!!”
“Tsk. Summoning magic…!?”
It must have been some secret art. Even Master Daniela had never mentioned
it during our lessons.
“Hehe. It is one of the ancient magic arts that has long been a secret. No, you
would not have known about it! But here it is. An adult wind dragon! I very
much doubt that you can beat it, not even if the world were to end!
Ahahaha!!”
Oh dear. So it was much better than what my armor was made of. Well, I’m
not exactly surprised…
“That won’t stop me from trying!”
I look towards Daniela, who continued to resist as she desperately tried to

stab the dragon with her sword. Even from this distance, I could see the blood
streaming down her arm and to the ground. I didn’t know how much longer
she would last. But it would not be long now.
I enveloped my legs in green and silver wind and sent blue magic into the
great sword in my hands. A sword with a water blade should be able to cut
through the scales of a wind dragon.
Legs of the Forest Wolf activates with a violent burst of wind. I raise it to its
limits, there would be no holding back now. I was against a dragon, and I had
no choice but to go all out.
I didn’t care about what happened to me after this. I would save Daniela. I
would protect her. Even if I lose all four limbs, I would kill that dragon!!
“AAAAAHHH!!!”
I hold my sword at my waist and fly out with a roar. The wind around my
legs takes me forward towards the dragon at a speed I have never experienced
before. The ground under me shatters as the dragon appears before my eyes.
It all happened in a flash.
And with that momentum carrying me, I thrust the great sword upwards into
the dragon’s lower jaw. It tore through the hard scales and tough flesh and
came out the other side. The extended water blade even cut into the upper
jaw. While it did not go through, it was still a serious wound.
“GGGGRRRAAAGHHH!!!”
The wind dragon screamed and went mad. And just like that, its mouth
opened and Daniela’s arm slipped out into the open air.
“Daniela!”
“Ghh…”
She let out a moan before crumbling towards the ground. I pushed the sword
all the way up until it reached the hilt before letting go. Then I caught Daniela
before she hit the ground and then made a run for it. Eve and the dragon
might attack us again, and so I ran until they could no longer see us.
I knelt on the roof of an abandoned house and let Daniela down while
supporting her upper body.
Her left arm was damaged badly. It was terrible… I saw the bloody skin and
the white of her bones and suddenly I felt very cold. It had gone through her
arms and clothes. However, it had not been torn off. Daniela had avoided that
fate by resisting. In that case, perhaps the potion I got from the old man
would work.
I took out the green potion and removed the cork.
“Asa…gi…that…”
“This’ll probably sting.”
“Ugh…”
I would pour the liquid on the open wounds. Of course, it would hurt. As
Daniela bit hard on her lower lip, I tilted the bottle. The liquid flowed from
the mouth and fell on her arm as white steam rose into the air.
“Ughhhhh…!!”
Daniela endured the pain. I had never seen steam rise from a wound like this
before, and for a moment I panicked over the possibility of it being acid.
However, I then noticed that there was no longer any bones visible. There
was red flesh covering them. When I poured more of the potion over it,
Daniela’s smooth arm returned to normal.
“It-it healed…!”
“Hah…hah…”
Sweat ran down her forehead as she became limp with exhaustion.
“Danila. You should drink the rest.”
“Ah…mm…”
As I brought it to her lips, she raised the arm that had been wounded a
moment ago and held the bottle herself. I was relieved. Even the smaller
wounds she had received from Eve were now healing themselves.
“Hah… Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Who would have thought she’d start summoning dragons
like that? …What should we do?”
Daniela had been traumatized by dragons. She could not fight them…
“We will finish things here. Besides, we cannot ignore the fact that there is a
dragon here. Can we?”
“But Daniela, don’t you…”
“…Yes. But I have no choice.”
Yes, many people would suffer if we left the dragon as it was. Still, Daniela’s
life was more important to me. If Daniela were to die in the fight with the
dragon… No, I didn’t even want to think about it.
“I’ll lure the dragon towards me. You take care of Eve.”
“You cannot face a dragon alone!”
“I’ll manage somehow. I’ll do anything to protect you.”
Yes. I had decided it. I would take down anyone who got in my way and
eliminate all obstacles. I was ready to kill for her.
“Asagi… Just as you wish to protect me, I also want to protect you.”
“Daniela…”
“Please do not forget that. I do not want to see you die.”
She felt the same way… Thinking about it brought an irrepressible smile to
my face.
“Don’t worry. I won’t die. And neither will you.”
“…Yes. We have always made it through hardships together.”
Yes, no matter the enemy, we had always defeated them and moved forward.
This time would be no different.
“We can do this. Right?”
“Aye, there is nothing that can stop us.”
Just then, the dragon’s roar reverberated throughout the town.
It seemed like the wind dragon also had no intention of ignoring us.
“Alright, hold on Daniela. We’re going to go kill that thing!”
“Aye!”
Daniela jumped in the air and into my arms like a princess. Then she threw
an arm around my neck and held on tight. I had told her to hold on, but I
didn’t expect it to be like this… But I wasn’t complaining. It would be worse
than embarrassing if I dropped her now!
“Hehe. I will protect you. So fight without worrying.”
“Yes. I’ll protect you. So fight without worrying.”

Our foreheads touched. I could feel determination welling up in me. Right
now, a dragon didn’t seem like too bad of an enemy to beat.
chapter 157
“GAAAARRRRGHHH!!!”
The head of the roaring wind dragon was now visible. I held Daniela so that
her eyes would align with it, and she nodded.
“You can drop me here.”
“Alright. But take this with you!”
I handed Daniela the last potion that the old guard had given me. It was the
magic recovery potion.
“How did you get this?”
“A certain old guy gave it to me. It’ll recover your magic.”
“Thank you. But I happened to get the same thing from a certain guy as well.
And my magic has not run out yet.”
“What!? A guy!?”
“In any case, I will go now!”
“Hey!”
I wasn’t finished, but Daniela let go of my hand. But I still had so many
questions!
As Daniela fell from the sky, she created a jade wind at the tips of her feet,
which allowed her to descend as if she were sliding through the air. It looked
so cool… I might have to copy that.
“…Ah, I can’t be thinking about that now.”

I turned to see the glaring eyes of the wind dragon. Yes, it clearly recognized
me as an enemy.
My sword was still stuck in its jaw. I guess those dragon hands were not
capable of removing it.
I had thrust it in so deep and no manner of head-shaking would dislodge it.
“Hah! Try eating me like that!”
And so I slid down the sky…not quite as gracefully as Daniela, but trying my
best. And then the dragon spread its wings wide. Was it going to fly?
“But first…!”
I increased the speed and closed the gap between us. The wind around my
legs grew stronger as my surroundings blurred.
The wind dragon lost sight of me as it beat its wings but remained grounded.
I was now under its jaw. My hands wrapped around the hilt of the great
sword as I sent a rush of magic through it.
“I’ll be taking this back!”
This time the water blade cut through the upper jaw.
“GAAAAAAGHRRHRHR!!!!”
“Huh…!”
My body turned as I used Legs of the Forest Wolf to change positions so that
the great sword was held behind me. Then I pulled with all of my strength.
The blue blade would cut through anything, and it easily tore through the
dragon’s jaws.
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOGGG!!”
The dragon’s blood was washed away by the whirl of water around the great
sword, and it returned cleanly into my hands. A torrent of blood gushed out
of the wind dragon’s mouth as it thrashed in pain. I retreated in order to avoid
being crushed, all the while, I was running simulations with Master ‘Jack of
all Trades, Master of None.’
“No, that’s no good… Hmm…yes, that looks promising. Keep things

simple.”
I ran a few more simulations and examined the results. Ultimately, I decided
that there was no other choice. Yes, me and the Master always thought alike.
Well, maybe not as much as Daniela.
The wind dragon stopped thrashing just as I had made my decision. I guess it
was finished with that. It was a dragon after all, and an adult no less. Its once
severed jaw seemed to be connected again. Was that a scab? There was a
welt-like mark left where the cut had been. And the bleeding had stopped.
However, this didn’t change anything. I would kill it.
“There’s something that every man needs.”
I held the great sword over my shoulder as I faced the wind dragon.
“Everyone needs one.”
The wind dragon looked at me and opened its jaws wide. It wasn’t the
movement of a wyvern preparing itself to breath. The magic in its body was
being gathered in its mouth.
“It can be one, or there can be many. I think that I prefer to have multiple.”
The green and silver wind swirls about my legs as I walk. I knew how to do
it. The wind speeds up in an instant, creating such pressure that nothing could
come close.
“A special move.”
A light flashed in the wind dragon’s mouth. At the same time, an ultra dense
pressurized wind shot out like a very thin spear. It pierced through me.
Only, it wasn’t me. It was the afterimage.

Faster than the blink of an eye, I ran up into the air and over the wind
dragon’s head. I watched the unleashing of the breath, only possible for adult
dragons, as I moved my body in accordance with the answer I got from Jack
of all Trades.
“‘Kamiyashiro-style, Swiftest Wind Flash’!!”
The flow of water was free. And ‘Jack of all Trades’ taught me that the water
blade that flowed along this sword was also free. Controlling it, I could
change the width of the blade. Thirty centimeters could be sixty. And then
one-hundred and twenty. Even more. I could go to two-hundred and forty.
And just as the blade grew wide, it also grew long.
I didn’t even know if the thing in my hands could still be called a great
sword. But I held it below me as I shot towards the ground with a tail of
green, silver and blue streaking behind me. Speed was the one thing I was
always good at.
In a second, the sword cut through the thing between it and the ground. And
like that, the wind dragon’s head was severed.
The head was launched into the air from the pressure of its continued breath.
As it fell, our eyes met.
“Sorry about that. I have a habit of picking the most immature names for my
moves.”
Was it surprised or was it uncomprehending? The head landed on the ground

and rolled. A moment later, the rest of the dragon’s body collapsed to the
ground.
“I don’t know, but I’m starting to feel like a protagonist.”
I muttered to myself as I swung the sword. The water flew off the blade,
leaving the blue blade bear once again.
“Maybe I should think of a signature phrase…”
I said amusedly while searching for Daniela’s presence. She wasn’t too far
away.
I could reach her in less than a minute. Of course, with the use of these
legs… I tried to activate Legs of the Forest Wolf then, but something was
wrong. The wind was about as weak as an electric fan. It was cool and all, but
that’s not what I wanted…
“Is it because I used it too much…?”
The weak wind soon died away, and then my body stopped listening to me.
And just like the dragon, I collapsed to the ground on my back. This
sucked… I was completely conscious, and yet my body wouldn’t move.
Apparently, there were restrictions on the use of unique skills.
I had not known about it, but there was nothing I could do now. I had to wait
there until I could move again, all the while feeling her presence.
□ □ □ □
As I glided down through the air, numerous blades of fire shot up towards
me. I shifted my weight and twisted so as to dodge them while I descended to
where Eve was waiting.
“It is a good thing that I watched him…”
I had never seen anyone move in the air like that before, and it had been the
most stimulating thing. It was no wonder that I would end up imitating him. I
had spent some nights practicing during my watch.
I escaped the last of the flames before killing my speed with my heels and
landing on the ground. Yes, it all went very well.
“Have you waited long?”
“Tsk…so you’re alive…”
“Regrettably, yes. I am too young to die, you know. And there are so many
places I would like to visit.”
I unsheath my sword and look at Eve.
“However, your life must come to a close here.”
“How ludicrous! You are the one who will die!”
Eve continually sent out a monstrous wind through one hand as she used the
other to unsheath her sword. It had a curved, wide blade. It was one-sided but
looked horrifically sharp. If it was the same one I had seen a hundred years
ago, then I had every reason to be careful. It was no ordinary weapon.
“Die!!”
Eve charged at me and swung the blade downwards. I parried it with my

sword and rammed my plated elbow into her stomach and followed with a
back-hand to the face. However, she caught it with the hand that had been
unleashing magic.
“Tsk.”
“Bitch!”
Eve gripped my hand and pulled. Instead of fighting against it, I twisted my
wrist in order to free myself and then moved back. It was the Asagi way of
retreating with wind. And then I quickly pulled out my bow. There were no
arrows.
“Eat this!!”
I pulled the bowstring and gathered air together to create a jade arrow. A
special arrow of collected, condensed wind magic. It was something I had
learned to do once when I had run out of arrows a long time ago. Once I
released it, it flew at a speed much greater than an ordinary arrow. An arrow
with all the features of wind magic would not only pierce, but horribly
mangle whatever it touched. Even I was a little put off by it.
And it caught Eve right in the leg. She had been too wounded in the battle
with Asagi to be able to avoid it.
“GAAAAHHHH!!!”
Eve fell backwards as blood sprayed from her wound. I wanted to unleash
another arrow, but these things were terribly inefficient. They ate through too
much of my magic. I would be the one to die first if I shot one after another. I
had some magic left, thanks to Vent, but it made little sense to use it if it
wasn’t necessary.
And so I unsheathed my sword again and ran to Eve. She held her leg and
glared at me as I shot forward with the power of the wind and pointed my
sword at her.
“Hah!”
“…!!”
However, Eve lifted her left hand to stop the blow. She was risking the arm
as the blood-covered thing shot a ball of fire. I fell forward to dodge it and
rolled forward, came up behind Eve and then thrust out my sword again. And
again, she blocked it with her arm. But this time, her left hand went flying.
“Uhhh….!!”
“You will not block the next one!”
I enveloped my sword in wind, transforming it into a wide, one-sided blade

as I swung down. But Eve blocked it with her curved sword. Damn it… The
wind disappeared the moment it made contact with her sword.
“That sword is as awful as ever!”
“Ahahahaha! The mana dispeler will even cut through the wind of a dragon!”
Yes, it had the power to take magic and return it to mana upon contact. It was
a relic of the age of advanced magic. It was making things rather difficult…
However, I was not my old self either. If magic was no use, that meant I
merely had to win through a battle of pure swordsmanship!
“Die, Eve!”
“I’ll kill you, Daniela!”
I pull the sword of the tree of life and death back and thrust hard. Over and
over. But Eve continued to sweep it aside. I throw some swings into the mix,
but she blocks them all the same. Well, I would have to try a place less
guarded then!
“Hah!”
I jump into the air just as I thrust forward once again. Amber-colored magic
flows from my feet and into the ground, activating earth magic. Deadly
thorns shoot up out of the ground towards Eve. She was being attacked from
the front and from below!
“Ughggg…!!”
She blocked the attack from the front just as the thorns tore into her feet. This
was my chance!
“Haaahh!!!”
This time I envelope my own body in wind instead of my sword. This boost
of magic allows me to unleash a barrage of thrusts at Eve with inhuman
speed. She was bleeding from both legs now, but continued to block with her
curved blade, and yet she could not stop every thrust.
And finally, my blade cut her right arm open.
“AHH!!!”
The pain caused her to drop her weapon.
“It is over now…!”
This time I sent wind to the sword and with all of my strength, thrust it into
Eve’s heart. Weaponless and unable to use magic, Eve had no way to stop it.
The sword went straight into her chest.

“…”
Silently, she stared at me and coughed up blood.
“Gaghh…ah…kk…”
I pulled the sword out and stepped away. Blood poured from her mouth and
chest as she fell on her back.
“It is finished. This is your final stop.”
“Damn it…damn-damn-damn-damn…how can…I…!”
Her eyes did not leave me. I did not enjoy hearing the curses of the dying,
and so I stabbed her through the chest once again.
“Aaa…”
That was the last sound she made as the strength left her and she took her
final breath.
“One hundred years…”
The fight that had been interrupted on the cliff had now ended with me as the
victor. I wiped the blood from my sword and returned it to its sheath. Then I
glanced one last time at her body before turning away.
“No, he could not lose…”
After all, he was my partner. And it was time I went to pick him up.
“Farewell, Eve.”
My goodbye was erased by the wind. It would not reach her. However,
someone who had had such an effect on my life would never be forgotten. I
decided it would be so, as the one responsible for taking her life.
We would meet no more, but I would not forget. I wanted to remember all of
this when I died. And so I had to remember.
chapter 157.1
I steeled myself and then used Presence Block again. I thought I could hear
Daniela click her tongue.
Daniela’s ‘Presence Detection’ was very high-level. This was no surprise

since she had practically been using it nonstop. And yet, I was able to hide
from her. It was partly because of this magic mist.
The magic took the shape of mist as a way of commanding the area we were
in. In other words, I had control over it. Magic was about imagination. So the
mist was hiding me. The power of magic could cause optical refractions
etcetera. It was hard to explain.
“Huh…!”
Daniela was using magic. I suspected that she would use wind magic in an
attempt to blow the mist away. Of course, I had a way of dealing with that.
The dark blue magic that emitted from my greatsword grew darker, and then
it swallowed up the wind magic. As the mist connected the mana, all of it that
surrounded us was under my command.
Once Daniela understood that she couldn’t use magic, she switched to
attacking with her bow. An arrow struck the ground where I had been
standing a moment ago, but now she didn’t have wind to aid her. It was just a
normal arrow. And I was moving with Legs of the God Wolf, so she couldn’t
hit me. Not only that, but my feet weren’t actually touching the ground, so
there were no footsteps either. She couldn’t see or hear me.
As soon as the area was filled with mist, the chances of Daniela winning
became nonexistent.
Well, I had crushed the possibility of her winning by ‘score,’ but she could
still win if she defeated me before the time ran out. After all, I wasn’t just
going to sit in one place. We made a promise, after all… I was going to
defeat her with everything I had.
And so I sent ice energy into the mist. It was easy, as the ice dragon armor
helped me, but I was also at a point where I had to be careful about how
much magic I was using. It was incredibly rare for me to use so much, and I
was starting to feel the pain.
The temperature dropped all at once, but it had no effect on me. This was also
due to the ice dragon armor. And the wind dragon equipment and Legs of the
God Wolf allowed me to use the power of the wind smoothly. As the wind
rose quickly, I could act quickly. There was also an AGI boost on top of it all.
Still, it made me wonder what I’d be capable of if I had a real aptitude for
wind magic…
But, never mind that now. I had to deal with Daniela. I could tell that she was
waiting for a chance to use magic. The magic energy was building up inside
of her. While I controlled the energy around us, I couldn’t reach inside of her.
Well, maybe at night time.
I aimed at Daniela and unleashed an Ice Arrow. As there was so much

moisture in the air, it was very easy to create. I just had to freeze the mist in
the right shape. It shot towards her, silently. However, it missed. She cut it
down with her rapier.
“In that case…”
I created arrows from the mist surrounding her and fired them. She shouldn’t
be able to dodge them at that range.
“Hmmph!”
However, she survived the attack with her sword and martial arts. I had never
seen her kick an arrow out of the air before… She must have learned to do it
recently. Yes, it was dumb to assume I was the only one here learning new
tricks.
In any case, this meant that ranged attacks weren’t going to cut it. So, what
then? I would have to hide in the mist and sneak up on her. And so I pulled
my hood down and went into stealth mode. Yes, it wouldn’t make a
difference, but it made me feel more concealed.
I would hit and fall back. This was a matter of speed.
“…!”
“!?”
The first hit. I hacked down at Daniela’s back with the greatsword. She
ducked just in the nick of time, but I didn’t move to a counterattack. It was
important to stick to the basics. That was the trick to winning. And so I
vanished into the mist again and attacked from a different direction. Daniela
was quick to respond with her sword, however, it was difficult to block a
broadsword with such a thin blade. She could soften the blow a little by
allowing herself to fly back. It was a good decision, but she could only fall
back so far. After all, the entire stage was covered in mist.
Another hit. And another. While she was barely keeping up, she blocked,
dodged, and managed an occasional counter-attack. Her movements were so
precise that it was shocking to think that her left leg was injured. She was that
much of a threat.
“Kk…!”
While our swords rang against each other, I would unleash arrows from
different directions. More and more small wounds appeared on her body.
“So, this is how you are going to play!”
“I’m going to do whatever I have to.”
Perhaps some would call me cowardly. I couldn’t say for sure that I wouldn’t
be annoyed if I was facing an opponent who fought like this. Still, it was only
because Daniela was that dangerous. She was strong. This was the only thing
I could do to prevent her from shooting at me with her arrows.
As we continued to trade blows, I started lowering the temperature in order to

slow her movements. Not the most honorable thing, yes. But a jack of all
trade and master of none will do what he must.
“Very well, then… I will do the same.”

The same? Does she really think she can turn the tables now…
And then it hit me.
Daniela’s best skill. Fresh Green Eye. Damn it!
“Hahh…!”
She was going to call the wind spirits and blow the mist away!
“Spirits…lend me your power!”
“No…!”
Jade-colored energy began to explosively increase. It was all the wind

spirits… I tried to suppress it with the energy around me. Every nerve in my
body seemed to be used in order to transmit the power. The ice dragon armor
was pushed to its limit.
“Ggg…uhh…!”
Tragically, there was no iceberg or river here. All we had was clear air and
wind. There were no ice spirits or water spirits, and so I could not beat the
power of the wind spirits. And just like that, the blue colored magic was
overwritten.
“Damn it…damn…! I was so close…!”
“It is over! ‘Blast Hurricane. Full Burst’!!”
Daniela usually performed her magic without chanting. It quickly took shape.
“Ahh…”
The green tornado appeared on the stage. It started off small, however, it
quickly expanded to the point where it could swallow up the stage. I didn’t
want to think about how many spirits had come to help her. It was clearly
above skill level 10, and with such force, it easily sucked up the mist and then
swallowed me before I could run.
(Ah, it was just like a comic book…)
It wasn’t every day that a tornado shot you into the air. I had no sense of
direction anymore. Such were my thoughts as I was violently thrown around
and shredded by wind blades.
Even activating Legs of the God Wolf didn’t help me. That’s how dense the
wind and Daniela’s power was.
And so I could not resist. I flew in the air and then plummeted to the ground.
“Uuhhh…”
I must have blacked out for a second, the pain in my back was so bad. When I
opened my eyes, Daniela was looking down at me.
“How do you feel?”
She was pointing her rapier down at me and had a victorious grin on her face.
“Ah…well…I don’t know…”
“You do not know?”
She tilted her head and the smile was replaced by her usual expression. I
couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden shift. It was cute.
“Hehe. It’s weird. I feel really good.”
“You freak…”
She looked put-off, but it was the truth. Perhaps it was weird to feel good
about losing. But I had challenged her with everything and lost. It was a good
way to lose.
My current best and hers. Neither of us could have done more than we had.
As proof of it, I couldn’t even get up. Daniela looked like she would fall at
any minute. The fight couldn’t continue.
So there was only one way to end it.
“I surrender. Surrender.”
I did feel a little bad about the people watching. After all, I had obscured a
huge chunk of the fight with my mist, and then it had all ended with a
tornado. They had no idea what was happening.
Still, it was our fight. And we got what we wanted from it. It was the perfect
stage for our little egoistic fight. I was sure they’d forgive us.
It was with such thoughts in my head, that cheers and shouts poured down on
us like rain.
Thanks for reading. I hope everyone is staying safe!

chapter 158
As I stared at the sky with my unmoving body, Daniela suddenly entered my
vision.
“I can’t move.”
“Damn it…”
Daniela sighed and then disappeared. Then I suddenly felt very light. Daniela
reappeared in my vision. Her face was now very close.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
“I’m sure it’s not the case…but you wouldn’t happen to be carrying me,
would you?”
“Indeed I am. Just like you carried me earlier.”
“…”
A man being carried like a princess by a woman. Asagi Kamiyashiro did not
mind falling. That was how much he wished to struggle and break free.
However, it seemed his body was not one with his mind. In fact, his body
seemed to like it. It wouldn’t listen to him at all.
I suddenly felt that people were gathering towards us. Are you kidding me?
What now?
“Wh-what happened…? Hah…Boss…!?”
They must be bandits. And there were easily at least one hundred of them.
Until now, they had avoided this place and searched for Daniela and me in
areas that were safe.
“You killed…the Boss…!”
“I’ll crush you!!”
They began to shout at us. But Daniela held me so that I faced the other
direction, so I could not see them. But when I looked at her, she had a
devilish grin on her face.
“I did kill Eve. If you wish to get your revenge, come forth. I will send you to
meet your master.”
“Kk…!”
Daniela was so imposing now that the bandits found that they could not
move. I could sense that some of the men towards the back were running
away. In any case, I wished she would drop me. Being carried like this in
front of such an audience was unbearable.
“By the way, here is the man who slew the dragon. You can come at him as a
horde, and you will still be no match for him.”
“Liar! Some coward who has to be carried like a princess wouldn’t stand a
chance!”
It wasn’t a lie, and did they have to call me a princess?
“Well, it is no business of mine whether you believe it or not. But he has

taken off the head of a wind dragon. You should face reality. Here is a man
who can kill dragons!”
Even more of them fled as she unleashed these powerful words. It was
wonderful that the bandits knew they had no chance and were fleeing. That
meant the town would be cleaner. Still, I wish there had not been so many
witnesses to my shame.
“Now, for those of you who still wish to fight, unsheath your swords!!”
“Damn, damn it…!”
A wind started to blow along with Daniela’s voice. It picked up the dust from
the area and it increased in power. The display was enough to make the
bandits cower. Of course, she did this for that very reason.
And it was very effective too. They all knew for certain now that there was
no hope of winning, and they ran, without a single man remaining.
Once they were out of range of Presence Detection, Daniela sighed with
relief.
“We should be going then…but first…”
“Hmm…?”
Daniela started do something behind my back. I think she had opened my

backpack.
“We must take this wind dragon with us.”
“What? You can do that?’
“Hm? Why not?”
In my head I had just assumed that any monster summoned by magic would
eventually return to its world whether dead or alive.
The idea of a ‘summon beast’ had taken over my mind.
“It is magic that summons monsters. It is not a monster created by magic, so

it should be fine…I think.”
“Oh, so you’re not even sure.”
“I have never witnessed such magic before. But theoretically, it should be

alright.”
I see. Well, if you say so. If it disappears later then, well, that would just be
too bad.
Daniela was still carrying me when we arrived at the riverbank. The river that
spread out before us was immense. It looked like it could be a whole
kilometer to cross? It was like one of those great foreign rivers I once saw on
tv. Well, this was a foreign country to me. A foreign world.
“Asagi. Are you still unable to move?”
“Hmm…I can move a little. But I still need more rest.”
The only thing I could do was move my hands. I doubt that Legs of the Forest
Wolf would do me much good in this condition. Unless I wanted to be fanned
by some weak wind, which I didn’t.
“Then we should pitch our tent and rest for a while… I am tired from
carrying you for so long, and I have not rested since the fight.”
“Sorry. I’ve been the only one taking it easy.”

Daniela leaned me against the fence of someone’s house. Phew. We could

finally rest… I was a little anxious about the bandits wanting to get revenge,
but there were some, like the bandits in the tower, who hated her at least. In
any case, I would keep Presence Detection up and rest.
□ □ □ □
It was night time before we knew it. My recovery was a lot slower than I
thought it would be. That maximum speed thing really took its toll on me.
Not being able to move on the battlefield like this was a lethal flaw. I would
have to avoid using it in the future… But it had felt so good to use. I felt as if
I had become a comic book protagonist. Being able to attack after practically
teleporting. Well, I suppose the fact that there was such a deadly price to
using it just showed that I wasn’t cut out for the protagonist role… But it felt
good to have that feeling, even if it was just temporary.
Daniela cared for me that night during dinner and then let me rest.
I fell into a deep sleep, and thanks to that, I felt much better the next morning.
Though, it ended up putting a bigger burden on Daniela, but we at least we
came out of it fine the next day. The bandits also seemed to have actually
fled, as they did not attack us. The rest was up to the military. It shouldn’t be
too difficult to clean things up now that Eve was gone. Though, I had no
intention of helping them further…
“Hmm…alright, we can go now.”
I checked to see if all of my gear was in good condition. Then I folded the
tent and put it in the bag and went to gently pick up the sleeping Daniela. As
I was carrying the bag in the front, I was able to carry her on my back
without disturbing her sleep. It did look a little stupid, but it was still better
than being carried like a princess. Seriously. …seriously.
I could use the wind around my legs without problem as well. If anything,
there was something about it that felt more comfortable now, as if it had
become a part of me. It was so easy to control now. Not that it was that
difficult before, but I always felt that it restrained me in some ways. Though,
I probably shouldn’t complain considering how much it had helped me up
until now…
“Well, it’s great. That’s all that matters.”
I should be able to cross the river without too much trouble then. And so I
began by jumping into the air and running. I decided to keep a distance from
the surface of the water, just in case there were monsters who would leap out
towards us. Ah, the wind felt so nice. I glanced to the side and saw Daniela
sleeping comfortably. I couldn’t help but smile.
There were several boats floating on the water. Their passengers looked up at
us and their mouths dropped. They were dumb-founded, but I suppose they
would be.
…Ah, that’s right. I wanted to ask them something, and so I descended.
“Um, excuse me.”

“…Yes…”
“I just have a question. The town on the other side of this river, it’s also
called Nicora?”
“Ah, yes…no, it’s not.”
So which is it?
“It is the trading town of Usk.”
“Usk… Thank you.”
“No, don’t mention it…hahaha.”
I thanked the old man with the forced laugh and left the boat. I see. So the
town on the other side had a different name. I had assumed they were two
parts of the same place. It was a good thing I decided to ask.
“Usk… How exciting.”
And with that, I increased my speed. The weather really was nice today.
I felt quite cheerful as the town came into view. Yes, I could see the port.
That must be the entrance to Usk. They might be annoyed that I came without
a boat, but surely they would understand when I explained it to them. Well, I
was hoping for the best, but how would it be?
chapter 159
I land on the bridge. There were many people here, and it was very lively.
That alone made it seem quite different from Nicora.
Wooden boxes flooded the place, and numerous laborers carried them.
However, this was not slave labor, like at the mines, they all looked cheerful
and determined as they worked. Their clothes were not in tatters and they
were clean. It was clearly an adequate environment for the workers.
I continued to walk while taking in my surroundings, when a cart passed in

front of me. It was stacked with bags full of something.
“Hey, do you know what is inside of those bags?”
I tried calling to the old man who was pulling it.
“Hm? Ah, they are full of spices.”
“Oh, spices! That’s a lot!”
I could enhance my repertoire if I bought these. Though, I didn’t really know

how to use them.
“Well, this is the trading town of Usk. You should take a look. There is a
great variety of things!”
The man said as he pointed in the opposite direction as the river. Then he
pushed his cart and continued on his way. I thanked him and he waved his
hand without turning back.
I see… I had heard that it was a trading town, but it seemed like it was doing
very well. I was looking forward to seeing more.
“…Oh, wait. We have to get an inn first.”

A town near a river should have a lot of inns. People who traded needed
places to stay. And so I decided to go and look for an inn.
…But then…
“Hey, you.”
“Huh?”
Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to see a guard standing

there.
“I was watching you. You came over the river, didn’t you?”
“Ah, yes.”
“You do know that there is a proper procedure to entering the town?”
I had forgotten, as there was no gate. You probably needed to get permission
after getting off of the boat.
The guard point behind him with his thumb. There were people showing their
means of identification.
“Uh, yes, of course.”
“Well, at least you know how to listen. Come with me to the guard house
then.”
“Understood.”
“You can tell us everything when we get there.”
“…”
I shrugged as if I had no idea what he could mean by that. But I had heard
that the Usk guards were enemies of Nicora, so it must be related to that. And
this was no place to discuss such things.
And perhaps he felt the same, because he began to walk without saying
anything. I tightened my grip on Daniela and followed after him until a white
building came into view. It was nice and very different from the warehouses
in the area. On close inspection, it was made of white bricks.
“Huh…”
It was quite nice indeed…
“And here we are.”
“Oh? So this is the guard house?”
“Eh? What did you think it was?”
“Well, I was wondering what rich person might live here…”
Yes, it looked like a mansion you might find in a city. Not that I’d know
anything about them. The guard looked puzzled for a moment and then burst
into great laughter.
“Ahahaha! You must have seen some horrible houses! But in this town, this
is just about average!”
“Hey, could you not laugh so loudly…!”
Daniela will wake up! I pointed at her and he quickly closed his mouth. But it
was too late, and Daniela was awake.
“Mmm…shut up…”
She was sleep deprived and sounded very irritated as her eyes opened.
“Uh…? Who the…”
“Ah, I am Yacon, captain of the port division of guards for the trade town of
Usk!
The man said with a proper salute.

“Yacon…well…it is good to meet you…I do like bacon…”
“Ha! Thank you! I too am fond of bacon!”
What the hell were they talking about…
“Another time…bacon…ggg…”
“Ha!”
And so Daniela returned to her world of dreams. She looked truly happy
when she slept. Perhaps she was dreaming about being wrapped up in bacon.
“…Phew. I don’t know about you, but I felt overwhelming power that I
couldn’t resist…”
“Sorry about that…”
Bacon was wiping sweat from his forehead now.
“No, it is my fault for speaking so loud… I was not thinking straight. So,
what is your name?”
“I am Asagi. And this is Daniela.”
“It’s nice to meet you. And there’s no need to act so formal with me.”
“I see…thanks, Bacon.”
“It’s Yacon.”
A vein popped on Ba-…Yacon’s forehead as he corrected me. That helped

me remember his name.
□ □ □ □
“Now, I’ll have to check your status cards before you can go in.”
“Yes, thanks.”
I took out the two status cards and handed them to Bacon. Bacon took them
and quickly scanned the information before returning them.
“…Ah. Both of you have aliases…”
“I didn’t tell you about that?’
“You didn’t. You must pardon my insolence a moment ago.”
Bacon said apologetically.
“Haha. Please stop that, Bacon.”
“I told you, it’s Yacon!”
Bacon slammed his fist onto the desk.
“But more importantly, we’re looking for an inn. Can you introduce us to
one? I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
Bacon’s temples were twitching as he pulled out a sheet of paper. So he was

going to write it down.
“…Damn it. So? I know that something happened in Nicora. Give me the
details.”
“Alright. Well, first we…”
We stayed the night in the shed and found the magic ore. And then I gave
him a detailed account of the intense action that followed. When I was
finished talking, it was past midday.
“…I see. Hmm.”
“It was horrible. Who would have ever thought she’d bring out a dragon?”
“I would not have expected you to be able to kill it…”
Bacon said with a tired expression. But I didn’t see how I had any choice in
the matter. It would have destroyed the town had I run away. And then it
would have surely turned towards Usk. I didn’t exactly expect people to
shower me with praise, but I didn’t know if I deserved exasperation either.
“Well, sometimes people are unable to process things in time when they’re in
danger.”
“I suppose so…”
So we are clearly not in the wrong! We should just leave it at that and put an
end to this whole thing.
“…And do you have Eve’s body? Even her head would do.”
“No… I didn’t see it. Daniela killed her, so you’d have to ask her…”
I slowly turned to look at Daniela. She was using four chairs as a bed.
“I would like to wake her up, but I don’t want to…”
“Sorry…she’s always like that…”
And so it was decided that we would come back the next day to make a
report. But I really hadn’t seen Eve’s body myself… It was possible that it
was lying around somewhere in Nicora. Unless the bandits went off with it.
I didn’t know what that would mean for us. But I hoped it would not be
significant.
□ □ □ □
Bacon’s interrogation was finished and he sent us off with a map and a letter
of recommendation. This inn was called The Babbling Brook. A simple
name, but my expectations were high as it was endorsed by Bacon himself.
I had to pull Daniela up after she nearly slid off of my back while I went
down the streets as the map indicated. It was almost as lively as Replant.
Very nice. Voices rang from the various shops and the sounds of steel being
beaten echoed around us. There were many people passing by as well, from
old merchant men to female Adventurers. There were old gentlemen and
children from the slums. People of every type you could imagine.
“This is crazy…”
It wasn’t often that you could see so many people… This place seemed like it
would be very loud regardless of it being night or day.
We reached the inn after crossing the main street and walking down several
back streets. It was much quieter here and I saw that there were several inns
in the area. Yes, it made sense to have them here where it was quiet. I was
impressed at the amount of thought put into it.
“The Babbling Brook…eh? …Hmm?”
I stood in front of the inn. And then I realized that I could actually hear the
babbling of a brook. But this was on the opposite side of that great river… I
looked around and found a small pathway. I followed it out of curiosity and
reached the back of the inn. There was a small river.
“So here is the source of the babbling.”
It was a small, yet clear and beautiful river. I squatted down to touch it and it
was refreshingly cool.
“Hehe. You can drink it as well.”
“Huh?”
Someone was suddenly behind me. I turned around to see a beautiful woman
standing there.
“I received a message from Yacon saying that a dark-haired man would come
with a woman on his back. You are Mister Asagi, are you not?”
“Yacon…? Oh, yes. Yes, I am Asagi. Here.”
I took out the letter of recommendation and handed it to the woman. She
opened it with a smile and chuckled after reading it.
“Ah, please forgive me. Mister Yacon’s letter turned into a love letter part
way through. It is very amusing.”
“Yacon…Yacon…ah, you mean Bacon!”
“Bacon?”
“Uh, nevermind.”
Damn it, this was all Daniela’s fault. Shit… That being said, damn that
Bacon guy. He said he was going to introduce us, but he just took the
opportunity to romance some woman… Unforgivable!
“So, what’s your reply? I can quickly go back and tell him that it was a ‘no’
from you.”
“Hehe. It is alright. I believe it is best to ignore such things.”
Well, she was shockingly sadistic. What a terrifying woman. Poor Bacon.
“Ah, allow me to introduce myself. I am the owner of the Babbling Brook.

My name is Karamus. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine. I am Asagi Kamiyashiro. And this is Daniela Villesilf.

We will be glad to receive your hospitality.”
Karamus smiled after this.
“Well then, allow me to welcome you to the Babbling Brooke. I hope you
enjoy your stay.”
chapter 160
I followed Karamus as she guided us to the entrance. Inside, there were
wooden pillars and the floor and counter were also made of wood. It was
quite different from Japan in taste, and yet there was something nostalgic
about it. I felt almost as if I’d been here before.
In any case, as it seemed like there was a lot to clear up and settle, I decided
to stay for two weeks, just to be sure. Our room was the sixth door on the first
floor. Room 106.
Karamus opened the door so I was able to step in while still carrying Daniela.
As always, there was a magic security device near the entrance. It was
wooden on the outside, making it harmonious with the overall atmosphere of
the inn. These things really came in all sorts of designs…it made me curious
to see what it had originally looked like.
The rest of the room was filled with a sense of calmness that poured off from
the warmth of the wood. But it was different from the inn in Valdorf, with its
forest room. If anything, this room made you feel like you were ‘inside’ of
the tree.
The ceiling was, of course, wood. The beautiful grains could look like
frightening faces to some children, but I always liked them. It was tasteful
and enjoyable to see how the grains could vary.
The table and chairs were low and also made of wood. Red cushions came
with both chairs and looked very comfortable. The table had a worn look to it
but was shockingly smooth to the touch.
A window was set at the far back of the room. When you looked outside,
there was a scene quite different from what I saw behind the inn, and yet you
could also see the same river. It was a relaxing sight, in any case.
I turned around and looked at the rest of the room. There was a toilet but no
bathing room. Perhaps there was a public bath. Two beds. We had one very
large bed in Replant, which made me feel that this arrangement was not the
most satisfying for making out. However, at least the blankets were nice and
soft. I put Daniela down on one of the beds for now.
“Does it please you?”
Karamus inquired after I had finished my inspection.
“It’s a nice room. I really like the use of wood.”
“Oh, that is a relief. We like to show all the beauty that wood has to offer.
You should really take a look at the rest of the building.”
“I’m sure that I will when I have the time.”
Miss Karamus smiled happily. Yes, she was cute and all, but surprisingly
sadistic as well. I would have to be careful…
“Hmm? Is there something you want to say, Mister Asagi?”
“Not at all!”
□ □ □ □
Daniela didn’t wake up until the sun had set. I was listening to the sounds of
crickets outside when I heard her get up.
“You’re finally up.”
“Hm…where are we?”
“An inn.”
“I see…”
She scratched her head as she scanned the room. Judging by her dull
movements, she wasn’t wholly awake yet…
“…Yes, it is a good room.”

“Yeah, I agree.”
I got up from my chair and sat on my bed.
“We crossed the river after you fell asleep. And so we are here now. This
place is called Usk. And then this guard caught us and asked me about what
happened in Nicora.”
“Hmm… The guards here are well-trained then. They were very quick.”
“Well, there was a dragon and all. They must have seen it.”
“That is true… And what then?’
I lifted my legs onto the bed and continued.
“Ah, I said I’d tell him everything he wanted if he would introduce me to a

good inn.”
“Haha. You do like to turn everything to your advantage, Asagi.”
“Well, yeah.”
It might sound a little stingy, but he had caught us while I was going to
search for an inn. It was only normal for him to help me after taking so much
of our time.
“So… I told him all about Eve, while you were busy sleeping.”
“Hmm…”
“He wanted to know if we had the head.”
“We do not. She was a horrible woman, but still one of my kind. And I would
never take the head of one my own kind.”
“I see… Well, you can tell that to Bacon at the guardhouse when you have
time. Just tell him that you came with me, they should let you in.”
“Mmm…alright. But more importantly, Asagi…”
Daniela looked serious as she sat up straight. I don’t know why, but I
uncrossed my legs and straightened my posture as well.
“I am hungry.”
“Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised.”
In fact, having predicted this very thing, I had gone out while she was
sleeping and searched for the food district. It was a kind of unique culture
that every town had. A way for people of different backgrounds to
communicate. Okay, maybe not.
I opened my bag and took out a paper box that contained fried noodles. It was
different from what I was used to but looked very delicious. And now that I
think of it, noodles weren’t exactly common here. Or was it that we were
always too distracted by the meat?
“Here. Mysterious fried noodles.”
“Mysterious what?”
It was still piping hot, and Daniela accepted it with a chuckle before climbing
off the bed and sitting by the low table. It wasn’t the best table for eating, but
better than the bed at least. I took out a box for myself and sat on the opposite
side of the table.
“Let’s eat.”
“Yes.”
We said before slurping our noodles. I once heard that there are people who
are incapable of slurping… I wonder if they also had trouble sucking through
straws?
I pondered this question while eating. Hmm… Now that I think of it, I once
read a novel where a Japanese person was sent to another world and started
making soy sauce and miso… It was basically a cliche in those stories… But
I had no idea how to make those, so it was no use trying. In any case, the
sauce was delicious, and so I didn’t miss the old stuff. But if Matsumoto ever
made some, I wouldn’t mind accepting a sample.
“Asagi, is there any more?”
“Hm? Ah, yeah. That was fast…wait a second.”
I put my noodles on the table and went over to the bag which sat on my bed.
There was some salted grilled fish that I had also bought at a food stall.
“Here. You don’t mind the bones, do you?”
“Aye, never bothered me.”
Well, she probably didn’t mind anything as long as it was edible. She was a
gluttonous beauty. But it was one of the things I liked about her. Now, to
finish my own dinner. I stretched out a hand toward the table and froze.
“Uh, Daniela.”
“Mmm…gg..g…what?”
“Where’s my food?”
“Hm? You know where it is.”
“Huh? Where?”
“Here, in my stomach.”
“…”
Okay, I take it back. As far as being a gluttonous beauty, there was a lot of
room for improvement.
After that, I ate the fish I had bought for myself and then we decided to go to
the baths together. I had asked the person at the counter while Daniela was
still sleeping, and was told that there was a public bath a short walk from the
inn. It also wasn’t a mixed bath, so my safety was insured.
“Alright, see you later.”
“Aye.”
We separated at the doors and I went into the men’s bath. Because of the
time, there were many customers here… Some looked like merchants and
others Adventurers. There was a wide range of races as well. A mens festival,
if you will… And so I took off my clothes to join them. It seemed a little
risky to just toss my stuff into a basket, but then I saw that there was a guard
standing watch. Still, I wasn’t quite comfortable with it… But no one else
seemed to care. I guess I’d just have to get used to it.
I grabbed a towel and opened the door to an area full of heat, steam and older
men. As those were not of particular interest to me, I quickly went about
washing the wind dragon blood from my skin. If only I could use magic like
Lauria. I thought wistfully, when an old man sat down next to me. I glanced
at him while moving away in annoyance, but was then hit by a shocking
realization. It was the strong-looking guard!
“It-it’s you!”
“Hm? Ah, you!”
He looked down at me with a happy expression.
“So you’ve come back then.”
“Aye. My job is done now. I’m very grateful to you. It’s because you
defeated the boss in Nicora that I was able to come back.”
He said as he offered his hand.
“I’m Tames. Tell me your name.”
“It’s Asagi. Welcome back.”
“Asagi! Thank you!”

We shook hands in celebration. After that, we finished washing up and
soaked in the baths and talked about the fight.
“I see…the dragon…you must be very strong…”
“It was just by chance.”
“But you took its head in one…oh, never mind.”
“By the way, what happened to the others?”
There were three of them. The fast one and the smart one.
“Ah, Sevan…the one who was blocking your path when we first met. He’s
returned to the imperial capital to make a report.”
“The capital?”
“Hm? Ah, did I not tell you? We work for the army. Well, in intelligence, any
way.”
Intelligence? Doesn’t that mean you work in secret? Should you be telling me
this?
“I am sure that it is fine. But as you and Daniela defeated Eve, you may be
monitored for a while. It’ll make things a lot simpler if you already knew
what was happening, should you catch any of them. Don’t you think?”
“I see… I guess they’ll be wondering whether or not we’ll be a threat to the

empire?”
The empire wasn’t stupid. You killed Eve and freed Nicora. Hurrah! We can
have peace now. That wouldn’t do, and it would only be a matter of time
before someone took Eve’s place. They would have to find someone capable
of governing the town. It would be a race against time, I think.
“Wasn’t there also another one? What happened to him?”

“Ahh…him. Weland was taken by a bandit’s arrow when we were fleeing.”
“…I’m sorry.”
I wanted to talk with him, but this was the kind of cruel thing that could not
be avoided on a battlefield.
We finished our bath without talking much after that.
“Asagi, I’ll be returning to the capital as well. But if you ever find yourself
there, let me know. I will do what I can to help.”
“Thank you, Mister Tames.”
“It’s nothing! Goodbye!”
He put on his clothes and casually raised his hand before leaving. We would
be going to the capital eventually, and so I made a mental note about visiting
him before leaving the changing room.
Daniela was already waiting for me. And like that, we took a midnight walk
through Usk and returned to the inn for a long night of sleep.
chapter 161
I woke up at the same time as Daniela the next morning. We washed our
faces, ate breakfast in our room and made plans for the day. By the way,
breakfast was scrambled eggs, salad, freshly baked bread and fruits. So, an
incredibly fresh, juicy, delicious and overall happy meal.
“I will go and make a report about Eve. Bacon, was it?”
“Yeah. You can’t forget a name like that. Not even if you wanted to.”
“It sounds awfully familiar to me… But nevermind. What are you going to
do?”
I was getting changed now, and pointed at my bag with my foot.
“I think I’ll try and get rid of all the materials we’ve been gathering.”
“Selling, yes. Is there a guild here?”
“There is. I asked about it yesterday.”
While leaving the food district, I had followed some Adventurer-types. They
went straight to the guild, so I knew where it was now.
“I see. By the way, about that wind dragon…”
Daniela opened and closed her left hand. She had already finished changing.
“Ah, your equipment?”
“Aye. I would like to use some of the materials.”
“Sure. Why not get new clothes too? Those are ripped.”
As she had been bitten by the wind dragon, everything below the shoulder
had been torn off. Of course, that included the armor.
“Indeed… I am rather attached to this after all these years, but I think the
time has come to make a change.”
“Alright then. We’ll use the wind dragon to upgrade our equipment and sell
what’s left.”
“Thank you.”
It was important to be careful when dealing with money, even though we

were a party. Even though we were lovers. But at the same time, it was even
more important to help each other. We would shoulder each others’ burden
and walk together. I wanted her to depend on me more. It wasn’t good to
require permission for everything and only care about rules all the time.
There was nothing wrong with just having a few appropriate guidelines used
in moderation.
“Alright, I’ll be off then.”
I strapped the Glampanzer to my belt and put on my backpack. My clothes

were the usual cheap set I used for walking in the town. There was no need to
dress up. Though, everything was in this bag anyway.
“I will go to the bathroom first. Do not try to look.”
“I won’t!”
“And no listening either.”
“Why would I!”
“I will be using Presence Detection, just so you know.”
“You don’t trust me!?”
Damn it! I puffed up with indignation as I left Room 106 behind me.
It was not Karamus, but someone else who greeted me at the counter. I told
them that I was going out on business and then left the inn. It was a short
walk to the main street. It was filled with the expected liveliness of a bustling
crowd. I had to be careful not to bump into other people as I made my way to
the guild.
“Adventurers Guild. Usk Branch.”
It was a fine building made mostly of white bricks. Something about it made
me think of palaces, but there was no point in allowing that to intimidate me.
Hell, it was bound to be filled with the typical rough Adventurer types.
There was a guarded curtain instead of a closed door that I had to pass.
Inside, the scene was mostly a familiar one. But as this was a trade town by a
river, there was much variety in equipment. Perhaps this was also a form of
communication between people of different cultures. No, that’s not it.
The structure of the place was mostly the same as other guilds. There were
counters for Registration, Quests, Requests, Rewards, Conversions, and
Questions. In the back, I could see a bar. And there was a resting area near
the side of the entrance. There you could hear many Adventurers boast about
their exploits.
I looked around, like the little outsider that I was. Eventually, I found my
position at the back of the Conversion line and stared at the materials on the
counter. …Orc fangs. Yes, they were unique in shape. So he must have
hunted orcs. I hoped it wasn’t Arthur’s fangs… Where was he anyway? I
ended up crossing the river without meeting him. Do orcs cross the river
too…?
As I folded my arms and considered this question, someone cut into the line.
I looked up to see three faces with sleazy grins. Well, there wasn’t much
point in blowing a fuse here. My turn would come with a little patience. I
shouldn’t let it bother me. I shrugged and returned my thoughts towards
Arthur.
“Hahaha! Nile, this one can’t even talk!”

“Hey-hey, Zanbage. He must be ill. Don’t mock the poor thing!”
“Ahahaha! Zanbage, Nile, this guy’s ear don’t seem to work either! I don’t
think he can hear us!”
…And I had been so kind as to overlook their earlier rudeness. And yet they
were fanning the flames like nobody’s business. I snapped just enough to
look up with a glare.
“…Eh? What’s this now? Have you got a problem with us?”
“If you do, we’re listening. Supposing you can actually talk!”
“Ahahahaha!”
These three had a gift for irritating people. It must be an important aspect of
their craft, differentiating between irritating people and making them angry.
They attacked with very precise blows. How did they do it?
“Bah! So you got nothin’ to say after all. This bastard has no balls.”
“How sad. You should just quit the trade. You’re making the rest of us look
bad.”
“Ahahaha! Yes, turn left and go home, you coward!”
There was an audible sound of the camel collapsing under the last straw.
“Ah, sorry about that. I was just thinking about something else.”
“Eh?”
“Yes, I was thinking about how I would handle a situation when someone cut
the line while I was waiting.”
“Ahahahaha! Indeed, what would a bastard with no balls do in such a

situation?!”
The one with the most irritating laugh threw a shoulder around me as he said
this.
“This!!”
I grabbed his arm and threw him onto his back. As soon as he hit the floor, I
rammed my foot into his stomach, sending him sliding across the room.
“Senagal! You little shit!”
Then I activated Legs of the Forest Wolf for a split second around my left
foot and launched myself into the air. It was a little higher than necessary, but
I didn’t care as I kicked upwards with my right foot, right into the first guy’s
jaw. He must have bit his tongue, because blood splashed from his mouth.
“How dare you…! …gg!?”
I dodged the biggest one as he shouted and swung at me. Daniela was both
faster and more intimidating. I dropped to the floor and kicked his legs out
from under him, causing him to rotate fully before crashing down to the floor.
Then I grabbed him by the hair and pulled his face up before slamming it
down again. A stream of blood flowed from his nostrils.
“Get it? That’s what happens when you cut the line.”
“Shi-shit…bastard…mmm..ggg…!!”
There was still a strong sense of resistance there, so I slammed his face into
the ground once again.
“Still having trouble?”
“Ugh…gg…”
His eyes were wet, and yet he could not seem more alive as he glared at me. I
wondered if I should make him taste the floor again, but then my time was
up. A pair of legs stopped right in front of me. I let go of the man’s hair and
stood up.
“Uh, forgive me for disturbing you while you are so preoccupied. But do you
have some time to spare?”
“Uh, sure.”
I thin man stood there. He was just standing there with his perfect posture,
and yet there was something very guarded about him. Even his smile seemed
misleading as he guided me passed the counter and opened a door marked,
‘Reception Room.’ …It brought back horrible memories of Fiona.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Uh, no.”
I gave him my own ‘customer service smile’ and entered the room. I glanced
back just before entering and saw the three men being dragged away by their
feet by some guild workers. That alone gave me an idea of the situation. But
that was all I saw, as the man quickly closed the door behind us.
“Ah. I must say, those men have caused us so much trouble up until now!”
“Oh.”
“They seemed to do little but pick fights with every newcomer to the guild.
At times, they would even force people to give them money!”
“Huh.”
“But we try to avoid getting involved in personal quarrels… And they are
rather strong.”
“Eh…”
“Still, they do have a knack for getting under people’s skin, do they not? It is
really quite genius, even. Genius!”
“Uh, right… Who are you?”
As soon as we sat down on the couch, the man burst into a fit of complaints,
as if he had been waiting for this moment for years. But I hadn’t got his name
yet.
“Ah, ah, forgive me. I am Rio Grande. The Guild Master of the Flugelnian
Empire’s Usk Guild.”
“Guild Master… I…”
“You are Asagi, are you not? Asagi Kamiyashiro. The sharp and swift
swordsman known as Silvergreen! Ah, you would not have known this, but I
am a great admirer of yours. Yes, we shall be the best of friends from now
on.”
I guess there was no need for introductions on my end. I felt a chill when he
suddenly grabbed my hand and shook it excitedly, but at least he didn’t seem
to be the bad sort.
“Are they well known then? Um…for better or worse.”
“Oh, yes. Very. No one has ever been a bigger nuisance… You don’t know
how good it felt to see you give them a good beating!”
“Thanks. …Uh, is there a penalty for starting fights within the guild?”
When all was said in done, I had done the worst of it. I was quite pissed off in
the moment, and a part of me wondered if I had gone too far.
“Ah, think nothing of that. There is indeed a penalty, but that shall be
withdrawn from their accounts, and not yours.”
“Should you be doing that? You are the Guild Master…”
“It is fine. If anything it is the one thing I can do as Guild Master. And so I
must do it!”
I wasn’t sure if he was taking his job seriously enough. Well, if this meant
that I was getting out of this unscathed, then I had no complaints. I had only
come here to collect some money. If the guild could clean up the mess that
this misfortune caused, then I was all for it.
“Well, that is all I wanted to say. Thank you for your time.”
“No, thank you. And sorry about all of this.”
“Think nothing of it!”
Rio stood up and opened the door for me. All eyes moved towards us.
However, it only lasted for a second, and they all dispersed and the room was
full of mutterings.
“Hehe. You are quite famous.”
“I prefer to live quietly. I have no use for fame.”
“Ah, so modest. But it is too late for that, Mister Asagi!”
Rio said, much to my annoyance. Then he disappeared in some backroom

behind the counter.
Uhh…damn it. Replant had been so peaceful in comparison. I felt quite tired
as I rejoined the line. This time, there was no one who tried to cut in.
chapter 162
Finally. It was finally my turn.
“Thank you for waiting, Mister Asagi.”
“No problem.”
“Now, if you would just show me the materials.”
“Of course.”
I took off the hollow bag and thrust an arm into it before realising that there
was a problem.
“Uh…”
“…? Mister Asagi?”
“The thing is a little large…I don’t know if there is enough space here…”
Indeed, if I took out a whole wind dragon here, it might destroy the building.
I’d become a terrorist.
“In that case, you can have it inspected in the heavy disassembling area in the
back.”
“Thank you.”
I nodded and the guild worker proceeded to guide me to it. A different guild
worker took over the counter in the meantime.
I followed the guild worker until we reached a back door that led outside. It
was a large area surrounded by high walls, but as this was outside, there was
no ceiling. It would be pretty difficult for intruders to scale those walls. In
any case, this was more than enough space for me.
“When you’re ready.”
“Alright.”
I took a step forward and grabbed the wind dragon’s tail from the bag. And
just like that, I pulled the entire thing out. A shriek of terror rang behind me
from the guild worker. A headless wind dragon now lay at our feet. And so I
thrust my hand in the bag again and felt for the horns. Then, with another
pull, an incredibly fresh dragon head popped out of the bag.
“Oh…uh…”
“Well, there it is. The big guy.”
“Oh… it is a wind dragon…!!”
“Yeah. Freshly killed wind dragon.”
The shocked guild worker told me to stay where I was before running back
into the building. And so I waited there quietly as if I were the most loyal dog
in the world. After a few minutes, Rio and several others stormed outside.
“Ah, Asagi, you. I see you’re still busy trying to gain even more popularity.”
“Uh, I thought I told you that that’s not the case?”
“And yet you prepared such a thing. Now what excuse could you have for
that?”
I just wanted it cut up and convert some of it into gold. Damn it, Rio…stop
smiling.
“If you could just take it apart for me. I want to keep the parts that can be
made into armor, and the rest I will sell.”
“Yes-yes, very good. We will dismember it and make a list of all the parts for
you. Please come to the guild tomorrow to see it.”
“Alright. Thank you.”

The others who had come with Rio now went to the wall and picked up tools
that included great saws and knives. It seemed that they hadn’t had much
opportunity to see a dragon like this before, and their eyes shone with
eagerness. It was kind of scary to watch.
□ □ □ □
After that, I returned to the counter to turn in the smaller monster materials
we had collected. In the end, I left the place with three pieces of gold and
eighty pieces of silver.
“Well then, Mister Asagi. I trust we’ll be seeing you here tomorrow, so we
inspect the wind dragon materials. Please do not forget.”
“Yes, I know. Sorry for surprising you back there.”
“Oh, it’s…nothing at all…”
It seemed to have caused a bit of a panic, and so I apologized. She turned red
and looked at the floor. I knew what that meant. She liked me.
I was finished here, and so I said goodbye and decided to explore the rest of
the guild. A glance towards the bar showed the typical assortment of rough
gentlemen drinking alcohol. I didn’t feel like getting involved with anyone at
this time though, and so I turned away.
After wandering about a little more, my feet took me to the stairs. There was
a sign right next to it that read, ‘Resource Room ahead.’
“Resources…eh? Information about monsters, maybe?”
It seemed like it was open to everyone, and so I decided to take a look.
So I climbed the stairs to the second floor, where I was met with another sign
pointing me in the right direction. At the end of that, I found a door with the
words ‘Resource Room’ written on it.
“Excuse me…”
I knocked before entering a room overflowing with…well, not quite, but still,
there was quite a collection of books. There were a few other Adventurers
here who were turning the pages of the books they were reading. Hmm, so
you were free to look around after all. And so I moved over to a shelf in the
corner and looked at the covers.
“‘On Becoming an Adventurer of the Empire.’ …That’s of no use to me.”
Next to it was a book titled, ‘A Guide to Joining the Imperial Army.’ Was it a
popular occupation then? …I think I’d rather be an Adventurer than
participate in parades.
This shelf was not looking very promising, and so I decided to move on. I
would check out the area where an Adventurer had been a moment ago.
There should be something related to Adventuring.
And so I scanned the books that he had been browsing…
“‘I was Reincarnated into a Pot, and so I will build a Country with an
Exciting Harem!’…?”
What the…is this a light novel? A pot? What a bummer.
“‘I thought I had Reincarnated into Another World, but it was just the
Countryside, so I walked home.’ …So he just got lost then.”
Why were these kinds of books here… Did Rio like them?
In any case, I had no use for them either. What the hell was wrong with that
Adventurer?
I left, looking a lot more tired than a moment ago. As I wandered around
aimlessly, I caught sight of an Adventurer who was reading something
intently. He paid me no mind, and so I stood next to him and checked the
shelf he was closest to.
‘Monsters of the Empire.’
‘Killing the Demon Lord with the Strongest Cheat! -But I maxed out at level
10-’
‘Monster Distribution Map.’
‘Monster – Proof of the Hunt List.’
Now here was a selection of useful books. But hey, someone inserted a
random light novel!
“Damn it…”
As I had nothing better to do, I returned the light novel to its rightful shelf
and returned to the monster books. The Adventurer was gone now. In any
case, I picked up Monsters of the Empire first. It had a list of all the
surrounding town names in alphabetical order in the table of contents.
“…Huh.”
I found Replant. Hmmm, page 267…hehe. It had monsters both familiar and
unfamiliar. It said that you should be especially wary of blood apes. Yes, yes.
Those guys were horrible… I thought I was going to die.
There was also something about what I thought were forest goblins in
Valdorf’s Berulu Forest, but they were actually known now as Berulu
Goblins.
Apparently, there was some debate about this, as there were those who
argued that they were nothing more than forest goblins who happened to like
tree sap. The mayor’s daughter(aged 3) suggested that they be called syrup
goblins, but this was promptly rejected.
“Who the hell cares…”
It was truly a universal thing to argue about pointless things.
I continued to look through the book and take in as much information as

possible. Knowledge of the monsters we would encounter here was worth a
lot. I had relied on Daniela most of the time up until now, but I needed to do
my part where I could… It would be nice if I could get a map of the entire
Empire as well, but they didn’t seem to have one here. I would have to gather
more information… Well, maybe I could leave that bit to Daniela. She had
lived so long that her head was full of such things. It wasn’t because I was
lazy or anything.
“Mmm…uhhh…”
My shoulders were starting to feel stiff. My neck hurt too. Maybe it was time
to stop reading. Besides, Daniela had probably been freed from Bacon right
about now…
I sighed tiredly and returned the book to its shelf. Really, books should
always be returned to the proper shelf.
□ □ □ □
I decided to check a clothes shop before returning to the inn. This was
because I had realized that the percentage of being harrassed tended to
increase in my current clothes. It was very shocking. These rough clothes
were cheap and easy to move in, and I had liked them a lot…
“Hey, you. I’m not in a great mood today. Pay up or get knocked down. Take
your pick.”
“Eh? What the…I’ll kick your arse!”
“Look at this guy. He looks so weak but carries a sword with him. It pisses
me off!”
“Out of my way, you brat!”
It seemed that I could not walk ten steps without some thug taking issue with
me. I lost count of how many times it happened. But I could probably fill a
book with them. It would sell, too.
In any case, I came to the conclusion that my appearance was doing me no

favors. But then again, I always ended up choosing similar types of clothes.
Maybe I just had unfortunate tastes…

“…Hmm?”
Tired and depressed, I dragged my feet as I walked. But suddenly, a certain

alley caught my eye. I wasn’t even sure why it interested me, but I stopped in
my tracks and watched.
“No one goes in…”
Everyone was passing it as if it wasn’t even there. No one even glanced in its
direction.
“…”
My curiosity forced me to go closer. I stood right next to it and looked

through the corner of my eye. It was still there. An alley between two stores.
Did no one enter it because there was nothing there?
I continued to watch for the next five minutes, but no one went inside. There
might be something to this…
“Might as well check…”
I had my equipment in my bag. And I could always use Legs of the Forest
Wolf to escape.
I waited until there was no one watching. And then I casually entered the
mysterious alley.
chapter 163
It really looked like any old alley. Like someone would poke their head out of
a window at any moment. It had that kind of lived-in quality. And it stretched
out as far as I could see without anything in particular. I thought that maybe it
would connect to a different street, but it didn’t. Yes, there was something
odd about that. Should I wear my armor just to be safe…?
“…Hmm?”
I could hear footsteps.
Tap, tap, tap.
As the sounds came closer, I wondered if one of the townspeople had come
inside. And so I turned to look.
“What?”
A wall had appeared there. Right in front of my nose. A tall, tall wooden
board.
“Wait a minute, this wasn’t here…”
I tried knocking on it. It was definitely wood. But it didn’t move at all. But
judging from the sound, it didn’t seem too thick. And yet it wouldn’t break
when I hit it. My hand dropped to my sword, but then I wondered, what if
even the sword didn’t do it?
“I can’t risk damaging it…”
This sword was supposed to be very durable, but this was a very strange
situation. And who knew what could happen.
Still, what the hell was happening… I had no way of contacting Daniela. In
fact, I had been trying to activate Legs of the Forest Wolf for a while, but I
couldn’t create so much as a breeze of wind.
It was as if something were obstructing it.
“What the…”
I turned away from the wall and sat down on the ground. It must be some
kind of magic. A spell that trapped wanderers in. I had never heard of such
illusions as this, but then again, there was Eve. There were secret spells that
the public did not know about. It was very likely that this illusion was no
different.
“But if it is an illusion, then why can’t I deactivate it…?”
I didn’t know how it worked, but often you were only trapped because you
believed in them, and once realized they were an illusion, you could return to
the normal world…
“Maybe that’s just too fantastical…it doesn’t apply here.”
But complaining about it now wasn’t going to get me out of here. There was
no way to turn back. The only thing to do was continue on ahead.
“I guess I have no choice…”
I decided to put my armor on first. There was no telling what was up ahead.
And so I took out my set of armor and the poncho and mantle from the bag
and put them on. The Glampanzer was my weapon of choice. The great
sword would be too limiting in this narrow space. But then again, there
wouldn’t be much space for an enemy to run either. In any case, I took the
Ashikirimaru as a backup weapon.
“Alright.”
There was a possibility that I could be attacked from above. But I wasn’t very
good at using Presence Detection over my head, and so I just put on my hood.
It should be good enough for blocking arrows.
I wanted to find the person whose footsteps I had heard. There was a
possibility that it wasn’t real, but I decided to look anyway. There was only
one path, afterall. I would find something even if I didn’t want to.
“The scariest thing would be if I was locked up with no purpose…”
Just being locked away. Not captured, not killed. Just locked up. I could not
let such a horrifying thing happen.
“I’ll get you, whoever you are!!”
“Could you shut up already!!”
A window opened loudly from the side. I was just about to run off, when I
turned my head to look at the window. It was a young girl. A silver-haired
girl in a tank-top who was carrying a bowl and some chopsticks as she glared
at me.
“I’m eating right now.”
“…”
“Can you not leave me in peace?”
“…”
“Hey, are you listening to me?”
“Sorry, it’s taking me a minute to process all of this.”
“Hmm, are you a bug?”
“Don’t call me a bug.”
I really had no idea what was going on. Could someone come down and
explain this to me?
□ □ □ □
The silver-haired girl was kind enough to invite me into her house. I had to
enter through the window, but at least I took off my shoes. A cushion was
prepared for me and so I sat down and waited for her to finish eating her
bowl of rice porridge. When she was done, she sat cross-legged in front of
me and stared.
“…Hmm. Are you from Japan?”
“Uh, what did you just say?”
“Are you trying to play the dense protagonist with me? I asked if you’re
Japanese.”
Japanese. I had only heard that word used twice in this world. The first was
with Matsumoto.
The second was here. But where was ‘here’?
“Here? This is a space that I created. There are entrances and exits to many
places in this world. You wandered in. Into my door.”
“Door?”
“It is magic.”
She said as she picked her teeth with a toothpick. A space that connects to
other places. What kind of powerful dimension magic…?
“But, how did you know I was Japanese? Are you Japanese too?”
“You could say that. In spite of my appearance, I was at one time.”
“One time…? Well, now that I think of it, I wouldn’t expect anyone who
wasn’t Japanese to end up turning into a silver-haired loli witch.”
“Are you trying to insult me? You are, aren’t you?”
She stood up, not quite angry, but almost there.
“Very well then. I, Rachel Vanargand, will fight you!!”

Bam! She put one leg on the low table. …Rachel Vanargand?
“…I’ve heard that name before. Rachel Vanargand…but where…?”
“Huh? You have?”
“Somewhere… Ah, now I remember. It was the blacksmith from Valdorf.”
It was a name that Kasil had said. He was the blacksmith who sold me my
current weapons.
“Ah, so you have met him?”
“Yeah. I bought my weapons from Kasil.”
“Oh? But I don’t see the weapon that I enchanted…”
“Ah, that? I didn’t bother. It was too expensive.”
“You bloody bastard!! It was indestructible! I am the only person in this

world who can use such an enchantment, and you say you didn’t buy it!? I
will bloody kill you for this!!”
Damn, this girl was terrifying… It wasn’t my fault it was so overpriced…
“Ahhh… I cannot believe this… To pass on such a rare thing…”
“Uh, hey, why don’t you enchant my clothes then? Wouldn’t that fix the
problem?”
“I will knock you down!”
What? Why so stingy… Oh, never mind.
“We are getting side-tracked. What is this place? And who are you? Tell me.”
“Hmph. Why should I tell the likes of… Hmm, but I will tell you as a
Japanese friend. I was reincarnated into this world a long time ago. But well,
not as a human.”
She said as she started to scratch her backside. She looked like any other
human to me…
“When I was born, I was a wolf. Just an ordinary wolf. But I evolved over the
next eight hundred years.”
“Wolves evolve?”
“I ate the flesh of monsters in my forest home. Then I ate magical ore and
changed into a monster. After that, I went from place to place, taking in
mana.”
“Uh…isn’t that what abnormally evolved beings do?”
“Hmm? You know about that? Well, that makes things a lot easier to explain
then. Because that is what I became. But I didn’t stop there, I evolved even
further.”
In other words, she was born as an ordinary wolf, then evolved into a monster
wolf…in other words, a forest wolf, and then turned into Beowulf after that.
“You met Beowulf?”
“Yeah. We fought and then made peace. I received Beowulf’s enchantment

then. Though, I can’t use it here, for some reason…”
“Of course, you can’t. I am the superior being. This place is under my
control. A thrall to a weaker forest wolf, such as yourself, will not be allowed
to move freely here.”
I see. So that’s how it worked. Wait, a second. I’m Beowulf’s thrall?
“…Now, let me continue. I became a Beowulf, and traveled the world. Took
in mana from different lands and studied. And then I finally reached it. The
peak of evolution.”
“The peak of evolution…”
“My status now displayed it, Fenrir.”

Fenrir…
“Heh. A Fenrir who drank in the world, not a god. It is a funny thing.”
“Uh, not sure I see the humor…”
The thing in front of me wasn’t a mysterious Enchanter. It was perhaps the

strongest creature in this world.
“So, once I had become a Fenrir, I went about creating a certain magic spell.
The ability to turn into a human.”
“And so that’s how you regained your human body.”
“You can say that. I started to go by Rachel Vanargand when I became a

human. And then I decided to explore the world again, this time on two feet. I
made money by doing Enchantments. Sometimes I return to my home like
this and rest.”
“You seem to be having a good time.”
“Aye, I do enjoy my life!”
Rachel said with a big smile.
“Still, why did you choose to be a young girl…”
“What? Is it not cute?”
“I guess. At least it’s kind of memorable?”
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment…?”
After that, Rachel told me about other things that had happened in her life.
While she said she was doing me a favor, it did seem like she enjoyed talking
to someone. She hadn’t been able to tell anyone about this before, so it was
no wonder…
“Phew… Perhaps I have told you too much.”

“You seemed to enjoy it.”
“Well, I never thought I would meet someone from home.”
“But there is another guy from Japan.”
“You mean Yasushi. No, I don’t like that one at all! We are too different in
age. I have no idea what he is talking about!”
“Oh, so you knew.”
That was unexpected. Well, maybe not. As she had traveled the world.
“After all, I am a court magician in Lambrusen. I am their master.”
“What!? Are you the dimension sorcerer that Matsumoto talked about!?”
Things were connecting in odd places. They say that the world is big but
society is small…
“I’m pretty sure Matsumoto said something about how they are not allowed
to leave the castle.”
“Yes, people believe we are shut up in our rooms and are committed to our
research day and night. That is what they think.”
“So it’s not that they can’t, but they don’t? But you actually do travel around
the world…I guess.”
We had talked for quite a while. I was mostly just listening to her rapid-fire
talk as I looked out the window. The sun didn’t seem to set…but I’ve been
here at least half the day…
“Hm? What is it? Why aren’t you listening?”
“Uh, well, I’ve stayed for a long time already. I need to head back soon, or
my partner will be worried.”
“There’s no need to fret on that account. I created this space. It is under my

control. A space made of dimension magic allows me to control time itself.”
“You can do that… It’s kind of like my hollow bag then.”
“Exactly. In fact, that bag was made by me, a very long time ago.”
“I kind of thought so. Well, thanks.”
Still, I wanted to leave. You could say that I was just tired…and hungry…and
sleepy…
“Well, I do not wish to keep you…and it is not as if we cannot meet again.

Very well.”
“I hope you won’t come at the worst timing, at least.”
“Worst timing? What does that mean?”
She asked, but I ignored her.
“Well, I’ll be going then. Will I be able to return through that window?”
“Yes. I will give you this key. It is a key that will allow you to enter and
leave. You may come and see me if you ever need any help. Though, who
knows if I will be here?”
She traveled the world, after all. I guess I would just leave her a note if she
was gone.
And with that settled, I put the key in my bag and put my foot on the window
frame.
“Well, see you later then.”
“Aye. Stay safe, Asagi!”
I waved and she waved back with her small hand. Well, this was fun… Just
as I turned to look away, I saw her mouth curl unnaturally into a grin from
the corner of my eye.
“Uh…”
My head tried to turn back, but my body was already out the window. I lost
my balance and fell.
“Ah…woaahhh!!!”
I thought I would hit the ground, but instead, I was falling upwards through
the sky. Under me, the alleyway shot off into the horizon. And to my
surprise, beyond the houses that formed the alley, in other words, the area
opposite of the alley, was a never ending wilderness.
I saw all this as I went higher and higher. And the higher I went, the faster
my consciousness seemed to fade.
“Damn…it…”
I couldn’t stay awake. I wanted to bear it and somehow fight against this
‘plummeting.’ But the more I tried the harder it became. I could not fight it,
and then in a flash, my vision went blank.
“….Huh!?”
It went completely dark, and in the next moment, it was bright again. When I
came to, I was sitting where the alley should have been. Near the wall where
I had been watching it. The sky was still bright. Nothing had changed from
here. It was just a street in Usk.
And then I suddenly realized that I was holding onto something.
“…Paper?”
I uncrumpled the sheet of paper and saw Japanese letters in childish writing.
‘Hah! You fell for it! Idiot!’
I crumpled it up again and threw it away.

chapter 164
As I had the key, I considered going back to lodge a complaint, but then I
realized that I had not asked her how to use the key.
“…Damn it…”
I stood by the wall with visible irritation, which probably made an amusing
sight to any who watched.
Well, I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but there was no use standing
around here. And so I decided to go back to the guardhouse and try to meet
up with Daniela.
□ □ □ □
The white, spotless building came into view. It really was pretty. I went in
from the front entrance and called for Bacon at the counter. I was quickly
permitted to see him and made my way to the designated room.
“Knock-knock.”
“Who is it? Only an idiot would say ‘knock-knock’ while banging the door.”
“It’s Asagi. I came to meet Daniela.”
“Ah, it’s just Asagi…”
It’s just Asagi? I was thinking of something to add, when the door opened. Of
course, it was Bacon.
“Hey. I haven’t seen you since yesterday.”
“You weren’t called.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I pushed my way into the room to find Daniela sitting on her chair and
looking very bored.
“Hey…”
“Asagi. Did you finish what you were doing?”
“Kind of. I’ll tell you about it later. But I just thought I’d drop by to see how
you’re doing.”
“Well, then. Take a seat. Bacon is going to make us some tea.”
“Um, I’m actually the captain here, you know? I wonder how you have so
little…reserve?”
Bacon went on as he noisily prepared the tea. After a few minutes, he set the
tea before us on the table.
“Thank you. …It’s warm.”
“That can’t be helped. This is just a guardhouse. Be thankful you get

anything at all.”
I suppose so… In any case, I created blocks of ice and put some into all three
cups. It melted quickly at first, but the temperature eventually dropped and
the drinks were chilled.
“Alright, that’s better.”
“Asagi, that’s amazing…”
Bacon looked very surprised as he quickly drained his cup.
“Hm? You didn’t see it on my status card? I can use ice magic.”
“You do realize that I have to look through many of these everyday? I can’t
be bothered to read everything on them.”
“So, the scanning is more of insurance in case something happens?”
“Yes, you can think of it like that. And while it isn’t displayed on the status
card, our machines will detect the presence of a criminal record.”
Now that was news. What an interesting hidden feature… But I had no need
to worry on that account.
“So, are we finished here?”
I asked as I took a sip of the chilled tea.
“Yes. Miss Daniela has given me a detailed description of the events. Once
again, I must thank you both.”
That was something that had been bothering me. Couldn’t they have used
brute force? Couldn’t the imperial army have done something about Eve?
“You two are new here, and so you do not understand. It was only recently
that she had completely taken over Nicora. We were still investigating the
situation through our spies.”
“Spies…ah.”
Those three men…
“It would have been easier to attack once we knew how strong they were. We
had received such instructions. And so we decided to take a cautious
approach.”
Soldiers and guards… I suppose they were different organizations with

different positions. As I could only make assumptions and felt that it was
rather complicated, I closed my mouth.
“Well, there were other problems of that sort, and so we had not made any
moves yet.”
“Right…”
“But regardless, I think we would have ended those bandits once the army
agreed to move.”
Had they waited much longer, the majority of the population would have
been bandits…that was an ending for sure.
“So, I guess we really are finished here?”
“Yes. Sorry to take up your time. And thank you for helping us.”
Bacon stood up and bowed. In spite of everything, I was a little impressed as

we left the guardhouse.
□ □ □ □
We returned to the town and wandered the streets, filling our stomachs and
buying some to take back with us to the inn.
It wasn’t until we were relaxing in our room again that I started to tell
Daniela about what had happened.
“I met the creator of the hollow bag.”
“Oh? Is that not the bag that Russell retrieved from some bandits back in
Fhiraldo? How did you recognize this person?”
“Well, I didn’t find out till later. The thing is…”
It was quite late when I finished telling her the story. Daniela became hungry
part way into it, and started eating the food we had bought. Her hunger was
infectious and so we both ate as I talked.
The food ran out just as my story did. We were sitting back in our chairs and
staring at the key that Rachel had given me, which sat on the table between
us.
“The only mystery left is how I’m supposed to use it.”
“Hmm… Keys are usually inserted into keyholes…”

Daniela picked it up to take a closer look.
“Yeah, but I’m not sure there is one.”
“I see…”
Daniela held the blade of the key and stared at it.
“Hmm… Perhaps it is a magic tool?”
“You think?”
“It was made by Rachel. Why would it be an ordinary key? The problem is
knowing what it does. Is it a key to something ancient? Or a key to something
she created?”
“She didn’t tell me where, specifically. Just that it would allow me to come
and go.”
“Well then, it is clearly a key to the space that you were in.”
“But there was no keyhole.”
“That is where you have to think of it as a magic tool.”
Daniela chuckled and then began to send magical energy into the key. And
with that, it started to glow with a faint light.
“And Rachel uses dimension magic. So space magic would be very easy for
her.”
Daniela inserted the key to where there was nothing. And the blade of the key
disappeared into nothingness.
“What!?”
“I was correct.”
Daniela turned the key. There was a click, and then the space opened. I
frantically moved behind Daniela in order to look. There was the space I had
been before. The alley.
“Daniela…you’re a genius…”
“Hehe. You can do better than that.”
“Brilliant, spectacular!”
“Yes, yes.”
Daniela was pleased and looked very smug. I pondered on how cute she was
as I stepped out into the alley. The window to Rachel’s room was right in
front of me.
“She was eating in there.”
“Let us open it then.”
Without a shred of hesitation, Daniela reached to touch the window, but then
stopped.
“How do you open this thing?”
“Ah, windows here do not slide, do they?”
It was something engraved into my very being, and so I hadn’t even thought
of it as nostalgic until now. But it really was a rather modern window.
And so I pushed the glass to the side to open it. We were met by the same
small, square room. But Rachel was nowhere to be seen.
“I guess she’s out.”
“…Wait, I feel a presence.”
Daniela’s sharp eyes looked into the room. Without making a sound, she tried
to enter, but I grabbed her arm and shook my head. She looked at me
strangely, but I pointed at her shoes. She must have understood it, because
she took off her shoes and then entered into the room.
I followed after her and checked to see if there was anything different. The
low table was still there. And there was a folded mattress. That was it. It was
like a prison cell, I thought. Then I looked up and saw that Daniela was
staring at the sliding paper door. It seemed like she wanted to pass, but was
stumped at the lack of a doorknob. I chuckled at this and slid the door to the
side for her. Daniela let out a sigh.
It was a hallway. Just an ordinary hallway from a Japanese house. I felt a rush
of nostalgia for a second, but it didn’t seem like the time to bask in it.
Daniela took a few steps and then stopped. She pointed at a door. Apparently,
there was someone on the other side. I nodded and slowly opened the door.
It was a changing room.
“…Daniela. We better leave.”
“It seems to be the case… Let us go.”
We whispered to each other as we saw a pile of clothes on the ground.
“Well, just wait a minute. I will be out soon.”
Came Rachel’s voice. So she knew we were here. Daniela looked surprised
but remained cautious.
I didn’t care anymore and so I called out.
“We’ll be in the living room.”
“Whatever.”
Whatever… Hmm, she had probably already forgotten about how she
dropped me into the sky.
chapter 165
Daniela and I sat around the low table and waited for Rachel to come out.
“What now? It was very rude of you to disturb me like this…”
“Sorry. We were struggling with the use of the key.”
“Ah, I don’t believe I told you.”
And so Rachel instructed us on the use of the key. It was a magic tool with
the dimension affinity. In fact, there was a small block of compressed
dimension ore on the head of the key. I hadn’t even noticed it. Sending magic
into the key and inserting it into space created a connection. We had found
this out ourselves…
“This place is under my control. The magic contained in it, time, everything.”
“By that, you mean that time moves as you see fit?”
“It means just that. Usually, it is at a standstill. But I could accelerate it if I

wanted.”
Like time travel…?
“I can jump to the past and the future! However, nothing changes even if I go
back. And I am unable to do anything in the future.”
The butterfly effect? Time paradox?
“I cannot get involved. If I change the flow of time and leave this place, my
body remains here and my soul is thrown out into the world.”
“Huh. Creepy…”
“Well, it only takes a few minutes for the body to pull my soul back into it.”
It was still eerie. Like a ghost… I wondered what would happen if her soul
didn’t return.
“In fact, I was in Lambrusen to do research on this very thing.”
“Ah, you mean the palace sourcerers.”
“I heard that a dragon vein with the dimension affinity flowed there.”
That caused me to look at Daniela. We didn’t say anything, but the same
thoughts were likely running through our minds.
“Hm? What now? Why are you staring intently at each other…”
“The thing is… We have something to tell you about that dragon vein.”
“Let’s hear it then.”
And so I told her about what we found in the mines and the giant dimension
ore we had found at the end. Rachel was even more interested than I would
have imagined. She was even scribbling notes in a book. From what I could
see, she was writing in Japanese.
“I see. So you descended quite deep… Hmm, I had heard about the stampede
incident in Spiris, but did not think it important. Not that anyone was talking
about it much. As it was just something that had been prevented.”
“Well, we were quite frantic at the time. And so we kept going, instead of
returning to report it.”
“Yes, that was a great trial… Though, it was the return trip that was the
hardest…”
Daniela and I said as we reminisced. It really had been horrible… We hadn’t

known how to get back, and so Daniela had to blast through the ceiling with
earth magic… Still, there were some fond memories.
“Who cares about any of that nonsense! I hope that you are not lying to me
about this dimension ore?”
“Yeah, it’s there. I talked to Matsumoto about it, and we agreed to leave it.
That’s also when I first heard about you.”
“Aye. Matsumoto said that the palace sorcerers might be able to do

something about it, but that they could not leave the castle.”
“That is the result of a misunderstanding and we should leave it at that… But

in any case, you have helped me decide my next destination. And for that,
you have my thanks!”
Rachel stood up and there was a flash of light. In a second, she went from
looking like an old man in odorous pajamas to an impressive witch. A tall,
black hat and black robes. Jewels and chains could be seen as well. There
were even bones dangling. The pin on her robe was shaped like a wolf.
“Is that a fenrir?”
“Yes. I am a fenrir, after all.”
“Cool…”
The name alone was cool… But there was a lot of weight behind it knowing
that it took one thousand years. I wish I had good name…
“Hehe… Asagi. Do you like fenrir?”
“Hmm? Well, I won’t say that I don’t. I was a little obsessed with Norse
mythology as a kid.”
“Hehehe… You must like me then?”
“Not really. But I don’t quite see you as a stranger either, since we’re both
from Japan. And I don’t hate you. Still, you have to stop throwing me into the
sky. I almost had a heart attack!”
I had forgotten about it until now, but that was horrible. In fact, complaining
about it had been my main objective for coming here… These damn fenrir…
“No one cares about that!”
“What…”
“More importantly, Asagi. Why do you not quit being Beowulf’s thrall, and
serve me instead?”
“Your thrall?”
“Yes. The wolf god. You can be a servant to a wolf god.”
They sounded similar, but these were wolves of completely different status.
My skill would probably be overwritten, and I would have ‘Legs of the God
Wolf,’ or something. And…it sounded pretty cool?
That much was true…
“Sorry. But I don’t see myself working under another woman. I’m loyal to
the one right here.”
“Asagi… I do not mind, you know? It sounds rather advantageous…”
“Yes, yes, exactly. I am the wolf who drank in the world. Serving the god
wolf will be taking a step into the realms of deities.”
For some reason, Daniela was taking Rachel’s side on this matter.
“That may be true and all, but I don’t quite like the fact of being your thrall.
I’m not saying that I hate you or anything. I just don’t feel like it.”
I hadn’t minded until now, as it was Beowulf who gifted me ‘Legs of the
Forest Wolf.’ But it would be different with Rachel. I didn’t want to think
about her every time I used the skill. It had nothing to do with any kind of
paranoia over Daniela, okay?
But, more importantly…

“I’m not really interested in the realm of the gods. I just want to continue
doing what I’ve been doing. Traveling the world with just Daniela. That’s
all.”
“Hmph. These Japanese are so boring with their lack of ambition.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Then you should accept my offer!”
Daniela watched us with a little confusion. We looked at her and couldn’t

help but chuckle.
“Well, I understand you now. I am sorry for trying to pressure you.”
“Don’t mention it. And hey, I’m not exactly a weakling right now. I’ll protect
Daniela.”
“Aye, I can trust Asagi to have my back. He deserves the trust I put in him.”
My face turned a little hot. It was rare for Daniela to praise me with such
abandon.
Well… I think it’s time to go, Daniela?
“Yes. Asagi looks like he is about to burst. We should leave.”
“Daniela!?”
“Indeed. I will be leaving soon myself. Now, get out! Out you go!”
Rachel smiled mischievously as she shooed us away. I picked up my shoes

and went to the window.
“Hey, Rachel. You’ll be sorry if you throw me into the sky again.”
“I won’t. Just get out!”
“You better not. Don’t even try!”

“Asagi, you are in my way. Hurry up.”
“Grrr…”
I clutch my shoe and brace myself as I jump out of the window. However,
this time I landed on the ground just fine. I sighed with relief.
“Well, I could easily reverse gravity from where you are now.”
“Don’t you dare.”
□ □ □ □
Daniela used the key again and opened a door back to the Babbling Brook.
Yes, time had not passed. If you move backward or forward, your body
would not go with you… But perhaps if Rachel was successful in her
research, we would one day be able to travel through time.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi?”
“This time travel she talked about… If you could do it, would you?”
“Would I be able to return to the past?”
“Of course.”
“Then… There is only one place I think that I would go.”
Daniela’s hands tightened into fists.
“Father and mother… I would save them from the dragons.”
“I see…”
The stampede that had altered her life… And for the worse. She would
probably not hesitate to return to it. And not for her own sake, but for her
parents.
“What about you, Asagi?”
“Huh?”
“What would you do, if you could travel forward or backward?”
“I…I…”
What would I…
“I think I’d return to my first day in this world and do what I could to speed
up our meeting.”
chapter 166
Daniela and I visited the guild on the next day. The parts were to be
examined and then sold.
Once again, I found myself lining up at the Conversion counter. There were a
few people glancing nervously at me, but I didn’t mind as long as we were
left alone. I just wanted to live in peace.
“This guild seems awfully quiet…”
“Hm? Yeah. Probably because it’s early morning?”
Daniela muttered that the morning was usually the loudest. Well, maybe it
depended on the guild?
“You can come forward now.”
“Thank you.”
The Adventurer in front of us was finished, and so we moved up to the

counter. It was the same person who was here yesterday.
“Good morning. …Umm…”
“I am Seine. You may call me that from now on.”
“Yes, thank you. This is Daniela.”
“A pleasure.”
“It’s nice to meet you. As for the dragon you brought in yesterday, the work
has been completed. If you could just come with me and confirm that
everything is right.”
It sure felt good when things go smoothly… And so we followed Seine to the
place where the dragon had been dismembered.
The door opened and we stepped out into the wide area. This place was used
for butchering large monsters. The usual places wouldn’t be able to handle
anything larger than an orc. So, about two meters. If I remember correctly,
Mordred was at least two and a half. So anything bigger than that was in the
heavy class. Lesser wyverns were about four meters. That is, in wingspan.
From head to tail they are about six meters. Half of their length is tail.
In any case, wind dragons were heavy. Ten meters in wingspan. And about
ten meters long as well. The tail alone was six meters, which made the body
seem a little small. But they say that that’s what made wind dragons distinct.
But I’ve never seen a normal dragon, so I had to take their word for it. I guess
they were especially great at flying? The long, lithe tail looked like it would
be conducive for flight.
“Actually, the water dragons have the longest tails. The tail makes up as
much as eighty percent of their bodies.”
Said Master Daniela.
I see.
Well, we had a wind dragon on our hands now, so we might as well look at it.
I had killed it by taking its head off. And according to the good folks who
took it apart, it was in excellent condition, without much outside damage. I
guess they wouldn’t have been too impressed had I brought in something that
was battered and falling apart.
Cutting through the bones of the neck had also allowed it to bleed, which
helped keep the flesh and organs in good condition. They were especially
pleased that I had stored it in the hollow bag to prevent it from rotting. This
had ensured that its condition was identical to when I had just killed it, and
they said that it almost felt like it was still alive.
It had taken many guild workers to remove the scales and skin. When I heard
about how much effort they had put into removing everything from the neck
to the tail, I felt nothing but the utmost respect for their hard work.
The membrane of the wings were used as a luxury material for clothes and
shoes. Fangs and claws became accessories or weapons. Or even used to
decorate armor. Parts of the tail were somehow used as medicine…
Speaking of medicine, that’s what the organs were often used for, as well as a
medium for magic tools. Eyes, heart and liver were also medicine. The organ
that allowed the dragon to do its breathing attack was used as a weapon.
Something like a gun… But if it was anything like the breath that I saw, it
would practically be a laser rifle.
There were many parts and many uses. Too many to remember them all.
Even the bones were used. Nothing was wasted.
Though, we would only be taking a small portion of it with us. Just enough
for Daniela’s clothes and armor. Also…a matching pair of accessories. Heh.
Dragon claw necklaces. Daniela’s fear of dragons was starting to weaken, so
the timing was good. I think…
“Now, Mister Asagi. Here it is. What do you think?”
“I’m a complete novice. So…I don’t really know.”
“I doubt a novice would go around hunting dragons…”
That may be, but really, the only observation I could offer was, ‘uh, nicely
dismembered.’ But that made me sound like a psychopath.
“Asagi may not be able to appreciate your good work, but I am very
impressed. You have done a most excellent job with the dragon.”
“So you understand, Miss Daniela.”
They started to nod at each other knowingly. I was nothing but an outsider
now…
“Alright, we will be taking just enough of these materials for some clothes
and armor. The rest will be sold. I am sure they will do well in the market.”
“Certainly. I will make the preparations. I suppose you will be needing some
scales, hide, wing membrane and several claws and fangs then.”
“Yes, that is right.”
“I will have them collected at once.”
Seine was quick to shout out the instructions to the workers.
“I’m gonna look around.”
“Hm? Well, it is not the most common of sights. You might learn
something.”
Daniela nodded with folded arms. And so I moved over to where the butchers
were working.
“…Uh, excuse me.”
“Eh? Ah, the dragon hunter himself. Can I help ya?”
“I have a little request…”
I turned my back towards Seine and Daniela and pretended to question him
about the materials. He seemed to get the hint and leaned closer to me.
“The thing is, I want to give my partner a gift…”
“Oh? Oh-hoho?”
“Yeah, exactly. So if I could get some materials in secret.”
“Ahaha? You’re a sneaky one aren’t ya?”
“If you say so, ahaha.”
“Alright then. I will help ya!”

I followed him as he moved away, pretending to explain to me what he was
doing.
“So, what ya goin’ to give her?”
“A necklace. I want a matching pair, actually.”
“Then you’ll be wantin’ scales and fangs! I’d give ya some claws as well, but
they are large and too easy to count…”
He said in a hushed voice as he slipped me a few scales from the dragon’s tail
and a number of fangs.
“Thank you. I’m in your debt.”
“Don’t you mention it! And good luck!”
He whispered with a thumbs up. I nodded and returned the gesture. And then
I quietly hid the materials in my pocket and bowed before moving away.
“Learn anything interesting?”
Daniela asked me with a grin.
“Hm? Oh, a little.”
“Hmm?”
There was something suspicious about her smile, but I decided to pretend like
I hadn’t noticed.
□ □ □ □
I put the materials in a small leather pouch and placed it in the hollow bag
with the other materials I had collected. Seine would take care of the rest and
see that they were sold.
“It is a wind dragon, after all. I am sure that it will all be sold by tomorrow.”
She told us. And so we decided to return the next day as well.
After that was finished, Daniela and I discussed what we should do next, and
decided that we should go on a quest while the sun was still high in the sky.
We would start acquiring Daniela’s new clothes and armor once the money
came in the next day.
A quest… it felt like we hadn’t been on one in a very long time.
We stood side-by-side in front of the quest board.
As this was after the great quest war that occurred every morning, the thing
looked rather bare.
“We could just think of it as going on a stroll?”
“Yes, I agree. And we are expecting to make quite enough money already.”
And so I took one of the acceptance sheets.
“‘Monster Investigation of the Usk Territories.’ …This one should do.”
“Hmm… We will only need to hunt whatever we see. The materials we

gather will tell them how many monsters there were. Seems like a useful
enough quest.”
Seemed boring and unpopular too. But that was kind of perfect when you just
wanted a short distraction or to play around.
And so I took the sheet and went to the Quest counter. As there were not
many people here at this hour, I didn’t have to wait. It felt good to not have to
wait in a line!
“Now, which way do we go to leave the town?”
“Ah… It is over there. That sign.”
There was a sign hanging from pillar-like log that read ‘Eastern Gate’ and
had an arrow pointing in that direction. There were people from all over in
this town, and it was easy to get lost. Especially if you were someone like
me.
And so we followed the friendly sign until we were outside.
Now, I had gotten a peek in the guild’s library, but what monsters were really
living in this area? I wondered with some excitement.
chapter 167
There was a procedure when leaving the town through the eastern gate. Still,
it was simple, as all they did was scan your status card. These things really
were useful.
When that was done, we decided to head to the north. We would be traveling
upstream of the river, and I had the idea that we might find something
interesting over there.
“What do you think we’ll see?”
“This is a very large river. I doubt there will be much change no matter how
far we walk…”
We discussed other things as we walked together. It had been a while since

we were able to just relax like this. Daniela had picked up a stick now and
was swinging it in the air. It was a childlike gesture and made me feel
somehow nostalgic. Our current quest was really just exploration.
Thirty minutes must have passed now. Here, the river branched out. A narrow
river curved out away from the main current and winded through the plains
on the opposite side. We decided to follow it.
“Daniela. There are fish inside.”
“Hmm, so small. They will hardly make a satisfying meal.”
“Yeah. I guess we’ll leave. They’ll grow big one day.”
We muttered while gazing into the water. Just then, something entered our
Presence Detection parameter. We caught each other’s eyes and drew out our
swords. It felt like goblins. But they seemed to be in an unusually large
group.
“Perhaps they are multiple packs who have joined together.”

“Oh, that makes sense. The direction is… Over there. Maybe they’re just here
for the water.”
“Then we should hide near those rocks.”
I nodded at this suggestion, and we moved away in order to spy on them

while being hidden. Eventually, we could see glimpses of the small goblins
through the swaying blades of grass. They cried loudly as they waved their
rusted swords, cutting the grass as they advanced.
After a while, they reached the small river. There was no grass by the river’s
edge, and the goblins came into full view as they stepped on the bare soil.
Two of the goblins carried weapons. Four others seemed to be searching

through their surroundings. And then there were five small ones. Were they a
family…? It almost looked like the adults were keeping watch while the
children drank from the river.
However, we could not leave them. They would eventually attack humans.
There was a sense of guilt in taking this precaution, but it was according to
the rules of this world. Cruel, but necessary. There were things I couldn’t
defy if I wanted to be an Adventurer and live as a resident in this world.
“Asagi, could you not freeze them in the water?”
“Ah. I think I could do it to those that are close to it.”
“Then freeze the small ones first. They will be hard to find if they get away.”
“Got it.”
I followed her order and quietly sent a current of blue magic into the river.
When the crackling of the ice on the water’s surface reached the young
goblins, I increased the power all at once, freezing their heads. The
suddenness of this caused a panic, and they flailed their arms and tried to pull
their faces out from the ice. The adult goblins turned to see what was
happening. That’s when we attacked.
Daniela ran like the wind as she pulled out a short sword and threw it. The
weapon flew straight into the first weapon-wielding goblin’s back, throwing
him off of his feet and into the dirt. All eyes turned to the body. Daniela
wasted no time in unsheathing her rapier and stabbing it into the back of
another goblin.
The young goblins were frozen. The adults died one after another. With the
situation now deafeningly clear, the remaining goblins scrambled to pick up
the fallen weapons or tree branches. They were not difficult to deal with.
Sword hands were severed, open chests pierced, and legs cut out from under
them before our swords plunged down into their backs. When they were all
dead, we turned to the frozen goblin children.
“Now, it’s just them…”
“Yes.”
And so Daniela and I stabbed them with our swords. The blades slid through
their backs without resistance, and the lives were snuffed out. While I knew
this would happen, it did not feel good.
“I can tell what you are thinking, just by looking at your face.”
“Sorry… I can be pretty pathetic.”
“I would not say that. It is important to feel affection towards life. It is what
makes us human.”
“It’s what we do. And we sort of have to.”
“Indeed. Both humans and monsters have this ability to choose.”
As a human who was a thrall to a forest wolf, I often felt that it was hard to
fight them. It made me wonder if I would have started to side with goblins, if
I had just so happened to have received an enchantment from one instead of
Beowulf. It was an interesting thought. But none of it would matter had I
accepted Rachel’s offer.
I felt like a very weak creature for even telling this to Daniela.
“…I see. I do have my reservations about fighting other elves. You have
certain feelings based on your own situation. It may not be easy to resolve it.”
“You think? Even if I became Rachel’s thrall?”
“I think you reject the notion because you use the word ‘thrall.’ Why not
‘ally’?”
“Ally…”
Yes, the fact that Rachel had used the word had bothered me in a way.
Thinking of the arrangement as an ‘alliance’ did make it sound better.
“A God Wolf ally. I do not think it a bad thing.”
“When you put it that way, no, it’s too terrible.”
And being friends with a fenrir would certainly make me more confident.
And if I accepted it, would I then be able to kill forest wolves without regret?
“Sometimes I feel like we are going around in circles.”
“Emotions are incredibly annoying…”
“Do not say that, Asagi. You would not like me very much if you did not
have the ability to feel.”
“That’s the best argument I’ve ever heard.”
“Grr…”
“Did you just growl at me…”
“Oh, that was only my stomach. Come on, it is time to eat.”
We had a short lunch break before collecting the proof of the hunt. Daniela
had said something about it before, but I had double-checked at the library.
For goblins, it was the left ear. And so eleven ears went into a leather pouch.
I put it away in the hollow bag and turned to Daniela. She seemed to be
looking far off into the distance. But at what?
“Can you see anything?”
I stood next to her. She had her right hand above her eyes, blocking the
sunlight as she stared.
“No, I was just thinking about life. Much as you were.”
“Really?”
“Aye… I am one who lost their family to monsters. And so I never had much
reason to care about killing them. If anything, I harbored hatred.”
“I can imagine…”
“But things have a way of fading… It is mostly a way of life for me now. A
part of my everyday work, you might say. I think the significance of their
lives has plummeted. Faded.”
She said as she looked off into the distance.
“Still, meeting Rachel yesterday was a great shock. In spite of appearances,

words and emotions. She used to be a monster. I have lived for many years,
but have yet to see another monster like that. She was clearly human.”
“Well, yes, Rachel is human. But Daniela, she is a very rare case. She has a
soul that came from the same world, the same country as me. Even if her
body was a monster, she was a human inside.”
“I suppose… Surely a monster could not become human without a human

soul. They would not even want to.”
I had been stabbed by a thief and been sent to this world on the brink of
death.
So, what if I had actually died and reincarnated as a goblin?

Hell, I would still feel lucky to be a monster. But if I had been a bug or a
tree?
What would have happened to me then?
“It is not as if I did not have questions after meeting Beowulf or Arthur. An
evolved forest wolf and an evolved orc. But it is not so simple as that. It
made me wonder what monsters really are.”
“And…?”
Daniela’s eyes left the distant sky and turned to me.
“We are the same. That is what I thought.”
Then she looked past me and at the fallen corpses.
“It is all the same life. We are all living creatures. Humans put a price on the
lives of each other. It is no different with monsters. No life can just be taken
from one side alone. But I still believe that there is some life that must be
taken.”
“Yeah, there are humans that seem to have an infinite capacity for good and
for evil.”
“Aye… These things that I now think or feel, they will not change the way
that I act. But I feel that perhaps I am able to see a clearer reason behind
things now.”
Daniela seemed a little renewed by this.
A reason why some must not be killed. A reason why some had to be.
Moral values tend to change depending on the people, places, and situations.
Killing is justified during wars.
So, how were things then?
This was a different world, with different values. The lives of monsters were
set below humans. The lives of even humans were quite cheap compared to
what I had known.
However, it still had value. It wasn’t something to be taken without thought.

But then again, my own life was something that could easily be taken away.
So, how should I live?
There was nothing to it. You had to kill. Before they kill you. Before they kill
someone you care about.
It was a world where things had to be taken into your own hands. But I did
not think it was wrong to at least do it in a way that you did not accidentally
hurt a bystander.
I too felt like I had a new reason to kill monsters. It was not excessive killing,
but a way of preventing damage in the future… It was the way to live in this
world.
chapter 168
We talked together as we walked along the river’s edge. As things settled in
my head, monsters appeared before us again. It was several grass wolves in
the plains. These too, we killed together. The claws were torn off and went in
my bag. We encountered more monsters after that as well, but they were
always either goblins or grass wolves. As we leisurely took our walk, the
shadows of the trees began to grow long.
“The sun’s starting to set…”
“The time passes so quickly.”
“Yeah. We should head back soon.”
And so our environment investigation of the area surrounding Usk was

finished. And we would return. The setting sun was bright to the point that it
hurt to look up as we walked in that direction, but Daniela looked beautiful
when bathed in orange light. Her platinum blonde hair turned orange and her
eyelashes seemed to sparkle.
“…Hm? And why are you looking at me so intently?”
Daniela noticed my stare and asked me with a chuckle, that I suspect was to
hide her embarrassment.
“Oh, I was thinking about how pretty you look.”
“Fool. What has come over you…”
She muttered as she fidgeted with her hair. Her every gesture was a joy to
watch, and made the journey back anything but tiring.
□ □ □ □
We passed the east gate and entered the main street. As it was already quite
late, we decided to search for a place to eat. I suggested that we could do
something a little more interesting than the usual street stall, and so Daniela
quickly replied with a ‘then we shall find a place,’ and escorted me away.
Some might mistake this as the mark of a cool girlfriend, but she was just
hungry.
We were now in a restaurant district. Daniela’s nose led us here, that was
clear. And I wasn’t sorry, as I could smell delicious food everywhere. And
there was such variety. The fact that I could differentiate between them,
allowing for them to stimulate my appetite in different ways could only mean
that I had an impressive nose.
As I watched from the back as Daniela navigated through the crowds, a

familiar scent punched me in the nostrils.
“Ah…this…it’s curry…”
The familiar spices brought back so many memories. Well, there was no use
now. I was fully committed to having curry.
“Daniela. Daniela.”
“What? Have you found a good place?”
“Yeah. A place that serves something I really like.”
“You, Asagi? Well, that does sound interesting…”
Daniela came back to me and so I relied on my nose to find the restaurant.

My nose was telling me that it could not be very far. And so I put my faith in
it and turned a corner and went up some steps as I searched. And then I saw a
restaurant at the corner of a street. There was light coming from it. We stood
in front of the stone building and looked through the windows. Yes, the smell
was coming from inside.
“Here it is…”
“Asagi. Let us go in. I have reached my limit…!”

Clearly she was also susceptible to this smell. I was at my limit as well. And
so I quickly opened the door and went inside.
“Welcome.”
“Are there enough seats for two?”
“Yes, please follow me.”
Said the young woman who had a somewhat slow way of talking. We took
our seats near the back. Menus were stuck onto the wall here, and I quickly
found the letters that spelled ‘curry.’
“I’ll have some curry.”
“Is that what is responsible for this smell? Well then, I will have the same
thing.”
Daniela added after my quick decision. The lady quickly jotted this down on
her memo pad and disappeared into the kitchen.
Upon looking around again, I saw that the place was quite full. It was a little
bit outside of the main food district, but the smell was likely enough to lure
people over… And this was a trade town. They had a lot of spices.
“Naan bread…”
I saw some people eating it. It was a kind of bread eaten with curry. Unlike
rice, it was easy to forget how much you ate, which I had done often…
“You dip it into the curry.”
“I see…”
Daniela nodded with interest as she watched. Staring that much was a little
rude…
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

It was just as I was starting to get anxious about the amount of drool that was
surely accumulating in Daniela’s mouth, that the lady brought us our bowls
of curry and very large naan bread.
“Enjoy.”
She placed them on the table and then quickly disappeared again. That was
fast…
“Aright, let’s eat.”
“Finally.”
Daniela tore off a piece of naan and used it to scoop up some of the curry.
Then she stuffed it into her mouth.
“Hmm…mmm? Mm…mm…mmm!?”
Her expression seemed to change every second as she tasted it. Perhaps she
was surprised at how spicey it was. I watched her with amusement as I tore
off a piece, dipped it in the curry and ate it. It was an explosion of spices the
moment it touched your tongue. The spiciness was intense and the scent went
straight to your nose. This was what made curry so delicious. Unlike rice, the
texture of the naan was fluffy and chewy. The toasted surface accentuated the
smell in a delightful way.
“Asagi… This is very good…!”
Daniela reported with a big grin and a full mouth.
“Didn’t I tell you? This dish existed in my world.”
“Huh… Food from another world. A Hero from long ago must have brought
it with them.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
I generally did not miss food from that other world, but this was an
exception. Curry was one of those things that I craved no matter where I was.
After that, it was tearing and chewing, tearing and chewing. We both got a
second serving and ended up leaving the place very full and satisfied.
“Ahh…I ate too much…”
“I do not think I can eat anymore… Did you call it naan? Yes, it is a lot more
filling than it looks…”
“Well, it’s made from grains, after all…”
What was it made of anyway, bread flour? Flour…wheat. It was really not
much different from bread or rice.
“We should buy some to take back with us next time.”
“Yes, we’ll be leaving in a week. I’ll try not to forget.”
Ever eager, Daniela was already talking about our next trip here. It was only
in matters of food where I sometimes felt disappointed in her. But then again,
it was also quite endearing.
The night wind did much to cool off our bodies, which still seemed to burn
after that dinner. I was trying to search for a way back to the inn, but I had
relied more on my nose to find this place than anything else, and so we
became quite lost. Daniela looked around and finally found the stairs we had
gone up, but it didn’t take us back to the restaurant district.
“That’s strange…were those the right stairs?”
“I am not sure. I had a feeling that there were a few more steps compared to
before.”
With that feeling in mind, I turned around to look back at the brightly lit
flight of stairs. I was not amused at the idea of going straight back up again,
and Daniela was also looking annoyed by the notion.
“We’ll search for a different route then.”
“Yes… I am sure there is a way around it. Besides, a little walk should help
with digestion.”
It was one of the charms of traveling. Being in a strange place, eating

different foods and walking on unknown streets. This was the vacation
abroad that I could only dream about while working my night shift long ago.
How could I not enjoy it?
“Now, which way should we go?”
“Hmmm…over there.”
I pointed in a random direction. Well, if was either backwards or forwards at

this point. And did it really matter? We wanted to reach the inn eventually,
but the point wasn’t to walk straight in its direction.
“Alright then.”
“Daniela. Daniela.”
“What?”
I grabbed her arm as she took a step forward.
“Let’s walk arm in arm.”
“Embarrassing and uncomfortable.”

“Now, now. You don’t mean that.”
“Hmm…”
She turned a little red under the light of the torches.
“Well…as long as we do not make a habit of it.”
“Exactly. Exactly.”
“And do not press so close…”
Daniela pushed my face off of her cheek. Still, we kept together as we walked
down Usk’s night streets.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi?”
She stopped pushing me away and looked at me.
“Thank you. For everything.”
“What is this all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know. Just a whim.”
“I see… Well, that can happen.”
She looked on ahead, but not at the streets. There was a faraway look in her
eyes.
“I too would like to thank you.”

“Oh? You’re very welcome.”
“…You can stop grinning now.”
But I was too happy to do anything else, and my face did not return to normal
for quite some time.
chapter 169
We wandered around a little before finally arriving at the inn. I guess you
really did reach your destination somehow, as long as you walked… I was so
tired that I fell right asleep as soon as we got back.
The next day was our fourth morning in Usk. I intended on going to the guild
today as well. The wind dragon materials would have been sold, and we had
to collect the money. The guild would pocket a percentage of it, but it would
still be a lot of money for us.
Daniela seemed a little more restless than usual, as she quickly finished her
breakfast and prepared to leave. And so I stuffed the food down my throat as
quickly as possible and changed into my rough, outdoor clothing.
“It is because of your clothes that people harass you.”
“Eh? Ah, but these are comfortable and light…”
“Really, Asagi…”
Daniela muttered. But it was too hot to wear anything over this… In any
case, I was planning on buying something new today, if there was anything
good.
We left the inn and followed the main road straight to the guild. As it was
early morning, it was loud and lively. Still, we avoided the bustling quest
board and went to the Conversion counter. There weren’t too many people
waiting there that morning, and we quickly reached the guild worker. It was
Seine again.
“Good morning, Miss Seine.”
“Good morning, Mister Asagi. We have finished selling the materials. Please
follow me.”
She said as she stood up and led us to a drawing-room. My insides…
“Mister Asagi?”
“It’s nothing…”
□ □ □ □
“Now, here is your money.”
As soon as we were in the room, Seine pulled out a leather pouch that looked
very full.
“Wind dragon scales, hide, wing membrane, bristles, horns, claws, fangs,
bones, eyes, heart and other internal organs… All were in great condition. No
parts were missing, meaning they were able to fetch very good prices on the
market.”
“And that price being…?”
I gulped.
“Two thousand gold pieces.”
“Two thousand!!”
That was just ridiculous…!
“Dragons are very rare creatures. It is almost impossible to take one while
dealing such little physical damage. In fact, I say ‘almost’ because of this
very exception.”
“So, you’re saying that wind dragons have never been sold on the market…?”
“Exactly.”
Huh… First time in history? Well, it sure explained the price then…I guess? I
turned to look at Daniela.
“…Oh, do not look at me.”
“But, you know. I don’t really understand these kinds of things…”
I was not an expert of markets in other worlds.
“Well, yes… I believe that there was an aqua dragon horn that was nearly in
perfect condition that sold for three hundred in gold a long time ago. Aqua
dragon horns are very valuable, as they are said to be able to call storms.”
Hmm.
“Using that as a basis, if we were to put prices on the wind dragon parts…
Well, it seems right to me. It is two thousand after the guild took its share, so
it would have been a little more originally.”
“That is correct.”
I see.
“Well, it is a dragon killed by the one and only Asagi. I would not have
accepted any less for it.”
“Okay, now you’re joking.”
But this was the result of me going all out. I used my special lethal attack.
“In any case, here is the money you are to receive. As it is quite a sum, I
would advise that you put it away in your bag immediately.”
“That’s true. Thanks…woah, heavy.”
If one gold piece was 30g, then two thousand…60kg? That was like ten bales
of rice. How had she been carrying that on her?
“…Uh…”
I stared at her clothes. I think it was that pocket…hmm…

“Mister Asagi, I hope you aren’t thinking about asking any questions.”
“Uh, no.”
She gave an icy smile and covered the pocket with her right hand. I guess it
was a secret… Well, perhaps she had some connection to Rachel. It had
nothing to do with me.
I put the leather pouch away in the hollow bag and pretended that nothing
had happened.
“And now, the dismantling of the wind dragon and selling of the parts as
requested by Mister Asagi is complete.”
“Thank you for everything. It was a great help.”
“Thank you.”
“No, it was rather lucrative for the guild as well.”
She said with a pleasant smile this time. How many smiles did she have? I
wondered as we left the room.
“Well then. Since we got some money now, let’s buy you some clothes,
Daniela.”
“And armor.”
We walked through the town at a leisurely pace. Our destination was the
craftsmen district. Seine had drawn us a simple map that led us through
winding alleys and stairs until the sounds of metal banging on metal echoed
around us. We had reached the street. Walking down the lines of stores made
me realize just how much energy and passion emanated from the place. I
liked it. I was sure we would be able to find something that suited Daniela
here. Well, to be precise, someone who could make clothes that would suit
Daniela.
Looking through the windows, I could see other Adventurers checking the
various weapons and pieces of armor. There were curved blades, spears and
armor of every type. The sheer variety of equipment was enough to make any
young boy excited.
“Do you think I could take a look?”
“No. My clothes come first.”
“Right…”
Later. I would definitely be going later. By the time I had three stores on my
list to check out, we arrived at the clothing store. Through the window I
could see that they had a wide range, from the cute to the practical.
“Let’s see here… The ‘White Lily Clothes and Accessory Shop’?”
“Hmm…a flower.”
“Lily…”
They would surely have good clothes here. My instincts told me so.
“Welcome!”
A cheerful clerk greeted us as we entered. Was she just an employee or was

she involved in the tailoring? I couldn’t tell.
“I would like to have some clothes made.”
As it was for herself, Daniela approached the clerk boldly.
“Ah, wonderful! Will you be using your own materials?”
“Aye, I have something I would like you to use. Asagi.”
“Yes, here it is.”
As I was waiting behind her like some kind of butler, I delivered the
materials in such a manner.
“I would like to have a set of Adventurer clothes made with this. Hide,
bristles and wing membrane.”
“This…! Please wait one moment!”
The clerk took one look at the materials before fleeing to a back room. I
guess a glance was all that was needed to know what they were. She had a
good eye.
I waited with the materials still in my hands, but she quickly returned with
someone’s arm tight in her grip. The prisoner had a sleepy face that they
rubbed at tiredly. Not very promising…
“Turia, look! Dragon materials! Real dragon materials!”
“Mmm…Segura, be quiet… You’re giving me a headache…”
“I told you not to drink so much!”
“And I told you…to keep your voice down…”
Apparently the prisoner was experiencing a hangover.
“Uhhh…my head hurts…”
“Oh, Turia. You’re in front of customers, you know?”
“I didn’t ask you to drag me out here…”
I could see how close they were, but this was going nowhere.
“Uh, I’m sorry for disturbing you while you are not well.”
“No…she told me that someone brought in dragon materials… And so it had

to be me. Don’t worry about it.”
“Are you sure? Well then, please inspect them.”

At this, I took a step forward. I was carrying a small basket that was full of
fresh wind dragon materials.
“Woah, so it is real…”
“Yes, didn’t I tell you?”
“And such quality…oh, it’s making me feel quite sober.”
Turia’s half open eyes were now quite widened. Yes, those were the eyes of a
professional. A person who had such a light in their eyes while looking at
them would probably do a good job. I thought.
“I want you to make me some clothes with this. Something that is not too
different from what I am wearing now.”
“…Give me a week. I will make you the best clothes you have ever worn.”
She declared as she shook Daniela’s hand. Daniela nodded with satisfaction
and looked at me. And so I gave Turia the materials, just like a butler.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for coming. You shall not be disappointed!”
Turia said with confidence as she accepted it with a smile.

chapter 170
“That aside, do you think there’s anything that would suit me?”
As Daniela’s business seemed to have been settled nicely, I wanted to search

for something for myself as well.
“I would like something that’s comfortable but doesn’t make me look weak.”
“Hmm…wait one moment please.”
Segura started walking around the store while grabbing things off of the
shelves. Leaving everything to the clerk…not bad, Asagi… Up until now, I
was the kind of guy who just picked up cheap shirts in a 3-pack.
As Daniela and I talked about nothing in particular, the clerk returned with an
armful of clothes.
“So-sorry to keep you waiting…”
“That’s a lot of stuff…”
She dumped the pile over the counter. There were at least twenty items there.
Was I supposed to try all of them on…?
“The sizes should be right…”
“Uh…yeah, it looks fine.”
I picked up a shirt and held it up in front of me. It seemed like a comfortable

fit.
“So, you want something rough so people don’t underestimate you?”
Turia asked, her arms folded in front of her.

“I’m not exactly sure. But that’s what Daniela says I should wear…”
“Asagi has miserable clothes in spite of being an Adventurer. It results in

people looking down on him no matter where he goes.”
Daniela said with a nod.
“But Daniela, I don’t exactly want to advertise my own abilities everywhere I

go.”
“I am only saying that you should meet a certain standard. If you want to
avoid being picked on.”
“Well, I don’t think I’m likely to lose anyway.”
That’s not the point. Daniela seemed to say as she sighed. But it was true, I
had improved to the point where I felt that I could take on the average
Adventurer. We had overcome so much up until now… Not that I had any
scars to show for it.
“It should be fine. I was able to take down a wind dragon.”
“Overconfidence is not good.”
“It’s a rare moment I’m quite proud of. Let me have it.”
It was a historic moment in the life of Asagi Kamiyashiro. I wasn’t sure what
else I could use if I needed to boast.
“…Wait a moment now. You are the one who killed the wind dragon?”
Miss Turia took the bait.
“I heard word of it yesterday. High-quality wind dragon materials had

entered the market, they said. I assumed you had just bought them…”
Segura looked at me with astonishment. Hey, I wasn’t lying. I really did do it.
“See. It is because of your clothes that they do not believe you.”

“Grrr… You got me there…”
Alright, I could see it. I was dressed like some uncle on his day off. No one
would believe that I had killed a wind dragon… I was starting to realize how
important clothes were.
“Asagi, you could have clothes made of wind dragon materials too.”
“No, I already have some.”
Well, it was a young dragon.
After some more aimless talking, Miss Segura rolled her eyes and pushed the
pile of clothes into my arms. She was now a devoted member of Daniela’s
new ‘Put on some decent clothes’ club. I looked at Turia for help, but she
averted her eyes. At three against one, I had no choice but to unwillingly
participate in a one-man fashion show that lasted the rest of the day.
□ □ □ □
The original plan was to buy new clothes and armor for Daniela, but we
ended up buying a great heap of clothes for me first. I felt a little bad about it,
but it was by Daniela’s order, and so I considered it a necessary expense.
And so I started to dress in a decent manner from the next day on. I just wore
the same clothes all the time when I only had a few pairs, but the moment my
wardrobe expanded, I experienced an awakening. Well, I still lacked any sort
of fashion sense, and so Daniela selected everything… But I did have the will
to learn and had a new goal, which was to eventually leave the building in
something of my own choice.
The next week passed by very quickly. We did quests from the guild, ate, and
shopped for traveling supplies.
And today was the day we were to return to the White Lily.
We were now in the store, but Segura and Turia were nowhere to be seen.
That was strange… They knew that we were coming today.

“I will go look.”
Daniela made the unusually extroverted decision to go and search for them.
Was it because this was about her own clothes? I decided to sit down on one
of the chairs and wait.
Daniela returned after a few minutes. She was alone.
“Huh? Where are they?”
“Hmm… Oh, they should be here soon…”
“?”
She sounded a little uncertain? But I didn’t have to wonder for too long, as
the sounds of them running quickly followed. Their faces looked a little red.
No, very red.
“S-sorry…”
“Ahhh…oww…mm…phew. Sorry to keep you waiting…”
Perhaps they were busy, as they were both out of breath.
“I’m…f-fine…”
“Your buttons are done wrong.”
“!?”
Miss Turia frantically spun around and fixed her shirt. On closer inspection,
Miss Segura was wearing hers backward. I pointed this out and she yelped
before retreating to the backroom in a dash.
“What were they doing?”
I whispered to Daniela.
“What indeed…”
“Eh?”
What did she mean by that? Daniela’s ears were red, but she refused to say
any more.
□ □ □ □
“Let’s start again… Daniela, here are your new clothes!”
Miss Turia pulled out several pieces from under the counter. Hmm…I didn’t
get it.
“As you are an Adventurer, you favored practicality, which tends to have
masculine results. And so we have made some clothes that are practical but
have a feminine finish!”
The thing she spread out in front of us…looked like a one-piece dress.
“Hmm, but this will show your underwear when you move.”
“Who the hell would fight in something like that…”
Daniela said with annoyance. But wait a minute, bikini armor exists in this
world! I saw one in Replant!
“You will be wearing this underneath.”
“Hmm…”
Daniela took the pair of shorts. Three-quarters length… I’ve seen those
before.
“It is not jade green.”
They were all different colors in spite of being made of wind dragon
materials. The one-piece was pure white, and there was jade lining at the
skirt. The shorts were a beige color. It looked like hemp at first, but on closer
inspection, it was clearly high-grade material.
“We used a special dye. Which will cost you a little extra… But sacrifices
must be made for fashion!”
“Indeed.”
Daniela nodded. Well, some women certainly thought so.
“We made a few other things with the leftover materials. Try them on.”
There was a jacket and several skirts of varying lengths. Varying colors as
well. Women’s clothes were often quite beautiful, which raised your
motivation. Men’s clothes were often just something you were thankful that
they fit. Well, that was probably just me.
“We made some for you too, Mister Asagi!”
“What? Me?”
I already bought so much…
“Those were ordinary clothes. Not for battle, right? If you have dragon
armor, you should have good clothes under it as well.”
“So that’s why you wanted me to come in my armor.”
In fact, they had sent a message to the Babbling Brook.
‘Come to the store in your armor!’
That was all it had said. But I had somehow sensed the urgency in it and so
paid them a visit in full battle gear. However, all she did was walk around me
several times without saying a word, then she said, ‘that’s enough!’ and
threw me out of the store. I had wondered what kind of odd variety of
spitefulness that was, but it turned out she was just figuring out what kind of
clothes to make.
After all, it was actually a great thing that I was receiving something to wear
under the armor. I had been hit several times, and whenever it was bad
enough to draw blood, it was always on my clothes where I was unarmored.
What amazing aim they had. But I could not change into chainmail, as I
prioritized speed, which was quite the dilemma. So this was all very good.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you!”
She gave me a light green shirt and an extra one in black. It was to be for
casual wear. I had gone quite up in the world to be able to wear dragon shirts
as casual clothing.
“That would be all of it.”
Miss Segura looked quite happy, as if it had been her who had received the
clothes. Then she handed us a sheet of paper.
“Hmm? What-what…the bill. Four hundred pieces of gold… Four

hundred!?”
“Yes. We gave you quite the discount, as we used the materials you brought
in.”
“I don’t see any discount…”
“Oh? Do you wish to know how much it would have cost had you not
brought the materials?”
Right. The world of dragon equipment always involved hundreds of pieces of

gold. The fact that I had gotten my own equipment at a great discount had
affected my perception.
“Well, it’s not like we can’t afford it…”
“How broad-minded of you!”
We had two thousand on us… And so I took out the money from the hollow
bag and paid them. Four hundred pieces.
“Thank you very much! Oh, Turia. Look at how much money we have!”
“Hurry up and put it in the safe! Do you wish to be robbed!”
At Turia’s command, Miss Segura took the purse and ran to the back of the
store. While it was a rather rushed ending, we had successfully acquired new
clothes for Daniela. And some for me as well. So all was good.
By the way, they charged an additional sixty pieces of gold for my clothes.
They said that it was cheaper because mine was made of the extra scraps… I
wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel about that.
chapter 171
The clothes were the first to be complete. Daniela borrowed one of the
changing rooms and quickly got dressed. The word I would say she embodied
when coming out was ‘lovely.’ Damn cute.
“It looks good on you. Terribly cute.”
“Hmm…”
Daniela brushed her hair awkwardly out of her face. Even that gesture was
cute, but I had to stop with the compliments at some point.
“Yes, it suits you well. But it is to be expected, since I made it.”
“Turia makes clothes in the style of Usk.”
Turia and Segura joined in assaulting Daniela with praise, causing her to turn
bright red.
“Well, that is enough embarrassment for one day…”
“But you look good.”
“Yes.”
“Exactly.”
Daniela glared at us hatefully and stormed back into the changing room. It
may or may not have taken me an hour to persuade her to come out.
We thanked the two women of the White Lily Clothes and Accessories store
and made our way to an armor shop. Daniela needed a replacement for her
broken gauntlets. We still had some wind dragon materials left, so we wanted
to get something good.
However, something unexpected happened. None of them were capable of
working with dragon materials. No matter how many craftsmen we visited.
“Wind dragon materials? Do you want me to break my bloody hammer?”
They said. The problem was quite a headache for us, and we were not sure
how to proceed. Still, to think that there wasn’t a single person who could do
it… Well, I didn’t know anything about smithing, so I couldn’t tell what the
exact issue was. They could make clothes but not armor?
But they had made me some armor at the Paw Armor Shop back in Spiris.
My ice dragon armor. While the dragons were young, the armor was still very
strong to this day. They were like my second partner.
Nick could do it, but these craftsmen couldn’t…did it have to do with the
environment?
“It is no use. If there is no one who can help us here, we will just have to wait
until we reach the imperial capital.”
“Daniela… Yeah, you’re right. There should be no shortage of skilled

craftsmen there. It’s the capital, after all.”
I had tremendous expectations for that place. Still, it would be necessary for
Daniela to have something to wear until then…
“Well, I shall look for a different gauntlet tomorrow.”
“We don’t have much time left here anyway…”
Just how long had it been…?
“We checked in at the inn on the first day, and the next day I took the wind
dragon to the guild. Then I met Rachel, they dismembered the dragon on the
day after that. We did a quest and ate curry and then received the money and
materials the following day…”
“And then we visited the White Lily, and waited for one week.”
In other words, it had been eleven days. Time stood still in Rachel’s room, so
my perceptions had been messed up a little. So we had three more days left.
“We’ll look for your armor tomorrow, the day after will be for preparations
and visits. Then we can leave on the following morning.”
“Yes. It is quite impressive that you always insist on visiting people before
we leave.”
“Really? Well, I do think saying goodbye will make for a happier reunion,
should that happen.”
I didn’t want them to think I was so rude as to not say anything beforehand. It
had always bugged me that we had left Fhiraldo without being able to say
goodbye to Gardo and Ness. Well, they had been happy enough to see us
after that, but that was just how they were.
And so I intended to always make the rounds. I didn’t want to leave any loose
ends. Something like that.
“Alright, let’s return to the inn then. I’m tired of all of this walking.”
“Yes.”
The sun was coming down as well… And so we decided to retire for the day.
□ □ □ □
The next day, we returned to one of the armor shops that had looked quite
promising.
“This place. Barito’s Armor Shop.”
“They have lots of armor made from monster materials.”
The first thing you saw upon entering the place was armor made of monster
bones. The owner was a kind-looking man of short stature.
“Hello.”
“Yes. Oh, you are the people from yesterday…”
“I’m afraid we’ll be disturbing you again.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. It is I who lacked sufficient skill…”
We started on a very apologetic note. When that was all finished, we

explained to him why we had come.
“…And so I have given up on dragon armor for now. I will settle with
whatever is the best this town can offer.”
“I see… Then you were very wise to single us out!”
Well, it’s not like we put that much thought into it. It was mostly because of
the short distance.
“…Yes, if you are looking for armor, you could not have come to a better
place!”
“Brilliant. Then please show me your gauntlets.”
“Yes, certainly!”
It was always worth treating people respectfully. The owner came back with
several items that he claimed were the best of the best.
“This one was made from the skin of moss lizards. They are aquatic lizards
that appear upstream of the Frusulviar River that separates Usk and Nicora.”
“So, does that mean it has the water attribute?”
“Of course!”
“I am sorry to say it, but I use wind and earth. Do you have any others?”
“Certainly…”
The man put his prized gauntlets away and picked up a different pair.
“These are specialized for the wind attribute! They were made by the wings
of the Blast Eagle. This means that while they are light, they have the
guaranteed durability you would expect from a high ranking monster!”
“Hmm…may I try them on?”
“Yes, please do!”
Daniela accepted them and put them on.
“Hmm…”
She opened and closed her hands and tried unsheathing her sword and pulling
out her bow. Every movement must be tested.
“It is too light.”
“You don’t like it…?”
“Do you not have something a little heavier?”
“I…there is the Sword Turtle gauntlet. It has good damage reflection, but it is
quite heavy.”
There was a gauntlet sitting on the table that had a retractable blade attached
to it. The blade shot out upon impact. It was honestly kind of cool.
“Much too dangerous… It is likely to injure me.”
“Yes… In fact, it is so difficult to handle that no one has agreed to buy it…”
But it really is good! He insisted in vain. Daniela merely shook her head. We
ended up leaving the shop without buying anything.
“Hmm… Maybe you’re expecting too much?”
“Well, my originals were very good. Why should I not want something that is
at least equal to them?”
I couldn’t disagree with that. But I didn’t feel like we were likely to find
anything satisfactory, no matter how much we walked around. But then
again, she couldn’t leave without armor. There had to be something…
Just then, Daniela stopped in front of a certain store.
“Daniela?”
“Let us look inside.”
She said, and then entered without waiting for a reply.
“Hey, uh…alright …The Solo Antique Armor Shop, huh?”
Antiques… It sounded like a bit of a gamble, but I guess that meant we just
had to win?
I had once wasted quite a bit of money on such machines when I was still
working the night shift. And I had a bad feeling about this. But Daniela had
already gone in, and so I had to follow her.
chapter 172
My first impression upon entering the place was ‘dark.’ I assumed that they
sold items that would change color if exposed to sunlight. The little light that
did appear through the windows made the dust glimmer in the air.
There was armor in rough piles all over the place. It looked like one of those
‘hoarder’ rooms you see on tv. But it kind of made sense here, seeing as they
sold antiques.
I navigated my way through the piles, careful to not knock anything over,
until I found Daniela in the back. She was talking to an elderly man who was
likely the owner.
“I have a feeling that I will find a good gauntlet here.”
“I see. I see…”
“However, there are too many to search through here. If you could at least
show me where to look.”
“I see. I see…”
This guy she was talking with…he might just be senile…
We moved to a corner and discussed our plan of attack.
“That owner is no good.”
“That sounds a little harsh…”
“It is no good at all.”
Daniela was in a rush and it caused her to be sharper than usual.
“Still, there is no mistake. I can find good armor here. My intuition is telling
me this.”
“Really? Well, I don’t doubt you, but…”
I looked around the room.
“It’ll be back-breaking work trying to find anything here…”
“That is why I asked the owner, but it does not seem…”
Daniela looked through the cracks in the pile next to us and saw that the old
man had dozed off. She shook her head.
“Daniela, let’s split up and look. There must be a pile of gauntlets

somewhere.”
“Yes… Alright, we will do that.”
“Wait, Daniela. Take this…”
I took out a clean cloth from the hollow bag. Daniela took it and tied it
around her face so that it covered her mouth and nose. It was to keep the dust
away. I tied one around my own face.
Then we nodded to each other and went our separate ways. I turned my back
to the entrance and went to the left side. Daniela took the right. At the same
time, I moved some of the armor closer together so that there was a clear
space in the middle of the room. We would need a place to test the armor
when we found them.
“…Hmm. That’s good enough.”
I made a clearing of about one square meter before starting the search.
□ □ □ □
I started at the far edge. The armor had to be handled carefully as I rummaged
and shoved my arms into piles and piles.
This went on for several hours. My back hurt from prolonged bending and so
I stretched my limbs and started to walk around the store. I had been moving
things around at random, and yet somehow the place seemed a little neater
than it had been at first. Perhaps I had been organizing things without
thinking about it.
“Considering I had to organize products once, maybe this is some kind of

disorder I developed from my old job…”
I couldn’t help it. These movements had been carved into my very soul, and I
didn’t even know what I was doing most of the time. Oh, well. I better
continue organizing…I mean, searching.
There was no ‘gauntlet corner’ anyway. There weren’t any kind of corners in
this store. Everything was scattered in every direction. Shields popped out of
armor and gauntlets popped out of boots… That’s probably why I had started
tidying up.
I thought of such things as I concentrated on searching once again.
A few more hours passed. Quite a few gauntlets now lay in the small clearing
I had made. And as it was getting late, I wanted to stop here for the day…
“Asagi. You should have a magic lantern. Take it out.”
“You’re going to continue…?”
“Aye.”
She said, looking quite serious. She was serious. Which left me no choice but
to stay with her…
I took out the lantern and hung it up in the store. And with that, the dark
interior lit up brightly. It made me wonder why we hadn’t used it in the
beginning. As it wasn’t sunlight, it shouldn’t affect anything here.
And so it was overtime. This time I checked the right and Daniela went to the
left. Perhaps we had missed something. The lighting seemed to help too,
because we found gauntlets in places that we had already searched before.
The search did not finish until midnight. The old man had left his counter at
some point and gone to bed. He was like some kind of zombie who was
dictated by an old routine…
“Hahh…I’m tired…”
“We can come back tomorrow and inspect them with the Appraisal glasses.”
“Yeah… I doubt the old man will clean this up.”
It was evident from how scattered things were, that he did not care. And he
wasn’t likely to start caring now… And so we left the store and returned to
the inn. But first, Daniela asked some wind spirits to lock the door.
The next day. The morning of our twelfth day in Usk. We woke up early and
went back to the antique store.
“Hmm…Is it open?”
“The elderly tend to get up early.”
“You are probably right.”
I was reminded of an elderly couple who used to come to the store at four in
the morning in their small truck. I wondered if they were still doing well.
“Hello?”
I said as we opened the door. The old man was sitting in the same spot as
yesterday. Our work the previous day had made it so we could see him from
the door. I smiled.
“I half suspect you spent more time organizing than searching.”
“I can’t help it.”
Then we went to the center of the room where the gauntlets had been
gathered. Yes, it was as we had left them yesterday.
“…Alright, let us begin then. The good gauntlets will be placed in this box
over here.”
“Got it.”
Obeying her order, I took out the Appraisal glasses from the hollow bag.
They were magic tools I had found in an ancient elven ruin near an old
building. They were brilliant tools that allowed you to appraise things that
you were looking at. I had also found an automata, but that was still in the
bag.
And so I tried looking at the closest gauntlet to me.
‘Armor Rabbit Gauntlet – Partially damaged.’
It read. Focusing on the words ‘Armor Rabbit’ resulted in a detailed

explanation appearing.
‘Armor Rabbit – C-Rank monster. Has a hard, armored back. Delicious.’
It read. The goal for today was to use these glasses to find something that was
made of either a high-ranking monster or very rare ore. In any case, this was
clearly neither of those, and so it went into the trash heap.
I would have to repeat this many times today, which promised to be even
more tiring than what we did yesterday… Well, I was ready.
…And before I knew it, it was night. Perhaps I had gone about it with too
much enthusiasm, because I hardly noticed the passage of time. Daniela was
the same. As it was to do with her, she was much more focused than usual.
Still, we had found some rather nice pieces. After a very thorough inspection
and a severe selection process, we ended up with four candidates.
‘Wing Snake Gauntlet – Partially damaged.’
‘Whitened Wind Ore Gauntlet – Insufficient magic.’
‘Earth Wolf Gauntlet – Partially damaged.’

‘Chained Ore Gauntlet.’
The above four. The monster ones didn’t need much explanation. Whitened
wind ore apparently had to do with a lack of magic energy. And so it would
regain its wind ore power if jade-colored magic was sent into it. However, it
would eat up quite a lot. The fourth, which was made of chained ore, felt like
the most antique of the bunch. It was incredibly rare.
“This ore is rarely circulated out in the world.”
“Why?”
“Because filling it with power can cause people to freeze up, as if they have
been chained.”
“That’s a weird ability…”
Apparently, it had been popular a long time ago with a certain trade.
“You fill it with magic and point it at your opponent. Then magic in the
shape of a chain will extend out and bind them.”
“Huh…”
“And that is how you became a slave.”
Yes, the ore had been used to hunt for slaves. Many demi-human women and
children were captured in this way. In fact, Daniela’s tribe had been made up
of people who had escaped such a fate. They fled and fled and became people
of the fields.
“By the time I was born, there were many people who saw this ore as a
threat. Organizations were established in order to destroy them all. As the
rumor goes, this organization was built by a Hero.”
“A Hero…”
Currently, I had been lucky enough to meet someone who had been from
modern Japan. It would make sense if this Hero was also from the same age.
Because there wouldn’t have been slavery, and so it would only be normal to
help those who had fallen into it.
“Many slave businesses were crushed because of it. But you sometimes hear
whispers of it continuing in secret, even now.”
“Human trafficking usually involves a lot of money.”
It was sad that a price could be put on people. There was also a price for
labor. The slaves at the mines worked as an alternative to death. Because
merely being alive meant you were worth something.
“It would be very bad if something like this passed into the hands of such
people. And so I will take it. After all, it can be a great weapon as long as you
do not misuse it.”
Daniela said that it could be used to bind the movements of monsters. Yeah.
Most things could be bad or good depending on how you used it. And so this
could be used for good. It would be a kind of redemption for this chained ore.
“So you finally found your purchase then.”
“Aye, I will go and take it to the owner.”
“I’ll clean this stuff up.”
I handed Daniela the money as I gathered the other gauntlets together. There
was now a light armor corner, a heavy armor corner and several other
corners, including one for gauntlets. It made everything easier. It was hard to
believe that the store had looked so different only a day ago. I even decided
to leave the magic lamp as a little donation. Yes, he should enjoy an increase
in business now.
I thought smugly as Daniela returned.
“How much was it?”
“Eight gold pieces.”

Apparently, the old man wasn’t so senile when it came to money. Damn it.
How very nice of him.
chapter 173
The morning light shone down on Daniela’s hands, which now had the
gauntlets equipped.
‘Chained Ore Gauntlets – Gauntlets carved out of chained ore. Send magic
into them to bind targets.’
That was what was displayed when viewing them through the Appraisal
glasses. Yeah, they seemed like they would work.
Relieved, I took the glasses off and put them away in my bag.
We would prepare to leave today. This meant restocking on supplies.

Tomorrow we would say our goodbyes and then leave Usk.
We shouldn’t have much trouble, as I took the time to study the surrounding
terrain in the guild library. First, if you left Usk through the eastern gate and
headed straight, you would reach a vast swamp. Going around it would
eventually take you to a small town, and further on there would be a forest.
There was a large town inside of the forest, and this was also the town closest
to the imperial capital. In other words, we would reach the imperial capital
once we were clear of the forest.
“I’m reminded of just how big this empire is.”
“Indeed. Much time has passed since we left Alessa, and yet the capital is
still far away.”
Daniela thought back on our travels as we wandered from shop to shop. We

would have had an accurate account of our days had we had a calendar to
mark, but I had come to this world with nothing. And I didn’t really have the
time to think about such things, so I only had a vague idea of how many days
had passed.
I spent a few weeks at Fhiraldo, and it was around two months later that we
reunited with Gardo. And I think it was about one month in Replant after
that. Then we left Replant and reached Dana village. We killed the lesser
wyvern and left after ten days?
I really wasn’t sure. I probably should care more about these things, but I had
never developed such a habit. Still, it would probably be about four months
by the time we left Usk. I think.
“…I think that is it, as far as preparation goes.”
“I’m looking forward to what kind of food the next place has.”
The hollow bag that Rachel made was a high-tech vintage bag with
dimension magic. This ensured that the contents remained unaffected by
time. The inner space was also vast. In other words, you could put a lot of
food inside and it would never go bad. We could enjoy a hot meal of our
choice, that in fact, came from a street stall in a faraway city. And I could
also store other ingredients, which would always be fresh.
On top of it all, Merica, the granddaughter of the chief of Senka village, had
given me a handmade mascot that made it very cute. I was careful to change
the string once in a while, so that I wouldn’t lose it. It was quite important,
after all. You might ask me why I didn’t put it away if it was so important,
but these things have value because they are used. I would feel bad if it didn’t
ever see the sun. I hoped that she was still well…
□ □ □ □
We stopped at a public bath before returning to the inn. The sun had just
started to descend, and the world was bathed in a beautiful orange light.
Daniela and I had planned to go to a certain place tonight. The curry
restaurant.
“Daniela. Are you ready?”
“Aye, let us go.”
We left the inn together. This wasn’t our first time returning, either. We had
gone several times while we waited for the clothes, and so its location was
burned into my memory. It was surprisingly close by, which showed how off
we had been that first time. It was really only about ten minutes away. It’s
like they say, you can’t see the forest for the trees. Wait, no, that’s not it.
I looked up at the sky as we walked. The evening light shone down at an

angle, splitting the surrounding walls in black and orange. The sun itself was
making a soft landing over the buildings of Nicora, which could be seen
beyond the river to the west. The sky above was still a pale blue, while to the
east, it turned darker. I loved this time with these indescribable gradations
spreading everywhere. It was the same in the other world, of course. Not that
I had much opportunity to enjoy them. I mostly just got to see the sunrise…
By the time the sun was halfway hidden, we arrived at the curry restaurant.
We were nearly familiar faces to the waitress now as we made our order.
After waiting for a few minutes, fresh naan bread and bowls of several types
of curry were brought to us. Even if it was curry, the taste could change
drastically depending on what ingredients and spices were inside. This place
seemed to have done its own research, and so had a wide range of curries
prepared. We tried different kinds each time, and were always surprised with
every new discovery as we stuffed ourselves with naan.
This was the culmination of all our testing. We had chosen the three that we
thought were the best.
I was really looking forward to enjoying them.
“Let’s eat.”
“Mgg…ggm…gmm…”
Daniela never really bothered to wait when it came to food, and she was
already tearing through the naan and shoving them down her throat. I
swallowed back the saliva that was pooling in my mouth at the sight of this,
and scooped up some red curry with a piece of naan bread and carried it to
my mouth. This spiciness was incredibly addictive. And it was the hottest
thing they served here… I wiped away the sweat on my forehead and drank
some water.
The other was a light-colored curry. It was mild, with butter and cream
inside. But this butter chicken curry also had hints of sourness and spiciness
as well. The chicken was so soft that it crumbled. With one bite, I felt like I
had died and gone to heaven.
The last bowl was a keema curry filled with lots of ground meat. This was
also incredible. In spite of the spices, the meat also had a strong presence. As
a meat lover, Daniela considered it her favorite. Of course, I liked meat as
well. Whether it was a steak or ground up. I put some of the thick curry onto
the naan and tasted it. I couldn’t help but smile then. The finely chopped
vegetables added so much texture, reminding you that there was more than
just meat. It seemed so healthy that I had delusions of losing weight.
However, this time of joyfulness was about to come to a close. My stomach

had reached full capacity. I could eat no more… I could see Daniela was
loosening her belt in front of me. Why do people overeat like this…
“I’m done…I can’t eat…”
“Same…”
At this admission from Daniela, I called over the waitress and asked for a few
more sets to take back with us. I wanted some naan as well, but I decided that
we could just make it if we had the ingredients. Besides, I didn’t want to
bother them too much. It was a busy night as it was.
The curry arrived in separate pots which I was able to put into the hollow
bag. Now we could enjoy the curry whenever we wanted!
As full as we were, we could still be giddy about this prospect.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I handed her the money.

“I’m going to really miss this place after we leave tomorrow.”
“Oh, that is a shame. But I am sure you will be back.”
“Definitely. Definitely.”
Daniela declared with emotion. I felt the same.
“See you later then.”
“Yes, see you.”
“Thank you.”
We waved goodbye as we left the restaurant together.
The sky was now completely covered in the shadows of night. Still, the town
itself was full of light, as if to suggest that things were only getting started.
“…It’s so pretty.”
“Aye.”
We looked at the lights below us. Each light was filled with things sweet and
bitter, good and bad…
There was a bonfire next to us that burned a bright red. I felt like there must
be something smart I could say here related to it, but I was just not perceptive
enough to know what that was.
chapter 174
This would be a busy day. We had to make up for all the time we lost trying
to find armor.
We stuffed ourselves with breakfast in the morning and gathered our

scattered things and thrust them into the hollow bag. This included my inner
clothes and Daniela’s underwear. We’d have to wash them in a river
sometime later. Once that was done, I crouched low on the ground and made
sure there was nothing left on the floor. When I was sure, the only thing left
to do was to settle the bill.
“Daniela, let’s go.”
“Wa-wait a moment. I must use the bathroom…”
“Uh…”
Daniela frantically dashed away under my exasperated stare. I made sure the
windows were all closed and locked as I waited. Everything was fine. I had
the key as well.
After a final check, we both left the room. It was a short stay, but very
pleasurable.
Several guests were relaxing in the lobby after having eaten their breakfast.
We passed them and reached the counter, where Karamus was waiting for us
with a smile.
“So this is the day that you two are leaving.”
“Yes, we had a great time here. Thank you.”
“No, it is my job, after all.”
She chuckled while raising an elegant hand to her mouth. But she was
actually a sadist at heart.
“Oh, is something the matter?”
“No?”
I put the key on the counter with a cool expression. Yeah, nothing at all.
“Well, we’ll be off now. You will let us stay if we come again?”
“Yes, of course. And I hope you two have a wonderful journey.”
“Thank you.”
Miss Karamus bowed deeply and I nodded before we existed the Babbling
Brook. The sound of that brook had been comforting to the ears until the end.
We would likely choose this place again if we ever found ourselves here. It
was comfortable and the owner was pretty. The room was also clean, which
was always a plus.
□ □ □ □
Once we were on the streets, we headed for the guardhouse near the docks.
After all, Bacon was the first person who helped us, so I thought I might as
well drop by. Two weeks of Usk had helped me learn all of the roads, and so
we arrived quite quickly.
I said Bacon’s name at the counter and they told me where he was.
Apparently, he was leading an inspection of goods and personnel on a newly
arrived merchant ship. I couldn’t say I didn’t find this a little troublesome,
but at least the docks were close by.
“Oh…what grand ship…”
Daniela looked up at it with surprise. Even I was shocked. The river itself
was very wide, but I was still surprised that a vessel of this size could pass
here without the hull hitting the bottom of the river. The thing looked to be
about fifty meters long. I wasn’t an expert on boats, but that seemed like it
was on the larger end.
It was larger than any of the others boats here, anyway.
“Ah, if it isn’t Asagi and Daniela. What are you two doing here?”
Bacon said as he approached us. For a second, I wasn’t quite sure either, but
then I remembered.
“Hey, Bacon.”
“It’s Yacon.”
“We’re going to be leaving town today. So I thought I’d say goodbye.”
“It’s Ya-…oh, so you’ll be leaving then? I’ll sure miss you two.”
Liar. We only saw him those first two days.
“Well, you be careful out there.”
“Yeah. But we’ll be back. As for Miss Karamus, she’s not interested. I would
give up if I were you.”
“What? How can…are you serious? But she always smiles so sweetly that
I…”
Unfortunately, that was just a disguise. A mask of deceit.
“But there may be a way.”
“Wha-what? Tell me!”
I threw an arm around Bacon’s shoulder and brought my head close to his
and whispered.
“Well, she’s a real sadist. So she might oblige you if you asked to be
punished.”
“You… If you’re lying to me, I’ll come after you and have you thrown in
prison!”
Ah, he didn’t believe me then?
Well, it was really up to him. I was just showing him the way.
“That’s just how it is. Do what you want with it. Now, see ya.”
“Uh. I’m not sure how I feel about all of this. But I wish you well on your
travels. And uh, thanks for everything you did in Nicora.”
“Don’t mention it. We were just passing through.”
I waved goodbye, and we walked away from the docks. We would go to the
craftsmen street next. To the White Lily. And then it was straight for the east
gate.
“…Still, there’s nothing less appealing than someone who comes directly to
you, asking to be punished.”
“Indeed. It is one thing to casually solicit someone and then slide into a
submissive role part way through, like you. That can be quite endearing. But
I would not like someone to come at me like that so strongly.”
“Wait, I, I don’t do that. Do I?”
“Haha. Ahahaha.”
“Why are you laughing! Hey, stop right there!”
She had just unleashed a severe blow to my reputation, and now she was
laughing and running away. This was quite a problem. I had to deny it
immediately and recover from this. However, Daniela quickly stopped and
began to walk normally as if nothing had happened. Ultimately, I was not
able to fix things before we reached the White Lily.
“Hello?”
I entered the store and called out to them, but they seemed to be in that back.
I wondered if they ever got robbed…
“Well, I guess I better go…”
“No, Asagi, wait. I will go and see.”
“Eh? It’s fine. You went last time.”
“No, I must go. You know, it will be better as we are all women.”
“You think? Well, I guess you’re right. I’ll wait here then.”
“Yes, you sit still. Very still.”
“No, I don’t know if I can.”
Daniela seemed to be rushing a little as she moved towards the back of the
store. I took a seat on the usual chair and waited.
After a few minutes, very loud footsteps could be heard as they came
running. There really was no reason to rush. Look, the exertion was causing
their cheeks to flush.
Turia pulled out a chair and sat down first.
“Oh, so…sorry to keep you waiting…hhh…”
“Oh, oh…yes… I am fine…there is no problem at all…mm…”
She looked very out of breath. I was a little worried. Miss Segura also looked
a little anxious. Daniela picked something off of the floor as she followed
after them. It looked like a handkerchief.
“Hahhh…so, what brings you here today?”
Miss Segura had finally caught her breath.
“Yes. We’ll be leaving town today. And so we came to say goodbye. Since
you two really helped us and everything.”
“I…see… No, it was just our job. In fact, I was quite happy to be able to use
such expensive materials for a change.”
“Yes, you can handle dragon materials. For some reason, none of the other
craftsmen here could help us when it came to armor. Are they really that
different?”
This was the main reason we had lost so much time. If it had not been an
issue, Daniela would have likely had something very great by now.
“Yes. The materials are handled quite differently with clothes. With armor,
the materials are treated similar to metal, and they must use fire.”
“I see. You definitely wouldn’t use fire with clothes.”
“Exactly. But none of the furnaces in this town are hot enough to deal with
dragon materials.”
I see. That explained it. So I guess that meant that Nick had a furnace that
was capable of it. The Paw Armor Shop was actually quite special?
“In any case, it is quite out of the question to have the work done here. You
will have to go to the capital.”
“I see. Thanks. We happen to be headed for the capital, so it works out for
us.”
Though, I would have been incredibly annoyed if it happened that we

couldn’t get it done there either.
“Hehe. I suppose we will see a much stronger and lovelier Daniela in dragon
gear the next time you visit?”
“Indeed. I expect to be dressed quite well the next time we meet.”
“I am very much looking forward to it.”
Daniela shook hands with both women and bid them goodbye. She smoothly
slid the handkerchief into Miss Segura’s hand when she did so. That was very
kind of her. Miss Segura hurriedly stuffed it into her pocket.
Yes, there was something pleasant about seeing all these girls get along so
nicely! And in a store called the White Lilly… Hmm? I felt like I might be
missing something.
“Well, we should go now. Asagi.”
“Hm? Oh, yeah. See you later then.”
“I will give you some pretty clothes when you come again.”
“And I will give you a good discount!”
“Oh, so you meant ‘sell.’”
We chuckled at that. There was something fun about this place.
“Goodbye then.”
“Thank you for everything.”
“Yes. Take care of your clothes.”
“Be safe!”
And then we parted ways. There was some hand waving as we made our way
to the east gate, but we did not stop again until we reached it.
Our goal was the imperial capital. It was just a little longer now.
chapter 175
Our progress after leaving the east gate was smooth, and we only encountered
a few goblins before arriving in the wetlands.
As that was what they called it, I was expecting loose soil and so much mud
that we would soon be covered in it…
“Well, that’s a surprise…”
“It is quite beautiful…”
We both stood there and watched. There was a slanting path between the
trees that stretched on before us. Flowers bloomed here and there, and there
were lots of small ponds made from water that had risen from the ground.
Each pool reflected the blue sky on its surface.
It was a beautiful sight indeed.
“Really, I thought we were about to travel through some horrible marshes.”
“As did Il. Just the thought of getting my new clothes dirty was putting me in
a foul mood. But this…I am quite speechless…”
Water and flowers and sky. It was so little and yet created such a great effect.
It was impressive that they had paved a path here without destroying the
natural beauty. That was the empire for you. I know longer had any desire to
live in Lambrusen.
The road was wide enough for us to walk side by side, and there was no one
else here but us. It was nice to walk like this. A marsh date. Why not?
The wind blew and disturbed the surface of the ponds. Daniela said that this
was the result of wind spirits playing. I wished I could join them. I wished I
could see them.
“You cannot see them at all, Asagi?”
“Yeah, I only have normal eyes. And Jack of all Trades, Master of None as
my unique skill.”
“But what about Legs of the Forest Wolf? Is that not a unique skill?”
“Hmm…I don’t know. I don’t think it is unique if it can be given to you.”
“But I have never seen anyone else with it.”
“That’s not too surprising. I doubt Beowulf has that many thralls.”
This skill was almost part of my identity now. I would be a lot less of an
Adventurer without it. Not that having Jack of all Trades, Master of None
alone was such a bad thing.
“That is also a skill I have never heard of before.”
“I’d be worth a lot less if you had…”
“I do not think I have ever asked you about it in detail… What is it like?”
Yes, it wasn’t exactly something we had talked about, now that I think of it.
Or maybe we did…
“I don’t know. It’s hard to explain… If I want to do something but don’t

know how, or don’t know what the outcome of doing something will be, I
activate it. And then this image that is split into quarters appears in my head.”
“Quarters? What does it look like?”
I picked up a stick and began to draw on the soft dirt.
“It’s split up like this. And I am able to see what I want to do in each frame.
If I want to swing my sword like this, it will show me examples.”
“It only instructs you visually?”

“No, I also gain an understanding of how to make my body do it. Things like
weight distribution or balance. It just comes to me.”
I hadn’t really mastered it at all yet. But it gave you the basics. In order to
copy it perfectly, you had to think, move and understand it all.
“It’s kind of like a shortcut skill. But a shortcut is still a path. You can’t just
skip through everything. But if I could, I would never have to be afraid of
anything.”
“I see. I think that I understand now.”
“Yeah, it’s like that. You feel like you understand… But you’ll never be sure.
It’s that kind of skill.”
As the briefing session continued, someone came towards us from the other
side of the road, and I so we moved to the side.
“Ah, sorry to bother you.”
“No, we were the ones blocking the path.”
It was a young man. He looked like an Adventurer. As he greeted us

pleasantly, I smiled and apologized. Daniela also bowed.
“You two look like Adventurers as well…”
“Yes. Though, I’m still somewhat of a beginner…”
“Haha. You do not look like one.”
Oh, he was good. I almost fell for it.
“Let me give you a word of advice then.”
“Yeah?”
“The lord of monsters lives in these wetlands. It’s beautiful now, but it will
turn quite savage during the night. You might be tempted to enjoy the
scenery, but you should really be hurrying on.”
Then the man pointed up at the sky. The sun was already starting to descend.
We still had plenty of time before nightfall, but that was no assurance that we
could get out of this vast marsh by then if we didn’t hurry.
“Thanks for the advice. We just happened to be traveling as leisurely as if we

were tourists.”
“Ahaha. Well, you can still make it if you hurry. And now, I must go as
well.”
“Thank you. Perhaps we will meet again one day. We could go on a quest
together.”
“Ah, I am sure that will be quite fun.”
After those social pleasantries, the man continued on his way. It was just as
he turned a corner and was out of sight that Daniela turned to me and
muttered.
“That man. He is very strong.”
“Really?”
I was no expert and could not tell by just looking at someone. Perhaps
Daniela had learned something about it through experience.
“Yes. If we were not in a hurry, I would have liked to fight him.”
“Well, you may still get your wish one day.”
We started to walk again. To be honest, I could just use Legs of the Forest
Wolf and we would be out pretty quickly. But it was nice to walk like this
sometimes. Things had been very hectic up until Nicora, and so we opted for
a more relaxed pace while we could.
□ □ □ □
When it was nearing evening, we finally saw the end of the road. It was also
the end of the marshes. This was evident by how dry the ground was when
we were off of the path.
“What a relief, eh?”
“This monster lord seemed intriguing. But fighting in the marshes is not very
appealing to me.”
“You must really like your new clothes.”

“Aye. Are they not pretty?”
Daniela turned dramatically. The skirt rose in the air, exposing her shorts
underneath. My eyes felt quite blessed as her pale thighs came into view.
“I feel a lecherous stare.”
“Heh. Ahahaha.”
“Hey, wait. Asagi. We must talk.”
I ignored her and began to walk on ahead. We were going in the opposite
direction of the setting sun. We had initially considered going around the
marshes, but ended up going straight through it. And it had saved us a lot of
time. We would be able to get very close to the next town if we continued at
this pace. That way, we would be able to pass through the town without
stopping at an inn the next day. While we had money to spare, it didn’t hurt
to try and avoid unnecessary expenses. Though, we would still sight see.
Daniela grumbled all the way, but by the time we pitched the tent and
prepared dinner, she was back to her grinning self. No one remained angry
when food came out. Humans have no choice but to smile when eating
something delicious. You can find peace in the midst of a dinner.
Master Daniela took the first watch that night. I lay in the tent and thought
excitedly of the imperial capital…for about three seconds before falling
asleep from exhaustion.
But I was soon pulled out of my dream when Daniela’s voice rang in my
ears.
“Asagi. Get up. Monsters.”
“Mmm…how many?”
“Twenty.”
“Twenty!?”
I got up frantically. At first, I had been thinking sluggishly that Daniela might
have dealt with the problem alone, but those numbers were alarming. I
quickly put on my armor and pulled out the Schwarz Tempest from the
hollow bag. It was especially great for handling large numbers of enemies.
“They are coming from the marshes.”
“I didn’t sense them at all during the day…”
I rested the blade on my shoulder as we looked in the direction that we had

come. We had moved away from it as much as time would allow, but perhaps
we were somehow still in their territory…that was a bad mistake on our part.
It was dumb to think that they wouldn’t come out here where the ground was
dry.
“The size…is not too bad. But there is one that looks worse than the rest.”
“They’re still not within range of my Presence Detection…oh, now they are.
Uhh…damn that’s a lot…”
I tried counting them and it did seem like twenty. Huhhh… Why wouldn’t
they let me sleep in peace? I thought irritably as I scratched my head and
prepared for a battle.
chapter 176
The thing that jumped noisily out of the tall grass was a fish. However, it was
a bipedal fish. In its hand was a makeshift spear and its body was wrapped in
a type of waterweed as it ran wildly in our direction. It was a merman.
“Well, I had an idea after looking it up at the guild…”
“Be careful of their spears, but not only the spears. They will use water magic
as well.”
“Be careful of everything then. Got it!”
I replied as I held the sword above my head and ran forward. ‘Jack of all
Trades, Master of None’ had allowed me to simulate the movements of these
merman…known as ‘sahuagin.’ I also knew what kind of magic they would
use. And so when they held their spears at that level…
“Hah…!”
A bullet of water fires off. I press into the dirt with my right leg and jump to
the left. As I know their movements, I can act before they have even taken
them. Then I land to the right side of the sahuagin and swing the great sword
down with all of my might. It cuts through the creature’s shoulder and into
the torso. The sahuagin’s top half flies in the air.
Without missing a beat, I swing the sword up this time, taking the sahuagin
that stood behind the fallen lower half of the first. This is immediately
followed by a downward swing into the head of another sahuagin who came
next to me. Blood sprays in the air like mist as two more quickly fall.
After that, I quickly concentrated on Presence Detection and searched for my

next prey. Someone was coming from behind with a raised spear. I used Legs
of the Forest Wolf to jump up high. At the same time, a burst of water magic
hits where I had been standing a moment ago.
‘They are able to launch three water bullets with every swing of their spears.
The bullets will come at you from the front and sides, therefore, the only way
to escape is to go up.’
That was what I had read at the guild. This magic made the sahuagin a lot
more dangerous. There was not much you could do unless you had a shield.
I kept my guard up as I glanced towards Daniela. She had opted to create

some distance and then use her bow to turn the sahuagin into pin cushions.
She had killed more than half of them already.
“You are slacking, Asagi!”
“Sorry!”
I moved away frantically as an arrow whizzed passed me. It wouldn’t have

hit me anyway, but it was still perfectly terrifying. Arrows were not meant to
be used like that. And that’s the truth.
I groaned at Daniela’s harsh disciplinary style as I landed on the ground and

held my sword ready. There in front of me, was a sahuagin that was larger
than the rest. It looks like I had unexpectedly landed in front of the big one.
The boss. Also known as the lord of the lake.
The boss sahuagin breathed its misty breath and held its spear…and what a
spear it was. This was not the kind of boss who left his subordinates to do the
dirty work. Those were the best kinds of bosses. Except he was my enemy
right now.
“Daniela won’t like it if I don’t give you a good work out.”
Blue magic enveloped my blade, turning it into water. This was the crowning
achievement of a blacksmith with blue magic, the Schwarz Tempest. This
thing could cut through anything, even the neck of a wind dragon.
And so I held it up and charged at the boss sahuagin. It would die under this
unblockable attack. …Or so I thought. My eyes widened as the blade
descended.
It had done it. The boss sahuagin had done the same magic on his own spear.
And so my great sword was blocked, and I was pushed back. Not only that,
but it caused the current of water enveloping our weapons to bounce off and
disappear. I would never have imagined that there was something this sword
couldn’t cut… I was practically dumbfounded as I stood there and held it in
front of me.
“I see. So it has the same attribute as mine…”
“FWWOOOSSH!”
Master Daniela had given me lessons on magic and anti-attributes and the
workings of nullifying spells before. I looked around cautiously as I thought
back on what had happened. It looked like the others were not going to join
the fight. They were either holding their spears and watching, or going after
Daniela. Well, Daniela would probably kill them no matter what they were
doing.
The boss sahuagin was more important, anyway. If the power of blue magic
wasn’t going to help me, it would be up to pure swordsmanship. It wasn’t
about dealing one heavy blow with a great sword then. And so I thrust the
thing into the ground and unsheathed the Glampanzer with my right hand and
took out the Ashikirimaru with my left.
This change in style must have made him wary because the boss sahuagin
now lowered his stance and slowly pointed his spear out.
Our eyes locked on one another as we slowly closed in. However, he had a
further reach.
“FFWWUAA!!”
“Hh…!”
A sharp thrust came towards me. I used Ashikirimaru to swipe it aside and
take another step forward. However, the spear quickly pulled back before
thrusting again. This time, I used the sword in my right hand to block it and
take another step forward.
“SHHAA!!”
The spear I had blocked from the side came swinging down like a whip. I
ducked out of its reach and finally found myself within striking distance.
“Hah!’
With a shout, I slashed upwards with the demon sword. The boss sahuagin
adeptly maneuvered his spear and stopped it by a hair’s breadth. However,
that left him open for the Ashikirimaru. The sharp blade tore into his arm and
fresh blood sprayed in the air.
“Gggsshh…”
Its webbed hand tried to hold the wound shut, but the blood would not stop. It
dripped down, painting the spear red. He would not be so quick now. I had
been targeting his arm from the beginning.
“Now try holding that spear!”
“GGGRR…SHHHRRR…!”
The boss sahuagin glared at me with rage. I returned it with a grin. His reply
was a thrust of his spear, which was now covered with water magic.
However, the thrust was weaker now that he could only use one arm. I didn’t
even have to block or parry it. I could just step away. And while I did that, I
activated Legs of the Forest Wolf and increased my speed.
Eventually, the boss sahuagin could not keep up with me. His spear stopped
moving and he screamed with irritation. He could no longer fight. Everything
was about to end. At the same time, Daniela had killed the last of his
subordinates.
“Good. It’s over!”
This was the moment for Asagi Kamiyashiro to showcase the move he had
simulated so many times over in Jack of all Trades, Master of None. No one
had been around to witness it before and send him a thunder of applause, but
Daniela was here now. In spite of already being madly in love, she would
somehow fall in love all over again. Such expectations went wild in my heart.
This move was purely about speed. A little technique added to the mix turned
it into something incredibly deadly.
The wind moved faster as my swords turned into a blur of silver and green
and shot towards the boss sahuagin.
“Kamiyashiro-style Dual Fang Body Slash!!”
A high speed flash tore into the boss sahuagin’s torso. And without slowing
down, I cut into him from the other side. This was a move for dual-wielding.
Cutting through a body with two fangs. The sharpness of the swords was
vital. Jack of all Trades, Master of None had instructed me that it would be
hard to keep my arms steady if I just slashed, and so I cut him as if stabbing
through his flesh. The result was quite satisfactory, an all-around success.
The boss sahuagin had been cut into three pieces. Its eyes rolled back as it
sunk into a puddle of blood. Perhaps it would find some solace in dying in
something wet.
“Phew…”
I swung the blood off of the sword and put it in my sheath. My eyes quickly
went to the spear. It had fallen from his grip before my attack, and so it lay
there without a scratch. Upon picking it up, I could sense the water attribute
within it. While I already knew about, the fact that it was so tangible was
rather impressive.
“Hey. Spoils of war.”
I twirled it around and pointed it at her. Daniela grabbed it and let out a sigh
of admiration.
“It is a good spear. It is hard to think that a monster would own such a thing.”
“Perhaps they just found it in the marshes? I bet it was an Adventurer who
challenged the lord of the swamp.”
I bet.
In any case, the fight was over and we decided to return to the camp. We
would come back later to take the gills as proof of the hunt, if we could. But
for now, we were just so tired and wanted to rest.
“Ah, Asagi. What was that thing you did? It was powerful and you moved
well, but otherwise, quite embarrassing to watch.”
chapter 177
I was tired as hell after the fight, but as it was now my turn to watch, I had no
choice but to stay awake until morning. Thankfully, no one had ordered a
second shipment of monsters, and so I was left to sit there in peace and in
boredom. It was better if you moved a little. Staring into the flames in this
state was like begging to be put under hypnosis.
When the sun rose, I covered the hypnotizing flames with a pot. Then I filled
the pot with water and took out some vegetables from my bag. It looked like
cabbage. I tore it up by hand so that they became smaller pieces. When the
water came to a boil, I dumped the meat into the pot. I had an assortment of
spices that I wasn’t quite sure of, and had to taste the soup as I added them
and removed the scum from the surface. I had also bought something that
looked like pepper at the market yesterday, and so I cut it up and dumped it in
as well. It looked spicey. Once everything looked nice and soft, I added the
cabbage at last. When the color of the leaves turned vibrant, it was ready.
“Daniela. Morning.”
“Mmmm…fine…”
Daniela emerged from the pile of blankets. She then crawled out of the tent
and dunked her head into a bucket of water that had been prepared. Breakfast
would be served once she was finished.
“I tried to make a spicy soup this time.”
“Thank you…mmm…it is so spicy.”
“Yeah, I just told you…”
Well, it was always hotter than you expected. I get it. …Yeah. It really was
spicy. But good.
When the food was done, we washed the bowls and put everything away. We
would take a short break and then get ready to leave. Take down the tent,
extinguish the fire, make sure we didn’t leave anything. It was all so very
familiar to me now.
And so our camp ended. And we started off for our next destination.
This had become a regular thing for us quite a while ago now. Fighting
monsters, talking with ruffians, and even killing humans. Things had changed
inside of me. After all, even monsters were living creatures.
Still, traveling with Daniela was fun. And it was wonderful how we would
meet new people.
There were more days now that I looked back at my time in the convenience
store and thought of how idle it had all been. But there were pleasant
customers, the manager was a bit strange, but pretty. And there were good
things that had happened. Though, I was still stabbed.
In the end, I just loved to travel. But…
“This is horrible…”
“What are we going to do…”
We were currently in the middle of a rainstorm.
□ □ □ □
We hadn’t been walking for more than ten minutes when the clouds started to
darken. By the time I had become genuinely worried, drops of rain began to
fall. We looked for a place to wait until it stopped, but the town was still
quite far off, and we would be drenched when the rain really picked up. And
so we set our eyes on a large tree. No sooner had we arrived, than the
landslides began, as if waiting for the perfect timing.
Of course, this roof of leaves was not waterproof, but it was better than
nothing. We used some branches and cloth to make a kind of tent…thing. To
ward off the rain. Thanks to it, we avoided being drenched through.
However, the cloud was very large, and the rain showed no signs of stopping
any time soon.
It was still morning, and yet the sunlight seemed to have vanished, leaving a
darkness close to night time. Occasionally, there would be bursts of light
between the clouds. But mostly, we saw nothing but the horrible rain.
“What the…”
“We will not be able to move like this. Forcing our way forward will only
result in us getting sick.”
True. It wouldn’t be too bad if we could wipe ourselves dry and soak in a hot
tub. But that wouldn’t happen. We needed an inn for that. And I wasn’t going
to look for an inn in this weather.
There would be no bathing for quite some time. Our bodies would get colder
and our strength leave us. We would have no medicine and nowhere to buy
any. Well, the Appraisal glasses might help me find some, if there was any to
find.
In any case, falling sick now could have grave consequences. And so we
decided to stay here and wait.
“Huhhh… If only we could have reached the town…”
“It cannot be helped. These things happen.”
Daniela pressed her shoulder into mine. Yes…there was nothing to do. I
guess we could fool around since no one was watching. Yes, we might as
well.
Daniela had been whispering sweet words into my ear, but then she stopped.
Why…?
“…”
“Come on, get ready.”
“They have the worst timing…”
“We can continue this later.”
“Oh, well. Time to kill.”
I straightened my back and picked up the devil sword that I had leaned
against the tree.
“To be precise…”
“Eh?”
“Someone is being chased by a monster.”
“You should say that first!”
I pulled the hood over my head and ran towards the approaching presence.
They were thankfully coming towards us, and right into my detection area.
So now I knew where they were.
I may catch a cold by doing this, but that was nothing compared to a person’s
life. Even if the cold turned into something worse and dangerous. There was
plenty I could do before that happened, and it was easier to help save a life
before thinking about any of that.
And so I ran. And so I nearly died. I was running without having a clear view
of my surroundings, searching for the presence of the human and the
monster. That’s when a covered wagon appeared before me and nearly ran
me over. My eyes met those of the driver, but Legs of the Forest Wolf kicked
in instinctively and I dove to the side.
Then it rushed passed me. The monster chased after it. From what I could
see, it looked like a boar. But there was magic as well. It was definitely a
monster. I had never seen them before, but I knew their name. Iron Boars.
They lived in the empire and had fangs as hard as iron. And very sharp as
well. Sharp as a sword. Dangerous things.
Something must have caused them to become aggressive. Perhaps the wagon
had been in a rush to return to the town since it was raining, and they had
gone through enemy territory.
“But there’s no point in thinking about that now.”
I frantically used Legs of the Forest Wolf to chase after the wagon. It didn’t
take long, and I slashed at the giant body from the side. Blood flew in the air
and merged with the rain. The thing lost its balance.
“BBMORGH!!”
“Stop!”
I thrust my sword into the neck of the iron boar as it thrashed. It took all of
my strength to pull it out, but when I was done, the iron boar was dead.
“Phew…”
Another life is gone. However, it had to be done to save that wagon. That was
how the world worked. I had to follow the rules as a citizen. When in Rome,
etcetera.
“Hey!”
“Hm?”
I looked up and saw the wagon. Someone was waving at me. And it wasn’t
the driver…
And so I grabbed one of the legs of the iron boar and dragged it towards the
wagon. Even though it would have usually been too heavy, Legs of the Forest
Wolf allowed me to advance while holding onto it. Of course, my hand
would be weak and shake uncontrollably later on.
“You saved us! You have!”
“Well, I couldn’t just ignore you.”

“It would have been quite terrible if this wagon were any slower than it was!
Really!”
The merchant-like man took my hand in his iron grasp and shook it wildly up
and down.
“I wish that I could do something to repay you, but I don’t have anything that
I can give you.”
“Oh, don’t worry about. We just happened to be in the area.”
I pointed at the tree.
“We were waiting for the rain to stop.”
Among other things.
“Ah, I see. Yes, you would get quite wet if you attempted to reach the next
town like this!”
I was quite wet already!
“Yes, yes. This is quite the chance encounter. Will you not ride with us
then?”
“Oh? Do you mean it?”
This was fantastic. We would lose no more time!
“What do you say?”
“Thank you! Uh, I am Asagi. An Adventurer.”
“I’m Tanjelin. A humble merchant.”
And so through this merchant, we had obtained a means of advancing

through the rain.
Helping people really paid off.

chapter 178
Wetland Town
Tanjelin was a merchant. But he worked privately with a single wagon

instead of being part of a large caravan. As for the driver who nearly crushed
me, his name was Laptor.
Daniela was waiting under the tree as the wagon drew up in front of it. Then
we sat under the tarp and wiped ourselves with cloth.
“Ah, I really owe you for this!”
“Well, you helped us as well. We’ll call it even.”
I patted down Daniela’s hair with a towel. A protagonist with a better cheat
skill would have created a warm wind to dry us, but I was just not that
powerful.
“You two were stuck in the rain. I was in mortal danger. How harmonious!”
“Uh, I guess. Hehe.”
Thinking about it now, I could have been struck by lightning. And I wasn’t
sure how to feel about that.
“The least I can do is take you to the next town!”
“That’s all we would ask. Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Daniela rarely said much more than that during such times. However, seeing
her almost androgynous beauty soften into a gentle smile was practically an
arrow to the heart. It really wasn’t very fair. And now she was also dripping
wet. So unfair.
“As it so happens…I, well, have heard what you might call rumors… Barely
anything, really…but I have heard vague things about you two before, if I am
not wrong…”
Well, merchants tended to have an ear for such things. Information was
money. He probably heard some bad things about us as well.
“Uh, yeah. We don’t mean to, but we’ve recently attracted some attention…
So, we are probably the people you are thinking of.”
“Ahh, I thought so! Wyvern slayer. Stampede suppressor. You destroyed the
army of orcs that attacked a village. Legendary Adventurers who cleaned a
town of bandits and killed their wind dragon! Silvergreen and Lightwind. The
famous duo! ‘Wind of Light and Silver!’”
Well, he wasn’t wrong in the details, but the wording sounded malicious…
Legendary? Legendary? And ‘Wind of Light and Silver’? That’s a new one.
Our party had a name now, apparently.
“Ah, that would be our party name.”
“It is? That’s news to me.”

“I applied for it. Back in Spiris.”
“…”
Not only was it tremendously embarrassing, but all the way back in Spiris?
That long ago?!
“I feel incredibly lucky to have met with you two!”
“A mere coincidence, surely.”
“No, I shall call it the hand of fate! Yes, that’s what it is!”
Mister Tanjelin was getting a little too excited in my opinion. We were just
your average Adventurers. So average that we had to wait under a tree while
it rained.
“Still, this meeting will be a most important memory for me.”
“I won’t argue with that. Seriously.”
The wagon continued under the pouring rain. It contained a high-spirited

merchant and two wet Adventurers. Later, the driver would tell his listeners:
‘I have never seen Mister Tanjelin look so energetic before.’
□ □ □ □
I could see the lights of the town now. The sky was still covered in darkness,
so they must have needed to have them on. Though, I could only see it faintly
through the rain. Judging by the distance and our speed, we would arrive in
half an hour at least. And so Daniela and I prepared to get out and enter the
town.
“We are almost there.”
“Yes. Thank you again.”
“No, thank you!
My hand was quite dry now as we shook. It was an unexpected encounter,

but most beneficial for both of us.
I moved carefully in the wagon to the front and pushed the tarp away to talk
to the driver.
“Thanks for helping us in this rain.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. I feel quite bad for nearly killing you back there.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Accidents happen.”
“Well, it has taken a weight off of my shoulders to hear you say that.”
Laptor was just desperate to outrun the monster. It was dangerous, but no one
was hurt, at least.
“We will be arriving soon. You may as well rest while you can.”
“Thank you.”
I said and disappeared behind the tarp again.
We would sway inside of the wagon for a little while longer.
Stop right there!”
The voice rang clearly in spite of the rain. It was a woman’s voice, which was
rather unusual. I looked through a gap in the tarp.
“Yes, stop right here.”
“Must be hard having to work under this weather.”
“And you as well.”
The guard then handed Laptor a piece of paper which he began to scribble
something onto.
“He is writing the name of the merchant and company.”
“You mean your name and your store?”
“Yes. By the way, it is the ‘Sangro.’”
“Hmm, I don’t think I asked you yet…but what is it that you sell?”
“We generally sell famous products from different areas to other towns. It
works as a kind of advertisement, and people are most grateful.”
I guess it was a kind of a trading company. Though, I didn’t know anything

about such things. Famous products…huh. I did like regional food.
“Well then. I will have to search your wagon.”
“Of course.”
We heard from outside. The guard started to approach us.
“…Oh? Guests of yours?”
“We troubled him for a ride.”
I explained as we handed over our status cards.
“I see…it seems like you’ve been through a lot, Mister Tanjelin.”
“Yes. It was a good thing that they were there. Truly.”
They seemed to know each other.
“Well, I will have to go and scan these cards. Please wait here for a moment.”
“Thank you.”
She said as she left. It would probably take a while.
“Mister Tanjelin, do you know her?”
“Uh, yes. I travel through here quite often in order to reach the capital. In
spite of appearances, she is the leader of the guards here.”
“At that age?”
Very impressive. She was clearly no idiot, like myself.
“Ah, but she is not young at all.”
“What?”
“She is an elf.”
Daniela said as she leaned against the wall.
“A grey elf.”
“Grey elf?”
Well, what hair I saw from the edge of her helmet did look grey.
“You can generally tell by our hair color.”
“Huh…”
The elves sure were…colorful.
“What other types of elves are there?”
“Hmm… It is not as if I know every single tribe. But I have met light, dark,
grey, pink, red, and blue elves.”
“Not quite the entire rainbow then…”
I wonder if I would be mistaken as a dark elf? Oh, wait, Eve had brown skin.
“Alright, it is finished now. Here are your cards. Ah, but I have not seen any
of my kind in so long!”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. I…am quite busy here…”
“I see. Well, good luck with everything here.”
“Thank you. I am called Lemonfrost Grasilf. It is an honor to meet you,

Master Daniela!”
“Uh…well…likewise.”
“Yes! And welcome to the wetland town of Arkaroid!”
While Miss Lemonfrost had the most welcoming voice, but the rain was
pouring as hard as ever. I recalled that beautiful scene with the ponds and
tried to imagine how beautiful this town might be under fairer weather. I
missed the blue sky so much…
The wagon continued to roll through the mud until it stopped in front of a
certain house.
“Where are we?”
“It is an inn that I always stay at. The service is good and the price affordable,
which is why I would recommend it.”
“Thank you. Do they have a bath house?”
“Yes, a public one.”
“That is good. Let us go, Asagi.”
“Hey, wai-… Mister Tanjelin, thank you.”
Daniela started to pull me away by the arm.
“Oh, you should hurry up and warm yourselves. I have business matters to
attend to and will have to stay at a different inn this time. So please rest and
do not be concerned about me!”
“Thank you for everything. We’re very grateful.”
“It’s the least I could do. Really!”
I was then dragged out of the wagon and thrown under the roof of the inn.
Mister Laptor bid us farewell and the wagon slowly drove away. I waved at
Mister Tanjelin’s hand that poked out from the tarp. They quickly
disappeared in the thick curtain of rain.
“What a nice man.”
“Ah, a good merchant. I am sure he will be very wealthy one day.”

“You think so?”
“I have a feeling about it. Now, let us get a room.”
“Uh, yeah.”
And with that, we opened the door. I really wanted to take a bath.
chapter 179
The inn that Mister Tanjelin introduced us to was called the ‘Dusky Cloud.’
It was run by a Miss Emelin and we decided to take a room for one night. We
were told that there was a separate bathing area for men and women.
However, only one side had a bathtub, and so they changed depending on the
time. As it was currently being used by women, Daniela went in first and
returned very clean and warm. I waited until it was the men’s turn and then
took my clean clothes and went to the bath house.
“Hahh…finally…”
I had gotten completely drenched when going out to save Mister Tanjelin.
And while I had wiped myself in the wagon, my equipment was still wet, and
my body was cold to the bone. Even while I was waiting for Daniela to
return, I had hung my wet clothes out to dry and shivered under a blanket.
Even now, I was so cold that I didn’t even want to be naked.
“But the hot water is waiting for me…!”
I slid the wooden door to the side and a thick wall of steam filled my vision.
It slowly flowed out from the door and I was able to see where I was stepping
as I entered.
There was a small bucket near the tub, which I used to pour water on myself.
The long awaited warmth almost prickled as it touched my shivering body.
Then I used a cloth to scrub myself down and then washed it away. Once that
was done, I prepared to enter the water.
“Haahhh…”
The pleasurable sensation that started at the tip of my toes caused me to moan
against my will. By the time the lower half of my body was completely
submerged, I noticed that there was someone nearby. The steam had made
things difficult to see, and I hadn’t heard anything. But apparently, someone
had been here before me.
“Ah, sorry. I thought I was alone here. This water is great, isn’t it?”
“…”
I said, half in apology, but there was no answer. Perhaps he didn’t like to talk.
Well then. There was no need to force it. And so I sunk down until the water
reached my shoulders.
“Phew…”
Well…I should be allowed to make noises when at the height of happiness.
□ □ □ □
Half an hour passed after that. I took a few breaks sitting up on the edge
before going back into the water, enjoying the heat until I felt truly warmed
to my core. It was just as I was starting to consider that the other guest had
been in for quite a long time…
“Uhhh…”
“Hmm?”
Was he saying something? I was trying not to bother him…
“Uhh…gg…ggg…”
“Eh? …Was he drowning!?”
After what had sounded like mumbling, I heard the sounds of bubbles
popping. I didn’t need to look in order to understand. Someone’s face was
under water.
“Uh, are you alright!?”
I waded through the water towards the place where I had seen the figure. I
could see his back floating on the water’s surface. A chill ran through me for
a moment and I nearly stopped. If this was an act, he deserved an award.
Frantically, I grabbed his shoulders and pulled his face out of the water. As
we were close to the edge, I was able to pull him out and lay him on the
ground.
That’s when I saw the swaying of two mounds.
“…Uhhh…”
“…Well, damn it…”
The time. Our turn. Rescue. An inevitable accident.
Different words swirled in my head. It really wasn’t my fault!
However, I couldn’t just leave her here. And so I grabbed a bucket and
created some ice water. Then I removed the cloth she had wrapped around
her head and soaked it in the bucket. I couldn’t use my own cloth. It…had
been places…
“That’s some odd hair…”
Her hair was an unusual brown color and frizzy. I used the cold cloth to wipe
her neck and under her arms. Someone once told me that you were supposed
to cool any areas with thick veins. During a heat stroke, anyway. I didn’t
know much about such things, but this seemed similar enough. Next, I
created a small sphere of water and put it towards her mouth. Her lips then
opened and she seemed to drink it without thinking. If she had sweated a lot,
then she could be dehydrated.
After repeating this a few times, she began to stir. Her eyes would probably
open soon. I had to deal with this calmly. I mean, while I had a cloth around
my waist, I was still practically naked. And so was she. It would be no
surprise if I received a good slap.
“Uh…ahh…”
“…”
I took in a deep breath and waited.

“Why am I…lying…:”
“Uh…”
“!?”
Then she got up frantically.
“Uh, I don’t think you should move…”
“Oh, ah, AHHH!”
She had tried to stand up, but her arm could not support her weight as she
held onto the rim of the bathtub, and she fell back into the hot water.
“…just yet…”
“Uhhh…”
She burst out of the water now and held her arms tightly in front of her.
Regardless, there was only one place that my eyes were fixed to. Her head.
“Are those…ears?”
“!?”
As if in sudden realization, her arms shot up to the things that I had first
assumed were part of her hair.
“Uh, you might want to use this.”
“Th…thank you…”
I wasn’t sure why she was thanking me for returning the cloth she had
wrapped around her hair, but it was better than being hit, I guess.
In any case, she seemed quite revived, and so I decided to make my exit.
“Goodbye then. You shouldn’t stay in the water so long.”
“Yes… Uh, thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it. Later then.”
Actually, we were leaving tomorrow. But who knows?
I opened the door and entered the changing room in order to dry myself off.
On my way out, I looked at the sign on the entrance.
“Currently: Men”
It read. So I wasn’t wrong after all…
I looked around to see that no one was looking. Then I turned the sign around
so that it read ‘Currently: Women,’ and then returned to my room.
□ □ □ □
“…So that happened.”
“Hmmmmmmmmmm… So that is what you have been doing…”
“Don’t take it the wrong way!”
I couldn’t just leave her there!
I had returned to the room and reported everything as it had happened. It had
nothing to with any kind of guilt over seeing some stranger without clothes…
Besides, the thing that bothered me most was the ears. Those weren’t human
ears.
“Hmm. Beastfolk. Very rare.”
“Beastfolk? You mean like, uh, those people who are part animal and part
human?”
“You are not wrong. They usually live deep in the forest or high in the
mountains. Places far from human settlements. I wonder what she was doing
out here?”
“I have no idea.”
Whatever the reason was, only she would know. And it really wouldn’t do for
us to start prying.
“Well, regardless if there is a good reason or not. It has nothing to do with

our travels.”
“True…as callous as it sounds.”
Words can be weapons when said out loud.
“Now…”
We had finished talking and were about to go to sleep. But Daniela moved
over to my bed.
“What? You want to trade beds?”
“Oh? That is no way to talk to me.”
Eh? Was Master Daniela angry? What on earth for… Well, I had an idea or
two.
“A scoundrel who secretly goes away to look at other women while they are
naked deserves to be punished. Do you not agree?”
“Wait, that logic doesn’t add up. I just saved someone!”
“Silence. That is of no importance. It is my will that you be punished.”
Uh…this was crazy… I stared up at her face. Her cheeks were just slightly
flushed.
Soo…she was jealous? How cute.

“Hehe.”
“Why do you laugh, Asagi? You will not be allowed to sleep tonight.”
“Wait, that’s not…he-hey!”
And so we continued where we had left off under the tree in the rain. My
body had already been hot from the bath. I felt like I would get a heatstroke
as the time passed, feeling both eventful and all too short.
chapter 180
The rain continued to pour until morning. By the time the sun came up, the
clouds parted and warm rays of sun illuminated the town of Arkaroid.
My battered body rested on the bed as I gazed out the window.
“Daniela…it’s morning…”
“Hmmm…ah, I see. But I am still tired.”
“Oh, come on…”
As exhausted as I was, I forced myself out of bed and grabbed a new pair of
clothes to take to the bath house. I didn’t know which it was right now, but
hopefully it was for men.
“Apparently, I am pretty lucky.”
I took off my clothes and sunk into the hot water with a sigh. The sign
hanging from the door currently read: Men. Perhaps it had something to do
with the time I turned it around to keep people out while the beastkin girl was
inside. So the time slots had shifted. In other words, it was probably actually
supposed to be used by women now. But no one had noticed yet. The gods
had smiled down at me today.
“Hahhh…”
It was like your fatigue melted into the water and evaporated with the steam.
But then the demon of sleep tried to get you after it, and so I had to escape
before too much time had passed. As we would be leaving today, I had
brought my Adventurer clothes with me. Thankfully, the inn had a magic
device that could dry your clothes quickly. It was a pleasant surprise that
such convenient things existed here.
I left the changing room just as one of the employees was changing the sign.
He looked like a complete newcomer who had probably just remembered the
time to switch it but nothing else. Of course, I was in no mood to blame him
when it had been to my advantage.
And so I returned to the room and suggested that Daniela stop her occupation
of the bed and go and take a bath so I could tidy up the room a little. Well, we
hadn’t stayed quite long enough to trash the place, but the area immediately
around the bed was still a mess. As for the sheets, well, the people who
worked here had to do something. Yes, it couldn’t be helped.
When Daniela returned from her bath, she grabbed her things and we left the
room. I dropped the keys on the counter along with a gold coin as an apology
for ruining their sheets. A gold coin was always enough to put a smile on a
person’s face. It made the world a better place.
The sky was bright and clear now. Under the sunlight, the town of Arkaroid
looked incredibly beautiful. There were drops of rain on the edges of the
roofs that reflected the sun and sparkled.
Most of the buildings were made of bricks, which was probably a measure
taken against the humidity of the wetlands.
The buildings had lots of windows too, now that I look at them.
It was as I gazed at the buildings, that a carriage entered our view. Hmm, it
reminded me of Mister Tanjelin…
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
“To be really honest, I’m exhausted today.”
“Well, it is part of your punishment, so there is nothing that I can do.”
“You were enjoying yourself too much to…well, that’s not what I meant.”
“What?”
“Why don’t we take a carriage?”
I pointed at a stationary one by the road. I did not want to walk today. I
wanted to sleep. I wanted to sway to the sounds of horses and wake up in the
next town. That sounded amazing.
“And miss the beautiful scenery?”
“I think I could really enjoy an occasional carriage ride.”
“Really… Hmmm. But there is no guarantee that we will find one that is
headed towards the capital, you know?”
She was right, of course. Things rarely happen the way that you wanted them.
However, my luck happened to be great today.
I closed my eyes and perked up my ears. I needed to search through all the
bustling noises for that one sound.
“…”
“Shhh.”
“…”
Daniela stood next to me and sighed. I ignored that inconsequential sound

and continued to listen.
“…I hear it.”
“…Hear what?”
“Over there!”
I pulled Daniela by the hand towards the sound. I was in peak condition
today. And my ears were here to prove it.
“We’ll be departing for Yukka soon!”
That was the sound I was searching for. That was the name of the next town,
the one in the forest.
The carriage was stationed near the side of a large street. There were already
a few passengers inside. The driver was shouting and calling for any other
passengers. And there before him, appeared two very willing people.
“Here! Here! Us two!”
“Good! Now we’re all full! And it’s off to Yukka!”
I got in first and pulled Daniela inside. Daniela was not very amused that
things had gone so smoothly. And I thought she was on my side?
“Don’t look like that. Why not take it easy for just one day?”
“Really, Asagi…”
She wasn’t in a good mood, but there was no helping it since we were already
on. We could still enjoy the scenery from our seats. Compromising was also
essential when traveling.
“And off we go!”
The driver shouted as the carriage moved forward. The wheels clanked
loudly against the road until we arrived at the gate and stopped.
A guard came out to make sure that everything was in order. And like
yesterday, inspected the carriage. Surprisingly, it was the same person as
yesterday as well. Miss Lemonfrost.
“Ah, it’s Master Daniela!”
“Hmm… Lemonfrost, was it? What a coincidence.”
“Oh, very! But are you leaving town so soon?”

“We are headed for the capital. This carriage is to take us to Yukka.”
“The capital…I envy you. I do want to go so very much.”
“Surely you could take a vacation?”
“Well…”
Lemonfrost’s shoulders drooped. Was the guarding profession like corporate

slavery…?
“Well, we shall be in the imperial capital for quite some time. Perhaps we
will meet again.”
“Yes. Yes, I shall go and see you! Oh, and perhaps you too, Mister Asagi!”
“Thanks…”
“Ahaha! Well, this carriage should be very safe with you on it, Master
Daniela! You are now free to go!”
Miss Lemonfrost had become very excited as soon as she laid eyes on
Daniela. And she let us through without even checking the documents. Are
you quite alright, captain?
In any case, the permission was granted and so the carriage began to move
again. And before we knew it, we were through the gate and out of the town
of Arkaroid.
□ □ □ □
While the carriage wasn’t exactly packed, it still did not feel spacious as if
bumped along the road. And the constant shaking wasn’t particularly
comfortable either, but I expected worse.
Besides, there were several layers of cloth placed over the seats that acted as
cushions. One day, it would be nice to have proper cushions made that were
filled with cotton. Searching through Rachel’s entrance space might yield
something of the sort, but I was too scared to try that.
I scanned the inside of the carriage. The passengers were quite diverse in
appearance. But none of them talked, they all just looked down or out the
windows. And so it was a little awkward that the seats were facing each
other. There was a man with a huge scar on his face. A woman in light armor.
A figure in a sorcerer-like robe whose gender was a mystery. A merchant
who carried a large bag. A tanned man who was tall and muscular. A woman
who wore revealing clothing and looked like a prostitute. The girl I helped
yesterday, now wearing a large hat. A well-dressed man who looked like a
noble. And me and Daniela. There were ten of us in all. Five facing five.
“…Oh?”
“Hhh…”
I looked at the woman with the hat again. She turned her eyes downward.
“We met yesterday, didn’t we?”
“Uh…”
“I knew it. How are you feeling now?”
“Uhhh…I’m fine…yes…”
“That’s good. You shouldn’t stay in there too long.”
“Oh…uh…yes…”
Her face was bright red and her voice barely audible. Apparently, she wasn’t
the most sociable.
“Hmm? Ah, is the girl who you saw naked yesterday?”
Daniela said with a look of interest. Of course, this attracted the attention of
all the other passengers.
“Yes, but…keep it down.”
“Ah, let me see…it was an accident, was it not?”

I sensed irritation in her look now. She was probably completely aware of
what she was doing.
“Well, yeah. It was.”
“Are you sure?”
“You’re such a bastard…!”
They would take us for ruffians and have thrown out soon…
“Hey, uh, why don’t you tell her? About what happened yesterday…!”
“Haaa…uh, umm…well…yes…”
Yes, yes. Go on!
“He saw…me…naked…and…ohh…”
She looked down and froze before finishing. Before finishing!
But before I could offer her further encouragement, Daniela opened her
mouth.
“If I am not wrong, you had passed out, and Asagi saved you as you sank into
the water.”
“Yes, yes. That’s what I wanted her to say.”
“So you saved her just before the ogling.”
“It was an unavoidable accident. You guys believe me, don’t you?”
“Really. To think that even I would not be enough for him…”
“I’m telling you people. I just saved a life. That’s all I did.”
Realizing that neither Daniela or the beast girl were on my side, I fought a
lonely battle while trying to persuade the other passengers. Finally, I earned
their understanding.
However, it didn’t help change the awkward air in the carriage much at all.
But when I looked at Daniela, she grinned mischievously. And that was how
the last phase of Daniela’s punishment came to an end.
chapter 181
As Daniela had did her best to rob me of energy, the demon of sleep caught
up to me very quickly. And of course, I had no reason to resist it, and so fell
into a deep sleep. It was as if I was making up for what rest I had lost.
Daniela shook me while I basked in the world of dreams. When my eyes

slowly opened, her face was looking into mine.
“Are you awake?”
“Ahh…uhh…”
I yawned and stretched my limbs. The carriage was running through a road in
the forest. It was still bright outside.
“Where are we?”
“We are close to Yukka…but…”
“What?”
Daniela signalled with her eyes. I looked at the others. They were all holding
weapons as if ready to fight.
“What, what happened?”
“Someone has entered the area. I feel it with Presence Detection. They are
humans and in large numbers.”
“You mean…”
I gulped. I had a bad feeling about it.
“…Bandits.”
I sighed upon hearing her answer. Again…again… We would be killing more
of them.
“Asagi. This is not a battle we can avoid. We will make contact with them
within a few minutes now.”
“…Yeah. I know. I’m fine.”
I couldn’t complain about having to do things. Those who didn’t fight tended
to die first. And those who didn’t kill, lost what was important to them.
I took in a deep breath and pulled the hood over my face. When I was ready, I
put a hand at the Glampanzer by my waist. Everyone else was doing the
same. And I noticed that they all had short range weapons. Daniela noted this
as well, and took out her bow. She would be able to take the enemy down
without missing a single shot.
It was just as that rousing thought entered my mind, that I sensed them with
Presence Detection. There were forty in all. That was a lot…
“How many?”
The woman in light armor asked me. I was impressed that she was able to tell
that I had that skill by looking at me.
“There are forty. Twenty on each side of us. That’s quite a party…”
I said.
“What trouble.”
The man with the scar frowned. But I wasn’t worried.
“We have this many people with us. Just try to take out five of them if you
can.”
They all looked quite strong, and likely had more experience than me.
I think.
“Well, we’ll just have to do our best and fight. Though, perhaps I’m not the
one to be saying that, as I’ve been napping up until now.”
They smiled at this little joke and unsheathed their swords. The driver
stopped the carriage. We might be surrounded, but we couldn’t fight the
enemy from a moving carriage either. We would wait for them here and drive
them back.
“Here they come!”
Daniela shouted, and I returned my attention to Presence Detection. They

would be in sight at any moment now.
I raised my hand and with a cracking sound, created Ice Arrows. Someone in
the carriage gasped, but I ignored them.
Just then, an arrow shot out from the trees.
“Get down!”
Daniela cried, and everyone but me lowered their heads. Those who could
not fight flattened themselves on the ground. They were the prostitute, the
young nobleman and the merchant. Surprisingly, the beastkin girl was a
fighter. She had brass knuckles on her hands. I did not see that coming…
Daniela tilted her head as the arrow shot passed her. It did nothing to her
nerves, and she shot back without hesitation. Her arrow found its target as if
being sucked in by a magnetic force.
Apparently, the archer had been riding on a horse, and the animal came
running towards us, now riderless.
“Horse!”
I crushed the Ice Arrows with my fists, returning them to mana. Then I
jumped out of the carriage and onto the horse’s back. My hands grabbed the
reins awkwardly as I quickly activated Jack of all Trades, Master of None
and viewed ‘For Dummies! Easy way to calm a horse!’
“There! There!”
I patted it on the neck. After a while, the horse whinnied and calmed down.
“I can ride horses! Let me!”
The woman in light armor shouted as she got out of the carriage. And so I
willingly got off and gave her the seat. I wouldn’t be able to do much with it
anyway. If I tried to ride through the forest, I would be smacked by every tree
branch until I was knocked off.
“Good. Let’s go!”
The horse neighed and rose up on its hind legs as the woman swung her
sword in the air. It was quite cinematic.
Then she rode off as I and the scarred man, who had gotten out as well, began
to chase after her. According to Presence Detection, the others had gone in
the opposite direction and a few had stayed by the carriage to guard it.
Daniela was among them, but she would offer support with her bow. How
reliable.
“To the right!”
“I got it!”
The scarred man swung his sword as he disappeared into the forest. There
were bandits running towards the carriage from that direction, so he would
probably run into them.
I continued on straight ahead, chasing after the woman in light armor. Now
that the archer and the three others were gone, there were sixteen left, and
they were sticking together. Perhaps they were the main group. There could
be an especially dangerous one among them in that case.
“Damn, that horse is fast!”
I couldn’t move as quickly in the forest. And since I had no choice, I

activated Legs of the Forest Wolf and ran after her. Well, that fixed the issue.
“You sure are fast!”
“I guess. Anyway, I think this is the main group. Their sticking close
together!”
“Then I’ll just have to trample them with my horse!”
She was quite confident. As an ordinary person, this situation was

intimidating. I was scared. And so I clenched my sword tightly.
“By the way, you’re Silvergreen, aren’t you?”
“Some people like to call me that…”
“Haha. How reassuring! I am Tetra. Nice to meet you!”
“Asagi. Well, let’s not die or anything.”
She laughed with amusement. But the whole thing was a little embarrassing,
and so I pulled my hood down lower.
“They say that you should beware once Silvergreen has lowered his hood.
Nothing will remain after that… Are the rumors true?”
“What? What kind of rumor is that? I hope you’ll tell me about it later?”
Where did that come from! What stupid bastard spread that nonsense!
Well, enough about that.
“We’re almost at the clearing! They’ll be waiting for us there. I’ll go first and
scatter them!”
“I guess I have no choice but to leave it to Silvergreen!”
She gave me a hearty thumbs up, but I don’t think that was true at all. But
then I remembered the orc battle. It would be pretty embarrassing to be
mowed down by arrows as soon as I made an appearance.
But I was able to avoid them.
Remembering a trick I learned with Legs of the Forest Wolf, I raised the
speed of the wind. Once I was far enough from Tetra, I pushed the wind to its
limits and shot through the forest. Then I burst through the trees and straight
into the bandits. As expected, several of them were waiting with their bows
drawn. However, they were just looking up with faces lacking
comprehension. There was only one there who could react to my speed.
“F-fire!!”
It was probably the boss who had frantically shouted the order. I stopped
above the person who shouted before shooting straight down and swinging
the Glampanzer. It entered through his collarbone and came out at his groin.
And like that, the boss was split in two. There really hadn’t been a need to go
so far, but it had the effect of showing what I was capable of.
“The b-boss…”
“Ahh…”
The remaining bandits froze. From behind me, Tetra charged in with the
sound of thunderous hoofs. I held my sword in one hand and created an Ice
Sword with the other, which I used to cut down the closest bandit. Finally,
the realization came to them. They screamed and tried to run, but we had no
intention of letting them escape. It had been decided and we would do it. It
wasn’t pleasant work, but any who escaped would surely hurt other
innocents.
And so Tetra and I single-mindedly swung our swords. By the time they were
all dead, we were both covered in blood.
Every one of the bandits had been cut through the back.
chapter 182
I got off of my horse and went to Silvergreen…to Asagi.
Even during the fight, he wore a pained expression as he swung his sword.
And he was fighting bandits. The emotion suggested a resistance to killing
but also the knowledge that he had to in order to survive. It was all in his
expression.
“Mmm…ah, Miss Tetra. Were you hurt?”
“Just a few cuts. Nothing out of the ordinary for an Adventurer, wouldn’t you
agree?”
“Uh, yeah.”
He wiped at the blood on his cheek. Under the blood that dripped from his
face, there was not a single scratch.
Asagi didn’t seem enthusiastic about taking the leader’s head, and so I
offered to do it. I grabbed the hair in order to pull it up to the right angle, but
the whole upper torso came with me.
“Huh…”
I let go without thinking. The torso fell into a puddle of blood with a wet
thud. How did you he cut it to end up with a body like that? This wasn’t the
work of any normal movement or use of strength. The sword itself would
have to be very strong. I nervously glanced towards Asagi.
“Hahhhh…”
He looked at the blood on the cloth he used to wipe himself and sighed. I
could see the reluctance in his expression. It was glaringly obvious.
However, what he had done was almost more terrifying than the bandits.
A man with great strength but a brittle heart. That was my first impression of
him.
□ □ □ □
With the head in hand, we returned to the road. Asagi had wanted to bury the
bodies, but I told him that we hadn’t killed all the bandits yet, and so he just
put his hands together and bowed. Was it some tradition he had?
When that was finished, he picked up his sword and began to run. As his alias
suggested, wind wrapped around his legs as he took off at a great speed,
quickly disappearing from sight. The carriage would be fine if he was there.
More importantly, I had to make sure that none of the other bandits had
escaped.
And so I watched for them as I made my way back. That was when I
encountered the man with the scar on his face. He had been in the carriage the
last time I saw him…
“Woah, that’s a lot of blood. I hope it’s not yours?”
“It isn’t. And what about the blood on you?”
“Of course it’s not mine!”
He grinned. So he must have killed some of them too. Well, this part of the
forest was likely fine then. And so I had him ride on the back of the horse as
we continued on. It was probably safe, but I stayed alert.
The carriage was surrounded by corpses. The bodies of the bandits piled over
one another. An exhibition of cuts, arrow wounds and broken bones. Each
wound suggested a different weapon, a different passenger.
“Ah, you’re back. Miss Tetra.”
“Yes. What a great mountain of bodies you have here.”

“I didn’t do this. It was like this when I got back.”
Not this one, you mean.
I got off of the horse and we all talked about what had happened. It seemed
that we had killed all forty of the bandits. Lightwind’s Presence Detection
abilities were quite advanced, and she was sure that there were no other
groups, let alone a settlement. The merchant then urged us to waste no time
in leaving this place. He was right. And with that, everyone began to put
away their weapons. I too sheathed my sword and got into the carriage.
My horse was tied to the carriage by the driver, who intended on taking it
with us.
“Asagi, we are leaving.”
I looked up when I heard Lightwind’s voice. She was looking out of the
carriage and at Asagi. He was looking at the forest. Perhaps he was regretting
the lack of a burial.
Indeed, leaving the bodies out to rot would mean corruption and the possible
spread of diseases. However, there were monsters in the area. They would
likely take care of that. The monsters would grow fat, bear their young and
eventually grow in numbers and be killed by us. That was the life of an
Adventurer. It seemed that for him, living in our world meant fighting against
something within him. Well, only Lightwind would know about that.
When he finally looked back, his expression was indeed sad.
“We’ll be arriving at Yukka shortly!”
The driver called out. The sky was blue and beautiful. But when I looked
down, my gauntlets were stained with red. It was the red that seemed to cast a
shadow over everything.
It had not taken more than an hour after the battle with the bandits to get this
close to Yukka. The path had started to branch out and we saw other
carriages on the road. However, the passengers all gasped when they turned
towards us. Most of us were covered in blood. Who wouldn’t be surprised…?
The carriage bumped and shook. Inside, I leaned against Daniela’s shoulder.
As if noticing something, she turned to look at me and smiled.
“I think we should have a good long rest today and tomorrow.”
“Yeah…I would like that.”
I still wasn’t used to the act of killing, but at the same time, I felt a strong joy
over my survival and the fact that Daniela was safe. I felt that this was what
real fighting was.
Suddenly, I thought back on Nicora. Back then, I thought that I would not be
able to protect anything if I didn’t kill. And so I did. Well, in the end, I only
killed the wind dragon. Not the bandits.
So this was my first time since having that necessary change of heart.
Gaining that resolve had toughened me a little. But I knew that I was still not
used to it yet. The values and sense of morals ingrained in me could not be
overwritten so easily.
But that didn’t mean it couldn’t be. Because it was necessary in order to
protect what was important to me. I couldn’t imagine losing Daniela. She was
a part of me now.
“The first thing we must do when arriving in the town, is to do something

about your clothes.”
“I envy you and your bow. You at least don’t get drenched.”
“Aye. I fully intended on using my bow no matter what this time. These
clothes deserve better than to be covered in blood.”
“And I thought you wanted to support us.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her ridiculous reason. I wish that I had her
inner strength.
Though, perhaps it was something only acquired after three hundred years of
life.
□ □ □ □
The town finally came into view. And by town, I mean trees that were
planted around a circular wall. As monsters were so widespread in this word,
every town was protected by an impressive wall. Towns themselves were
starting to feel like a familiar sight to me, but each one had its own taste and
color. The town of Yukka was made of stone and felt both systematic and
artistic.
There were a large number of merchants and Adventurers lined up at the gate.
And there did not seem to be much movement.
“Hey, is this the only entrance into the town?”
The scarred man asked the driver.
“Yukka only has two entrancs. This one, the west gate, and the north gate.”
“Huh. Strange way to build a town.”
“There are forests with monsters on both the east and south sides. And they
happen to be very strong… This town used to have gates on those sides, but
they keep them closed now and they are never opened.”
“I see…”
The scarred man must have been satisfied with that answer, because he
leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. Still, he had gotten the answer to
a question that the rest of us had been wondering. And so we all nodded and
continued to wait for our turn.
“I wonder what kind of monsters they are?”
I could not help but be interested. After all, from what I learned at the guild,
there were no monsters in these parts that seemed like that big of a threat.
“They’re quite famous around here. Loup-garou.”
“Loup-garou…”
Werewolves?
I glanced at the beastkin girl. But she was looking down and I couldn’t see
her expression.
Well, it’s not like werewolves had anything to do with her… Still, my
curiosity about the beastkin seemed to know no bounds ever since I found out
about them. What if these Loup-garou were beastkin too? It could be some
misunderstanding and they were just treated like monsters. That would be
tragic.
Such fantasies played out in my mind as we waited. Loup-garou… I kind of

wanted to meet them.
chapter 183
“Alright. You people, you’re next.”
A guard with a very laid-back air came to stand in front of the carriage.
“A stagecoach, eh? Ohhh, what a lot of ruffians you all are!”
“Hahaha. We were attacked by bandits…”
“Truly? Ah, well, of course, you were! But that would mean our security is
quite worthless then…I don’t think I can apologize enough!”
He didn’t seem to take it seriously at all… In fact, I had to assume that a lot
of damage had been done until we took care of them.
“Still, it was the lot of you who killed them then? In that case, you must all
come with me to the guardhouse, as there will be a reward.”
“Now wait a minute here. I didn’t participate in the fight. Besides, I am in a

hurry. Let us through!”
The merchantman with the bag jumped out of the carriage in order to protest.
Indeed, he had not fought at all.
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry! But you know, we would also like to hear the
opinions of passengers who did not fight!”
“Then you can ask these other two. They didn’t fight either.”
“Yes, yes. But I think it would be preferable to hear from everyone. I’m
terribly sorry and all that. But you must understand! I’m begging you!”
The guard lowered his head to such a degree that I thought it would touch the
ground. He was also pleading very loudly, which drew the attention of others.
That was probably his intention from the beginning. The merchantman now
found it difficult to refuse, and he very begrudgingly muttered, ‘I suppose
that I have no choice…’
“Splendid! You all have my deepest gratitude! Now, driver. Please come this
way!”
“Very well.”
The driver did not seem to mind, and so he drove the carriage towards the
guardhouse. The other passengers also showed no signs of objecting and
remained quiet. Of course, Daniela and I also had no reason to refuse.
□ □ □ □
As the questioning would be conducted in separate rooms, I had to wait a

while before a guard called my name and led me away.
When I entered the room, the same guard we met at the gate was waiting
there.
“Oh, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Not at all. So, what am I supposed to tell you?”
I sat down on the chair and stared at him. He had seemed very easy going at
first, but I now felt that it was part of some act. He had smoothly manipulated
us all into coming here, after all… Maybe he was a brilliant guard with a
knack for acting.
“Well, to begin with, you can tell me of this situation that led to hunting the
bandits.”
“Alright.”
And so I thought back on what had happened as I began to talk. I was

sleeping in the carriage when Daniela had woken me up. We realized then
that we were surrounded by forty bandits. Also, Miss Tetra and I killed about
half of them.
“Hmm…I see. Yes, thank you for your detailed account.”
The guard’s voice seemed to change as he muttered to himself while I

recounted the story. I was pretty sure that it was the real person starting to
show and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“You seem to have returned to normal.”
“…Ah…”
He looked horrified for a moment before scratching the back of his head in
embarrassment, knowing that there was no undoing it.
“Well, this is very humiliating. But you know, when dealing with such blood-
drenched ruffians, it is better to talk in such a way…”
“I kind of thought so. I realized it when I sat down in front of you.”
“Hmph… You do have a good eye.”
He seemed impressed and now smiled.
“Well, I’ve seen a lot…or maybe I just think that I have.”
“Hehehe. You are an odd one. I am glad that the bandits didn’t kill you. Now,
this interview is over.”
So saying, he began to gather his papers.
“Thank you very much, Mister Asagi. I have already scanned your status
card, so you can continue on your way in the town. And since you are an
Adventurer, the reward money will be sent to you through the guild, so please
confirm it when you have the time.”
“Yes, thank you. I’m glad to have been of service.”
We shook hands and it was over. The guard stood up first and opened the
door for me.
“I still have much to do, but I’m sure you know your way out. Oh, by the
way, I am Inspector Rami, of the guards of Yukka. Thank you so much for
everything that you have done.”
“Uh, it’s nothing, really.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Welcome to the deep green town of Yukka. I hope that
you enjoy your stay!”
He gave a well-disciplined salute which was quite effective in dispelling the

last remnants of his foolish character. It was impressive acting. Though, there
had been something endearing about the old guy. In any case, you could do
much worse for a first encounter in a new town.
□ □ □ □
I returned to the room where the others were waiting. Everyone would be
splitting up at this point, and so I took Daniela and left.
“A lot happened, but I’m glad we all arrived safely. If fate permits it, we may
just meet again. So do call us if you happen to see us.”
I said at the door. The other passengers waved back and were surprisingly
friendly. Now that I think about it, I had boarded, been misunderstood, slept,
and then woke up and fought. There hadn’t been much talking, but I guess
my good deeds of the day had shown through.
Even the beastfolk girl waved at me awkwardly. I was quite happy about that.
We left the guardhouse and walked through the town. Still, my appearance
was…well, it was simply the worst. I was drenched in blood. And I couldn’t
use that ‘Cleaning’ spell. And there wasn’t any place I could get changed.
“Let’s find an inn as soon as possible…”
“Yes. We must do something about your appearance. It is completely

horrible; unlike me.”
I would have used a bow if I could…
In any case, this was no time to wander around in search of a place, and so
we decided to ask the good-natured residents about such establishments, all
the while scaring the hell out of them. Our only real requirement was that we
be able to wash clothes, but their teeth chattered so much that it was hard to
understand them.
“Asagi, it is no good. You should hide over there. Leave this to me.”
“Are you sure? You’re going to go and talk to strangers? Don’t do anything
dangerous, alright?”
“You must think yourself my guardian…I will be fine. In spite of

appearances, I have lived much longer than you. There is nothing I cannot
do.”
“That’s right. You’re three-hundred years old.”
“You do not need to remind me.”
Daniela turned up her nose and walked away sulkily.
Oh, but I was worried. Daniela was communicatively-impaired and a woman

of few words. Would she be able to do it? Well, she said she would. And so I
had to wait in the dark alley and trust her.
I looked in the direction of the alley. It reminded me of my meeting with

Rachel. That one had stretched on forever, but I could see this one end at the
next street. That was comforting.
“Now that I think of it, Rachel said she was going to Lambrusen…”
We had now been in Flugelnia longer, but Lambrusen still held a lot of
important memories for me. After all, it was the place I had first landed in.
Once we had traveled through the empire, I would like to see the rest of
Lambrusen…
“Asagi, I found an inn.”

“Oh, that’s amazing! Good for you!”
“Do not praise me too much. It is embarrassing.”
Daniela said with unhidden smugness. To be honest, I expected her to take

longer, so I was surprised.
Well, time to go then. Thanks to Daniela and Rami, I was feeling a lot better,
but still felt a little anxious. And so I was looking forward to taking a long
rest.
At this inn that Daniela had found. Yes, an inn that Daniela had found.
chapter 184
The inn that Daniela had found was called the Forest Tree. Being able to
wash our clothes had been our only requirement, and this had been the only
inn that offered such a service. But not only that, this inn was considered to
be a ‘luxury inn.’ Well, I guess it made sense, since they offered such a
service. There were no laundromats in this world. And so it was a pretty big
deal to be able to wash your clothes.
“This is the place.”
“Ohhh…”
In front of me, there was a pale green building. A five-story inn. I see, they
were definitely doing quite well for themselves. Many people seemed to be
going in and coming out. It was really a kind of hotel.
We pushed the doors and entered the building. The entrance hall had a high
ceiling that went through each floor. The windows on the upper levels
allowed the sun to gently shine through and illuminate the place. The paths
and stairs that surrounded the open area had an almost mystical quality to it.
I pulled my eyes away from the ceiling and looked at the front. There were
low tables and chairs set up where well-dressed guests reclined and relaxed.
Some of them furrowed their eyebrows at the sight of me, and I could not
blame them. Oh, well. I didn’t like the way that I looked either.
“Let’s hurry up and go.”
“Indeed.”
Daniela noticed the looks I was getting, and so moved towards the front
counter hurriedly. I quickly followed after her.
An employee was statiotioned there and he gave us a good inspection. I

understood why, but did he have to be so thorough?
“I’m sorry to bother you, but we would like to get a room.”
“Excuse me, but the thing is…”
“What?”
“Your clothing is not exactly…”
Oh, were we about to be turned away then…? Yes, I looked like a horrible
mess. I was covered in blood that was quickly drying and turning dark. Also,
it smelled. That’s why I wanted to get cleaned…
“And we are priced on the higher end…so…”
“Wait a minute.”
“Yes?”
Perhaps he thought it would make things easier, but he attempted to turn us

away based off of the price. And so Daniela quickly moved forward.
“You would not be attempting to send us away now?”
“Uh…well…”
“Well, what is it?”
“I…I am terribly sorry, but…I must…”
He bowed his head and was just about to beg us to leave, when Daniela’s
eyes flashed with the most deadly glare. He was clearly taken aback by this
and he shuddered before bowing again.
“I see…well, perhaps I can persuade you to change your mind.”
“Uh…?”
He lifted his pale face, full of fear.

“This is Asagi. An Adventurer so brilliant that Bordow, the guild master of
Spiris gave him an alias. Perhaps you have heard of the incident in Nicora by
now? That was Asagi’s doing. He slew the wind dragon that was summoned
by the bandit leader. What is your opinion on that?”
“Oh, well I…”
“I thought so. Yes, yes. Well, that is not all. Have you heard of the orcs that
attacked the village near Replant? Asagi held that army back by himself and
forced them to retreat. He then ambushed their surviving forces in the most
incredible fight. How many people would have charged into a rain of arrows?
Not many. And yet Asagi was victorious. Perhaps you have a better
understanding of the facts now?”
“Uh, yes…yes…”
“Well, if you do, perhaps you will have a more pleasing answer for us this
time. What do you think?”
“Yes…uh, sorry about…!”
“Oh?”
“I’m terribly sorry to have offended you!”
He bowed so low that he all but disappeared behind the counter. Now I just
felt bad for him…
There were even more eyes on us now, but this time I could hear whispers of
‘that’s really Silvergreen…?’ and ‘that beauty must be Lightwind.’ At least
the whispers concerning Daniela seemed like compliments.
When the employee resurfaced, he was quite pale.
“Please allow me to escort you to our very best room! And you need not be
concerned about expenses!”
“Hmm, do not underestimate us. We are not savages. We shall pay what the
room is worth. Asagi, the bag.”
“Uh, yes.”
I shuddered. Daniela didn’t even look at me, she just stretched out her arm in
my general direction. I dropped the bag in her hand. This was a little scary.
Daniela took it and opened the flap before shoving her hand inside and
pulling out the bag of coins we had received for the wind dragon. Then she
returned the bag to me.
I took it and watched along with the employee to see what she would do next.
Daniela grabbed a fistful of gold coins and spread them out on the counter.
Then she did it again. Five times.
“I think we shall stay for two weeks. If it is not enough, come to our room
later to collect the rest.”
“Uh, it-it is very much enough…”
The pale-faced man bowed politely as he pulled a key from the wall and
placed it in front of us.
“It is room 512… The very best room in the building.”
“I see. That is good.”
Daniela said as she snatched the key and turned to face me.
“Let us go, Asagi. Now, take me.”
“Take you…? Oh, what. You’re kidding…”
“I do not wish to walk up five floors at the moment.”
Daniela said with a sulky expression. She probably wanted the others to see
that I really was Silvergreen. She was just pretending to be annoyed.
“Usually, I wouldn’t like to make a scene…but as it is your special

request…”
I adjusted the bag on my back and then picked Daniela up like a princess. I
activated Legs of the Forest Wolf as Daniela threw an arm around my neck.
And like that, I leapt into the air, easily reaching the height of the fifth floor.
It was just a few steps in the air and I landed safely. Of course, I kept the
wind low so as not to disturb any of the other guests.
The room right in front of where we landed was 506, and so we moved along
the wall and passed 507 until we reached 512. Here we stopped, and I
inserted the key into the door. The room was just at a corner.
I turned the key and pulled the door opened. The smell of wood was the first
thing to greet us. It smelled new. I pulled the door open completely and
looked at the room.
“Ohh…”
“It’s huge…”
It was bigger than any room we’d been in before. It reminded me of some
celebrity’s mansion. The walls and ceiling were made of wood and looked
very new. I wanted to look at all of it slowly, but something immediately
attracted my attention. There were stairs in the middle of the room.
“Hey, Daniela. There are stairs. Is there a sixth floor?”
“Well, seeing as this is room 512, perhaps it leads to floor five and a half?”
Such was our stupid conversation as we climbed the stairs. The first thing we
saw was a large bed. A really large bed.
“Ah, so we can sleep together again.”
“So you’ll actually let me sleep this time?”
I was genuinely tired, but Daniela’s face had a look of mischief.
We went back down and moved towards the window. As it was the fifth
floor, it provided a good view of the whole town. And that is when I noticed
something. The roofs if this town called Yukka were all green. But as such
uniformity might make buildings indistinguishable, they came in a variety of
shapes. One building, which was likely an armor shop, had a roof that was
shaped like a shield. The building with the sword-shaped roof was likely a
weapon shop. There was even a roof shaped like a shirt. And it wasn’t just
one instance of each. I saw that there were more than a few types of sword-
shaped roofs.
“This is all very…chaotic.”
“This town has quite a history. But I think it is quite nice that they maintained
the scenery as much as they could, while also allowing their creative
imagination to run wild.”
That’s true. If you wanted to maintain the scenery, you could not build
anything that drew too much attention. And so they kept the roofs all the
same color but then varied when it came to shape. And so the buildings still
looked unique. It was all very interesting.
I turned around after enjoying the scenery and looked back at the room.
There was a bathing room and a toilet by the wall that were separate from
each other. I disliked it when they were in the same room, and so this made
me very happy.
The carpet was ridiculously soft, and over it was an L-shaped sofa and a
beautiful table. This was the relaxation space. On the other side of the room,
there was a table and chairs, perhaps for eating.
And as this inn was called the Forest Tree, there were plants and flowers
placed in different spots. The flowers all gave off a pleasant fragrance. Very
calming. A smell almost as good as Daniela’s.
“It is a fine room.”
“Yeah. All thanks to you.”
We sat down on the sofa and sighed with relief.
“About that…I… People always look down on you, Asagi. This time it really
got to me…”
“I really don’t mind that much. But, thank you.”
I moved closer and kissed her. When I pulled away, all the irritation had
melted away from her face. But she quickly looked away when she realized
this.
“Ah, you must be very tired, Asagi. You should take a bath and then get
some rest. I will make sure that your clothes and armor are cleaned.”
“Yeah. Alright, I’ll wash up then.”
I was too tired to argue with her, and so I went to the bathing room and
stripped off all of my clothes. When I looked in the mirror, I was still covered
in blood. Somehow I had not been injured at all, but the fact that I was
covered in someone else’s blood made me want to vomit.
“I have to get this off.”
I muttered as I used the now familiar tools to create hot water. Then I dumped
it over my head and scrubbed my skin clean. By the time the last of the blood
rushed down the drain, my body was bright red from all the scrubbing.
chapter 185
After healing my fatigue in the bath, I retired to bed to heal my mind as well.
It was a way for me to return to being completely healthy and invincible. But
these things take time…
“Asagi, get up already.”
“Mmmm… I’m still tired…”
“You have slept enough…”
It was now midday. On our fifth day here. It wasn’t a big deal. I hadn’t rested
like this in a while, and so the slothful habits were returning.
Still, knowing about it and doing something about it were two different
things. In other words, I had become accustomed to a lifestyle where I did not
do much besides roam back and forth from my bed and the living room on
the lower floor. Sometimes climbing the steps was too much trouble, and so I
used Legs of the Forest Wolf in order to rise up to my bed in order to dive in.
I think it happened on the second day…a man who claimed to be the manager
had visited us. He had apparently gone on about how his employee had acted
wrongly. I hadn’t heard any of it because I was sleeping.
No one had visited us since then, and the days passed peacefully, at least for
me, since I decided to shut myself up in here.
Of course, it was now coming to an end. Daniela was a bit cross.
I clutched the blankets as a show of resistance..
“It’s all the same color out there!”
“You promised that we would go sightseeing!”

“Ggg…”
I was weak to promises. My grip weakened with my resolve, and the blanket
pulled free of my fingers. Daniela rolled it up and held it under her arm. Then
she glared at me.
“We are going. But first, do something about that wreck you call your hair.”
“Fine…”
And so I begrudgingly got out of bed.
“Sorry. It was just so comfortable that I couldn’t help myself.”
“I understand. This bed. I do not think there is a softer one in all the world.”
Daniela said with a wry grin. The corner of my mouth also twisted into a
smile.
“Well, enough about that. Taking me out on a date is also important. Let us
go.”
“Yeah. Just let me get ready.”
Daniela had her arms around me, and so I patted and rubbed her on the back
until she released me with a look of regret. I gave her a light peck on the
cheek before going down to the fifth floor and taking my new clothes out of
the hollow bag. I would be all in black today.
“Asagi.”
“Hmm?”
“Hurry.”
I picked up the clothes and turned around. Daniela was waving at me from
floor five and a half. What a weirdo. But cute.
“Yeah, I’m trying.”

“Hmm…”
I left the oddly meek Daniela and washed myself in the bath before putting
on my new clothes. When I looked in the mirror, that pale-faced night shift
man was nowhere to be found. Well, I’m sure I still looked really out of place
next to Daniela, but that was just me. In any case, I meant to thoroughly
enjoy this day with Daniela.
But when I got out of the bathing room, Daniela was not there.
Well, that seemed like a likely enough thing to happen, but it didn’t. She was
also wearing her new set of clothes from the White Lily as she stared out of
the window. She was wearing the pants today, which accentuated her hips.
“Hmm? Ah, there you are.”
“Then let us go.”
Daniela headed for the door, and so I grabbed the hollow bag and followed
after her. I thanked her as she held the door open for me and then locked it.
When we went down to the entrance, we were predictably subject to much

staring. I could tell that Daniela was quite annoyed by it, and so I tapped her
on the shoulder and sighed.
“There’s no point in caring, right?”
“Yes, I suppose…”
Besides, on closer inspection, they weren’t the same as the looks of disgust
on the first day. It seemed more like curiosity. There was a woman who
blushed at the sight of Daniela and a young boy who saw Daniela and ran to
go tell his parents. The attention I got was, well, it was also embarrassingly
filled with curiosity.
“That little scene must have changed the way they saw us. It was thanks to
you.”
“Well…Let us just say that it was then.”
Daniela walked with her arms crossed, but her footsteps seemed a little
lighter now.
And so we left the key at the counter and went out to explore the town of
Yukka. It would be our first time getting a really close look at it. The scene
from the ground was quite different than it was from above.
The two of us walked without a particular destination. The pale green walls
were all made of stone. I thought that it must have taken ages to paint all of it.
As we walked and looked at our surroundings, we came out into a large

street. It was likely the main street. I thought this because of the delicious
smell that came from it. It made you hungry.
“I smell something really good from that store.”
“Do you want to go in?”
Daniela asked. It was pretty obvious from how restless I suddenly became,
that I wanted to go very badly.
“Maybe. I am sort of hungry.”
“I thought you would say that.”
Daniela said with a nod as she began to walk ahead. I chuckled and followed
after her.
“Welcome!”
“Have you two empty seats?”
“Aye, take any you like.”
A friendly bearded man seemed to run the place. A place filled with the smell
of meat being cooked. It grabbed a hold of me and Daniela and would not let
go.
And so of course, we would have to order it.
“We’ll have two of whatever is creating that smell.”
“Hahaha! Oh, but it is not just a smell. The taste is where it is at!”
We could then hear the sound of meat sizzling on a frying pan.
“A duet of meat.”
“Are you ill? Asagi.”
Daniela was worried about my thoughtless mutterings. She was probably

worried about my head.
“I’m fine.”
“It did not look that way. What was it you said? A meat duet? I have to
assume that your mind has deteriorated significantly…”
She had an expression of deep concern, but I soon noticed a twitch at the
corner of her mouth. Oh, was she mocking me?
“Fine. I guess you’re not that hungry then. I’m hungry enough to eat for
two.”
“I was wrong. Please forgive me.”
Daniela repented and bowed her head. The power of meat was compelling.
“What is this idiocy. Here. Eat your meat. Meat!”
“Thank you.”
After that, we tore through the dishes in silence.
The thick slice of meat had no sauce, but was hardly simple. It was covered
in spices that were almost as strong as the fresh smell of the meat itself. The
juices oozed out when I cut out the first piece. Then I opened my mouth wide
and deposited the portion within. I knew it the moment the knife slid in, but it
was very soft. But cooked through as well. I was mystified as to how it could
be like this, but the dripping juices washed away any questions I had.
My plate was empty before I knew it. When I looked up, so was Daniela’s.
We both chuckled.
“Mister. We’ll have two more plates!”
Came our duet. And the orchestra of cooking meat recommenced.
□ □ □ □
“Uhh, I’m stuffed.”
“Ah, I have not eaten so much in a while.”
We said as we took a walk after the meal. We had made an order after that as
well, finishing three plates in total each. But meat that soft was kinder on
your stomach. Well, it would have been if we stopped on the second plate…
maybe.
And so it was with much pain that we walked, but we got used to it over time.
I barely noticed the weight in my stomach after a while. When I looked
around, most of the passersby were tourists or Adventurers.
This was the closest town to the imperial capital… So it was no wonder there
was such a variety of people.
And those bandits had preyed on them…their existence was not to be

tolerated. I had calmed down considerably since then, but the scene came
back easily whenever I recalled it.
“By the way, weren’t we supposed to get paid our reward money through the
guild?”
“Then that should be our next destination.”
We nodded to each other and headed for the road leading to it. Well, it turned
out it wasn’t where we thought it was, which resulted in us getting lost…
chapter 186
It was four o’clock in the afternoon, and the sun was starting to set. Our
tourist trip was now at an end, but not before getting we had gotten
thoroughly lost. Still, we were now at the guild and waiting in a line to get to
the Questions/Other counter. As we were here to collect our reward money,
we could have gone to the Reward counter as well, but we had never been
asked to collect the money in this way, and I thought Other was a safe bet.
Daniela agreed. And if we were wrong, well, we had time.
“You’re up next.”
“Thanks.”
Said the guild worker, who was a blonde woman with a very laid back
manner. Blonde hair was by no means unusual here, but there was something
about her that seemed rough…oh, and her ill-fitting uniform was quite open
at the collar.
“My face is up here.”
“Uh, sorry.”
“Of course, you are. Now, what can I do for you?”
She casually raised her feet onto the desk.
“Uhh. We were told by a town guard that the reward for hunting bandits
would be paid through the guild. But I wasn’t sure which counter to go to.”
I said as I passed her our status cards.
“Oh, uh-huh. Just give me a minute then.”
She took the status cards from me and set them inside of the reading machine
in order to print their contents. Her eyes scanned the papers and she
sometimes looked up as if to compare me with what she was reading. I felt
like I was being appraised.
“Uh, yes. You are Mister Asagi and Miss Daniela. I will bring you the money
right now, so please wait close by.”
That was all she said as she returned the status cards before going off
somewhere. She had grabbed a quiet looking guild worker on the way and
pointed towards her counter, so at least the others who were waiting would
not be abandoned for long.
And so we moved away from the counter but remained in sight of it.
“Did you fancy her chest and legs that much, Asagi?”
“I was just surprised at her unusual sense of style.”
“Hmmm.”
Daniela looked at me through narrowed eyes. But I was completely loyal to

her. Something might catch my eye now and then, but not my heart.
Still, she was quite unusual indeed… I guess they were different in every
region.
Then I looked at the status card and remembered.
“That’s right. Status open.”
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Race: Human
Alias: Silvergreen
LV: 79
HP: 773/773
MP: 738/738
STR: 398 VIT: 393
AGI: 827 DEX: 419
INT: 392 LUK: 38
Skills: Jack of all Trades, Master of None(-), Legs of the Forest Wolf(-),
Single-handed Sword(7/10), Shortsword(6/10), Spear(2/10), Bow(2/10),
Greatsword(6/10), Presence Detection(7/10), Night Eyes(4/10)
Quests: None
Equipment: Armor
Head – None
Torso – None
Arms – None
Legs – None
Weapons – None
None
Clothes – Bewitching Black Cotton Shirt

Taunting Black Caterpillar Trousers
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“Hmmm…”
It had been a while since I last checked my status. I had always had decent
DEX, and this seemed to have affected my skill with the great sword, which
had gone up from 2 to 6. Yes, I quite liked the great sword now. My strength,
muscle and magic had gone up. I had ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ to
thank for that, I think.
Alright now. Since I was the type of person who preferred to raise their stats
up to be average, I was satisfied with where I was with the great sword. The
next weapon I would use was…
“Hmm…”
“What are you thinking?”
I told Daniela that I was trying to decide which weapon to use next, and then
she began to search in my bag. I was watching from behind and could not see
what it was at first.
“Why not this?”
“Hmm? Oh, that.”
It was the spear I had taken from the lord of the swamp. I had forgotten about
it. I was mostly considering a bow or a spear, and so this made my decision
easy.
Just as I made my decision, someone stood in front of me. Had the money
been prepared for us?
“Hey, got a minute?”

“Yeah?”
I looked up to see an unfamiliar Adventurer.
“I’ve seen that spear before.”
“Ah, is that right?”
“That belonged to Aeneus, an Adventurer who was quite famous in this

town.”
“Really? But it was in the hands of the lord of the swamp.”
“Do you have any proof?”
I did not. We hadn’t even gone back to collect the fins. Well, it was actually
that I was dead tired and had forgotten to do it. And Daniela had slept.
Besides, it had started raining as soon as we began to walk, and so all
thoughts of fins had been lost in oblivion.
“No. But it’s obvious enough if you go to the swamp. There is no lord there
anymore.”
“That can hardly be considered proof. I really looked up to that man. You
should give that to me. An outsider such as yourself should not be allowed to
carry such a weapon.”
“Eh? You can look up to whoever you want, but that doesn’t give you a claim
to anything. Now get lost. Or do you want to see what happens when you
don’t?”
Arrogance. Tyranny. I realized recently that you had to meet such

Adventurers with the same attitude that they displayed. I did nothing but
apologize when I was a store clerk, but I was now a real working man who
lived under the light of the sun. I had to protect my position.
“You little shit… You killed Aeneus and stole it. Didn’t you!?”
“What!?”
Was this guy stupid? Why would I do that!
“Everyone! I finally know why Aeneus suddenly disappeared! This guy

murdered him! Look! He has his spear!!”
“Wa-wait. You damn bastard. Are you kidding me!!”
Other Adventurers who had been watching this exchange now stood up and
approached us.
Well, well, well…something was about to happen…
“Daniela. What do you think?”
“We cannot avoid making a scene, it seems… But I will tell you this. I am
very annoyed by this accusation. I say we knock them off their feet.”
“Heh. It is you who will go flying. For what you did to Aeneus…”
The Adventurers cracked their knuckles menacingly. They were also fully
armored and ready. Probably just returned from a quest.
On the other hand, we were just on a detour during a date. I was in ordinary
clothes that were not even made of monster materials. Though, Miss Turia
had said they were woven from thread that was made of some animal and
plant that were quite rare.
The Adventurers kept flocking around us. It was nice and all that this Aeneus
person was well-loved, but I was a little annoyed at him over this
predicament now.
“This is the guy who killed Aeneus?”
“That is his spear! I’ve seen it before!”
“And he looks like such a coward. I bet he stabbed him right in the back.”
“How dare you…!”

“She must have helped him! Let’s beat them both!”
My emotions had already been running high, but now I snapped. I really only
had a talent for speed, and so I had to use it in battle. If people wanted to call
it cowardice, fine. I could accept that.
But Daniela had nothing to do with it. Daniela was so beautiful, strong, cool,
cute, and a big eater… And they wanted to beat her?
“Alright guys…you’re all dead!!”
Now fully enraged, I took the initiative and kicked upwards into the jaw of
the man who stood right in front of me. Blood sprayed from his open mouth.
I ignored him and then slammed my foot into the guy who had threatened to
beat Daniela.
“Bastard!”
“Get them!”
While late, the other Adventurers finally raised their fists and began to throw
them at us. I dodged the first attack and countered with a kick. But I let my
guard down in the next moment, and a fist took me square in the back. My
face hit the floor.
“Damn you!”
“Asagi!”
Daniela’s leg shot out like a whip, causing one Adventurer to sink to the
ground. Then she followed with another kick to the guy who had punched
me.
“Why are you doing this!”
“Like I said, you killed Aeneus! You deserve to die!”
“The hell!? I’ve told you, we didn’t kill him!!”

My fist slammed into the stupid bastard’s face, sending him flying into the
air.
As the fight continued, I could see that reinforcements were coming. Those
who had been spectators were now joining the fray. This was so stupid. Did
they think this was some kind of festival?
And so the fight spread. I was hit, and I hit back. I was kicked as I kicked
others off of their feet.
But any who attacked Daniela were my main priority.
“Hhhh…haahh…damned idiots…”
I spat blood on the floor and wiped at my lips.
Unconscious or groaning Adventurers lay at our feet after having been taken
down.
Now no one was walking over them in order to reach us.
“What the…these two are ridiculously strong…”
“That’s how they killed Aeneus!”
“I told you, we didn’t kill him. How many times do you idiots have to hear
it…!”
Their stubborness was making even angrier.
“So. Who wants to be next…?”
I took a step forward, ignoring the groan of the Adventurer I stepped on.
“I won’t be so merciful to the next guy.”
I raised my foot and enveloped it with silver and green wind. The part under
my foot began to chip away at the armor of the Adventurer under it.
Suddenly, the rest of them gasped in realization.
“Hey, that…”
“Silver and green wind…it can’t…”
“Shit… Oh, shit…!”
The many lies and rumors of us seemed to send the worst possibilities into
their minds now. I had always been annoyed by them, but it suddenly seemed
to our advantage now. If it would make them stop, then I would accept it.
“Bah. What he’s saying is the truth.”
A cheerful voice sounded, cutting through the air like a knife. It sounded like
someone was enjoying themselves.
“See here? It’s the lord of the swamp that he killed.”
And then something was thrown heavily to the ground. Everyone’s eyes
moved towards it. Of course, that included me and Daniela.
“The sahuagin are monsters who fight with spears. And as a spear-wielder
myself, I wanted to fight them. But uh, I was taken by surprise and my spear
was stolen.”
The speaker pushed his way through the crowd as he advanced. He sounded
like he was saying that he was the owner of the spear…
“You… You’re the guy who passed by us on the road.”
“Well, I was only going in that direction in order to wait for the lord of the
swamp to come out. I wasn’t exactly traveling anywhere.”
The man said with an amused smile. Yes, it was the man we met on the road
through the swamp.
chapter 187
“I was in that swamp so I could face the lord there. And to get my spear
back.”
Aeneus, the intruder, said as he kicked the swamp lord’s head across the
floor.
“I don’t remember who it was who first started to call me Aeneus the Trident.
But I have grown fond of the name. It would be rather humiliating to have the
sahuagin lord steal my spear…”
“Is that why you never returned to the town? You were waiting in the
swamp?”
“Haha. Yes, that is right. That spear was my brother’s, you see. So it wasn’t
just because of my nickname that I wanted to get it back.”
Aeneus glanced behind me at the spear that was leaning against the wall…the
three-pronged spear.
“I see. If that is your reason, then I will return it to you. We had only picked
it up. I think it’s only right to return it if the owner has appeared.”
I said as I picked it up and handed it to Aeneus. He caressed it lovingly and

held it against his chest.
“Thank you, Asagi. It means a lot to me.”
“It’s nothing. I didn’t pick it up to save it.”
I just took what the boss sahuagin had dropped. Well, I had thought that it
was a good spear.
“That may be. I but it has always been important to me to repay a debt.”
Aeneus said, then he turned to look at the spectators.
“You all heard him. This was all a tragic misunderstanding. But now you
know the truth about Asagi and I have my trident back. So, why are you still
surrounding them?”
Aeneus had a tone that was admonishing and left no room for argument.
“Yes…he back fine after all…”
“Uh, sorry…”
And with that, the Adventurers all apologized and then walked away. As for
me, I still felt like I wanted to throw a few more punches. They had
threatened to beat Daniela, and the others had agreed. I wanted to beat them
all into the dirt.
“Asagi. It is enough that you feel that way.”
“…Am I that easy to read?”
“Aye. I can see that you will never forgive them.”
She chuckled and then squeezed my hand before releasing it. One by one, her
fingers untangled.
“See, Asagi. Your pretty hands are red.”
“Hmm…”
My fists had clenched so hard that my nails had dug into my flesh and was
drawing blood.
“So, what were we doing here again?”
“…Right. We came to get our money.”
“Exaaaactly. Please refrain from making such a scene in the future.”

“Uh.”
The guild worker had appeared next to us out of nowhere and was holding
what looked to be a hefty leather pouch.
“Mister Asagi. You’re as strong as they say. And you know, I have a thing
for strong men. Are you free tonight?”
“Sorry. I’ll just take the compliment and the money, if that’s alright.”
“Tsk.”
She did not bother to hide her irritation, but quickly forced a smile and
dropped the pouch into my open hand.
“Oh, Asagi? Do you really need to accept the compliment as well?”
“Uh, well, shouldn’t I?”
“I can offer much more than compliments.”
“What are you…”
“Well, this awkward situation has nothing to do with me.”
While all four of us were standing there, Aeneus looked disinterested. This
had all started because he lost his spear to the sahuagin. And then he refused
to return to town because he was embarrassed…
“Now don’t make that face, Asagi.”
“You know, a lot of this is actually your fault.”
“And I am terribly sorry. I know. I will buy you dinner as an apology.”
“Ah, it is about time for that. Let us go, Asagi.”
“You’re really going to let him off that easily…”

Daniela began to walk away the moment she heard the word ‘dinner.’
“Do you want to come too, Nanaya?”
“Oh, do you mean it? Yes, yes!”
Aeneus invited the guild worker as well. If he was going to pay for
everything, then I wouldn’t complain.
“Alright, then let’s go Mister Asagi.”
“Don’t grab my arm. Stop pressing your chest against me. And stop trying to
touch my thighs.”
“Asagi. We will talk about this later.”
“What…”
And like that, the incident at the Yukka guild came to a close and Asagi, the
party animal was sandwiched between Daniela and Nanaya while Aeneus led
them with a big grin. And the four of them soon found themselves in a bar
that the locals had recommended.
It was loud.
Very loud.
“Asagi, Asagi…this trident really was important to me…ohh…I don’t know

what I would…”
“Ahahaha! Mister Asagi! Look! Ahahaha! It’s the Adventurer you beat up!!”
“Miss Nanaya…please stop that…”
“Eh? You caused all that ruckus and now you want to lie low? Are you
kidding me? Maybe I should strip you of your license?”
“You wouldn’t dare…”

“Glug-glug… Gulp. Hmm? Is there any more? Waiter!”
It was incredibly loud… I had assumed that we would find a quiet place
where we could sip some beer and nibble on some food… But this was like
some obnoxious college party.
“Hey, are you listening to me? Asagi?”
“Yes, yes, I’m listening… Haven’t you drunk enough?”
“Not at all… gggg…I am celebrating the return of my trident…”
Is he falling asleep…?
“Hey, hey. Mister Asagi. Hey.”
“What?”
“I’m getting tired. Do you want to get out of here?”
“No.”
“Tsk.”
This guild worker…was scary…
“Asagi, this is really good.”
“Hm? Let me see…hmm…mmm…ggg…yeah, it is. I like it.”
I ate the thing that was some kind of roll that Daniela offered. It was filled
with meat that was both sweet and spicy. The outside was also chewy and
delicious.
“Waiter! I’ll have thirty more of these to take back with us.”
They were so delicious that I had to buy more for my hollow bag storage.
What? Our money was starting to pile up anyway. And it wasn’t a good
journey around the world if you didn’t eat good food. Well, I would still save
money where I could.
I looked around us again. This bar was called the Flower Lantern. It had low
tables where people sat on the floor. It was surprising that there were places
here that required you to take off your shoes, but Nanaya said that it was just
a unique rule here.
Next to us, behind a partition, were some of the Adventurers who had
attacked us earlier. In fact it was the first group who had approached us and
started the fight. I couldn’t help but glare at them, but they seemed to have
lost the will to engage us and avoided our eyes for the most part. However,
Nanaya was quite drunk by now, and so she just had to bring it up.
Aeneus was one of those crying types. The types who get sentimental and
very annoying when they get drunk. And he had continued to drone on about
how special the trident was to him.
But other then that, the food and drink were wonderful. Especially the spicy
rolls I had just eaten. I looked at their menu and saw that they were also open
during lunch hours, and so I decided that it would be nice to come back with
Daniela some other time.
“Haaaa… But really, I’m glad you are so strong, Mister Asagi. I don’t think
anyone else would have been able to deal with all that.”
Nanaya said in a very relaxed mood. Her clothing was maybe too relaxed,
and I found it hard to look in her direction.
“Wouldn’t the guild master come out if it was necessary?”
“Oh. Well, the guild master uses magic…”
That might complicate things.
“I think the whole building would blow up in the process.”
“Oh, that’s what you mean…”
Blowing up the whole building, eh? …This guild master was clearly
dangerous.
“Well, don’t get me wrong, the master’s a good person. And cute.”
“Cute? A she perhaps?”
“Oh, no. A boy.”
“A boy. As the guild master? This empire…”
“Hmm? Ah…yes, this is part of the empire.”
There were people in this world who were just incredibly gifted from birth…
Something I knew nothing about.
I looked around me again. Aeneus was talking to the other Adventurers.

Telling them how precious his trident was. Nanaya just stared and smiled at
me. Daniela watched me from the side and ate her food.
Sometimes she would glare.
It was quite loud indeed. But sometimes, I didn’t quite mind this atmosphere.
That’s what I thought as I drained what was left of my cup.
chapter 188
The next morning, I woke up on the fifth and a halfth floor of the Forest Tree
inn. I looked around dazedly to confirm that I had made it back safely.
Daniela was lying next to me with her stomach showing, and so I put a
blanket over her.
The effects of the alcohol were gone, but the fatigue from the previous night
still remained. I tiredly trudged down the stairs and to the bathing room.
After enjoying dinner and drinks at the Flower Lantern, Nanaya decided that
we must go to a host club. It was news to me that such places even existed
here, and I wasn’t too enthusiastic about going myself, but it ended up being
fun enough.
It was pretty funny. I had been surrounded in hosts. Of course, this was
because they wanted to hear the tales of an Adventurer with an alias. I had
joked about how they were slacking off, but the drinks got the better of me.
They knew how to stroke a person’s ego, and Daniela, Nanaya and Aeneus
encouraged me. And so I told them, all the while gesturing and enacting like
some kind of movie star. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and we partied until
morning.
Then Daniela and I had stumbled our way back to the inn. As I was barely
aware of anything then, I was quite relieved to see we had arrived safely now.
“Haahhhh…my throat…”
I muttered as I got out of the bathtub and dried myself. I had no one to blame
but myself, but still, one liked to complain.
When I finished dressing and went out into the main room, Daniela was
walking down the stairs.
“Morning.”
“Mmmm…”
Her eyes were barely open as she rubbed them. Her voice sounded almost
lifeless. But I always thought it was cute to see her so unguarded and a mess.
She was wearing some oversized pajamas she had bought, and her hands
looked very small as they peeked out from the sleeves.
“The water’s still hot, so you should get in.”
“Alright…”
Daniela muttered as she went to the bathing room. I collapsed onto the sofa.
The sun was already high in the sky, evidence that we had slept for much too
long.
“It’s our sixth day then…”
I was already starting to feel regret over the fact that we’d be leaving in a
week. That being said, a week was enough to see the town. I tried to think of
it positively, but it was me who had wasted the first five days.
Now, what to do today? I wanted to see the town, but it wasn’t exactly a
place for tourists. Daniela had solved her clothing problem in Usk. So had I.
And we would be buying the armor in the capital. Even if there was a place
that could handle dragon materials here, one week would not be enough to
finish the order. My armor had already been made, so it didn’t take any time.
But it would be different if it was from scratch. Though, I wasn’t sure how
long. Maybe a month?
“Ah, now that I think of it…”
Yes, yes. The Automata was still in my bag. Maybe I should check up on it.
I grabbed the hollow bag, which I had left by the bed, and took out the
Automata after shoving my arm through the opening. The face still looked
perfectly crafted, as did the body. It was mathematical, almost. It would be
hard to find a flaw.
I was impressed all over again. The skin felt like real skin and the flesh itself
was soft where it should be and hard where there would be bones. The
muscles around the stomach seemed especially realistic. Yes, the ancient
elves were definitely perverts.
But most impressive was the details of the parts that would make it difficult
for any healthy young lad to stay uncorrupted. This thing had been missing a
core for years. It was an Automata that had existed for who knows how long,
and yet it gently enveloped my finger; sucking slowly. It was almost like
Daniela.
“Maybe we shouldn’t sell it…”
But it was five thousand pieces of gold. We would be able to live

comfortably for the rest of our lives with that much money.
“Hmm…quite the dilemma…”
“What is?”
“Getting rid of…oh.”
“I see. So that is how you feel. I envy your ability.”
Daniela said with an icy smile as she looked at me and the Automata.
“Uh…it’s not…”
“You do not have to explain. It is perfectly apparent.”
“No. Let me!”
“It is not necessary. I have eyes.”
“Daniela…”
In the end, I spent the entire sixth day winning her back. After that, I wanted
nothing more than to convert that horrible thing into gold.
It was now the seventh day. I woke up in the morning as tired as ever. On the
other hand, Daniela walked indifferently to the bathing room, not bothering
to cover herself in the least. It was my own fault that I was tired, but I still
didn’t want it to show, and so I ran after her and we bathed together.
Then we ate breakfast and prepared to leave.
“We can look for a weapon for you today, Asagi.”
Daniela had suggested when we were in the bathtub. I tilted my head in

puzzlement as I looked at her from the other side of the tub. But then I
remembered that I had been about to switch to a spear as my main weapon.
But that spear had gone back to its owner, leaving me spearless again. No,
there was that short spear I had from before, and another one from the ancient
elven ruins, but they were too advanced for starter weapons. I didn’t want to
be annihilating enemies with every twitch before I had really learned the
basics. I wanted actual experience and knowledge.
Well, I did have a shortcut to it all with Jack of all Trades, Master of None.
But it did not allow me to use weapons perfectly. It was like half a cheat. And
I didn’t mind.
“I am ready to go now.”
“Alrighty.”
I said vapidly as I got up from the sofa. Daniela came down from floor 5.5
wearing a one piece and shorts. Clean yet sporty. Cute yet cool. Daniela
could model anything.
“You look at me too much. It is embarrassing.”
“I want to burn your image into my brain…”
“Fool.”
Daniela looked away, but her cheeks were flushed.
We left the inn and headed for the sword-shaped building we had seen from
our window. It felt like a date, since we bought food to eat on the way as we
walked. The sky overhead was a clear blue. It had been raining horribly the
day we first came, and so it seemed that it shifted heavily in either direction
in these regions.
I thought about such things until the sword-shaped building came into view.
But then again, the other buildings close by also took the shape of swords.
“Hmmm…which one?”
“In these cases, usually the oldest building has the best stuff.”
We followed my reliably faulty intuition and looked for the oldest of the
buildings. But then again, just because a place has a long history, didn’t mean
they would never renovate. And so my advice was of no use, and we just
entered a store that happened to have a lot of spear on display.
“Hello?”
“Yes, yes.”
The sounds of clanging metal rang throughout the shop. This place was both
a smithy and store, it seemed. Kind of like those restaurants where you could
see them grilling the meat in the kitchen.
“I want to buy a spear. Have any recommendations?”
“One moment please! Master! A spear!”
The apprentice shouted. Then the sounds of clanging metal subsided.
“There’s no need to shout so loud…I can hear ya.”
“Master. The customer says he wants a spear.”
“I heard you the first time…”
I had assumed that the entire species of blacksmiths consisted of big boned
skinheads, but the one I saw here looked like an ordinary young man.
Yes, a young man. Not old. And yet he was the master of this place. Quite
impressive.
“You…you’re the one who wants the spear?”
“Yes. I want to learn to wield one.”
“…Looking at you, I don’t see why you need to use a spear at all?”
How did he know? Could he figure out my stats by just looking at me?
“I want to be able to use a large variety of weapons.”
“They call such people Jacks of all trades and masters of none… But, well,
perhaps you’re safe there. Come then. I’ll show you a spear.”
The young man chuckled and then indicated towards the back with his jaw. I
don’t know why, but he seemed amused by all of this. His apprentice also
seemed surprised, so it must have been a rare thing.
Well, if he was keen on it, then good. I looked at Daniela and she nodded.
Then we followed after him.
chapter 189
“I have my good weapons in the back of the store…perhaps they are not
treasures, but I keep them to sell to Adventurers like you.”
The blacksmith walked with his hands in his pockets. His shoulders were
slouched and he talked in a laid-back voice.
“Ahh…sorry. I’m Shiki. I own this place. What’s your name?”
“I am Asagi. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Ah, let’s not be so formal…yes, here they are.”
He opened a door to reveal a mountain of weapons. Even I could tell at a

glance that they were of high quality. We had done well to come here…
This guy sold good weapons and was making money, yet was so preoccupied
in his craft that he didn’t have time or the desire to renovate the building…
yes, it was such craftsmen that made the best weapons.
“This is amazing…”
“You can tell then? Well…even I’m aware it’s something these other
craftsmen are incapable of.”
He smiled thinly. It was as if he was very proud but too tired to fully express
his emotions…
“A spear, was it? …Over here.”
He started to walk again, and so we followed after him. There was a wooden
rack with a number of spears leaning against it.
The head of the metal spears glimmered prettily. Simple, yet crafted with
great attention to detail.
The spears made of monster materials were more wild in appearance. Some
of them looked deadly even in areas that weren’t the spearhead.
“Hmm…hmm…”
“See anything you like…?”
“I definitely want one made of ore.”
My greatsword was from a monster. My one-handed sword was metal. I

wasn’t really sure about the shortsword. It was fun fighting with the
greatsword, which had a strong water attribute. I could only create water
blades with it now, but perhaps there would be other things I could do if I
used Jack of all Trades, Master of None. But I had been mainly focusing on
using the greatsword, so hadn’t learned much about using weapons with
attributes.
My one-handed sword was made of hard metal known as ‘armor ore.’ You
could use it quite thoughtlessly and it would not break. It was also easily
maintained if taken to a smithy. I usually did it myself with a whetstone when
I had the nightwatch, because I was cheap. And I had no problems with it so
far.
As for the shortsword, I had not had much opportunity to use it. It was just a
backup weapon. However, when I did fight with dual blades, I noticed that it
was very easy to handle. It did its job when blocking enemy attacks and also
cut right through enemies when necessary.
And so I had been using these three weapons…but I had not yet used an ore
weapon with an attribute yet. My one-handed sword was made of ore but had
no attribute. It was just a hard weapon, which was appealing in its own way.
Therefore, I wanted my next weapon to be a spear that was made of iron and
had an attribute.
I had been thinking about this for a while.
“I see…iron ore and attributes. Asagi. What attribute do you favor?”

“Ice and water. Also, fire does appear on my status…”
“It’s probably not much if you already have ice and water…”
Shiki chuckled to himself. Well, he wasn’t wrong. It took a lot of energy just
to boil some water. It wasn’t very efficient for me.
“So ice or water then…”
“I own a greatsword that has the water attribute. And so I’d want an ice-type
spear.”
“Hmm? You have a greatsword…?”
I only had the Glampanzer on my belt now. The greatsword was in the
hollow bag.
“Want to see it?”
“Aye. And your one-handed sword as well… Wait, the spears first. There are
three ice spears over there.”
Shiki pointed at them. One was clear like glass. Another was translucent and
white. And the last was a pale blue color.
“Mind if I take a closer look?”
“Aye. Do it to your heart’s content… By the way, Asagi…”
“Alright, just wait a second. I’ll show them to you.”
He looked at me impatiently as I unsheathed the Glampanzer and also opened

my bag to take out the Ashikirimaru and the Schwartz Tempest.
“That’s a good bag.”
“It’s not bad.”
I had used it for quite a while now. It looked older than…I mean, it’s vintage
appeal was only growing.
I handed him the weapons and then took out my appraisal glasses.
“Poor eyesight?”
“Well, a little. I don’t actually need them, but as these are good spears, I want
to see every detail.”
“Of course…I’m glad to hear it.”
He smiled lazily as he looked back at the swords he was holding.
“Well, I’ll be over…at that counter, looking at these. I’d like to take my time,
so you do the same.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
And so we parted ways. Perhaps it was just me, but he seemed ridiculously
happy… Well, I had to focus on what I was doing now.
“Let’s see here…”
I looked at the glass-like spear first.
‘Blue Frost – Alloy of mithril, ice ore and water ore. Boosts ice magic
attribute. Small boost to water magic attribute.’
Hmmm. So that’s what happens when you mix mithril, ice ore and water ore.
There were magic properties in mithril as well, but I didn’t know much about
that.
Still, there were two other promising spears to look at. I would look at the
translucent one next.
‘Cocytus Lance – A spear made of Cocytus ore. Small boost to ice magic
attribute. Small boost to water magic attribute.’
Hmm? I never heard of this ore before. I focused on the word ‘Cocytus ore.’
‘Cocytus ore. Ice ore after it has been combined with water ore. This rarely
occurs without the help of mithril.’
So that meant the two ores had mixed together as some kind of effect of the
mithril. It was the power of mithril, I guess.
And this Cocytus ore. Apparently, it had happened without the help of
mithril. So it was done naturally? It must be very rare then.
I was weak to such marketing terms, but this was not the time to jump to
decisions. I looked at the third one.
‘Icicle Star – A spear of ice crystal and meteoritic iron. Boosts ice magic
attribute.’
It sounded quite interesting, especially the ice crystal.
‘Ice Crystal. What happens when ice ore is exposed to the blue dragon vein.
Has the effect of raising the power of the ice attribute.’
I see. Ice ore that has soaked up blue magic. And then we have this meteoritic
iron…ore that has fallen from the sky. A spear made from two different
accidents…frightful indeed.
“Hmm…it’s going to be a hard decision…”
“You cannot decide then?”
“Woah!? Since when were you here…”
“Since the beginning…?”
She called to me out of nowhere. I looked behind me in surprise to see

Daniela standing there and wearing her appraisal glasses. She hadn’t said
anything all of this time, so I had assumed she had left to look at something
else.
“So I guess you’ve seen what they’re made of? To be honest, I’m not sure.”
“Well, they are all made of rare materials.”
And they were all quite expensive, it seemed. Daniela indicated the price tags
with a thrust of her chin.
‘Two-hundred and sixty,’ ‘three hundred,’ ‘three-hundred and fifty.’ I would

not be able to buy all of them. Well, I could, but I didn’t want to. While I
assumed we would have five thousand in gold soon, there was no guarantee it
would be exactly that amount. As someone who had worked the night shift
for so long, I wanted to have plenty of money to live on without having to
worry. It’s a sad life living with a light wallet…
“There was a saying about getting what you pay for, but these are all
expensive. I don’t think there’s much point in basing my purchase off the
prices at this point.”
“But being costly is no guarantee of quality. Well, these do appear to be quite

good.”
Yes. That’s why I wasn’t sure. I was so unsure that I felt like I was going to
get sick.
“Hmm… I don’t know if I want to fully dedicate myself to ice alone.”
The greatsword only had the water attribute. I had tried using Jack of all
Trades, Master of None to simulate using other magic with it, but nothing had
happened.
“I like the idea of multiple attributes.”
“So that leaves you with either the Blue Frost or the Cocytus Lance.’
A spear made with the power of mithril and a spear made with the power of
nature. Hmm. It was a tough decision.
“Perhaps you should try using them then.”
Yes, that was true. You could only tell so much by their names. And so I
went to Shiki to ask him about it.
When I went to the counter, I saw that Shiki was inspecting the swords
excitedly from every angle. There was no hint of his prior drowsiness.
“Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey, Asagi…! What is this!? This is incredible!”
“Uh, yeah. Well, they’re pretty amazing.”
Not as amazing as your sudden transformation, though.

chapter 190
“So, Shiki. I want to try these two spears out. Is there any space here?”
“Yes, there is a room in the back. Let’s go then.”
Shiki was so distracted by the weapons that I had to explain them to him first,
and then I told him that I wanted to test to see which spear felt the most
comfortable to me.
He had become wildly excited when I told him about the materials used, but
that’s a story for another time.
And so we came out to the backyard. It was surrounded by a wall and there
were several logs covered in monster skin that were protruding from the
ground. They had traces of stabs and cuts in them, so they were probably for
testing the weapons.
“Well, you can do what you want here. I’m going to look at this a little more.
Shiki said as he stared at the Shwartz Tempest. He really just moved at his
own pace, I thought as I picked up the Blue Frost spear up first. It was made
of mithril.
It really did not feel bad in my hands. It was quite light and about as long as I
was tall. The spearhead was about the length of my head and was very
narrow, which should make it easy to pull out. On the other hand, that also
meant the damage was minimal. There wasn’t much in terms of decorations.
It was simple. However, not plain. There were engravings in certain parts that
gave it an elegant beauty.
It was cold like ice. Clear as water. The mystical appeal of mithril emanated
from it.
“It’s a nice spear…”

You wouldn’t get bored looking at it.
And so I activated Jack of all Trades, Master of None. The screen showed up
in my brain and gave me examples of how to use it. First, it was the basics. I
learned from it and tried swinging the spear. It cut through the air with a
buzz.
“Hmm. You handle it quite well.”
Shiki said as he looked up from the greatsword with a nod. Well, I had a little
help. Jack of all Trades, Master of None allowed me to understand how to
move my body. Obviously, it was limited, but I was used to it by now.
I glanced at Shiki before moving towards the log. I wanted to practice hitting
a target.
First, the thrust. An easy job of just thrusting the spear after pulling back. The
shock to my arm every time I hit the log began to make my arms feel numb.
Then I started doing it faster. Thrust after thrust.
“Is he really a beginner?”
“Asagi can use pretty much any weapon.”
I could hear Shiki and Daniela talking behind me. I was at a decent level if
we’re talking basics. And the basics were important, so it was good enough
for me.
Next, I tried a different move. A hit rather than a thrust. I did this on both
sides of the log. I hit it on the left, then twirled the spear over my head while
changing hands and then smacking it on the right. Then I reversed the process
and hit it on the left again.
Hmm. I think this was good. Probably.
“Impressive…”
“Yes, your movements are good.”

My critics were having a positive response so far. I was starting to feel a lot
more confident about my choice to use a spear.
“Now…”
I had a general grasp of the basic movements and of the distance to my target
and how to approach it.
Now it was time to get serious. The real reason I chose these spears. I wanted
to see the true worth of the magic ore.
I gripped it tightly and put a color to the magic that flowed within me. It was
azure. This deep blue was the color of water. I could feel the temperature
drop through the palms of my hands. After a while, I could hear cracking as
an ice blade formed around it. Unlike the simple blade underneath, this was
big and barbed. It would freeze any who touched it and stay lodged when
stabbed. Or so Jack of all Trades, Master of None informed me.
There was a final hiss and the transformation was complete. It really was a
dramatic change. The clear blade was now white and the shape of the blade
was completely different. All of the carvings were encased in ice.
I suddenly remembered that Eve had used two different kinds of magic at
once. This spear had multiple attributes. Maybe I could do something
interesting with it…but was immediately told by Master Jack of all Trades…
that I could not. Too bad.
“Well done…”
“Yes, it is a good spear.”
I said with an approving nod, in spite of knowing next to nothing about

spears. In any case, hitting the log while the spear was in this state seemed
like a bad idea, and so I dispersed the magic right there. To be precise, the log
would freeze and shatter. Either that or the ice magic within the spear would
cause it to explode. In any case, it would not end well for the log.
“It is, isn’t it?”

Shiki said. I nodded. I had not actually been expecting much. The boost to ice
magic must be a big factor.
I was starting to think that this Blue Frost spear was my best bet. However, I
still had the other spear to check. And so I picked up the Cocytus Lance.
“I’m going to try this one now.”
“Aye, do what you like.”
And so I would. Unlike the Blue Frost, the Cocytus Lance seemed much
more aggressive. The blade was barbed from the beginning and on the large
side. The head started at my chest and went a little bit above my head. A
blade like this could slash through things as well.
The entire thing was also longer than I was tall. Since I was just shy of 180
centimeters(I liked to think so), it must be nearly 2 meters long.
The decorations on it were also very different. At the root of the blade were
two holes with rings attached to long blue ribbons. They danced beautifully
in the wind.
The cap at the other end was polished and had clear ore set into it. It wasn’t
exactly a deadly addition, but hard enough to be painful.
All of this meant that it was also heavier, which meant it handled much
differently. Even if it was the same type of weapon, its reach, and the overall
feel was quite a different thing.
This change felt off as I thrust towards the log. The images in my brain were
telling me to thrust while thinking about pulling, and so I did. After a while,
my movements seemed to become more fluent again.
Then I moved to cutting motions. Here, my training with the greatsword

came in handy. It was all about moving your torso with the swing and putting
a lot of force behind it. My movements were eventually able to reflect what I
wanted. As it was heavy and long, the difference was obvious. I was glad that
I tested this spear before getting too used to the other one. It was easier to
adjust when my mind was still flexible.
“Asagi, you must be a natural when it comes to the spear…”
“Well, he is a natural in many things.”
Her answer would have sounded odd without prior knowledge of my skill.
She probably just sounded like she was infatuated.
“Here is the problem.”
I muttered to myself. I know how it handles. I know how to use it. I know
how it’s different. Now I must try magic. And so I sent ice magic into the
weapon. The magic transfer was shockingly smooth. The was a crackle and
the metal weapon turned into an ice spear.
The barbs of the blade extended further than the rings now. Whether you
thrust or swing, the target would be in a world of pain. The ribbons were a
much darker blue now and specks of ice danced in the air. Diamond dust.
The spear when from a translucent white to opaque white. It looked frosty but
was not cold.
A pure white spear with a little blue. It was breathtakingly beautiful. It

reminded me of Daniela in a way.
“It’s beautiful…”
“Isn’t it? Not many people could use a weapon like this, but I see you don’t
have that problem. You can use it better than anyone.”
So was this the difference in mithril? I hadn’t put much stock into the power
of nature, but I now knew better.
And I could no longer think of choosing any other spear.
“Shiki. I’ll take this one.”
“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I want this spear.”
“Thank you… Hehe, you look very happy.”
He said with a smile. I gave him a puzzled look. Daniela then explained.
“Are you unaware of how happy you look?”
I wasn’t, but once she pointed it out, I realized it was true. I was embarrassed
enough to press my lips together in a frown.
□ □ □ □
We went back inside and I paid Shiki the three hundred pieces of gold. And
then I put the newly acquired spear into the hollow bag.
“Thank you, Shiki. I’ve found a good spear because of you.”
“No, thank you…Asagi. It is quite fulfilling to get people what they want.”
We shook hands and then left the store. It was already evening now. But it
had been a fruitful day.
One more week. It wasn’t a lot. It was my fault too… But well, that was in
the past. And I liked to live while looking forward.
Tomorrow is when we’d really get to do something. Something about the

rumors in this town. The Loup-garou. I wanted to see them with my own
eyes. I told this to Daniela, and she felt the same. And so our plan for
tomorrow was easily decided. It was now time to return to the inn.
I couldn’t wait for the next day.

chapter 191
“Good morning Daniela! What nice weather!”
“Mmmmmgaaa…what…uhhh… It is still night…let me sleep…”
I tried to wake her up, but according to Daniela, the sun was not up yet. But it
was still morning. It’s morning as soon as you wake up.
“Come on. Let’s go see the Loup-garou.”
“Shut up…”
Daniela was not in the best mood. But I could not wait. From what I had
learned, the Loup-garou were like werewolves, and werewolves were
nocturnal. Then why don’t we go out at night? Well, this time just before the
morning was when we could catch them off guard. Because they would be
very tired.
And so I washed my face and put on my armor. It had been a while since I
last put it on, but it still felt very comfortable.
“And…”
I took out the spear made of Cocytus ore. The Cocytus Lance. The newest
addition to my arsenal. It would serve me as my regular weapon for a while.
Well, I didn’t need it now, and so I put it back in the bag. And then I strapped
it on my back and was ready to go.
“Alright, let’s go, Daniela.”
“Ggg…”
“…”
She was sleeping again. Now that that had happened, things were quite
hopeless…she would just be annoyed for the whole day if I forced her to get
up now.
Then I would just have to go alone…
“Alright, I’ll be back.”
“Mmm…zz…”
Was that an answer or was she sleep talking…? In any case, I would just
leave a memo. And then I can go.
□ □ □ □
I left the inn and headed for the guild. The reason was that if this was linked
to a quest, then I might as well accept it. And if it wasn’t, well, I didn’t care
that much.
Unsurprisingly, there was no light coming from the building and it was
completely silent. It was so dark that I didn’t even want to try banging on the
door. In that case, I would just go straight out of the town.
While the gate was closed, there was at least someone there. The gatekeeper.
“Halt. What is your business here?”
“I want you to let me go out so I can see one of those Loup-garou things.”
“What…”
Asagi Kamiyashiro was the cause of a great, deep sigh. Wonderful.
“‘I want to see the Loup-garou.’ ‘I want to kill the Loup-garou.’ They all say
that when they leave. And none of them ever return.”
“Ah, so that must mean it’s still alive and well in the forest.”
“Yes. And it’s waiting for its next prey.”

The guard folded his arms and looked at me with the expression you would
give an idiot.
“That’s great. Now, please let pass.”
“Look, this is my job, so I will give it to you straight. I am not letting some
halfwit like you go out there. Do you know why? Because that’s what I do.”
He said this slowly and carefully as if there was an idiot in front of him. But
there wasn’t an idiot near us at all. Nope.
“Well, I also work to eliminate any danger caused by monsters. But I am also
an awfully curious person.”
I handed him my status card. He sighed again, but this time walked
reluctantly towards the guardhouse. Once he saw the information on it, he
would know that I wasn’t some idiot.
“…Ah. I had thought he was just some guy with a death wish…”
I heard him say from inside the building. It was so quiet out here that I could
hear him talking. I was flattered.
He came out with a copy of my status in his hand.
“Asagi. A C-Rank Adventurer. Let me tell you this. You can be promoted to
B-Rank if you pass Level 71. You are already 79. You can reach A-Rank at
81, so I would advise you to go to the guild and get that sorted.”
“Ah, well, we’re rarely in any towns. That level thing probably happened in
Nicora.”
I must have made a killing on experience points after that wind dragon. It was
probably 6 levels alone.
“Hmm. So you really are Silvergreen then. I’ve heard the rumors.”
“Uh, great.”
I shrugged. I seemed to have a knack for that. Rumors and tall tales.
“I used to be an Adventurer… But then I got an arrow in the knee.”
“Huh. That sucks.”
“So I understand why this Loup-garou interests you so much.”
The former Adventurer put his hand on the gate.
“None of the Adventurers who have challenged it were as accomplished as

you. So, it would be nice if you could come back alive.”
He said with a smile. Then he slowly opened the gate. Well, it was the small
door to the side of it.
“Thank you, mister gatekeeper.”
“Don’t call me that. Even now, I’m an Adventurer at heart. You can call me
Saragi.”
“Alright. Thanks for letting me through, Saragi.”
He laughed.
“Now go, Adventurer. Find out the truth about the Loup-garou.”
“I will!”
I said as I walked passed him. Outside, the place was still dark as night, and
the forest was shrouded in silence.
This was the deep green town of Yukka. I was by the south gate that was
never opened. The gate that Saragi protected. If ever you find yourself in
Yukka, try talking to him. I’m sure you will hear rousing tales of adventures
that will make your heart soar.
□ □ □ □
Well, I was in the forest now, and so I took out the spear. And that’s when I
realized it. It kept hitting against the trees.
“It’s useless…”
I guess this wasn’t its time after all. I would have to make do with the
Glampanzer on my belt. I had no complaints but was definitely disappointed.
And disappointed, I walk in the forest. You could tell that there was once a
path here, but it was hidden by so many fallen leaves. Still, it had not been
that long since the Loup-garou had made this place its territory…
And so I moved along while using Legs of the Forest Wolf to clear the path
of leaves. According to the maps, there should be an abandoned village to the
south. That would be my first destination.
“…Hmm?”
Just then, Presence Detection caught something. It seemed like a monster? It

was different than anything I had detected in the past. And there was just one.
It was towards the center of the forest. Due to the dark sky and leaves
overhead, it was so dark that even the moonlight did not pierce through the
shadows. And in that darkness, something was moving. Could it be? Could it
really be?
“Let’s take a look.”
I suppressed the rising excitement as I stepped deeper into the forest. I

wanted to cut down the grass and bushes in my way, but that would just give
my location away, and so I didn’t. It was times like these that I wished I had a
‘Presence Block’ skill. But as I didn’t, I had no choice but to imitate a stealth
game by treading softly and breathing as quietly as possible. Well, if the skill
popped up so easily, then everyone would have it. And that was not a world I
wanted to live in.
Beyond that tree. From what I could see, it seemed brighter over there.
Maybe it was a clearing? I sheathed my sword and put it into the hollow bag.
And then I took out the Cocytus Lance. Then I removed the cover from the
blade and put it away. It was the birth of Asagi the Spearman.
“Now…”
I peeked from behind the tree. As I thought, there was a clearing in the forest.
No trees at all. Even the grass had been cut down clean. It was purposely
made to make it easy to move in.
This was the center. A strange patch of nothing within a forest. And in it, was
the thing I had detected.
“A werewolf…”
It stood on two legs. It had a long tail. Silver hair.
It was the image of a werewolf. The Loup-garou.

chapter 192
The rising sun shone down on the Loup-garou. It was a beautiful sight.
Mesmerizing.
“Owwoooooo…”
It was a low, thin howl. Though, it took me a moment to realize it. It had
sounded more like the sound of a musical instrument. The lowest sound in an
orchestra. There was emotion in it.
Without thinking, I took a step forward. I had meant to be cautious, but a

sudden desire to make contact caused my foot to move forward.
And that small movement made enough sound that it could hear it.
The Loup-garou looked in my direction.
“?!”
It shuddered with surprise and then took a step back.
“Wa-wait. I don’t mean to fight you.”
Even I thought that I sounded unconvincing. After all, I was holding a spear
in my hand.
“Why are you…”
“You know me…?”
I didn’t know any werewolves… Rachel? No, she was a wolf deity.
“We rode together in the carriage. But more importantly, why are you here?”
“What? No, wait, wait. In the carriage…?”

“On the carriage that brought us here!”
The Loup-garou said in an irritated voice. Suddenly its fangs looked very
intimidating.
“…Wait, so are you…that beastkin?”
“Who else would I be? What? You hadn’t noticed it?”
“Of course, I hadn’t!”
Her appearance and even personality seemed different!
Even now, she was scratching the back of her head…? Ears…? In a way that
looked nothing like that girl. I saw a rugged warrior. Well, now that I think of
it, she had fought with brass knuckles…
“Oh, so we do know each other…”
“Have you come to kill me?”
“No. I just wanted to see the Loup-garou.”
My strength seemed to have left me, and so I sat down under a tree. The
Loup-garou walked heavily towards me and sat down to my side.
“…By the way, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Ah, I’m Asagi. Just an Adventurer.”
“An ordinary Adventurer would not have obliterated those bandits…I’m

Lehaty. A wolf beastkin.”
It’s hereditary. She added.
“It’s because of my ancestors that I look like this. And it’s because of it that I
have to hide in the forest every two months.”
“Bummer…”
“That’s an understatement…arghh…it’s damned shit is what it is…”
She looked up at the sky and started to curse. Her appearance and words were
a far cry from that girl I met in the bathtub.
“Well, at least I was able to take a nice long bath.”
“I would say it was way too long…you nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Oh, uh, I kind of overstayed and then someone came in and I had to wait.
And then they left and I was about to leave, but you came in…”
She said as she scratched her hairy face. I guess she didn’t want anyone to
see the ears…but who would think that a beastkin in hiding would be found
in the bathing room of an expensive inn? Well, she probably had her reasons,
but the risk seemed very big…
“I can’t return immediately once I become like this. But I love bathing… So
why wouldn’t I want to take a long bath while I can?”
“Well, you have a point there.”
“Right!? Oh, I’m so relieved. So I wasn’t wrong after all…”
I was a big fan of baths myself.
“Why don’t you just go to a hot spring?”
“A hot spring…I would, but they are too far…”
I tried suggesting, but there were apparently none in the area.
“North of the Alexia mountains, there is a break in the continent where it

meets the sea. The island there are volcanic. And there are famous hot springs
there.”
“Islands beyond those mountains there…”
“You see? It is too far. I cannot go with this body…”

Ahhh… Lehaty sighed with disappointment. She probably dreamed of going
to those islands one day. She was cursed with this trait and could not bathe as
she wanted.
“By the way, there is something about you that is very wolf-like.”
“Hmm? Oh, that… Uh, it’s a secret.”
“Huh? What do you mean? Tell me! Tell me now!”
She said as she locked my head under her arm. It was seriously painful.
“Ouch!!!!”
“Oh, sorry.”
“You. You… Think about your current situation…”
“Sorry-sorry. So? Why do you remind me of a wolf?”
It was a secret… Well, maybe I’ll just have to tell.
“I’m a thrall of Beowulf.”
“Huh? Beowulf? Really…”
“Really-really. By the way, I happen to know a Fenrir.”
“You are lying…that’s a legendary monster…”
Her reaction pleased me so much that I told her about Rachel as well. It was
pretty sad. Like I was bragging to a friend.
But that made me think about Rachel. Maybe we could use a door to go to the
hot spring?
“Lehaty. Would you want to meet this Fenrir?”
“Oh? I can meet it?”

“Yeah. Maybe your wish will come true.”
“Really!? You mean I can go to the island?!”
“Probably. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high.”
“That would be amazing! Thank you, Asagi!”
Lehaty hugged me happily. And while her fur felt quite comfortable at first, I
immediately started to feel as if I were going to be crushed to death.
□ □ □ □
And so I promised Lehaty that I would meet her in the abandoned village the
next day. I would have Daniela open the door to Rachel and we could meet
her. Well, that was the plan, but who knew if it would go well.
“I hope it does…”
After making this promise, Lehaty told me why she was there.
Lehaty’s home was deep within a forest near Alessa. She had been living
there peacefully with her family until the day of her tenth birthday. And that
was when her life changed.
As the beastkin population was small, there was a tradition that the entire
village celebrates birthdays together. And so Lehaty was surrounded by
everyone and had a very happy day.
However, when the celebration ended… Just as a torch was brought to the
town village square and to the shrine, she felt a change in her body.
It was like she was burning like the flames in front of her. She was burning
just as the shrine was burning.
And when it was completely enveloped in flames, Lehaty howled and turned
into a werewolf.
“It was then. People started to treat me with caution.”

Lehaty said sadly.
It did not take long for her to be driven out of the village. It was hard for
someone who was just over ten years of age to survive in the forest. It was a
world where death was ever near.
It was ironic then, that after returning to what her ancestors had been, that
Lehaty became far stronger than most monsters. When she was a werewolf,
she was strong enough to kill orcs with a single hit.
Lehaty lived alone until one day, she was picked up by a passing peddler. She
had worn the clothes and hat of a dead Adventurer, which kept her nature
hidden. She knew that humans were frightful creatures.
And so Lehaty followed the peddler to a town. As the peddler was well
known, she was allowed in without suspicion from the guards. People would
talk to her. The workers at the inn were kind.
And then she found the bathhouses. Lehaty usually just wiped herself with a
wet rag. But she now knew the joys of soaking in hot water. It was too late
now.
And so Lehaty became obsessed with baths. She would gather things in the
forest for the peddler to buy and then use that money to go to the inn and just
use their baths. This was because she couldn’t afford to stay.
Of course, such a lifestyle would not last for long.
One day, as Lehaty came to the town to sell what she had gathered, a wind
blew her hat away. This was right in front of the peddler. She had been
exposed.
Lehaty ran away in a panic. However, he did not chase after her, but just
stood there.
The next day, Lehaty fearfully returned to the same place. The peddler was
standing there as always. When he saw her, he smiled and motioned for her
to come.
When she did, he said, ‘this is for yesterday’ and he gave her the money.
Lehaty could not help but cry at his kindness. It had been so long since
anyone was so kind to her. It was then that she realized how much a toll
living alone after being exiled had taken on her.
“That is when I realized that there were nice humans in the world too.”
Lehaty said with a happy smile.
However, tragedy would strike once again.

chapter 193
It happened one day.
It was when Lehaty spent her bimonthly time of instability in the forest. But
unfortunately, she encountered Adventurers this time.
Of course, the Adventurers did not understand the situation, and so they fled
in fear. Lehaty ran as well, she had no intention of harming them. But this
seemed to give them courage, and they soon showed a will to fight her.
Arrows flew at her back. Magic was unleashed. Still, Lehaty ran, and still
they chased. But they were no match for the legs of a werewolf, and so
Lehaty escaped with her life.
The Adventurers had never seen such a monster before. Rare materials. That
is what she was to them.
However, it was an incident that reminded Lehaty of how horrible humans

could be.
“After that happened, I gave up going to bathhouses and just stayed in the
forest. After months passed, I started to be able to control the effects of my
illness. And then I was able to return to the town and use the baths again.”
Shortly after, Lehaty returned to making money and visiting the inn.
Even now, she returned to the forest once a month. She had to live with this
body.
But it seemed like things would be better for her on the island. She wouldn’t
have to make money just to use the baths. I didn’t know how large the island
was, but if it was an active volcanic island, it was probably decently large.
Lehaty might be able to live there without being bothered by other humans.
I had told her that something might be done, but who knows if that was true.
In any case, I just wanted to help the lonely girl.
□ □ □ □
As I walked down the path in the forest, I sensed someone coming from the
other side. It was a presence I was very familiar with. Daniela.
“Hahhhh…damn it…”
“What? You don’t seem too happy to see me?”
“I wish you would not leave while only leaving a scrap of paper like this.”
Daniela said as she waved the note.
-Will go to see the Loup-garou.-
“You could have at least written the location, you know?”
“Uh, sorry. I thought I did.”
“Huhhh…”
Daniela sighed.
“So? Did you see it?”
“Yeah. It was a bit shocking too.”
And so I told Daniela about my meeting with Lehaty.
“I see. And so you want to use Rachel’s magic to take Lehaty to that island.”
“Yeah. Do you think we can?”
“That is up to Rachel.”
And so I took the key out of the bag and handed it to Daniela.
“I do not see why I have to do it.”

“Well, I don’t know. Just a hunch.”
“I do not understand.”
Still, she used the magic key to insert it into the empty space in front of her.
And the space cracked open and an alley appeared.
“Yes.”
And so we stepped foot into the alley and opened the window to the side.
“Rachel? Are you there?”
“Hm? Ahh, Asagi. What do you want?”
“Oh, she’s here. Lucky.”
“Do not treat me like I’m some lucky beast.”
Rachel said. She was sitting in the living room and eating a bowl of rice and
egg. Daniela and I barged in while taking off our shoes. I was in awe of the
magic every time. And there was something relaxing about the atmosphere
here. Yes, like it was my own home.
“I have something to ask you.”
“Hmm. I can at least listen.”
And so I told her what I had just told Daniela.
Lehaty’s past and present. I told it to her in as much detail as possible and
then told her what I wanted her to do.
While I talked, she put her chopsticks down and listened quietly. The fact that
she was capable of taking things seriously was one of the reasons that I
trusted her. Of course, her food was getting cold and dry at the same time.
“…Hmm. I understand the gist of it. And I do have a door leading to the
island. I like baths as well, after all.”
“Really! So, can you do it?”
“Ah, why not? But there is a condition.”
“A condition…?”
The condition that Rachel had…what could it be?
“What foolish things are going through your mind…”
“What? I’m always serious.”
“You don’t look serious. You look stupid.”
“I prefer the word ‘endearing.’”
Daniela sighed at this stupid exchange and said,
“So…what is the requirement?”
“Oh, yes, right.”
Rachel clapped her hands together and looked at me with a condescending

grin.
“Asagi. You must become my thrall.”
I returned to the inn and collapsed on my bed.
In the evening, I had knocked on the south gate from the outside, which gave
the guards quite the scare. But I was so distracted by my own thoughts that I
walked passed them without saying anything. I wasn’t even sure if Mister
Saragi was there.
As for the town. It all seemed so far away now.

“What to do…”
I said to no one in particular. Of course, Daniela was there to hear it.
“I think you should do it. Be her thrall.”
“Hmm…”
“I do not mind. In fact, I am worried that you seem to be so troubled by it.”
Daniela said as she climbed the steps with a cup of fruit water.
“You’re worried about me?”
“Aye. If you ask me, you have a habit of caring about the small things too
much. This is not a world where you can let such things hold you back all of
the time.”
“I’m sure you’re right…”
“Sometimes, I feel as if you are incapable of compromise. I am not telling

you to go out and create a harem. She is nothing more than a friend.”
I accepted the cup from her and wet my lips.
“If it was Fiona. I would object. She had the face of an animal in heat.”
“That’s rude…”
“Lauria did as well. And I had my suspicions about that prostitute in Alessa.
Speaking of suspicious, those twins. Olive and Oregano.”
“Hey, hey. Now you’re starting to paint me like some kind of womanizer.”
“Oh? Were you ever anything else?”
I glared at her. She had to be kidding. As if…
I knew what it looked like from seeing Matsumoto. He was a real Hero. I
wasn’t like that at all.
“And that is why this is nothing to me now. It is too late for you to try and
change your reputation. Understand?”
“Uhhh…”
Yes. Well, that wasn’t something I could accept so easily. This was all news
to me.
“You still do not understand?”
“Yes. I don’t.”
“Then I shall make you. No matter what your inhibitions might be, you are
not capable of bending for anyone. Except for me.”
“Uh, now, Daniela…”
Her lips covered my mouth as I began to protest. Ultimately, I would not

have time for a rebuttal until morning.
□ □ □ □
I could never get used to these tired mornings. It reminded me of getting up

for my night-shift. However, I wasn’t in low spirits, at least.
Daniela had persuaded and reminded me of a thing or two. And I was feeling
a lot more positive about accepting Rachel’s proposition.
I woke Daniela up and we bathed together.
After that, we at breakfast and left a message before leaving the inn. We were
headed to the south gate, just like yesterday.
Things had been shaken up a little due to my return the other day, and so
heads immediately turned as we approached. But I had nothing to say now.
And so I just kept walking.
Like yesterday, the path was covered in leaves and difficult to see. But it
wasn’t a hard path to follow, and we easily made it to the abandoned village.
Lehaty should be there unless something happened.
“I’m nervous…”
“I do not see why you should be?”
“I just am.”
I was going to turn into someone’s thrall. Of course, I’d be nervous. I hadn’t
even been aware of what was happening with Beowulf. But this time, I knew.
The village had been abandoned due to people moving to Yukka. So it had
nothing to do with monsters. Well, it was certainly a peaceful way to have
something rot away.
Then again, perhaps someone returned occasionally, as the houses were

surprisingly still standing and in decent condition. Well, it would have been
before the Loup-garou arrived. There were still leaves and mud
everywhere…
“Asagi!”
Lehaty called as she came out of one of the houses. Yes, yes. She looked like
a great werewolf today as well.
“Morning. I’m sure you remember Daniela.”
“Hello. Thank you for helping us back in the carriage.”
“I only did what I had to.”
Lehaty chuckled pleasantly, but I still remembered seeing the bodies of those
she fought. The limbs that were twisted in the wrong directions.
“Now, Rachel is waiting. And she does not like to wait.”
I glanced over to Daniela. She nodded and took out the key.
“Oh, I’m getting nervous…this is a legendary monster…”
“Yeah…”
“You are both nervous, now? …Asagi, you should toughen up.”
Daniela said as she slapped me on the back. It was surprisingly painful, and I
coughed. When I looked up, the alley spread out before us.
chapter 194
“You came.”
“Yeah. This is Lehaty. Be nice.”
When we entered the window to Rachel’s room, we found her in clothes

made of fur. It was probably what she considered formal.
“That depends on your decision.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m asking.”
“So, you agree then?”
“Why not? I’m just going to think of it as changing my horse’s saddle.”
Yes, that’s all it was. I was upgrading from Beowulf to Rachel. I would be
given a more advanced version of the skills I already had. It was very game-
like.
“But there was one thing that I was wondering about…”
“And what is that?”
“What exactly should I tell Beowulf when I meet him again?”
Overwriting his gift seemed like a very ungrateful way to repay a debt. And
so that had been on my mind.
“Well, as for that, I shall tell him myself when I meet him again. And it
should not be so long until I do.”
“Really?”
“Aye. Well, that is my business. Now, hurry up and sit down.”

We had all been standing all of this time. And so we frantically sat down on
the cushions.
“Um, uhh…”
Lehaty mumbled as she looked questioningly at Rachel.
“What? What is it? Werewolf girl.”
“I…are…are you the legendary wolf god?”
“Ahh, well, there are some who call me that… But I don’t know, I find it a
little embarrassing.”
“Ohh…!”
Now that Lehaty knew, her face lit up with a smile. Then she rolled over onto
her back in front of Rachel. This was familiar. It was a pose of submission…
“Idiot! Stop! Stop this! And in such a place!”
“So-sorry…”
Both of them looked quite flustered as they sat back down. I guess something
had not quite connected.
“So? When will Asagi become your thrall?”
“Oh, yes, yes. Here.”
“Here?”
Rachel raised her hand.
“There!”
And then she swung it towards my cheek.
“Ooomph!!”
“Asagi!?”
“Woah!?”
As I was not on my guard, the impact of the hit sent me flying from the floor
and into the paper doors behind me. It hurt…
“There. That is it!”
“Damn…damn…”
“Asagi, are you alright? Anything broken?”
I couldn’t see her, but I was quite sure that Rachel was standing close by with
her arms crossed in front of her and nodding with satisfaction. I tried standing
up with Daniela’s help, but I seemed to be stuck in the wooden frame of the
sliding door.
The thing was heavy around my neck as my hands touched the floor. It was
then that I saw that silver and green powder seemed to be coming from my
hands.
“What’s this?”
“That is my gift to you.”
I would have tilted my head in puzzlement if I could. The powder kept

flowing. They glowed and then were absorbed into my body.
It reminded me of that time. When Beowulf had done the same thing to me in
the forest. There had also been glowing dust that was sucked into me…
But he hadn’t hit me.
“So this is the gift of the god wolf…”
Unique skill ‘Legs of the God Wolf’ and ‘Eyes of the God Wolf.’ I had
newly acquired these two skills. Of course, the use of them had also been
ingrained into me as well, so I was sure I could use them now if I had to.
“Alright, now that that’s done, you can help Lehaty.”
“Yes, I will send her to where she wants to go.”
Daniela helped me remove the door frame from my head and I turned to
Lehaty.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect things to go so smoothly, but I’m glad it all
worked out.”
“Thank you, Asagi. I am glad that I met you. Now that I have met Rachel, I
am very happy.”
That was good.
“Good luck over there.”
“Yes, thank you. You two take care.”
“Mmm…yes.”
I glanced over to Daniela. She looked a little red. It was cute.
“Well, you two are done here. Now leave. Go! Go!”
“Huh? I thought I’d at least watch Lehaty leave and wave goodbye…”
“Are you some kind of child? You will meet again. Now go!”
“Fi-fine…”
And so we were both chased out of the house. I didn’t understand it, but I
would find out later.
About the pose of submission that beastkin did.
While not ideal, it did seem that I had succeeded in getting Lehaty sent to the
island. …Probably. I would like to think so.
“Well, there is no point in worrying about it. We did what we could.”
“…Yeah. And we’ll see her again some time. Maybe we can visit the island.”
“Yes.”
But first, it was off to the capital. I didn’t know what we would encounter
next, but the two of us could make it together. I was sure of it.
It didn’t take long to reach the south gate from the abandoned village. It was
just a straight path. But there would probably be more people passing through
it in the time to come. The Loup-garou that had scared so many people was
now gone. It had only been a girl who was tormented by her unfortunate
nature. But only Daniela, I and Rachel knew of it.
I wanted to keep it that way. But how could I explain it? The south gate was
already in sight. There was not much time left.
“Still…”
“Hm?”
Daniela looked at me. And so I asked her the thing that had been on my
mind.
“I was told while leaving the south gate. Many people left to catch a glimpse
of the Loup-garou, or to kill it. And not one of them had returned.”
“Are you suggesting that Lehaty killed the Adventurers?”
That couldn’t be. Yes, she had the power to do it. But neither I nor Daniela
felt that she was that kind of person.
“Then…is it someone else…?”
Before Daniela could answer this question, a voice interrupted us.
—ooooooOOOO…
Daniela immediately unsheathed her sword. As my spear was in the bag, I
took out the Glampanzer instead.
“He-he-hey, what’s going on!?”
“Is it not obvious!?”
Daniela said frantically as she spread the range of Presence Detection.
“Lehaty was not the Loup-garou… There was another one!”
She shouted, and at the same time, pushed me away. I could do nothing but
roll away as I saw it.
There was a giant wolf standing between me and Daniela. It had platinum fur
and three tails.
“Beo…wulf…?”
“Oh? You know of me? Human.”
Its eyes bore into me with hostility and murderous intent.
“That was a rude greeting for an old friend, don’t you think?”
“Old friend…? I do not know you.”
Then Beowulf slammed his claws into the earth and howled.
“I just came to eliminate the source of the stench. Now die, human!!”
Silver and green wind swam around Beowulf’s legs. It was all very familiar
to me. I had seen it so many times, but it wasn’t unique to me. I had
forgotten.
“Tsk…!”
I knew it. I knew the speed. I should be able to dodge it.

“Oh? Dodging…then how about this!?”
The silver and green wind enveloped his three tails now as he swung them.
Blades of wind were unleashed. I rarely used it, but I knew that move. And I
knew its weakness.
I hit them from the side with my sword. This created additional wind and
caused the blades to disperse. That was the weakness. I had once considered
if I couldn’t incorporate the wind blades into my fighting style, and so I had
run simulations. That’s how I found out about their weakness. It definitely
made me use them less, which resulted in me using the kick more and more.
There were times when I used them as a diversion, but overall, they were just
not that reliable.
“Hmph. They were only wind blades. In that case…my claws and fangs…”
“Wait!”
I called as Beowulf tried to continue the fight. But he didn’t seem to want to
talk.
“Have you really forgotten about me? Don’t you remember us making peace
back in Fhiraldo?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. And I do not know you. Or
Fhiraldo. What I do know, is that I do not like you at all!”
Beowulf sprung forward, clearly having no intention of talking. It was then

that an arrow wrapped in wind shot out towards his foot. Beowulf dodged it
with ease and jumped backward.
“Asagi. He will not listen to you.”
“But, Daniela…”
“Listen. Asagi.”
She had drawn her bow and was ready to shoot again.
“That is not the Beowulf you know. We met a very different silver wolf.”
“What…is-is that possible?”
The string was pulled tight.
“It is. And this is the true Loup-garou!”
And then she unleashed the arrow.

chapter 195
An arrow shot from the front was not likely to hit its target.
The Loup-garou avoided it with ease before charging towards me again.
“Hah!”
And like an idiot, I blocked him with an Ice Shield. The Loup-garou was
surprised at the sudden appearance of the thing, but instead of crashing into
it, he jumped.
But Daniela was quick. She unleashed another arrow as the Loup-garou was
in the air. But this was a forest wolf. Wind blew all around it. But I had the
same skill and understood how he would move.
And so I unleashed a volley of Ice Arrows of my own, blocking its path.
“GGGRRAAH…!!”
Luckily, two of them hit. One in its back and one in its stomach. The Loup-
garou was unable to ignore the pain, and it crashed into the ground.
“I’ll get it!”
“I will cover you!”
I ran with the sword in my hand. Behind me, I could hear Daniela pulling her
bow. I was able to charge like this because I knew she had my back.
The Loup-garou had shot towards me at an incredible speed, and so it was

now sliding across the ground. Its claws were in the dirt, but there didn’t
seem to be much strength in them. It hit a tree and leaves fell.
“Damn you…human…”
“I’m usually very sympathetic to your kind, but if you insist on trying to kill
me, I’ll have to return the favor!”
“Fool!!”
It was not great that I wasn’t wearing my armor, but I now used my AGI to
its fullest as I dashed towards him and slammed my sword down just as it
tried to get up. I meant to take off its head, but in a flash, he moved out of the
way. But he wasn’t unhurt either. Part of his front right paw had been cut.
Blood ran from the wounds. The smell of raw flesh was in the air, as was the
smell of iron.
The last blow seemed to have done a lot of damage, because his body shook
as he got up. Seeing my chance, I activated Jack of all Trades, Master of
None and ran simulations of my new skill. The four screens showed four
versions of me and taught me the movements. It was very similar to the old
skill. However, the output was not. It was high-power and very efficient. I
silently thanked Rachel.
Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.
Just then, an arrow shot out from behind me and went straight into the belly
of the Loup-garou. The beast was capable of speech, but it now wailed like
an animal.
“Now!”
“Aye!”
Daniela really was reliable. Even when it would look like I was just standing
there, she understood that my brain was making calculations through Jack of
all Trades, Master of None. The arrow came at just the right timing.
And I had my opening.
And I would not let it pass. I concentrated and activated ‘Legs of the God
Wolf.’ Then that familiar sensation of wind around my legs came. From what
I could see, it was also silver and green. However, the silver looked like there
was a little white in it as well. The green also looked clearer and perhaps
more vibrant.
But that wasn’t important. I had to concentrate on what was ahead of me.
“You…I knew it. A wolf…!”
The Loup-garou saw the wind and glared at me. I ignored him and moved
forward. It only took a second. The distance between us seemed to vanish.
The shocked eyes of the Loup-garou faced me. And then my blade was
buried in its face.
“GGGGGGGGGGAAAAARRGHHH!!!!”
It roared and thrashed. Its limbs tore at the ground violently, and I frantically
backed away and returned to Daniela.
“You are even faster now.”
“I feel like I’ve exceeded any standards of what is fast.”
“We will talk about it later.”
She prepared another arrow. I also created a dozen Ice Javelins. I thought
they would be more effective, given the size of the target. The forest wolf, the
Loup-garou, would die. I felt bad, as it was the same species as Beowulf, but
there was nothing else we could do.
“DAAAAAAAAAMMMN YOU!!!”
“Sorry. You must die.”
And with that, the wind arrow and ice spears were unleashed. There was a
thunderous echo as they tore into its flesh. The Loup-garou died, its hateful
glare never leaving me.
□ □ □ □
I stood there for quite a while. When I looked up, the sun was high in the sky.
We had left in the morning, so that meant a lot of time had been spent here.
“I’m tired…let’s…sit down…”
“Yes. That gave me quite a fright. We did not even have our armor…”
I looked down at myself. Questions concerning the Loup-garou had been in

my head, but meeting Lehaty had distracted me from them. And so I had
gone out in ordinary clothes and a sword. Daniela was the same. She wore
her one-piece and leggings. She looked good. She had her rapier and bow and
arrows. Something about the whole ensemble looked fashionable. The clothes
had been from the White Lilly. I kind of felt that they prioritized fashion a
little too much, but I couldn’t complain about these results.
“While this isn’t the best time to evaluate clothes…”
“You are looking too much, idiot.”
Daniela said as she adjusted her skirt. It was cute.
Perhaps it was an aftereffect of surviving the battle, but I wasn’t able to think
straight. I had to snap out of it. We had to think about the Loup-garou.
“We should probably tell the guards first.”
“Hmmm… Do you think we should let them take it apart too?”
“I think that they should do it.”
Daniela glanced at the Loup-garou.
“After all, this thing was a terrible threat that killed and ate many of their
Adventurers and citizens.”
Right. What we had killed it, it had terrorized the town for so long…
Well, then. We should hurry.
“I’ll run ahead.”

“Do not go too fast.”
“I know.”
I had not been thinking earlier. And so I tried running another simulation and
saw that I could run at my usual speed with half the energy I used to use. I
see. It really was much stronger than Legs of the Forest Wolf. I had leveled
up.
But how would I explain the differences on my status card… Well, I’d think
of something.
□ □ □ □
Someone called to me from on top of the walls when I reached the south gate.
“Hey, Asagi!”
“Hmm? Mister Saragi?”
I looked up to see him standing there. He was waving a spear.
“You’re alive!”
“Yeah, I’m well!”
“I’ll open it now! Just wait!”
He said, then disappeared. I then heard him moving noisily behind the gate.
He could have just opened the small side-door… After a while, there was
silence, and the heavy gate creaked open.
“Ah…yes. That’s nice…”
A thin crack appeared in the center of the great gate. The light pouring
through illuminated the dust in the air as it widened.
“It is pretty…”
Then the south gate was opened. The town spread out behind it. It somehow
looked more beautiful than usual.
chapter 196
I came back alive. That alone was some kind of miracle for the people of this
town, or so Saragi insisted. Indeed, most Adventurers would not have
survived an encounter with an abnormally evolved being. I myself thought I
was going to die when I first met Beowulf.
But unlike that time, I did more than survive. In fact, I was completely
unharmed. Well, it was because I used my skills. Daniela also helped me. The
thought of fighting it alone sent chills down my spine.
“So, where is the corpse of the Loup-garou?”
“Down this path. We were attacked on our way back from the abandoned
village.”
“I see…I’m glad you were alright. You are the savior of Yukka. We can now
reopen the south and east gates.”
“You exaggerate. We just happened to come across it and had to fight it.”
Though, I had gone out with the intention of meeting it.
“Even still. It caused us much trouble. It seemed strangely smart enough not
to come close to the town. But then again, it kept being sighted and being the
object of rumors, which guaranteed that Adventurers continued to search for
it. And they all died. But now it is finally finished. Yukka will have peace
again.”
Said Saragi. Well, it was good that they could reopen the gates. After all, had
the rumors spread, more and more people would have continued to challenge
the beast and died. It would affect the reputations and business of the town
eventually. And that was how towns disappeared.
I was now moving through the forest with a team of soldiers behind me.
Basically, the gate had been opened more for the purpose of letting them out
than letting me in. For a second I had wondered if I was going to be arrested
when I saw them marching out. Saragi laughed and apologized.
They were in charge of the security of the south gate. Saragi was the captain.
He had been on watch that night as one of his men had fallen ill.
“Bah, that was some ill-luck… But it’s always been the case.”
He said as he slapped his leg.
“Well, at least I met a crazy Adventurer because of it. You have to take the
good with the bad.”
I guess he was right. After all, I had been stabbed in the stomach but was then
sent to this world instead of dying. People ridiculed me as the Black Rabbit at
first, but then I met Daniela. We had encountered a dangerous monster called
Beowulf, and then I been given an odd gift. Good things often followed the
bad. It made me think that I was fine with it all in the end. Humans were
strange creatures.
However, just as good things could follow the bad, bad things could follow
the good.
I remembered this and felt it. It was always like this. After arriving in this
world, I was chased by forest wolves. And I never reconciled with the
Adventures who called me Black Rabbit.
There was always something bad after the good. And something good after
the bad.
“Daniela…Daniela!”
I realized that the body of the Loup-garou that we were supposed to have
killed was not there. And at the same time, I saw in despair that Daniela was
on the ground. She was covered in blood.
“Hey, hey…Daniela…Daniela…!”
I frantically pulled her up, but her face was pale under the streams of blood. I
put my ear to her mouth and confirmed that she was still breathing.
“Someone…give me a potion! A potion!”
“Do it! Quickly! You!”
A woman in white armor came running. She took off the large backpack and
produced a small bottle. Green liquid. A potion to recover your strength.
“Here!”
“Thank you…Daniela…can you drink…?”
I opened the bottle and slowly poured it into her mouth.
“…Uh…gggg…! Ghha!”
“Daniela…!”
I quickly pulled the bottle away. It was no good. She coughed and blood
flooded from her lips. A liquid potion would not go down her throat like this.
Was…wasn’t there any other way…!?
“Asagi, you must start from the outside. Close her wounds or the blood will
not stop!”
“Ri-right…damn it…these are bad…”
Her clothes were in tatters as well. The once beautiful one-piece was covered
in blood and dirt and shredded. Wounds riddled her body. I poured the potion
over the worst parts. The guard gave me more and more bottles as I poured
them over her. The blood washed away as I poured. After a while, the once
wide-open wounds began to close.
“This is just an emergency measure. I had the soldiers pitch a tent over there.
We have to move her and have her treated properly.”
“Thank you, Saragi…”
“It’s too early to thank me. Wait until we know she’ll make it.”
“Ah…”
How had it come to this… I looked at the spot where the Loup-garou should
have been. There was blood gathered there. But there were also other traces
to suggest the fight had begun anew. I could tell. The traces of wind blades.
But I was sure that I had killed it. But then again, I hadn’t taken off its head.
But how could it be alive… And Daniela…
What if she died… I was so worried that I didn’t know what to do. I could
feel it, it was as if my mind were shutting off. Why hadn’t I cut off its head? I
was overwhelmed with regret.
I would kill to protect her.
Yes. Hadn’t that been what I learned in Nicora?
Daniela was barely alive, and it was possible that she would not last long. If it
happened, it would all be my fault.
Why. Why. Why… I couldn’t stop asking myself.
Just then, I heard the sound of hands clapping together. I turned around in
surprise. Saragi was standing there.
“You’re back then. Good.”
“What…?”
“You were sinking into a pit of regret, weren’t you? Humans always become
so pessimistic. But you’re back now. And there is hope.”
“Hope… But Daniela is so…”
“I told you, it’ll be fine. My men know what they are doing. Don’t be so
quick to despair.”
It was easy for him to say it, but I had seen the wounds… I could not help but
look down.
“Listen to me, Asagi. I may have had to quit being an Adventurer after taking
an arrow to the knee, but I used that experience to have my men train in
medical treatment as well. And it is because of that that there are no doctors
in Yukka. Do you see why?”
Saragi crouched down to my level and smiled.
“It’s because we are too good at what we do.”
“Saragi…”
I wasn’t sure if I should let myself hope. Then a soldier’s voice called. It was
the same woman from earlier.
“Captain! Captain!”
“Don’t call me that. I’m an Adventurer! So, what is it?”
“The injured Adventurer has awakened!”
I got up abruptly and grabbed her by the collar.
“Daniela’s alive!?”
“Ye-yes!”
“Thank you!!”
Overwhelmed with emotion, I hugged her tightly while thanking her. Then I
ran towards the tent.
Daniela. Daniela.
She was all that I could think about.
□ □ □ □
“Daniela!”
“Uhh…Asagi…”
“Yeah… God, I’m so glad…!”
I knelt down by her bed. I didn’t know if there was a god, but I offered my
thanks repeatedly.
“Asagi…I am sorry…I let my guard down…”
“No, it was me…! If I had only cut off its head…”
“I could have done it as well…ggghh…”
“Daniela.”
Her wounds must have been hurting her. I tried to move closer but a guard
stopped me.
“Asagi…that thing is no longer an ordinary Beowulf…after killing it…it

evolved…its intense hatred caused it to change…”
“Ah…”
“Be careful…its wind…it was stronger than yours was when you were a
thrall to Beowulf…”
Daniela said this before falling unconscious. I became frantic, but the guard
assured me that she was not dead.
They said that they would continue to treat her and that I had to leave.
Outside, Saragi had his men regroup and stand in formation.
“We’re going, aren’t we?”
“Yes…But just me alone.”
“You can defeat it by yourself?”

I shook my head.
“It’s not a question of whether I can or not. I will defeat it. No…I will kill it.
Him. With these hands. Make no mistake.”
“I must advise you. Don’t let hatred rule you. Open your mind and see the
whole picture. Your chance of winning and your future are always hard to
see.”
“Thank you, Sargai.”
“Don’t mention it. Well, you’re an Adventurer after all. I know what it’s like.
It’s in our blood.”
He laughed heartily as I bowed. I was glad that he was here.
“But this is also a problem for Yukka. I will report this to my superiors and a
hunting party will be formed.”
“I understand. I may die in the process, but I will deal a lethal blow.”
I had no intention of dying, but the good followed the bad. Who knew what
would happen.
“Don’t die. Still, kill it. That’s what being an Adventurer is about, right?”
He said seriously. Yeah. I would really have to try and come back alive…
“You’re right… By the time you all catch up to me, I’ll be taking a nap on its
head.”
“Haha! I look forward to seeing it!”
He turned around and barked out orders to his men. And with that, they
turned on their heels and headed for the south gate. The tent had been pulled
down and Daniela was being carried away on a cart.
“We’ll follow you shortly. Don’t die.”

“You be careful as well, Saragi.”
We bumped our fists together.
We had promised to meet again. And so I too turned on my heels and looked
at the forest. I needed to return the favor. For Daniela’s wounds. I would.
“…But first, I better put on my armor.”
I chuckled as I looked down at myself. The ridiculousness of it at least

calmed my nerves a little.
chapter 197
“So…figuring out what led to all of this can come later.”
The Loup-garou should have been dead. But not only was it alive, but it had
evolved… While this had no precedent, it didn’t mean it was impossible.
That was the kind of world this was.
Still, it was going to deal with the consequences of hurting Daniela.
“It was a good thing I accepted Rachel’s offer…”
The unique skill, ‘Eyes of the God Wolf.’ It was the eyes of the Fenrir that
drank in the world. In other words, eyes that had seen the world. Eyes of the
God Wolf that see through the world. All-seeing eyes.
“…I found you.”
The last time I had seen it, it was a silver wolf that was covered in blood.
However, it was now a black wolf. Its coat had changed color. It was as if I
could see the hatred that caused it to evolve.
And now, this black wolf, the Loup-garou, was walking by a river that ran
through the forest. It was still bleeding badly, contaminating the water with
its blood.
“That won’t be drinkable for a while.”
I had yet another reason to kill it quickly.
I turned around. Saragi and his men were on their way to the town. I could
barely see the last of them now. When I was sure they were far away, I hid in
the shadow of a tree and got changed.
Once that was done, I pondered on what weapon to use. A greatsword

seemed like the best option. However, my enemy was a forest wolf. It would
at least be as fast as I was. No, it could be faster now that it has evolved. And
so the greatsword was really no option at all.
So was the spear. Yes, it was a good weapon, but I wasn’t confident in my
ability to wield it yet. If I couldn’t react instantly, it would only mean my
death. It was out of the question.
My one-handed sword and the short sword. I could dual-wield them. And I
knew that I was good at it. However, the short sword’s range might be a
problem. And so I put them aside.
“Well…by process of elimination…”
On the left side of my belt hung the Glampanzer. And on the right was the
Ancient Elf Sword. The hardest demon blade and the strongest sword.
I would duel-wield them. Jack of all Trades, Master of None told me that this
was the best way. And I knew I could fight with them.
As for the Ancient Elf blade, I had once used the Appraisal Glasses on them
back at the inn.
‘Forest Sword of Greenstar Steel: A sword made by the elves. As the process
of creating it was done entirely by magic, the method has been lost.’
It read. Apparently, greenstar steel was some kind of alloy made from
meteorite and greenstone that was supposed to have fallen from the sky in
ancient times. I had never heard of them before, but I suppose they were just
what you’d call ‘fantasy stone.’ The other weapons were made of the same
thing. It made me curious about how they were made, but there was no use
trying to find out.
Enough about that. It was not important. First, I had to kill the Loup-garou.
This sword would carry my hate and regret as it cuts through him. And then it
will all be over.
“Good…”
I took in a deep breath as the platinum and green wind enveloped my legs. I
took one step forward and suddenly everything rushed passed me in a flash.
Then I stepped on the air and launched myself into the sky so I could look
down at the forest. I immediately saw the river. I followed it until…
“The Loup-garou…!”
I could see that it walked unsteadily. But it also turned to glare at me with
defiance. Was it Presence Detection or its sense of smell? I didn’t really care.
And so I unsheathed my two swords so that I could kill it as soon as possible.
“ARRGGH!!!”
“GRRRAA!!”
I swung with the demon sword in my right hand, all of my strength went into
it as I aimed for its neck. However, the black wolf had the power of the wind
around its four legs, and it moved away as if sliding on the ground. The wind
it used was black and gold.
But what might have been a bright, glorious gold-color, seemed to be dark
and dull as mud. It probably shouldn’t have been called gold, but I wasn’t
sure what else to call it.
“What you did to her…!”
“GAARRRGHH!!!”
I pursued the retreating Loup-garou and slashed with the forest sword. The
tip of it nicked the wolf’s nose. It cried at the cut to a sensitive area, but it
was not much of an addition to the wounds he already had.
I try to close in on him, but I struggle with controlling the strength of the
wind. When I try to go behind him, I end up creating a large gap between us.
“Damn it! I shouldn’t do things I’m not used to!”
Angrily, I unleashed ‘Frostsword: Straight Shot.’ As it was done in

frustration, my aim wasn’t the best, and it landed on the ground in front of the
wolf.
But it at least ended up interfering with his next attack, as he was just about
to move forward.
And I wasn’t stupid enough to let him go unpunished.
Once again, I used Jack of all Trades, Master of None to calculate quickly
and control the wind. And when I sent the power to my legs and kicked the
earth, I was able to move to the exact spot that I had wanted. Perhaps my
AGI helped it calculate faster.
“Hah!”
I swung the sword in my left hand upwards. There was a flash of green, and
then all three of the wolf’s tails were severed.
“GGGGGAAAAGGGHH!!!”
“HAA!!”
Without waiting for a second, I swung down with the same sword. However,
there was an explosion of wind before my sword made contact, and I was
thrown back.
“Ggg…!”
And then I felt a piercing pain in my left eye. I couldn’t open it. When I put
my left hand against it, I could feel the wetness of blood dripping down. I had
likely been hit by a wind blade.
“Damn it…”
I used Legs of the God Wolf to move away and then forced my eye to open.
Everything looked red, but I could still see. At least my eyeball had not been
cut. But perhaps I’d had have scar…
“Daniela was wounded badly. It’s only fair that I take a few hits.”
Daniela’s body was so beautiful. I could take just as much.

“Still, it just had to be my eye…I can’t bloody see.”
The haziness would be dangerous for me. And so I just had to keep that eye
closed until I was better.
And so my right eye searched for the black wolf. It was still whining in pain.
The gold wind was gone. It was naked. It was my chance.
I sent strength to my legs again. The whirl of wind was so fast that I could
hear high-frequency like sounds as the speed rose. But I could still control it.
By using all of my power.
And then suddenly, there was silence. But I could still see the violent wind
moving around me. It had reached a point where human ears could no longer
detect it. I see. This was the power of the God Wolf.
I glared at the Loup-garou. It rose through its pain and glared back at me. I
had spent too much time controlling the wind. He had activated his own as
well.
I looked down. The black wolf looked up.
It was the black wolf that moved first. It stepped on the air and lept. I could
see black fire in his open jaws. It must have been its unique skill. I did not
want to be hit by it.
As I watched him come, Jack of all Trades, Master of None finished its
calculations. The timing and how to move during and after the attack. The
effect on my surroundings. I saw everything.
“It’s finished!”
“GRRRAAAGGH!!!!”
The flames from its mouth got caught in the wind and burned upwards. Then
it enveloped him. The Black wolf.
And towards its huge body, I swung both swords at once. At the same time, I
created an Ice Sword with all of the magic within me. It wouldn’t break or
bend. It was sharp and would freeze anything it touched. If I had to name it, I
would call it Niflheim. It was a cool name…
Three swords as a single hit.
“‘Kamiyashiro-style: Final Frost Triple Threat’!!”
The Niflheim caused it to freeze in an instant. At the same time, the two
flashes of the blades split the body into three. And then, death.
Frozen blood held the three pieces together, but not its life. The Loup-garou
had no strength in it as it crashed to the ground. Frozen shards of blood
scattered.
The wind of the God Wolf also slammed me onto the ground. Several tree
branches cushion the fall, but it didn’t do much to kill the moment as I
skidded away. It was according to plan.
In the end, I crashed into a tree and stopped.
“It’s fine…yes…”
I coughed up blood and managed to stand up and lean against the tree. I was
quite far from it now… However, I had killed it. It hadn’t killed her. But I
still had a grudge.
The slash over my left eye stung badly. My body also felt as if it had been
whipped. That must have been the tree branches. Everything hurt.
I could feel my consciousness fading already. It would be easy enough to

give in here, but there were things that needed to be done first.
And so I moved through the pain and stood up. Then I sheathed my two
swords and started to walk towards the Loup-garou.
chapter 198
My body swayed. My feet were heavy. I hadn’t felt anything at first, but now
the weight of both swords seemed to pull me down. How easy would it be to
just fall down and rest here… That was how tired I was.
However, I didn’t know what would happen. What if that Loup-garou came
back to life even after I had chopped it into three pieces? And so I couldn’t
stop.
Suddenly, I noticed that something was strange, and I looked down at my

feet.
“Woah…are you kidding me…”
I hadn’t noticed it at all up until now. Though, I did think it was a little chilly.
The wind dragon trousers were torn and shredded. It was probably because of
Legs of the God Wolf…
“Huhhh…and they were such good materials…”
While they weren’t from a full-grown dragon, it was shocking that this could
happen. This wind. Well, I had pushed it to its limits, so maybe I shouldn’t
complain now. It was probably just seconds away from tearing off all my
skin as well. Imagine if I was killed by the power of my master? Some
protection it was.
However, there was no point in whining about it now. And so I walk in my

new pair of shorts to the Loup-garou.
□ □ □ □
“…Hmm. It does seem to be dead.”
The last time I had seen it, it had been cut into three pieces and frozen. The
wounds were sealed and the blood was hard as a rock. It would probably
shatter if I smashed against the ground. And while that may seem like a waste
of materials, wearing any of it as equipment was a good way to get cursed. I
wasn’t sure what would happen if someone else wore it, but it probably
wouldn’t be good.
Well, that about wraps things up. I had used power that I was not accustomed
to, and I felt very drained. In any case, I decided to just encase the corpse in
ice for now. Thanks to the ice magic boosting attributes of my armor, I was at
least able to do this in spite of being exhausted.
When the big mountain of ice was complete, my eyes caught those of the
Loup-garou.
“Huh…”
I was tired. The sun was already starting to come down. I figured that I might
as well rest a little on the top of the iceberg. It seemed like a place that would
be safe from monsters.
And so I used the last of my strength to climb to the top with Legs of the God
Wolf, and then I thrust my sword into it. After that, I just leaned against the
sword and closed my other eye. It should not be too long until the hunting
team arrived.
□ □ □ □
“Uhhh…”
I awoke with a feeling of pain. When my eyes opened, the sky spread out
before me. Was I dead?
“Ah, captain. Miss Daniela has awakened.”
“Hm? Oh.”
I heard a voice and I turned to see who it was. It was no one I knew. Just an
ordinary guard. But I also knew that I was alive, which was a relief.
“I’m captain Saragi, of the southern gate. It seems like you can talk. And you
were conscious earlier.”
“Aye… I feel pain all over, but my mouth can move.”
“That’s good. I can now tell you about the situation.”
What Saragi told me sounded very bad. I had memories of some of it. The
Loup-garou that should have been dead had begun to exhale black energy,
and so I unsheathed my sword. I did not know what was happening, but it
was clearly dangerous, and yet I could do nothing but stare back at it.
And then, surprisingly, its once silver fur began to turn black. I had never
seen anything like this happen before. I started to move back as I sensed the
danger, but then a black wind flew towards me. And that was the last thing I
remember.
Apparently, Asagi had brought the town guards shortly after that. They
focused on treating me while Asagi went out alone to finish off the Loup-
garou. He was probably doing it as revenge…that would be very like him.
We were now on our way back to Yukka. They would make a report and
send out a hunting team.
“So…when can I go back?”
“Wait a minute. You can’t go out there with such wounds!”
“Just answer the question.”
“…Evening at the earliest. The Loup-garou has been quite dangerous of late,
so a draft has already been prepared for a hunting team. We just need to call
them and relay the plan. But it’ll be close to night time when they all arrive.”
“That is too late. He is fighting out there alone even now.”
I forced myself up. Pain racked my body.
“But that is as fast as it can be. Besides, they would have to be carrying you.”
“Do not bother yourselves about me. You must send the hunting party as
soon as possible!”
“Not bother with you…? But the only reason he went out there was because
of you!?”
He said this with an angry glare. There was no hate, but his look had a strong
will. I could see that he too wished to return as soon as possible and join
Asagi.
“…Do you have any potions?”
“I do, but…”
“Give me all of them. Do it now.”
A guard who was nearby hesitated and then offered me a bag. I took it and
saw that it was full of little bottles. And so I opened one and drank its
contents. The heat slowly spread throughout my body. But it was not enough.
I had to heal my wounds in order for my energy to return. And so I tore off
my ruined clothes and poured the potion over my skin.
“Hey-hey…wait a…”
Saragi averted his eyes awkwardly, but I had no time to think about his
reaction. I did not care who saw me now as I went about healing my wounds.
“This one will not heal…”
It was the worst one. Unfortunately, there was a long slash that went down
my chest. I had avoided such terrible wounds up until now…keeping myself
clean. Would Asagi still find this body beautiful?
“Yes…of course, he would.”
Besides, it was I who held him. There was no point in worrying about what
he thought.
Now, while I have scars, the wounds are all sealed. So I just have to recover
my strength.
“Saragi. Do you have Asagi’s bag with you?”
“Hmm? Ah, yes. He only took his weapons and equipment while leaving the
bag…”
“Give it to me.”
I stretched out my hand but Saragi just pointed. I looked to see that the bag
was behind me. Ah, so there it was. Asagi’s little doll was hanging on it. Yes,
it was the hollow bag.
I took out a clean cloth from it and wiped the excess potion off of my body.
And then I took my armor and put it on. My sword and bow had been
recovered and were inside as well.
And lastly, I put on the chained ore gauntlets.
“Is that chained ore? It’s very rare…you wouldn’t…”
“You have a terrible intuition. Why would I use it for such a thing?”
“Ahaha…sorry.”
I glared at Saragi as he raised his hands and chuckled. Then I pulled some
food out of the bag and ate. Really. As if I would capture the weak and sell
them as slaves? It was preposterous. If I were to use them, I would use them
on Asagi for a little fun. …Yes, that was an amusing idea.
By the time there was a mountain of empty boxes and crumpled paper around
me, we arrived at the south gate. When I looked up at the sky, I could see it
was still midday. So much had happened that it was hard to keep track of
time.
“You wait at the guardhouse, Daniela. We’ll gather everyone together as

soon as possible. We should be able to leave within two hours.”
“Aye. Be quick.”
“I know. Be patient, alright? Haste makes waste, you know?”
“A Hero used to say that. I am not stupid.”
It was words often said by a Hero who had come to this world a long time
ago. There were many others, and they became known as Hero Speech.
Saragi nodded as he got up onto his horse and into town. I found myself
staring at the gate for some time, but then a guard finally assured me inside.
After that, I spent some time asking the wind spirits about what was
happening in the forest.
‘The black wolf is running wild.’
‘The wind is scary…’
‘The black wolf and the man with black hair are fighting.’
‘The forest is too scary today.’
I thanked them and they left through the cracks in the window and flew off
into the town.
“I see…”
Asagi was still well. He was fighting with the evolved Loup-garou. But the
spirits’ information was vague, so I prayed for his safety.
As I gazed out the window, there was a knock on the door.
“Daniela, are you in there?”
“Saragi?”
“Yeah. The men are here. We can go and hunt the Loup-garou.”
And so I fixed my sword to my belt and left the room. Saragi and the guard
who had given me the potions were waiting in the hallway.
“Are you ready?”
“Of course. Ah, that is right. Thank you for the potions. I shall pay for them
later.”
“Oh, it is fine…”
The guard waved her hands in protest, but I believed it was only right. It was
always good to repay a debt. It was a trick to living.
I patted her on the shoulder and smiled, assuring her that she need not be so
modest. And then she nodded.
“Alright, let’s go then. The others are waiting.”

chapter 199
When we arrived at the south gate, the whole hunting team was fully
prepared and waiting for us. Only the captains were on horseback, the rest
were on foot. There were five captains in all. Each captain commanded
twenty men. And so we would be a party of over one hundred.
Saragi, I and the guard…who I learned was called Kanatsuki, took the lead as
we advanced through the forest. It almost felt claustrophobic when there were
so many people around you.
“I think we should take a break…”
Saragi suggested after turning around to look at the faces of the men. We
both wanted to hurry on, but it was best to arrive in optimal condition. And so
I said nothing and dismounted my horse.
According to the spirits, the monster was nowhere to be seen. I could not
even hear any birds. What I could hear was the sounds of leaves in the wind
and the clinging of armor. It was a very quiet forest.
I disliked forests when they were like this. I always felt that something
dangerous was about to happen.
‘Phew…that was scary…’
A spirit floated by as I was drinking. I could feel the breeze as I wiped the
sweat from my forehead.
“Ah, do you have a minute?”
‘Hmmm? What?’
“There should be someone in this forest who is fighting a large, black wolf.
Do you know where they are?”
It had moved away, and so there was no point in returning to the same spot.
Besides, it had sounded as if the spirit had seen something.
‘I saw them by the river over there. It was quite the fight…’
“It was? So it is finished?”
‘I don’t know… I left because I was scared…’
Hmm…that was worrying… But at least I knew the location now.
“Thank you. Be careful.”
‘Yes. Bye-bye.’
It waved its small hand and flew off towards the town. Yukka seemed to be
quite popular with the spirits…
“Miss Daniela. Who were you talking to…?”
Kanatsuki looked at me if I were crazy. Hmm, while she did not know better,
it was rather irritating.
“I was asking the spirits about Asagi’s location.”
“Oh? You can speak with spirits, Miss Daniela!?”
Kanatsuki started to get very excited and my annoyance faded. She lacked a
sense of nervousness that you would expect on such a mission…and I found
that amusing.
“I have a general idea of where he is now. He should be by a river near here.

Do you know of it?”
“Yes, there is a river. It’s called the Iris.”
“That is where Asagi and the Loup-garou are.”
“Then I will go and tell the captain!”

She had been drinking water, but she now got up and rushed towards Saragi,
who was resting under a tree. Saragi listened and then looked at me with
surprise. Then he got up and informed the captains.
Our short rest ended there and we continued our march. Still, the path was
mostly the same, as we still had to go through the abandoned village to reach
the river.
In other words, we would pass through the place that we were attacked and
where we had split up with Lehaty.
With a precise destination in mind, we picked up the pace. I had my own

reasons for wanting to go faster, but the captains also seemed to have been
roused.
“All of you! I understand how you feel, but follow my stride!”
He shouted, and the pace slowed down again. Though it did not take long for
the pace to pick up again…it was clearly no use.
After a while, we arrived in the abandoned village. It was still before sunset.
The men scattered and prepared to set up camp. A tent was pitched in the
center and here, a small meeting was held.
“I’m going to send scouts to the river now.”
“How close are we to the river?”
“It is about twenty minutes on foot.”
That was strange. I could not hear anything. Not the cry of a wolf or even the
wind.
“…I will go with them. Something is not right. It is too quiet.”
“I knew you would. …But Daniela, you’ll be moving with me.”
“I came all this way here and you want me to stay?”

Asagi should be close by. Why should I stay here?
“Who knows what could happen? I think we should hear a report first. Then
you and I and Kanatsuki will return with the scouts.”
“Tsk… Very well. But hurry.”
As part of the hunting team, I was under the command of Saragi. Adventurers
often joined soldiers in emergencies like this. But I had usually traveled
alone, so situations like this rarely happened, but I did experience them.
A long time ago, when I just happened to be stopping in a certain town, I was
forced into a hunting party by the rules of the guild. It was to hunt a wyvern.
Back then, my fear of all dragonkind was much more severe than it is now. I
had really not wanted to go, and so slipped out when I had the chance. I was
that much afraid…
“Hah…”
I sighed. In general, I did not like to receive orders from others… I tried to be
cooperative when Asagi was around, as it would affect both our reputations,
but Asagi wasn’t here now.
Still, disobeying now might affect us later.
As irritating as it was, I would have to wait… Had I wanted to, I could use
Asagi’s little wind trick and fly away…but I wouldn’t.
Now that I think of it, I was quite hungry. Perhaps it was all that thinking…
“Hah…”
That sigh was due to hunger. A Hero once said that you could not fight on an
empty stomach. And so I rummaged through the hollow bag and found
something that had been especially tasty but was from a bar with a name I
had long forgotten. Asagi had ordered fifty of them to take back with us…
“Yes, this is good.”

Very good. Knowing that such food would be served was enough to make me
go to those rowdy places. Wait a minute. I could just buy it and leave as
well?
Hmmm. Perhaps it would be rude to go to a bar and ask for a takeout…
“…”
I felt eyes on me. I used Presence Detection and saw that someone was
peeking from the tent. I glanced casually and saw that Kanatsuki was staring
at me and drooling.
“…”
“…”
She looked at me with wistful eyes. Hmmm…
“Ah…”
“Mmm…”
“…”
“…”
Ugh!
“Come here. You are making it very difficult for me to enjoy my food, you
know?”
“Oh! Did you see me?”
“I would really like to know how you could be so confident that I did not…”
Kanatsuku quickly sat down next to me and I handed her a box of the
mysterious food.
“Ouch. It’s hot!”

“Do not drop it.”
“Yes. Thank you!”
I saw her bite into her food and I returned to mine. It had been a while since I
ate with someone like this other than Asagi…decades even.
The two of us finished off ten skewers. Perhaps it was a little too much. We
might have to fight after this.
“Phew. That was delicious…”
“Aye.”
The scouts would be back soon…
“They will be back soon. Let us go.”
“Ye-yes.”
Saragi was outside listening to the scout’s report. Good timing.
I rushed towards him while carrying my sword. Saragi turned to us and

nodded.
“We’ll leave at once. Things sound a little strange.”
“From what I hear, there is a giant iceberg and someone is on top of it. No
battle was being fought.”
“An…iceberg?”
Kanatsuki asked with a bewildered expression. But it made sense to me. Only
Asagi would do such a thing.
“Let us hurry then. Asagi is waiting for us.”

“He’s what? You think that he did it?”
“Aye, I know it. I will go on ahead.”
We had wasted enough time. I turned on my heels and grabbed the reins of
my horse.
“He-hey! Wait a minute!”
Saragi called after me. I probably should have waited, but I had my own
priorities. And so I hurried the horse along the path towards the Iris river.
□ □ □ □
Unfortunately, my horse was carefree and preferred to move slowly. And so

it did not take long for Saragi to catch up with me, and there was much
laughter as we headed for the river. I was so annoyed that I jabbed him the
ribs for good measure.
“Hahh…uh…oww…ugh…”
“It is your fault, captain. Daniela was only rushing towards her companion.
You mustn’t mock her for that.”
“I-I wasn’t mocking her… But she left in such haste and we found her in a
trot…gggg…ahahaha!”
“You should look away, Kanatsuki. A horse is about to lose its rider.”
“Mi-miss Daniela, you wouldn’t!”
Do not stop me, Kanatsuki. I will be much happier upon meeting Asagi this
way.
“A-alright! I was wrong!”
“Yes, I know that. And what do we do to such people?”
“I’m sorry! Now, take your hand off that sword…”

“What?”
“Please take your hand off of that sword!!”
Seeing him bow in earnest was very effective. Besides, it was impressive that
he could keep his balance like that…I wasn’t sure if even Asagi could
manage.
“Look, there is the river!”
I looked away from the fool and to where Kanatsuki was pointing. The trees
cleared away and I could see the river bed. The scouts had gone upriver to the
west, and so we followed them.
As we were close to our destination, there was no more talking. Only the
sounds of the rushing water and gravel could be heard.
Then the scout pointed ahead.
“…There it is.”
He pointed at something we had never seen before.
It was ice, but it was red. And it was massive. There was something encased
in the red ice. I moved forward on my horse to get a better look, but I realized
what it was before I was halfway there.
“Ahh…!”
One of the scouts gasped.
The shredded Loup-garou was frozen inside.
“What happened…”
“I-I don’t understand…”
Seeing it for a second time didn’t seem to lessen their alarm as they
approached it.
The more you looked, the stranger it seemed. That black wolf had nearly
destroyed me with just its wind, and here it was, frozen like meat. I could not
imagine what sort of battle had taken place.
“Ri-right. So, where is Asagi!?”
I looked up as Saragi asked this. The scouts had said that someone had been
on the top of the mountain. But I could not see anyone from where I was
standing. We all backed away and looked up.
There was a sword pierced into the ice. A familiar one at that. It was the
ancient elf sword. So that is what he used… Asagi was facing away from us
and leaning on it. And so I couldn’t see his face.
“There he is…damn it. He did it all by himself…”
Saragi muttered. The scouts and Kanatsuki were silent as they looked on with
undisguised horror. They would probably stay planted there for quite some
time.
And so I lifted myself up into the air with wind magic. I had stolen this trick
from Asagi, but I had not done it in a while, and it was difficult to keep my
balance. Still, I made my way towards the top.
Carefully, I controlled the wind and landed near Asagi as softy as I could.
“…You look awful.”
Half his face was covered in blood. There was a deep cut that went down his
forehead to his cheek.
“Asagi. Asagi.”
I shook him gently. His eyes opened. No, it was just the right eye.
“Mmm…”
“Asagi?”
“Ahh…Daniela…you made it…”
“Of course, I did. Thanks to Kanatsuki.”
“I don’t know who that is, but I’ll have to thank…”
“More importantly, we have to treat your wounds.”
“Mmm…ah, this…”
Asagi touched his cheek. Dried flakes of blood fell away.
“Now, let us go.”
“Yeah…”
I pulled his arm around my shoulder and helped him to his feet. Then I
removed the sword from the ice and sheathed it. But when I tried to create
wind again, I could not maintain my balance.
Just then, platinum and green wind enveloped me. Asagi was offering his
support. Which of us was being helped now?
“Heh…”
“Hah…”
We chuckled.
Ah, Asagi was alive. Far from being in the best shape, but he was alive. That
was enough. I could feel his warmth. It made me happy.
“I am sorry that you had to wait so long.”
“It’s fine…actually, your timing was perfect.”
“Huh?”
While we should have been descending, we were rising in the air. It was
Asagi’s doing. He grinned and pointed. I followed his finger and was so
surprised that I closed my eyes. Then I slowly opened them again. Everything
was bathed in orange. It was the moment that the sun started to sink into the
horizon. The sun looked red and beautiful beneath the clouds
“This is my favorite time…”
“Aye, me too.”
We stayed up there and watched until it was over. Until the sky went from
azure to black. It was a quiet, wonderful time.
chapter 200
“Hey…you do realize how late it is?”
I heard a voice from below. And so I tore my eyes off of the night sky and
looked down at the people on the surface. Mister Saragi and several guards
were standing there. We shouldn’t keep them waiting…
“Good evening, Saragi. I see you brought a small party with you.”
“Idiot! The others are waiting in the abandoned village. Damn it. So you
really did kill it by yourself.”
Saragi threw an arm around my shoulder while Daniela supported me from

the other side. He then began to jab me in the ribs.
“Agh, that hurts.”
“Hahaha! I’m sure it’s just a tickle compared to what the Loup-garou did to
you?”
“No, it really stings.”
He was targetting my bones, which sent waves of pain throughout my entire

body.
“Hey, Saragi. Do you want to die?”
“I’m just joking… Look, there is a place where we can rest back in the
village. Let’s go.”
I sensed something odd between them. Did Daniela have a grasp on some
weakness of his…?
Daniela then helped me up onto a horse that was by the river. She then got up
in front of me and I wrapped my arms around her. When I embraced her
tightly, she turned her head and kissed me on the forehead.
“I’m glad you look well.”
“Aye. I showered in potions and ate street food to regain my blood and
energy.”
“You are so much wilder than me.”
“You are too brittle, Asagi.”
Daniela said that I must eat more and become strong. Well, I did need to do
one of those things. If I wanted to survive, anyway. Still, I was satisfied as
long as she was next to me.
I had thought about it before, but this time, I had been so close to losing what
was actually important. My indiscretion had invited the danger. But I fought
the Loup-garou. Perhaps it wasn’t the best fight, but I still beat it. In that case,
I had to improve on being able to kill things definitely and not letting my
guard down until I was sure.
And so the adventures of Asagi Kamiyashiro would continue.
□ □ □ □
A bonfire had been lit in the village and the area was filled with a warm
glow. The night was cold, but the fire would make things comfortable
enough.
We dismounted the horses and went under the tent. …Hmm, it smelled of
something. But there was nothing there.
“First, your wounds must be treated.”
Daniela said as she looked down at me after I had taken a seat.
“Kanatsuki.”
“Yes, Miss Daniela.”

A guard came in with a bag. So she was Kanatsuki.
“You must be Kanatsuki. I feel like you’ve helped us a lot recently. Thank
you.”
“No, it is just my job.”
She smiled humbly. It was cute…
“Hmm?”
“Uh, it’s nothing.”
Daniela had a stern look.
“So, what are you going to do?”
I quickly changed the subject.
“I will begin treatment of your wounds. First, that left eye…”
She pulled out a sewing kit from the bag.
“I must stitch it up.”
“Wa-wait a second.”
She’s going to pierce me with that thing?
“Sorry. I don’t really like being pierced with things. It’s a pet peeve of
mine…”
“But, your wound…”
“I know. Potions. Do you have any potions?”
“Miss Daniela used all of them.”
“Daniela…”
She did say something about showering in them… Did she take a potion
bath?
I glanced at her but she looked away.
“I wouldn’t need that much…”
“…I shall go search.”
Kanatsuki bowed and left the tent. As we were now alone, I decided to press
for answers.
“Showering in potions, did you?”
“I meant every word. I wanted to go and help you, but I had too many
wounds. So I showered in them and rubbed them into my skin. They would
not have let me come otherwise. I had to tear off all my clothes while riding
the cart…”
“You did what! Weren’t you still outside!?”
The guards all saw her naked!
“Yes. It could hardly be helped. It was an emergency.”
“It’s still an emergency. An unfortunate event is going to prevent a lot of

soldiers from going home.”
“Wait, you stupid bastard. Put down that sword!”
Daniela grabbed me as I held the ancient elven sword. I lost my balance and
fell down on the floor. She quickly mounted me and held me to the ground.
“Don’t stop me, Daniela. This is, uh, necessary violence.”
“They came all this way just to help you, you know? Were you always this
stupid?”
“Tsk… But…”
“It is not as if there is less of me now. You will always be able to see me.”
She whispered into my ear. I felt like my brain was starting to melt.
We looked at each other in a daze. She continued to whisper sweet words. As

my eyes swam around the roof of the tent, they suddenly stopped on
Kanatsuki’s face. She looked at us with an embarrassed expression, but there
was nothing I could do.
Ultimately, it took a few minutes before Daniela was satisfied and I was able
to get up and away from Kanatsuki’s stare.
“Phew. I hope you understand now?”
“Yes…it’s very clear now…”
Now that Daniela was off of me, Kanatsuki finally stepped foot into the tent.
“Uh, I was able to find a few spare potions…”
“Hmm? Ah, that is some suspiciously good timing.”
“Oh…”
Kanatsuki turned red and shivered under Daniela’s observation.
“Right, potions, potions. Here, I’ll take them.”
“Ye-yes.”
I quickly changed the subject again and accepted the bag. I opened it saw a
number of small bottles. Yes, it would be enough.
I then took out a bottle that had the brightest color. Potions were more
effective the brighter they were. And I had determined it was best not to use a
moderately strong one if I didn’t want to have scars.
“Daniela. Get me the hollow bag.”

“Aye.”
I took out some string from the bag and used it to tie my hair. It had grown
much too long…
Oh, well. The wound was what was important now. And so I took out a pot
and poured the potion inside. I had to empty a few bottles that were just as
potent until I had enough to wash my face with. The left side of my face
began to sting and burn. That meant it was healing. And so I continued to
wash. Once I no longer felt the burning heat, I raised my face.
“How is it? Is it gone?”
“…”
“Uh…”
I looked at Daniela and Kanatsuki, but both of them hesitated. I guess not…
Ah, well…
“There is one line that starts above your left eye and goes down to your
cheek.”
“I see… I really didn’t want anything permanent on my face…”
“…Asagi, look at me.”
Daniela said as I sighed with disappointment. When I looked up, Daniela had
raised the hem of her shirt.
My eyes widened.
“Daniela…”
“…What do you think? Do you hate it?”

“…Are they bigger?”
Daniela looked a little embarrassed and then smacked me in the face. I

thought it was funny…
“Thank you. I know what you meant by it.”
“That hurt.”
“…In any case, we are the same. That is what I wanted to say. I was not
trying to show you anything else. Well, perhaps they have become a little…”
Daniela looked away. I stretched out my hand and traced my fingers against
her skin. She twitched but did not move. She was strong…
“Thanks, Daniela. I get what you mean now.”
“…Good.”
She readjusted her clothes and sat down next to me before gently touching
the scar.
“Just think of it as a sign of prestige.”
“Yeah…I’ll be positive about it.”
Besides, maybe third-rate Adventurers would stop trying to harass me now. I

had been a little anxious about that, as we were heading to the capital. So this
might end up being a good countermeasure.
“There are still a few smaller wounds to deal with.”
“Right. Thank you, Miss Kanatsuki. I’ll buy the rest.”
“N-no. It’s fine…”
She looked at us awkwardly. I was puzzled at first but then realized she had
witnessed the exchange earlier and even I turned red.
As we all sat there in mutual embarrassment, Saragi came to see how we

were doing. He took one look at us and laughed.
Ah, this was peace… It was all finished now… I felt it deeply at that
moment.
And like that, all rumors of a fearsome Loup-garou stopped.
chapter 201
I woke up on our ninth morning in Yukka in a sleeping bag. My body felt
incredibly heavy as I got up and sighed deeply. When I left the tent, I saw
that the soldiers were packing their things.
It seemed that I had overslept.
“You’re up.”
“Good morning. Mister Saragi.”
“Aye. I’m glad to see you are looking better.”
I tried to help him as he gathered his things, but he refused.
He said they would have nothing to do if we went around doing their job.
Well, I thought he might have had a point, so I went to the back of the tent to
wash my face instead. It was times like these that I was very thankful to be
able to use water magic.
When everything was finished, I got up behind Daniela on her horse, and we
returned to Yukka. Upon arriving, we had the blood washed from our clothes
and equipment and then spent the rest of the day resting.
The next day, we were called to the guild. A guild worker had called with a
letter early in the morning. The letter read: Silvergreen Asagi Kamiyashiro,
Lightwind Daniela Villesilf. Come to the guild at once.
It was a bit annoying, but it was probably about the Loup-garou. The guards
must have finished their own reports. And so I woke Daniela and we
prepared before leaving for the guild.
“Haahhh… I wanted to take things easy today.”
“You become slothful too quickly, Asagi. Perhaps you should accept a
quest.”
“What…”
We chatted as we entered the building. And then out of nowhere, a brazen-

faced girl stepped in front of us. What was this? Was she going to tell me she
didn’t like my scar?
“So you’re Asagi?”
“Hey, you little squirt. Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?”
“Eh? I happen to be older than you.”
“People usually sleep-talk while they’re napping.”
She was clearly a kid. This was the Adventurer’s Guild, not a school.
“No, Asagi. He is older than you.”
“He? What? Older?”
None of this information matched what my eyes were seeing.
“Miss Daniela. You can think of me as a girl.”
“That will be quite difficult.”
“Even so!”
The girl and Daniela carried out their mysterious conversation. Why wasn’t
anyone explaining anything to me?
“Ah, Master!”
A guild worker called as they came towards us. Guild Master? I looked
around, but there didn’t seem to be anyone around who looked the part.
“So you already found them. I was going to bring Mister Asagi and Miss
Daniela to you.”
“Yes, I could not wait. But don’t worry about it.”
“I understand. Well, you should probably take them to the master room.
There are too many people watching you here.”
“Ah, yes. Right. Sorry-sorry. Let’s go.”
Unless I was completely wrong, the guild worker was calling the little girl the
Guild Master. Miss Nanaya had said that the Guild Master was a ‘boy,’
which is what Daniela had claimed the girl in front of us was. Putting all of
this information together, the only explanation was that the guild master was
a crossdresser.
“I see. I see.”
“What do you see, Asagi?”
“Things have clicked in place.”
“Hmm. Indeed. Well, let us follow the Guild Master then.”
“Alright.”
Still, what was this about the Guild Master being older than me? I looked at
his hair. It was pink. Perhaps he was an elf? And in spite of appearances, he
was older than me? Fine. Fine.
I wouldn’t be shocked by anything now.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am the Guild Master of Yukka’s

Adventurer’s Guild. The pink elf, ‘Flamethunder’ Kiralika Rozsilf.”
I knew it.
“And I am Silvergreen Asagi Kamiyashiro. It is nice to meet you.”
“Lightwind Daniela Villesilf.”

“Hmm, so formal.”
You started it!
“Well, whatever. I called you today because of this business with the Loup-
garou. Good job, by the way. That thing has been a nuisance for quite some
time. Thanks!”
Very casual all of a sudden.
“I had just gone out to get a look at it. It was really just by chance that I
ended up killing the thing. So, uh, you don’t have to thank me so much.”
“Why don’t you relax, Asagi?”
“I’m sorry, I tend to be respectful to my elders.”
Daniela looked at me as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“I see. Well, enough about that. As long as you did kill it, I will have to
reward you. Here, take this.”
Kiralika pulled out a heavy-looking leather purse out from under a table. Two
of them.
“Can I see inside?”
“Go ahead.”
And so Daniela and I inspected the bags.
Ahh. Not that I had expected any different, but it was full of gold coins…
“I can’t accept this much.”
“Take it. Displays of gratitude should always be accepted, don’t you agree,
young lady?”
“What an annoying little boy…”

“I can hear you.”
“Oh, excuse me. But, still…”
I would prefer it if the money was given to families of the victims instead.
“Ah, don’t worry about that. Those who died were wandering Adventurers
with little sense. I did not allow any of our own guards to go after it.”
I still wasn’t sure.
“Well, we can never have too much money. We should take it.”
“…If you insist, Daniela.”
I guess we’d take it then. Though, to be honest, I was strongly considering

donating it to some orphanage.
“So, would you mind filling me in on the details? Why was the corpse cut up
like that?”
“Ah… Well, it jumped at me like this, and I cut it with an ice sword and two
other swords. And then it fell and split into several pieces.”
“I have no idea what you are saying.”
Bloody hell!
“Why don’t you make this sword right now?”
“Uh, sorry. I have to have my ice dragon armor on.”
That sword, ‘Niflheim’ required the ice magic boost from the ice dragon
armor. Otherwise, it would become a normal ‘Frost Sword.’ It was possible I
would be able to do it without the armor if my INT went up, but that
wouldn’t happen for a while.
“I see. That’s too bad. Well, I’m sure you weren’t lying.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. In any case, I wanted to hear it from the man himself. So, did
the Loup-Garou give you that?”
I instinctively touched the scar around my left eye.
“Yes, it’s less visible now.”
Perhaps the potions had continued to work, but the scar had become much
lighter. But it was still there. Though, it was more on my cheek than my eye.
“Well, at least you never had a pretty face to ruin. You might even call it an
upgrade?”
“I guess.”
“Ignore the kid. He’s not what he appears to be.”
“I can hear you?”
“Oh, sorry. You’re very cute.”
“Whatever.”
The stupid conversation ended there. And the subject moved to the fact that
he was a pink elf.
Kiralika was from a family of noble elves. But that lifestyle was not to his
liking, and so he ran away from home to become an Adventurer. He would be
one-hundred and twenty-one this year. Daniela had pried this information
from him. That was twelve in human years.
“To me, you’re a very old man.”
“A human would say that. A human. We don’t live on the same scale as
you.”
“That is true, Asagi. Let us not speak about it.”

“Says the elf who is three-hundred.”
“I just said that we should not speak about it!”
Well, teasing elves about their age is a popular pastime!
Still, everything should be done in moderation. Besides, she seemed to care a

lot…
“So, I suppose there are not many Adventurers who can kill a Loup-garou?”
“Hmm… This one was very fast. Wasn’t it about as fast as you?”
“You know then. Well, yeah. It was even faster once it transformed.”
“It is no wonder no one was able to beat it. Speed is everything. No matter
how much damage you are capable of dealing, it won’t matter if you can’t
make contact. And it will find an opening no matter how strong your defense
is. You should take notes from that.”
“I’ll…consider it.”
I had only stepped foot into the world of such incredible speed. I couldn’t use
it properly yet. But it was ideal.
“Besides, all of the strong Adventurers are in the imperial capital during this
season.”
Kiralika muttered as he reclined into his chair.
“Is something happening in the capital?”
“Oh, you don’t know? Next month is the Imperial Sword Tournament.”
“A tournament?”
I glanced over to Daniela, but she seemed like she hadn’t heard of it.
“Huh, I thought you would have known of it, Miss Daniela.”

“No, I do not.”
“Really? What the hell do you live so long for?”
“…”
I could tell she was furious, but I pretended not to.
“So, what king of a tournament is this?”
“Well, to be honest. It’s just a normal tournament. The strongest warriors

throughout the land gather to determine who is the best.”
Well, I suppose I could have predicted as much.
“And it’s next month?”
“Yes. Are you going to enlist?”
“Uh, I haven’t even considered…”
I looked at Daniela. Huh. She clearly wanted to.
“If you want, I could write you a letter of recommendation? Just drop by
before you leave Yukka.”
“We might just do that.”
“Yes, yes.”
And like that, the meeting ended. Daniela and I walked down the hallway and
to the entrance.
“A tournament… I wonder if there is a prize.”
“Imperial Sword. That does sound familiar.”
Daniela folded her arms and looked at the ceiling as if she were searching for
something.
“I think it was a treasured sword passed down in the empire…”
“Surely that wouldn’t be the prize? It’s a treasure, right?”
Haha. There was no way.
“Yes. You will be bestowed the sword and made Emperor Asagi.”
“That’s a chilling thought. We’re Adventurers.”
“Haha. You sound like you think you can actually win.”
Daniela laughed as if this were the silliest thought. Well, you never know.
Imperial Sword Tournament…huh? I couldn’t say I wasn’t interested.

chapter 202
Some time had now passed since the guild master of Yukka summoned us.
In fact, Daniela and I were currently on a quest to escort a merchant who was
headed to the imperial capital. I had gone searching for a quest after
Daniela’s suggestion and had discovered that a small merchant caravan was
departing on the same day as us. It would make things easy when leaving the
inn, and all we had to do to make some money was guard two wagons. And
so we set off after restocking on supplies, including our food, which Daniela
had eaten too much of.
Kiralika wrote us a letter of recommendation for entering the Imperial Sword

Tournament. Daniela had become rather passionate about it.
“I want to enlist. It should be amusing.”
She would say it in the sweetest voice. I didn’t have the courage to say no.
Besides, I shuddered to think of how she might retaliate if I rejected the
notion.
After we finished preparing for our journey, we visited a few people to say
goodbye. Rami, Saragi, Kanatsuki, and Nanaya from the guild. There was
also the Adventurer, Aeneus. And lastly, Shiki, who had sold me my spear.
When I told Aeneus that we were off to the imperial capital, he said that he
also wanted to enter the tournament. So, perhaps we would meet again?
One thing I hadn’t forgotten about, was the Adventurers that had attacked us
when we first arrived. The ones that Daniela and I beat into the ground. They
had apparently seen us meeting the guild master and receiving the letter of
recommendation. Perhaps that had put a certain fear into them, because they
came and apologized to us. And hey, I wasn’t the devil, alright? I readily
forgave them.
“But if you try anything like that again, I may have to string you up naked
over the entrance of the guild.”
“Yes, and I may have to take a knife and carve you up.”
Such promises were made as we reconciled.
In the short time we had left, I was forced to go around and search for a
replacement for my wind dragon trousers which were now wind dragon
shorts.
There were a few stores that specialized in trousers, but none had anything
that was worthy of my glasses.
This, of course, meaning that I searched while wearing the appraisal glasses.
It was no use. I would have settled for a mere AGI boost, but I could not find
that either. I couldn’t just grab a random pair and go to Rachel and say, ‘add
an enchantment!’ She would kill me.
The effect of Matsumoto’s dragon stampede hadn’t reached the empire. In

fact, I couldn’t even find any dragon armor. And what materials we had were
already used for Daniela’s clothes… There was really nothing I could do.
And so I was ultimately forced to wear trousers of merely decent materials

and go on the quest.
□ □ □ □
Two days had now passed since we left Yukka’s east gate. There were a
number of monsters and bandit attacks, but nothing had happened to force a
delay. Well, that was due to Daniela and me. Yes, no pair of disappointing
trousers were going to keep me down.
On the third day of our leisurely journey, we encountered a large pack of

monsters. They had come out of the forest and seemed uncertain at first, but
attacked us anyway. The merchant shrieked and hid in his wagon. Daniela
and I sighed and began to work on the rush of goblins, forest wolves and
even kobolds.
It really only took about thirty seconds for the monsters to realize that they
could not get passed us, and so they turned and fled back into the forest.
“I don’t get it.”
“…Yes, I have a bad feeling about this.”
It was the kind of scenario where you could count on a larger monster
making an appearance. Daniela assured me of this.
“…Uh, shouldn’t we get out of here then?”
“Yes.”
But Daniela continued to stare into the forest. Just as I activated Presence
Detection for myself, the merchant boss poked his head out from the wagon.
We called him Mister. He dealt in antiques and art.
“…Uh, Mister Asagi, Miss Daniela. Is it finished…?”
“No, you might want to stay in there, Mister.”
“It might even be better for you to go on ahead.”

chapter 203
My hands gripped the icy-looking spear tightly, but it was not cold at all.
However, it would not be the same for whoever ended up on the other end. I
had learned that from Jack of all Trades, Master of None. In other words,
attacks with this spear would be effective on this enemy. I steeled myself to
be able to enact what I had just simulated.
Daniela fired off another arrow as she charged forward. It struck its nose just
as I jabbed my spear into its side. A patch of white frost appeared around the
wound near its belly, but it was rather small. Either Grendel was just that
tough, or my magic was in fact, inadequate. Perhaps my skill with a spear
also had an effect.
However, it was not worthless. I could tell by his roar of pain.
“GHHHHAAAAAHH!!”
“Damn, this guy is huge!”
“He is a giant, after all. Look at how hard he attacks. Be careful.”
“I know!”
It sounded really painful, but I had no intention of stopping. I pulled the spear
out and thrust it right back in. At the same time, I gathered up magical energy
and sent it through the spear. The result was rather surprising.
I had assumed that the frost around the wound would just spread, but it did
not. Instead, it seemed to be absorbed into his body.
And then I remembered what Daniela had said. Something about

consorting…perhaps it had inherited the cells of some creature with the ice
attribute.
“This is bad.”
Sending magic directly was a terrible idea. It could awaken something within
its genes.
Adding magic to an attack was fine. But not sending it directly. With that
lesson learned, I moved back.
“Hahh!”
And then I tried creating Ice Arrows and launching them at him. They pierced
into his forearm, entering quite deeply before freezing the surface. Magic was
effective, clearly.
“I see!”
“What do you see?”
Daniela moved away as the monster flinched at my attack. She came beside
me.
“I tried sending magic through the spear just now, but it was absorbed.
However, normal magic attacks can do damage.”
“Ah… In that case, I would like to see what you did when killing the Loup-
garou. It was an original spell, was it not?”
“Oh, that?”
‘Niflheim.’ It was the name I gave to my strongest magic. And I could hardly
deny such a request from Daniela. And so I used the power of my ice dragon
armor to create it from a Frost Sword.
“It just looks like a really large Frost Sword, but…it is much more
extravagant.”
Daniela muttered. Even now, she was attacking Grendel and keeping his
attention away from me.
“It’s not just a fancy Ice Sword. This is the most powerful magic I can use. It
is called Niflheim.”
“I see…that is a good name…”
She said with a look of strong distaste. That’s fine. I never said I was good at
naming things. I could still remember the various embarrassing choices I
made in the past.
I thrust the spear into the ground and instead held the long grip of the sword.
When I let go, the spear stopped emitting its cold breath and returned to
normal. On the other hand, Niflheim was now crackling with overwhelming
coldness.
“Daniela, here it goes!”
“Aye!”
On my signal, Daniela backed away as I unleashed wind magic at Grendel’s

feet. Grendel had been about to go after her but hesitated. That was when the
ground burst from right under him, staggering him even further. It was
perfect.
With Legs of the God Wolf cloaking my feet, I controlled the wind while
dashing through the air in order to attack him from the side. However, this
sword was not for cutting. It was the same with the Loup-garou. The thing
that cut it directly were the two swords that were in my hands.
This sword…no, this magic’s true worth was the ability to freeze instantly.
I pointed the sword downward and dropped down so the blade thrust into
Grendel’s shoulder. He must have seen me from the corner of his eye because
his head turned to look. Still, there was no time for a counter-attack, much
less a death cry.
He was now encased in ice.
I let go of Niflheim and it shattered before returning to mana.

What was left now was an ice statue. Yes, some might even call it a great
work of art.
“…This is frightening magic.”
“I think so too.”
However, there were limitations, like the fact that I could only activate it
while wearing my armor. But that would be resolved eventually. When that
happened, how different would the world appear to me?
“Is it really dead?”
“Yeah. It should be since the heart is completely frozen.”
Surely it wouldn’t come back to life if defrosted later… Still, I was getting
worried. It would be best to cut it up while I could and store it in the hollow
bag.
Ultimately, we were able to kill the giant without taking any damage or
losing much time. I wasn’t sure if I should be disappointed about it ending so
soon or celebrating my own growth. The only thing I knew for sure was that I
would have died in an instant had I still been the same guy who woke up on
that hill in the mist.
And so I decided to just see it as growth.
I had come so far from being that guy who ran away from wolves.
It even made me feel a little proud. Yeah, I’ve done alright for myself.
“Asagi. We should hurry and dismember it.”
“Oh, right.”
Daniela’s voice pulled me out of my reverie. And so I put the spear back in
the bag and took out the Schwarz Tempest instead. The only way to cut up
the block of ice was to use this sword after infusing it with magic.
Daniela guarded the area as I used the great sword and Legs of the God Wolf
to cut off Grendel’s arms, head, and legs. The limbs were cut down further at
the joints. I checked to see if the torso would fit in the bag as it was, and it
did.
Then I put away the arms and legs, which left the head. This head was about
a third of my height. He could probably have taken half of my body off with
one bite.
“I really wonder how many descendants have resulted from this thing mating
with other creatures.”
“Indeed… From what I have heard, goblins and orcs are most common. But
there are tales of lizards and unicorns as well.”
“What a player…”
He could learn a thing or two about loyalty from me…
“Yes, and there have even been dragons. It is most shocking that it was
capable of making a dragon conceive.”
What a horrible thought… Daniela shuddered. While she was getting better,
there was still a general fear of them that remained.
“Well, that’s a lot of power to be passed on for generations…and it’s going to

end up as my trousers.”
“…What? Surely you cannot make trousers out of Grendel.”
“Really!?”
Now, this was most shocking. I had every intention of using the materials as
new clothes!
“Grendel’s power is a combination of too many things and cannot be

controlled. Yes, the materials are rare, but it will be difficult to infuse with
magic and make it your own. There may be some dragon power in there, but
it just at the genetic level.”
“You’ve got to be kidding…”
So…what is this guy useful for?
“In general, I would say food. I do not know why, but tasty flesh has also
been passed on. Apparently, they get better every generation.”
“I see…”
Exotic meats do have a reputation… But who would ever want to eat this
thing?
“And so they are monsters that are often hunted excessively. That is in spite
of the difficulty of actually killing them.”
“Sounds like a comic I once read…”
This was a surprising development. But at this rate, I was going to enter the
Imperial Sword Tournament as the Half-pants Adventurer. Finding clothes
would have to be our main priority when we arrive. And with that, I finished
stuffing Grendel into the bag, picked Daniela up, and rushed after Mister and
the wagons.
chapter 204
Mister’s covered wagon was moving at full speed below us. Dust clouds rose
in the air as the horse’s hooves kicked the dirt. It was like watching a race.
They were driving the horses so fast that I began to worry about them as I
descended. When I was level with the driver’s seat, I called out to him.
“Hello there. You can slow down now.”
“Huh!? Ah, Mister Asagi!?”
He looked at me twice with an expression of shock. Then he slowed down

and eventually stopped. The wagon behind us followed suit.
“Um, is everything alright then?”
“Yeah. There’s no problem at all.”
“But you were just fighting the giant…”
I appear to be quite lucky. Mister muttered with a laugh. Well, I don’t care to
sound conceited, but it was probably quite rare to have two high-ranking
Adventurers go on an escort quest. But I always thought of these kinds of
surprising encounters as what made traveling so wonderful.
“Phew…Well, I think we might be a little ahead of schedule, thanks to that

run. But now it’s probably necessary to have the horses rest.”
“I see no problem there. I know… We should camp by that tall tree over
there.”
“Understood.”
We obeyed his suggestion and slowly walked over to the large tree. It was
huge. But what kind of tree was it?
□ □ □ □
The conversation naturally moved towards the fight as we walked.
“I had heard the rumors about you, Mister Asagi. They say that when you use
your skill to wrap wind around your legs, you battle faster than the eye can
see.”
“I’m definitely visible. But yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
Notoriety and tall tales had spread far and wide. They say that where there is
smoke there is fire. Well, there was a lot of smoke.
“So how did you kill that monstrous giant?”
“Uh, it’s a trade secret.”
The last thing I needed was to hear overblown rumors about Niflheim.
“Haha. The trump card of Silvergreen, is it? How terrifying! Most

terrifying!”
“Asagi is the type that does everything that they can. The godspeed skill and
the sword. And magic. With those three, a giant is little more than a baby.”
Daniela said boastfully. I found it quite embarrassing when she did this and
hoped she wouldn’t take it any further.
Ultimately, Daniela continued her tales as we made our way to the great tree.
I had retreated to the rear wagon so no one had to look at my painfully
embarrassed expressions. But I poked my head out upon hearing Mister and
Daniela’s voices. The conversation seemed to have changed.
“What is it?”
“Asagi. Someone has beaten us there.”
“Really?”
Part as practice, I jumped out and landed on top of Mister’s wagon and
looked to the foot of the tree. I could see now that a large merchant caravan
had surrounded it and set up camp.
There were about five to six wagons and carriages. Tents had been pitched
and a bonfire was burning.
There was nothing we could do about it. The horses were tired. We would
have to get them to share the spot. We talked about it with Mister and
decided to stop to the side of them for now. Then Mister got out of the
driver’s seat and talked with a man who appeared to be a guard.
“Excuse me, but who is the boss of this merchant caravan?”
“In the big tent over there.”
“Thank you.”
I suppose he acted as an intermediary as well as a guard. We apologized to

the others around us as we passed them and made our way to the tent.
It was right under the big tree, by the roots. It was the size of a small hunting
lodge. It reminded me of the kind of tents that nomads used. When I looked
towards the entrance, I saw a man and a woman who was looking at us with
their hands on their swords. They were very serious about their jobs. I
thought with amusement while raising my hands to show we were not in any
way hostile.
“Sorry for the sudden intrusion. But we have a request to make to your boss.
Can you help us?”
“…Wait here.”
The man muttered as he glanced at the woman next to him before entering the
tent. The woman now took a step to the side to block the entrance. They
really did take their job seriously.
We had to wait for quite a while after that. No amounts of ‘this sure is a large
company…’ could make the woman take any notice of us. Mister started to
become restless. Hey, boss. You’re making us look bad.
It was when I started to scan the rest of the site out of boredom, that the man
came out.
“You may come in, but you will leave your weapons here.”
“I understand.”
Harsh security. Was this person so important? I wondered as I took out the
Cocytus Lance and the demon armor sword. Those and the Ashikirimaru. I
handed them over rather roughly too. It was revenge for being ignored. The
woman clicked her tongue. Scary.
Daniela, on the other hand, declared she had no intention of handing over her
weapons and said she would stay by the door. Well, they were very important
to her. My weapons were also important, but someone had to go. I left the
hollow bag with Daniela and Mister left two knives. Then we both entered
the tent.
It was warm inside and very comfortable. However, there was a ridiculously
strong smell of incense that overrode any sense of comfort almost
immediately. There was also a lot of extravagant decorations that helped
make my opinion of the interior drop like a rock.
To the far back, there sat a fat merchant on a chair that was somehow much
too large for him.
“So? Who are you people?”
“I own a store called Mister’s Antiques. As you are in this place that we had
planned to camp for the night, I came to see if you would allow us to stay
here with you.”
“There is no more space. You must go elsewhere.”
“…”
Alright, I get his type. Yes, yes. I knew it well.

“Oh, do not speak so soon. I beg of you.”
“I already gave you my answer. Do not make me angry.”
“We had to escape at full speed due to a monster. Our horses are exhausted.”
“I don’t care. It has nothing to do with me.”
There didn’t seem to be much hope here. Ugh, this was annoying. I suppose I
could lay down some bait…
“Is that so… You know, we weren’t asking you to make room for us for
free.”
“Hmmm…? What do you have?”
“Well, I was thinking about the materials obtained from the monster we just
killed. It was a weak old thing and probably not worth much. In any case,
sorry to trouble you. We will go and find some other place. Excuse me.”
“Hmph… Then hurry up and go. You are an eye-sore.”
As we moved towards the entrance, I muttered to Mister.
“Mister. Do you think the horses will be revitalized if I feed the Grendel to
them?”
“Uh, no… Well, I don’t know about such things…”
“Wait!”
I smirked. He was biting.
“Yes?”
I turned around with an expression of pure bewilderment.
“What did you just say?”

“Huh? I said that we’ll go and search for a different place.”
“After that!”
“Uhh…”
I tilted my head innocently.
“Damn you. You said Grendel!!”
“Did I indeed?”
“You did!!”
“Perhaps you are right.”
“Are you trying to make a fool of me?!”
“Even if I did say it, what does that have to do with you? We must go and
find a place to camp. Please excuse us.”
“Tsk…!”
I could see that the fat merchant was now thinking desperately of a way to
keep us from leaving. But I could see it. Yes. That leather bag that was
practically bursting at the seams. Yes, I saw him glance at it.
“You can camp here! And as for this Grendel…”
“Eh? Just give you the monster after everything we’ve been through? Don’t
make me laugh. We happen to take our jobs very seriously here!”
I roughened my voice as if to suggest I was horribly offended. It was times

like these that I was glad about my experience in customer service. It was
practically acting lessons.
“Tsk…then…”
“Then?”
“I…I…”
Was it anger or humiliation? His hands shook as he grabbed the leather bag
and offered it to me.
“And what would that be?”
“Gold…! Now give me the Grendel! Of course, you may also camp here!”
“Huh… Mister. He is offering us money. By the way, how much is this

Grendel thing worth?”
Mister was aware of the price of something so valuable, and he looked quite
smug as he said it.
“One hundred pieces of gold and eighty of silver.”
“There you go. And how much is in that bag?”
“Ggg…”
The merchant opened the bag slowly. It contained nothing but silver coins.
“This is clearly a waste of time. Let’s go.”
“Wa-wait…wait!”
“What now?”
The merchant seemed rather desperate for the Grendel. He pulled out yet
another leather bag from behind his chair.
“This one is gold…check it.”
“Why don’t we. Mister.”
Mister opened the bag over a table and counted the contents. Yes, it was gold.
There seemed to be about two hundred. That wasn’t enough.
“The Grendel has no large wounds and was frozen in an instant, meaning it’s
very fresh. Just one of its arms might cost two hundred and fifty pieces of
gold. This will not do.”
“F-fine… I will add another bag!”
“Of gold?”
“Gold!!”
The merchant was acting quite self-destructive now. Mister and I looked
inside the bag. It had about the same amount as the previous one.
“Sold!”
“Tsk…I better make it back…!”
“Well, that’s really up to you, isn’t it? Well, the whole thing is there, so use it
wisely. Oh, and thank you for the space.”
The merchant suddenly looked very tired as he shook his head. But
merchants tended to be tough, and he quickly regained his composure and
started to make calculations.
I left the tent along with the two merchants, took the bag from Daniela and
pulled out the Grendel. I ignored the gasps of the spectators and infused it
with ice magic. According to Jack of all Trades, Master of None, it would not
melt for at least two days. Then I gave it the merchant and accepted the two
bags.
The merchant immediately had the Grendel put inside of his wagon. He also
ordered his men to make space for us to camp. That’s when we all looked at
each other and smiled in triumph.
chapter 205
The caravan under the tree cleared a small area for us to camp in. We wasted
no time in setting up some tents and building a fire. I had been keeping the
food for the horses in the hollow bag, and so I took it out and fed them. I also
created some water in a bucket and drank.
“They’ve had to run quite a lot today…”
“Surely they will be fine tomorrow?”
“Yes. The imperial capital is very close now. There should be no problem if
we go at a moderate pace.”
After he said this, I looked to the east and saw that there was a light, warm
glow. Perhaps it was the lights of the city. A city that never slept…
“Now, let us eat. I was kinda hoping to dine on the Grendel, you know.”
“Haha. But I have made quite a lot thanks to Mister Asagi.”
We had decided to share the money with him. Of course, Daniela was fine
with it.
‘We are not exactly in need of money now. And he did run off so desperately.
We might as well reward him a little?’
And so with Daniela’s blessing, I had relayed the news to Mister. I knew he
would object with his typical modesty, but I sort of just forced it onto him.
We both took two-hundred pieces of gold and now had a place to sleep. It
was an all-round good outcome, I thought.
“It will be our last night together, so I’ll cook this time.”
I declared in front of the fire. Then Daniela stood up.

“Mister. Asagi is rather good with this cooking business. You should look
forward to it.”
“I see. Well, I certainly will!”
“I’m so hungry…”
Mister, Daniela and the driver started to talk enthusiastically about their
favorites foods while I prepared the pots. You always had to start with a pot. I
would put water in it and put it over a fire to make some soup!
“…”
No, not really. Damn it…I wanted to join the conversation. I could tell them
of the midnight beef bowls I used to eat.
“Beef bowls…I’d sure like that now…”
I muttered with a sense of nostalgia. Daniela overheard it.
“Beef bowl? What is that? Asagi.”
“It’s a dish consisting of boiled beef on a bowl of rice. It’s great.”
“Food from your old home…”
Daniela whispered sadly. Indeed, I was sad too. We had meat here, but not
rice. No soy sauce either. Of course, I didn’t know anything about
fermenting, so I wouldn’t be able to make it either. Now that would be a nice
cheat to have.
“Well, I’m going to make something much better than that. So sit over there
and drool with anticipation.”
“What kind of vulgar woman do you take me for!”
Mister tried to calm the agitated Daniela. I just laughed and refocused my
attention on the food.
□ □ □ □
Spicy meat skewers. Fresh fish grilled with salt. Vegetable soup. Bread. And
fruit wine.
That might sound a little like fast food, but when displayed in front of us, it
felt like a worthy last supper. There was so much that it didn’t fit on the low
table I had made, and so we decided to spread a sheet on the floor of the
wagon and place the food there where it could be enjoyed by the light of the
lanterns.
“Let’s eat!”
The four of us put our hands together before reaching out to the food. I went
for the fish. Daniela to the meat. Mister and the driver went after the soup.
Personalities, eh…?
To me, the crispy, salted fish was irresistible. Its flesh would fall apart in
your mouth and was very juicy.
“Mmm…! Hot! But good!”
Daniela was eating meat that was covered in spices I had bought from the
market in Usk. I had tested various combinations before reaching this one.
The more you ate, the hotter it became. Sweat would rush from your
forehead. I was confident that it would sell very well at the street stalls.
“The vegetables and bacon work so well together in this soup.”
“The chunks are so big yet they are cooked through!”
I was also quite proud of the soup that Mister and the driver were having. I
had made a lot of soups since coming to this world. And this was like its final
form. A soup for vegetables. My only regret was not having any consomme.
“The meat also goes well with the bread.”
Daniela’s hands stopped when she heard those words. In the next instant, one
of the buns vanished. Daniela had snatched one faster than the eye could see.
She put the meat inside and pulled out the skewer.
“Hmm….! Mmmm…mm…mmm…gg… it is not bad!”
The others looked intrigued, so I offered them some bread too. They copied
Daniela and bit into the bread. Then their eyes widened and they looked at
each other before taking another bite and then another. Perhaps it was too
good for words…I was quite happy to see it.
I sipped on some fruit wine and watched them eat. It really was fun to eat
with others like this… No, I wasn’t great in larger, noisier places, but this
was a nice way to have dinner. It would be even better if there was another
cook whose food I could compare mine too.
Well, we would arrive in the imperial capital tomorrow. Vellefrost, the

imperial capital of the Empire of Flugelnia. What kind of place would it be?
Now, I heard about sweets and parades, but nothing we had seen up until now
suggested those things. Perhaps it was a culture that was still spreading.
Either that or Daniela’s information was wrong.
In any case, we’d have the pleasure of discovering the truth soon enough. It
was decided that Daniela and the driver would take turns on the watch
tonight, and so I went off to bed. Well, we were in such a large camp. Surely
no monsters would dare come close…
“Asagi! Asagi, wake up!!”
“Huh!?”
My world spun.
I fell onto my nose before frantically peeling myself off of the floor.
Apparently, someone had pulled my sheet from under me.
“What!?”
“Monsters! It is blood apes!!”
“Are you kidding me!!?”

I couldn’t help but shout. Those damned, bloody apes. Blood apes. My most
hated monsters. Ambushes and Presence Block. And they came in such large
numbers. I hate them.
I unsheathed Glampanzer and rushed out of the tent. The campsite was
already a battlefield. I could hear the shrieking of the apes and the curses of
the Adventurers as they fought.
“This looks bad.”
“Hah! Do not just stand there, Asagi!”
Daniela shouted as she thrust her rapier between a blood ape’s eyes. Ugh.
And we’re so close to the capital… This huge tree had all the appearance of a
tranquil resting spot, but it had really just been a bloody nest.
“Damn you all!!”
“Aye, that is the spirit!”
I swung my sword with rage and a blood ape’s head flew into the air. Then I
generated an ice sword with my free hand and slashed at the closest monster.
I couldn’t use Icicle Inverse or Frostheim when there were so many people
around. Even Legs of the God Wolf would be too dangerous. This was not
good. Just the thought of having to slowly cut through them one at a time
made me want to vomit. No one got away with disturbing my sleep. You
damned apes!
□ □ □ □
Finally, the sun showed its face.
Finally. The sun. Showed. Its face.
“…I’m gonna throw up.”
“Me too…”
Without sleep, without rest, we continued until the battle was over. Everyone
was either staring at the ground or the sky. It was the sky for me.
“Mister Asagi… You’re safe…”
“Yeah. You too, Mister…”
“Yes. There was a commotion and I was told to evacuate…”
The Adventurers had led the merchants into a tent where they were shut in
until morning. Those who could not fight had to stay still. I wouldn’t have
minded joining them…
“Stil.. this is quite the sight…”
Mister said weakly. Adventurers sat, hugging their swords. Others lay spread-
eagled on the ground. Some leaned against the tree. And even now, there
were some who remained alert.
But all of them were covered in blood. And the ground was littered with so
many blood ape corpses that it was difficult to walk.
“They counted about five hundred earlier.”
“Five hundred…”
There were about fifty of us Adventurers, which meant that each had killed
nearly ten… It didn’t really meet our salary. In fact, I was sure I had killed
over twenty. I stopped counting after that…
“And about six Adventurers were caught off-guard and were killed.”
“I see…”
Deaths… Well, it was such a chaotic battle. I could not be surprised by the
outcome. Luckily the four of our company were all safe. Still…this had been
a rough morning. Or night.
We would have to bury the dead first. This was what I assumed, but no one
moved.
The morning sun was shining down on the wet pools of blood. And yet no
one rose to their feet.
chapter 206
It was nearly midday when I woke up. I had fallen asleep while sitting.
“Though, I don’t feel like I got much sleep…”
I stretched my neck and heard it click. My entire body felt haggard as I got to
my feet. It had been a while since I last had such a rough night…
I scanned my surroundings while rotating my shoulders. Hardly anything had

changed since I was last awake. Even the merchants were still sleeping, they
had probably been kept up all night anyway.
Well, there were a few people who moved around now. Some of the
Adventurers were cutting the tails off of the blood apes. It was probably the
proof of the hunt. I did not feel like joining them. Besides, we had enough
money for now.
Ahh, damn it. We humans always tried to run from the hard work once we
felt satisfied.
I should think back on when I first came to Fhiraldo. Asagi Kamiyashiro.

Remember? You used to carefully pick each herb so you didn’t damage the
roots.
“It is good to stay diligent…I suppose…”
My current status was a result of that. My current bonds and financial

situation as well. They may just be tails. But in a way, they were more.
I took out Ashikirimaru and began the job of cutting off the tails. Now that I
think of it, I had never used Ashikirimaru to cut legs… Maybe I should try it.
“Oomph!”
I thrust the sword into a blood apes leg. And the blade of the Ashikirimaru
turned black.
“Huh?”
I could feel the hilt of the sword began to beat like a living heart. It was a
little terrifying. Like it was a demon blade that thirsted for blood. But only
from a leg? Because of its name? Did it like chopping off legs?
It was so eerie that I decided to pull the sword out. Then the blade returned to
its normal silver color. However, to me, it looked brighter and sharper than
before. I don’t know.
“Maybe it’ll get stronger with the more legs I cut. Heh.”
Whatever. It was kind of typical. I was surprised that such an overused cliche
of a sword was in my possession.
Still, it was a bit creepy, so I would avoid cutting people’s legs with it. It
seemed that it was fine with any other body part, so I would be careful there.
Now, to cut some tails.
□ □ □ □
“Phew…”
I stretched my aching back and looked up at the sky. It was maybe around
twelve o’clock. I had cut off fifty tails now. About an hour had passed since I
started. It was simple work, as it was just removing one part. Grab the tail
and cut it off at the root. Rinse and repeat.
Daniela also started moving after about thirty minutes had passed. She had
been sleeping too, and her eyes looked tired as she helped me. Then we put
the tails in the hollow bag.
When Daniela and I had carried the tails back to the tent to put away, we
discovered that the tent had been crushed and torn to shreds. I was so shocked
that I dropped the armful of tails. Daniela and I had used this tent since the
beginning of our travels together. It was more damage than a needle and
some thread could fix…
There was nothing we could do, and so Daniela gathered up the fallen tails
while I searched for the hollow bag inside of the wreckage.
Everyone also finished gathering their proofs of the hunt within that hour. I
could see that they were counting them.
“Yes.”
I picked up the hollow bag and we walked over to where the other
Adventurers had gathered together.
A large table had been set out and the tails were lined up on top of it. It
reminded me of some kind of early morning market.
“Excuse me. We brought the blood ape tails.”
“Hmm…ah, you two.”
I approached the man who seemed to be in charge. He was the silent guy who
had guarded the merchant’s tent. His expression seemed a lot softer now
compared to when we first arrived.
“There really is no need to make a report.”
“Well, we’re comrades who fought the same battle. Besides, I wanted to
thank you for protecting our merchant.”
“That’s very honest of you…”
The man of few words chuckled and offered his hand.
“I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Albrio.”
“I’m Asagi. Thank you for everything.”
“Asagi…Asagi…Asagi?”
He repeated the name as he cocked his head to the side.
“Silvergreen, I presume.”
Said a woman who now approached. She was the one who had guarded the
tent with him.
“Aldeberan. You mean, ‘that’ Silvergreen?”
“Of course. The one who wears silver and green clothes, wraps wind around
his feet and destroys his enemies with the speed of a god… Am I wrong?”
She made me sound like some ancient legend…
“Not entirely… But I’ve never heard a worse exaggeration.”
“But the rumors at the port…”
“You can never trust them.”
“But where there is smoke-”
“Sometimes smoke just means a signal.”
There wasn’t even a small fire in my opinion. Aldeberan looked at me with a

puzzled expression. Was she the type who took such rumors seriously?
“In any case, let’s count.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t be so formal. We spent the night together after all.”
“I don’t much like your wording there.”
Hahaha! Albrio laughed heartily. Perhaps the ice had finally broken.
I put down the hollow bag and took out the blood ape tails. There were about
fifty.
“Hmm… Fifty. So that means five hundred and ninety-four in all. That’s
more than I expected.”
“Yes, I had heard it was five hundred at first.”
“Aye, so did I. But they stopped counting after five hundred because there
were too many.”
I knew what he meant…there really were too many. It was as if there were
multiple colonies in the tree and they attacked travelers like us. The numbers
were so overwhelming that I wondered how many people had died in
hopeless battles up until now. We had really been lucky. A large caravan and
their escorts. If it had only been us that camped here…the idea made me
shiver.
“Now, this should be all of it… How do you think we should divide them?
Asagi.”
“We don’t need any.”
I had really just cut them off to contribute to their rewards.
“We just helped you a little. Think of it as a show of gratitude for letting us
stay here. We don’t need anything. …Daniela agrees with me.”
“That may be, but…”
“It’s already decided. Just take it.”
We took a hefty pile of gold from their master, anyway. Karma would be
cruel if we took anything else.
“Well, if you insist. Thanks.”
“Don’t thank us. You all fought until dawn. Share it with everyone.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Albrio bowed politely. As did Aldeberan and the other Adventurers. These
situations always made me feel uncomfortable.
“Well, we’ll go on ahead to the capital then. Our boss has a tight schedule.”
“I see. We will be going soon as well… Perhaps we will meet again.”
“Yes. Don’t be afraid to call on us if you can.”
“Aye, I will. Farewell, Asagi.”
“You guys be careful.”
We shook hands and said farewell. Daniela and Aldeberan also shook hands.
In a way, we were a similar pair.
When we returned to our own camp, preparations to leave had already

finished. Well, there wasn’t that much to do. There was no tent…damn it…
“Mister Asagi. Are we leaving now?”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Daniela and I entered the wagon. There was some folded up cloth next to me.
It was our tent.
“…I didn’t want to throw it away.”
Mister said from the driver’s seat. That was a kind gesture.
“Thank you…it was really important to us.”
“I’m glad I saved it then.”
He smiled gently as I bowed. I picked up the folded tent and put it away in
the bag. It was ruined but it could still travel with us. Always. I told the tent.
And thank you.
chapter 207
In spite of everything, the horses had a good long rest all the way up until
midday, so our speed after that was great. They started at a good speed and
did not slow down until we reached our goal.
And so we arrived at the imperial capital in no time.
□ □ □ □
While we had reached our goal, we had not yet gone through the gates. This
was the imperial capital after all, and security was tight. Other carriages
joined the traffic from side roads. We were now moving slowly in a very long
line.
“Will we even get through by the end of the day?”
“Hmm…I am not sure…”
We sat in the driver’s seat next to Mister and stared up ahead. The sun was
casting long, long shadows.
I climbed up onto the tarp and looked behind the wagon. The driver, who
Mister called Moosh, was looking at us with a bored expression. The line
continued on behind him. There were Adventurers on foot and carriages.
They would definitely be staying out here during the night as well. Night
shift buddies.
“We will have to camp out here then.”
“Even if we did get in, the inns will probably be full… After all, there is the
Imperial Sword Tournament.”
“I see…damn, that’s not good…”
Would there be an inn for us…?

“Daniela. What should we do? There may not be any inns open.”
“That would be awful…”
I called from the top of the wagon. Daniela turned around and looked at me.
Indeed. We had only just heard about this tournament and hadn’t thought
about it too much. We had never lacked for an inn to stay at before, but we
may have to sleep outside this time. I didn’t want to do that. We didn’t come
all this way to the capital just to sleep in the streets.
“Well, there is a post town, so it shouldn’t come to that.”
“Hmmm… But if everyone in this line stays there…”
I scanned the procession once again. Hmm. There were a lot of people. The
tournament was to be in three weeks. But we were surely the late-comers.
Well, there may at least be a very low-quality inn we could stay at. It
wouldn’t be bad as long as they had a bar.
I told Daniela this and she agreed. It would be annoying that we had to be
more careful in regard to security, but it was better than staying on the streets.
We would probably wake up in prison after being robbed blind.
“But, well…the gates will close when the sun goes down. We’ll have to camp
out here then.”
“Oh, the gates are closing?”
I thought maybe a place as big as this city would be open twenty-four-seven.
“They usually are open at all times. But you know, there is the tournament.”
A lot of dangerous folks had gathered from across the land. Mister said this in
a whisper. I whispered back that we would be sleeping outside amongst
them… We had to hope that nothing would happen.
□ □ □ □
When the red sun had sunk completely, the west gate closed with the sounds
of creaking wood. A guard came out on horseback and shouted to us that we
would be received on the following morning.
Well, there was nothing to do then. Those who were in the line gave up and
started to prepare to camp for the night. Though, people did not want to give
up their positions, and the tents were all made in or as close to the lines as
possible.
As we did not want to move either, we pitched the tent right in front of the
wagon. One of Mister’s tents, that is. As we had used our own tent up until
now, we had not seen this tent until its debut.
Ours had been made of two triangles, a pole and large rectangle cloth to go
on top.
But this tent had one large pole in the center with a circular cloth that spread
out from it. It was like a cone…like a mountain that I child might draw. As
the pole was long and the cloth large, it was very spacious inside.
chapter 208
Thinking about all that made me want to walk. And so I did after telling
Daniela. The only lights came from the moon, stars, and bonfires. However,
there was also a warm glow from the city that spread up above. I gazed at it
while I walked.
“Ahahahaha!”
“Are you serious!!”
Huh? Someone was being very loud in the middle of the night.
I poked my head out and saw that three men who appeared to be Adventurers
were sitting around a fire and drinking.
“Hmm? Who are you?”
“I was taking a stroll and heard your excited voices.”
“What? So you’re just bored!”
Two of them began to laugh. Well, it was true. The other one was drinking
and looked uninterested.
“What about him?”
I casually walked up to them and sat down before glancing at the other guy.
“Hey, listen here, brother!”
“This guy…ckkkk…no! I can’t stop laughing! Ahahahaha!!”
The two men started to laugh once again. The other looked even more
annoyed than before as he sipped his drink.
“…What happened?”
With nothing better to do, I talked to the bored man…Boredman. Boredman

glanced at me with an expression that seemed to question if I was going to
start laughing as well. I shrugged and urged him to explain, and so he did,
though it was in a very somber voice.
“I came out of the countryside just to enlist in the Imperial Sword

Tournament. And then I…became infatuated with a certain prostitute while in
an Usk inn.”
“And?”
“…And I told her. Told her that I was the man who would win the Imperial
Sword Tournament. I would win and come back for her! That’s what I said.”
He added that he had been drinking heavily before this declaration. The two
men began to laugh again at this point.
“…So? What did she say?”
“…She laughed.”
“Huh?”
“She laughed. Said I had no chance of winning. That I wouldn’t even pass the
preliminary round.”
He took another sip and sighed deeply.
“It’s impossible! Truly!”
“You’re just going to embarrass yourself! Hahahaha!”
Boredman seemed to shrink every time they started to laugh. I saw this and
got up to my feet.
“That’s not true!”

“Huh?”
“Eh?”
“You just have to win! Beat their expectations and win. Then you can boast
about it!”
I grabbed his drink and finished it off. It was nice and warmed my body.
“There’s no need to look down on yourself. Humans are capable of doing

anything they set their minds to!”
“Uh, but surely winning is going a little too far…”
“There is no such thing as going too far! Men should talk big!”
I picked up a bottle and poured Boredman another cup. Then I slapped him
on the back for good measure.
“Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m the guy that’s really going to win!
Ahahaha!”
“Hey, there stranger. Are you drunk already?”
“I’m not drunk, you dumb bastard. Look. It’s gonna me and him. It’s gonna
be a vicious final fight. And when I win, Daniela will be impressed.”
As I continued to drink, I could feel the effects of the drink. Or maybe it was
just me?
“Daniela? You mean Lightwind?”
“Yup! My lover!”
“Wha-, then that would make you Silvergreen! Asagi!?”
“Ah, are you serious!?”
“The real one…?”

I didn’t know if I was used to it now or it was just the drink, because for once
I didn’t feel embarrassed. Yeah, I had probably just gotten used to it. I wasn’t
drunk.
“Hahaha. Yes, I am Asagi. Silvergreen!”
“No way… It’ll be hard to win if Silvergreen joins the list.”
“I think you should quit while you can.”
“Indeed… I cannot fight against someone with an alias.”
“What? Don’t you know that challenges are the spice of life?”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Somehow, I had managed to defeat three possible rivals without doing

anything. That hadn’t been my intention…
“Well, uh… Don’t laugh at the dreams of others. I live with my own dreams.
I think people are able to enjoy their lives if they have such important goals.”
“That is true… A dream, eh?…”
“Sorry…for laughing at you.”
“It’s fine. I do tend to dream big. But I don’t see it as a negative thing.”
Yes, yes. They had reconciled. Well, it seemed like a good time, so I drained
my cup and got to my feet.
“Well, then. I better be off. You guys take care.”
“Aye. See you, Silvergreen.”
“Let’s eat together if we meet in the city.”
“Thank you for not laughing at my dream.”

I bumped fists with each of them before continuing on my way. The night
was still as dark as ever. I was feeling good after drinking, and so I decided to
walk a little more.
Now that I think of it, I had forgotten to ask them their names…
The effects of the drink started to fade as I walked. It always happened rather
quickly with me… I was also easily affected by the atmosphere.
Up until now, I had been walking along the line of campers, but now I turned
to the forest, which seemed quieter. There was a light breeze and the rustling
of leaves overhead. The chilly air felt nice on my heated skin.
The light of the moon and stars peeked between the cracks in trees, creating
an elegant scene. Everyone I had met in this world might be looking up at
this same view right now.
“That’s a nice thought…hmm?”
I heard a voice. What was it? Like someone crying… Damn it. A chill went
up my spine.
“At times likes these…”
I was happy to have Presence Detection. Ghosts and any other nonscientific
beings will be promptly exposed… I narrowed it down to the area where the
voice was coming from. Narrowing it down made it more accurate. And I
was able to detect the exact positions. There were two.
“Two… But there is only one voice…”
…Hmm, but it really was two. Maybe someone was being attacked..?
I moved towards them as quietly as I could manage. I didn’t know what was
happening, but I couldn’t just jump into the darkness without thinking. What
if it really was a ghost… Not that I was scared of them.
Night Eyes allowed me to avoid fallen branches as I moved. I stayed behind

bushes as I got closer to the tree. The voice was getting louder.
“Uhhh…uuuhhh…hah…ahh…”
Hmm… Crying? …Is it really…?
Now I wasn’t sure. But I was quite close. The urge to leave and the urge to
see were pulling me. But I inched closer until I was at the cluster of bushes I
had made my goal.
“Hah…ahh…”
And then I looked.
“Hah…hah…ohh…”
It wasn’t crying… It was just someone panting. And Night Eyes left little to
the imagination.
It was a young man and woman.
(This is bad…)
They’d probably try to kill me… Now that I knew who the ghosts were, it
was time scram. It was a simple enough mission. But then again, they seemed
like they would be finishing very soon. That will increase the risk of
discovery. In fact, it was almost a miracle they hadn’t discovered me already.
(This was no time to be analyzing such things!)
I put all other thoughts aside and moved away from the bushes. I was even
more careful than I had been when going. Sweat dripped down my forehead.
I must not ruin their joyful moment.
I was so relieved about being able to return to Daniela unnoticed, that I ended
up falling asleep right after. Of course, Daniela was furious.
Eventually, I would look at my status card and see that Presence Block had
been added to my list of skills, but it would not happen for quite a while.
chapter 209
I woke up very tired the next morning, and so I took a light breakfast and
then rested in the wagon. Trickster? No, it could not be helped. It’s not my
fault. They shouldn’t have been there in the forest.
I had barely even slept when I was woken up. I would have liked to sleep
longer…
According to Daniela, the line had started to move with the rise of the sun.
We had now been waiting for about two hours. That was a lot if you added
how long we had waited yesterday. But well, at least we wouldn’t sleep two
nights in a row.
“…Huh…actually, that’s not for certain…”
For a moment I had assumed we were assured an inn to stay at.
“So, why did you wake me up?”
“We’re about to be inspected.”
“I see.”
I thought we would be allowed through with a lot less hassle, but this was the
capital. Perhaps they needed tighter security.
I took out the status cards from the hollow bag and looked up at the sky and
waited until guards came walking towards us.
“We’ll take your status cards in advance.”
“Please put them in this basket.”
Huh. I guess they had them scanned first. It was nice and efficient.
“Excuse me.”
“Uh, yes!”
The pair of guards that stopped in front of us looked so young that one might
mistake them for children. I put the four status cards into the basket that one
of the boys was holding. Mister and Moosh had status cards as well. It was
apparently necessary for the trade, even if you weren’t Adventurers.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you!”
“So, which of you are representing the others?”
“Uh…”
I glanced over to Mister. We were guarding him, so he clearly represented us.
“I am. You can call me Mister.”
“Alright, Mister. Very good. We will get back to you after the inspection.”
“Much obliged.”
The two boys bowed politely and returned to the guardhouse.
So even kids worked as guards here. How old had I been during my first
job…
“I guess it’s more waiting then.”
“I’m quite bored of this wagon…”
Mister laughed with amusement. The three others seemed to be used to long
carriage rides. But my ass was killing me… I could see why someone would
want to modify carriages after coming to another world. But it was too much
work for me. I would rather run. Well, that was dumb too…
□ □ □ □
The pair of boys were walking towards us again. From what I heard them say
to the carriage in front of ours, we had been given permission to go through.
“Mister and company!”
“You have been granted entry into the city. Please move forward!”
“Thank you.”
They seemed to be staring at me with dazzled eyes. No, I must have been
seeing things.
“Uh, um!”
“Huh?”
But then they called to me.
“Uh, are you really the Great Silvergreen?”
“Oh… No need to add the ‘great’ part… I don’t care for that.”
“I-I’m sorry! I’m a big fan of yours, Mister Silvergreen!”
“Hehe. Thanks.”
So they were fans. I was reminded of Lauria… I wished she would clean my
clothes again.
“Are you going to fight in the Imperial Sword Tournament?”
“I intend to, yes.”
“I’ll be rooting for you then!”
“Me too!”
They raised their fists in support. I often thought about the bad rumors that
spread about us, but hearing voices like these helped motivate me.
“Thank you. I’ll do what I can to win.”
“We’re going to watch you fight!”
“Please do your best!’
They waved at me excited before returning to their work. I waved back until
they reached the next carriage.
“I see you are quite popular.”
“Don’t laugh. That was embarrassing…”
I tried to fan myself to cool off.
“I would not mind being admired by such adorable children.”
“Haha. I’m sure you have lots of girls looking up to you.”
“Yes, for some reason…”
Daniela sighed and shook her head. It could not be helped. No matter where
she went, she was the cool one that girls admired. No matter what world you
were in, there was always yuri to be found. Next time I wouldn’t mind being
reincarnated as a girl.
“But would that be yuri…? Well, perhaps that is a different genre.”
“Wha the hell are you talking about?”
“…Absolutely nothing.”
I sighed deeply and looked out of the tarp like Daniela was doing. We were
just going through the gate.
The history of the Imperial Capital of Vellefrost was long. The Empire of
Flugelnia had once dominated the world. And this city was made by the first
Emperor. As it was an Empire that had swallowed up many countries, the
buildings in the city were diverse in architecture. Thankfully, the initial
planning of the city had been done well, and the streets were not too
complicated. Of course, that was mostly just true for the center of the capital.
It was where the nobles lived. And it was in the very heart of the capital that
the Iron Castle, Revance Reve, stood proudly. Eight streets spread out from
the Imperial Castle, and each was named after figures who had supported the
country.
These were people who had helped the country once the empire’s domination
of the world had ended. The first Emperor of Vellefrost had the world in his
hands, but the stress of accomplishing such a feat had sent him to an early
grave. His son and successor avoided the same fate by cutting the kingdom
into pieces. And eight nobles helped him in this task.
This was the story I was being told by the old man in front of me.
“And so these eight people…”
“Asagi, we have to go…”
“Uh…um…old man. We have to get going…”
“Hmm? Oh, has that much time passed? I’m so sorry to keep you. Do enjoy
your stay in the city!”
“Thank you…”
I courageously interrupted the old man and succeeded in ending his

impromptu history lesson. Then I sighed for the hundredth time that day.
“Damn it. Why did I have to do it…”
“I am under a curse where my lifespan shortens when I talk to strangers.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Uh, Mister Asagi. We have to go to the guild…”

“Oh, right. Well, let’s go then!”
Damn it. I had only wanted to find out the location of the guild, but ended up
being lectured about the city’s history… And that took a lot of time. Damn
it…
But the location he told me at the start of his history lesson was correct. And
he told us of a route that had less traffic, which made it even worse that we
had wasted so much time.
There was a great sign that read, ‘Grand Guild.’ It was the main headquarters
of Vellefrost’s Adventurer’s Guild. I had never been to any headquarters
before. When we anxiously stepped inside, I immediately noticed how big it
was. Of course, I should have known it, because it was huge from the outside.
There were five of each counter and yet it was still crowded.
So, what would the quality of Adventurers be like? As there where

Adventurers from all over the place now, it would probably be a varied
lineup. You had your dangerous-looking old man, the younger guy with a
troublesome attitude, the lady who licked her knife threateningly, the girl
who looked cute but carried a giant battleaxe… But seriously, don’t lick your
knives. You’ll cut yourself.
Mister accompanied us to the rewards counter. As we were also making a

report on the quest, it should be the right place to go.
“Another line… I’m sick of it.”
“Well, well. At least it is the last one.”
“Speaking of last, this is the end of our journey, Mister… I’m sorry that it
wasn’t as peaceful as you might have wanted.”
“Preposterous! I enjoyed myself very much. I had been anxious about having
to travel with some ruffian Adventurers, and so you two were a great relief. It
was a very pleasant journey.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”

It was time to say goodbye. In spite of the Grendel and the blood apes, and
the fact that it was a rather dangerous journey, I was happy to hear that he
had a good time.
“You’re next.”
“Ah, we’re being called.”
“Let’s go.”
And so we went to the counter and made a report of the quest. For some
reason, we were given two pieces of gold instead of eighty silvers, but
perhaps it was Mister’s generosity. It was touching… It was the first time we
had traveled with a stranger, and it wasn’t a bad experience. Perhaps it would
be nice to travel in a party one day.
That being said, I wanted our next trip to be just us two. But before that, there
was the Imperial Sword Tournament.
And before that, we had to find an inn.

chapter 210
We accepted our reward and then it was time for Mister to leave.
“Well, Mister Asagi. Good luck in the tournament.”
“Thank you. Good luck with your business.”
“I will go and watch you fight!”
“Thank you, Moosh. I will try to live up to your expectations.”
It was a big city. I didn’t know if we would actually meet again. But
somehow, I felt that we probably would.
“You are entering as well, are you not, Miss Daniela?”
“Yes, I suppose I shall.”
She said as if this had not been mostly her idea.
“Then I shall definitely pray for your victory!”
“Thank you.”
Daniela chuckled at the overzealous Moosh.
“Well, we must be going now. Farewell.”
“Goodbye!”
They waved and then disappeared into the city. Mister would be going to an
inn that was reserved for merchants of his guild. And while Daniela and I
were waving pleasantly, inwardly, we were very anxious.
Our hands dropped.

“…”
“So. What should we do?”
“What indeed…”
I looked up at the sky. The sun was still high. I looked down and saw the
great crowds of people.
“I think we should go to this inn district first.”
“Yes…that is the first thing to do.”
That being said, we didn’t know the way. Now, if only there were some
signs…hmm?
I approached the thing that had caught my eye. It became clearer as I got
closer. It was a board that also held a stack of folded papers. On closer
inspection, I saw it was a map. And the papers…
“Oh, they are maps you can take with you!”
“Then we will not have to get lost.”
And so Daniela and I looked at the map. The words ‘Inn District’ could be
seen close to the south gate. Hmm, if the guild was here…ugh. It’s really far!
“The guild is on the west side.”
“Indeed, we did not walk much to get here…”
From what I could tell from the map, the guild, shopping district, nobles
district, and imperial castle were on the east side of the west gate. And to the
south of the imperial castle, there was a nobles district, shopping district, and
inn district. There were multiple shopping districts, but they apparently sold
different things. The trousers that I needed would be sold in the eastern
shopping district. Clothes and accessories were on the east side.
After looking at the map, it did look like the city had originally only extended
as far as the noble district. There were eight neat streets extending out from it.
The noble district had a wall surrounding it, but after that, the layout became
more varied. A combination of different ages and architecture. Well, none of
it was visible from the map.
“Well then. We should go there at once.”
“Daniela, don’t get distracted by anything.”
“I know. Our main priority now is to find a place to stay.”
□ □ □ □
There were a lot of people. And since they seemed to all be Adventurers, I
felt as if I had returned to Replant. Though, on closer inspection, there were
others too. Merchants and workers and tourists?
In any case, there were a lot of people. That’s what my impression of the city
was at first.
As was declared, we arrived at the inn district without getting distracted by

anything. However, we had no reservations or letters of introduction… We
tried all the inns on the right side of the great street all the way to the east
gate, but were turned down every time.
“Uh, how about we take a break…”
“Yes…I saw a park near the back alley. We can go there…”
We were so tired that we decided to head to the park and rest.
The park was surprisingly big and kept relatively clean. The trees had all
been trimmed. It was surprising that anyone would have time to do such a
thing. But this was the imperial city, and perhaps people just cared more.
We sat down on the closest bench and decided to eat. Of course, it was street
food. I had a feeling we would be running out soon… I wanted to check, but
this wasn’t a good place to expose your stock of food. Still, we’d have to go
shopping soon.
“Hahh… I expected it, but there really aren’t any places that are open…”
Daniela glared at the ground as she held her meat skewer.
“Yes… I suppose it shows just how important this tournament is.”
Apparently, there were even people who made reservations six months in
advance… While this was another world people still traveled far in order to
participate in such events. In that case…well, there was no point in regretting
decisions now.
“Well, we can check the left side next. If that’s no good, then we can check
the back streets. At worst, we will have to pitch a tent in the park.”
“We do not have a tent.”
“Oh…that’s right…”
This was bad. We couldn’t even sleep in a tent. We would be out in the open
then.
“Alright, are you finished? Let’s hurry up. We should probably split up this
time.”
“But, I happen to be cursed…”
“You know that cool Daniela who found an inn in Yukka? I’d like to meet
her again.”
“Very well. I shall find you an inn.”
She stood up abruptly. Oh, that was cool… My heart just skipped a beat.
“I will take the left side. See you later then.”
“What… That means I have the back street…!”
That’s clearly the worst side! Damn it… Ah, she just turned and laughed!
Just you wait. I’ll find us an inn!
“I’m sorry. We’re full during this time of the year…”
“I see…”
I know. I know. I know it too much.
“Very sorry…”
The innkeeper bowed apologetically. It was me who was being unreasonable.

I quickly made her stop.
“Still… Is there really no place that is open?”
“It will be very difficult to find one during the Imperial Sword Tournament.”
“While we hadn’t known, we really picked a bad time…”
“Hehe. But this also the time when the city is the most lively. I do hope you
enjoy your time here.”
“Yeah, I’m sure we will. That’s one thing I am glad about. Well, thank you.”
“I am sorry that I couldn’t help you. Perhaps another time.”
The innkeeper waved me away with a smile as I left to go to the next one.
Which was, of course, right next door. A few steps to the door. I would
probably come straight back out in a minute. Hahhh…
The process repeated several times but I was rejected every time. I was
starting to think we would have to sleep outside after all. In fact, what was so
wrong with that anyway? I couldn’t even say anymore…
“Well, I guess I could try the backstreets on the left side…”
My feet were quite sore as I moved away from the main road and to the back
street.
However, I was unable to find an inn there as well.
Things were officially a disaster… If only we knew someone here…
“Hmm? …Wait a minute…”
Knew someone. Knew someone. Did we know someone who was in the
capital? I leaned against a wall and searched through my memories. Usually,
when this happened, it was best to go back in the order that things occurred.
“Umm…”
First, we came here with Mister. Before that, we were in Yukka. Before
Yukka…hmm. Aeneius said something about coming here, but I doubt he’d
find an inn. Poor guy.
“And then…”
Before Yukka. We were in Arkaroid. Nothing really happened there…I think.

And before that, we were in…Usk.
“Usk…Usk… Friend…Imperial Capital… Hmm. I’ve gone back quite far

already…”
“Ah…hmm? Oh…oh! I know!”
That big guy. The strong one! He was part of the Empire’s intelligence
department and he said to come to him for help!”
“…Now, what was his name…”
I couldn’t remember… But I felt like he said something about them

monitoring us. Perhaps they’ve been using Presence Block all of this time.
But they should be around. It’s their job.
And so I moved away from the inns and to a nearby alley. And there, I
activated Presence Detection.
chapter 212
Lodging Facility
We followed Miss Licoris through the streets of the northern district.
“…And this building to the right here is the gym…”
“I see…”
“To the left is the bathing facility. Once you have cleaned and refreshed
yourself, you can go to the food district and satisfy your appetites…”
“…Right.”
It was like being on a tour. To be honest, I didn’t care about any of this stuff
at all. I wanted to get to our inn…
“…Hey.”
“What…”
Daniela whispered in my ear. I had a bad feeling about this.
“Tell her to stop wasting our time…”
“You tell her… I’m too tired…”
“As I have said many times…there is this curse…”
“You really need to think of a better excuse…”
You go. No, you go. We jabbed and elbowed each other as we walked.
Which was fine, until my foot got caught on hers and I tripped forward and
fell. On my face.
“A-are you alright!?”

“Yeah… No problem at all…”
“Yo-your nose is bleeding! We should take you to the medical facility…!”
NO! It will be nightfall by the time we reach the inn!
“I’m sorry, Miss Licoris. But I just want to lie down and get some rest…”
“I-I see… Oh, yes. I am supposed to be taking you to the inn…”
She finally remembered her purpose for being here… Well, the damage had
been worth taking then…
I pulled out a clean cloth from the hollow bag and pressed it against my
bleeding nose as Miss Licoris led us to the inn…or lodging facility.
□ □ □ □
“This is the lodging facility for imperial military personnel. Please come
inside.”
A large building stood in front of us. It really was huge. Miss Licoris had
been very insistent on explaining it to us on the way. According to her, the
place was like a temporary dormitory. It was used by those who worked at
night, or as a place to stop before patrols. It was also used as a resting area.
There was a bathing room and an area to do your laundry. An all-round
convenient place to live in.
The entrance was also quite large. There were tables and chairs to rest, a front
desk, and a hallway to the dining hall. Also, stairs to the second floor. It all
looked good to me.
We went to the front desk first. It was close to the entrance on the right side.
A young man with glasses worked behind it.
“Hello, Hipericam.”
“Hmm…ah, Licoris. It’s you.”

He looked up at us with a lazy expression.
“Mister Asagi and Miss Daniela here need your permission to use this
facility.”
“…So they had the pass then?”
“Yes. Mister Asagi, if you please.”
“Right, here it is.”
I took it out from the bag and handed it over.
“Hmm… What happened to your nose?”
“I fell.”
“Hmm… Well, it is real, I can see that. You can sign right here then.”
And so I wrote my name on the list on the counter. Daniela also picked up the
pen and signed her name.
“Good. You may now use the facility. Please remember to sign again on your
departure.”
“Thank you. I see it’s quite simple then.”
I had assumed the process would be more complicated…
“People who have priority passes have to be treated well. Of course, the
military also does what it can for ordinary civilians and tourists, but those
with priority passes are a priority.”
So that’s what it means… It still felt pretty odd.
“Here we believe that guests would prefer things to proceed quickly and
smoothly. Just like in the military.”
I guess military personnel just had to sign their names and they could use the
facility.
Interesting. Stress-free. The priority pass was a wonderful thing.
“Oh, you should go to the central guard-house later. Though, it can be

tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“They will give you a bracelet in exchange for the pass. It’s much more
convenient that way.”
I see. So there would be no need to flash the card every time. They wanted
things to be as smooth as possible here.
“Got it. We’ll visit it later on then.”
“Mmm. Here is your key. It’s room sixteen on the third floor.”
“Thank you.”
“Please enjoy your stay.”
He gave me the key and promptly returned to whatever he was doing on his
desk. He would help us when needed but was much more interested in other
things. That’s what it looked like.
We moved over to the tables with Miss Licoris. There was a magic device
here that created drinking water. We filled some cups and then sat down at a
table.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
Don’t mention it. I smiled and took a seat. My nose had stopped bleeding.
“My mission as your tour guide is now complete.”
She said with a polite bow after taking a sip of water.
“I’m sorry that it took longer than expected.”
“No-no, don’t worry about that. We got here in the end.”
“Yes. And we learned some very useful information that will come in handy
during our stay.”
“Hehe. I am happy that you think so.”
After that, she gave us a brief explanation of the facility before getting up to
leave. She gave a quick salute and then we parted ways. And with that, we
went up the stairs and to room 316.
The interior of the building was mostly white. The stairs, walls, and ceiling. It
kind of messed with your perception of distance if you weren’t careful. It was
also clean and spotless.
As we looked around and made our way towards the room, we would pass by
people who looked like soldiers, but they all left us alone. Still, they seemed
very alert.
“Here it is.”
I checked the door and the key. Yes, 316. It continued on until 320, which
meant there would be rooms on both sides. So we would have to keep it
down…
The door unlocked with a loud click and we entered the room. It was white
inside as well. A plain, single room. Nothing really drew the eye. In fact, the
simplicity of it made me think of modern-day Japan.
“Hmm… It’s the kind of room that results from taking everything out that is
deemed unnecessary.”
“It really is.”

There weren’t any security devices either. I suppose it showed they were
confident that such a thing would not occur here. In any case, we put down
our belongings and fell onto the couch.
“Ahhh…we finally found a place to stay.”
“I’ll have to thank that guy. Tames…”
“Yes, we will have to thank him if we have a chance.”
He had even given me a Presence Block tool during the battle with Eve…
Karma would not be kind if I didn’t show my gratitude.
“…Oh, by the way…”
I took out my status card from the hollow bag and brought up my status.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Race: Human
Alias: Silvergreen
LV: 86
HP: 847/847
MP: 807/807
STR: 444 VIT: 438
AGI: 903 DEX: 462
INT: 436 LUK: 39

Skills: ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’, Legs of the God Wolf, Eyes of
the God Wolf, Single-handed Sword(9/10), Short sword(6/10), Spear(3/10),
Archer(2/10), Greatsword(6/10), Presence Detection(8/10), Presence
Block(2/10), Nighteyes(5/10)
Quest: None
Equipment: Armor
Head: none
Feet: Accel Panther Boots
Weapons: Glampanzer
– None
– None
– Bewitching Light Green Cotton Shirt
Accessories: None
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“Woah…”
I-I have Presence Block now…
“What is it? Have you gained some odd new skill?”
“Yeah…Presence Block…”
“What? Let me see.”
Daniela’s head came in and blocked the screen. And so I stared at the back of
her neck instead.
“Your level has risen quite a lot… It must be because of the Loup-garou and
the Grendel.”
“And in spite of all that, I mainly used the sword, so my spear skill only went
up by one point.”
But it was the spear that I wanted to improve in.
“More importantly, Asagi, you should have your rank updated at the guild.
You should be A-Rank by now.”
“Which is what stone?”
“Ruby.”
Ruby. I liked those. I remember there was this game I played a long time ago
where there was a tribe of people who ate rubies.
“So tomorrow, we get the bracelets, apply to increase our ranks and then
enlist in the tournament…busy, busy.”
“But fulfilling, no?”
“You know, I was just about to say the same thing.”
There was something interesting about the idea that these casual
conversations on the couch were still based on our numerous experiences
together. Some time had now passed since I came to this world, and it all felt
so natural to me now.
chapter 213
I slept and woke the following morning. As there was a lot we had to do, I
got up early, took a bath, and got changed and then woke up Daniela.
“Come on, get up. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”
“Mmmmaa…”
“No amount of moaning will save you. You need to conquer this morning
weakness of yours.”
“Ughhh…’
I pulled the sheets out from under her. She still didn’t want to get up, and so I
had to take the mattress next. It reminded me of what my mother used to do
to me. I had nowhere to escape, and so I had to get up.
Of course, Daniela tried to find a place to hide, but there was nothing on the
bed now.
Once her eyes were open, there was nothing to do but get up.
“Damn it…”
“Come on now. It’s not so bad.”
Really…I’m not your mother.
I grumbled as I pulled Daniela out of bed and marched her towards the sink.
Once her legs started moving, she was able to carry on by herself.
□ □ □ □
We left the lodging facility as soon as Daniela changed and was ready to go.
Mister Hipericam looked very busy behind his desk, and so we tried to pass
by him quietly, so as not to disturb his work…but then he called out to us.
“Asagi. I know you’re just being considerate, but it would help if you notified
me before leaving.”
“…Ah, right. Well, we’re going to get our bracelets and visit the guild. Also,
we need to sign up for the tournament.”
“You don’t have to give me your itinerary. Just let me know that you’re
going out.”
“Got it. Uh, see you later then.”
“Yes, please be careful. You too, Miss Daniela.”
“Thank you.”
He did not raise his face even once during this conversation. I wondered how
he had even spotted us. Perhaps it was some ability. Well, it was none of our
business.
Once that was done, we decided to head for the central guard-house. There,
we would exchange the priority pass for bracelets. We had a lot to do today,
but we were both in agreement that this should be the first thing on our list.
Then it would be ranking up. And lastly, signing up for the tournament. It
was possible that we would be separated into classes depending on our rank,
and I didn’t want to look like a cheater…or be disqualified.
“I think the central guardhouse is this way.”
“We really are in the imperial capital. This building is huge…”
We looked up at the building in front of us. It was five stories tall…
But there was no point in staring at it, and we went inside. Once we pushed
the doors opened and entered, we were greeted to a very familiar sight. Like
many other guard-houses we had seen, there was an entrance, waiting room,
chairs and a table with a counter in the back. A lot of signs were also hanging
around.
“So, which one are we supposed to go to?”
“I believe it is that one?”
Daniela pointed at a sign that read, ‘Various Procedures’, which was quite
vague. But it seemed likely enough, and so we walked up to the counter as a
young woman greeted us.
“How can I help you?”
“I was told to come here and exchange this pass for a bracelet.”
“Ah, the imperial military priority pass. Please wait one moment.”
She got up from her chair and went over to a shelf where she pulled out two
bracelets from a basket.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
I placed the pass on the counter and picked up the bracelets.
It was a plane band that was about three centimeters wide. Kind of like a
watch. I gave Daniela hers and put mine on. The right wrist seemed
appropriate.
“Can I help you with anything else?”
“Uh… Yes. Where should we go in order to enlist in the tournament?”
“That would be at the venue.”
“The venue?”
Now that I thought of it, we hadn’t heard where it would take place… I just
knew it was within the imperial capital.
“The imperial arena is to the northwest of the city. That is where you can sign
up.”
“I see. Thank you very much.”
Northwest…the troops were in the north. And the west was mainly a district
for Adventurers. That’s where the guild was. In other words, it was a place
where both could be managed. Northwest.
I sat down in a chair and nodded to myself while checking the map. Daniela
was staring at her bracelet.
“Pretty unusual for you to have to wear any accessories, Daniela.”
“True. I do not like dangling things very much.”
She had no rings on her ears or fingers. Perhaps Daniela hated such things…
This was a painful blow to me, as I had been secretly planning to have some
wind dragon scales and fangs turned into matching necklaces for us…
“Hmm? Did you want to get me something?”
“Huh!? No…I mean… Uhahaha…”
“Ah, I did not think you were the type.”
“Is that an insult? When am I not thinking about you, Daniela?”
“Hehe. I was not serious. I know you do.”
She said playfully.
“I am not fond of accessories, but I would be happy with anything you

wanted to give me. And so I shall look forward to it.”
“Uh…right. Some day.”
This was embarrassing. I turned away and scratched my jaw as if it actually

itched.
Sometime later, we arrived at the Adventurer’s guild. There was no
procedure necessary when going to the north district from the west. It was the
same in the south and east. The exceptions were the nobles district and when
visiting the imperial castle further on. In other words, places that had nothing
to do with us. Perhaps we would have gone if it was an actual tourist
attraction, but this place was actually inhabited by the upper class and the
emperor. They would have us executed if we went in uninvited.
Probably.
The guild was very busy. We made our way through crowds of Adventurers
from all over the empire. We finally reached the counter.
“Oh, sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
No one seemed to care if you accidentally bumped into them here. I guess
they were better trained.
“Wait.”
But Daniela called for the man to stop. I turned around to see what was
happening. She looked angry. But why?
“Return what you just stole from Asagi. Do it quickly and this can end
without further trouble.”
“Daniela…?”
Stole? I didn’t have anything that could be…hmm? Hmm!?”
“Ah, my wallet!”
I kept a small leather pouch with a few silvers and golds to shop with, in my
pocket. It was gone.
“Asagi. I am not impressed at your lack of caution here.”

“I really did mess up.”
“What? Why are you accusing me?”
The Adventurer said innocently and then glared at me. Perhaps it was
arrogant of me, but up until that point, I was willing to let it slide as a lesson I
needed to learn. Mainly, because it was such a small sum… But his attitude
irked me.
And so I activated Eyes of the God Wolf. It wasn’t just an ability that let you
see things far away. I could see things that were close by as well. For
instance, the bulge in his back pocket.
“It’s in your back pocket.”
“Tsk…!”
He must have sensed danger then because he turned around and ran. Yes, I
could see the outline of my wallet on his ass.
I had made that wallet myself. It was some folded leather stitched together
with a needle and some thread. They didn’t use any paper money here, so the
wallet got quite fat. Still, I had designed it using Jack of all Trades, Master of
None, which resulted in a design that made it fold nicely. I did not think there
were any other wallets like it in this world.
“You owe me one.”
“Sorry.”
And with that, Daniela pointed a finger at the Adventurer.
“Blast Bullet.”
“Woah–!?”
It was original magic by Daniela. It was based on my own Icicle Bullet. And
it went straight into the back of the thief. The bullet was like a miniature
storm and knocked him right off of his feet.
“Hey, guild worker. We got a thief.”
“Ye-yes!”
Daniela sighed as she spun around and called to a random person behind the
counter. Several others were called and they promptly apprehended the fallen
Adventurer. After that, my wallet was returned to me.
Damn it. This was not a good start. I thought people would start leaving me
alone… As the hero protagonist, it was Matsumoto who was supposed to
attract this kind of attention. I don’t get it.
chapter 214
I watched them drag the thief away from the corner of my eye as we stepped
in the line in front of the counter. Other Adventurers stole glances at us, but I
decided it wasn’t worth caring about such things. That being said, I was very
embarrassed about not noticing the pickpocket myself!
“Hello.”
“Excuse me. I would like to rank up.”
“Oh, you want to go the procedures counter over there. Next.”
Ouch. I had thought I might look a little intimidating, now that I had a scar on
my face and everything… We left the line and went to the correct counter.
There were signs just like in the central guard-house. That was nice… This
place had counters I had never seen in any other guild, which made it difficult
to navigate. But I guess they had to spread the work out more in places as big
as this one…or so I told myself.
“Hello there! I’ve been watching you. You really should be more careful.”
An older man said. He was waiting in front of us and laughed with

amusement. Hmm.
“I was being careful. I was just testing his skill.”
“Haha! Well, we’ll pretend like that’s the truth then!”
Condescending…and very tall.
“I’m Sargas. You’re that Asagi fellow, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know if I’m ‘that’ Asagi, but that is my name.”
“Yes. And this lady must be Daniela.”

“I am.”
Oh, this was annoying. To be recognized before you have a chance to

introduce yourself. Will I ever know peace again? I won’t forgive you,
Bordow.
“The rising stars. The Platinum Wind! I am so lucky to be able to meet you
two.”
“That’s nice. Now move forward.”
“Oh, sorry. Don’t look so upset.”
He stepped forward and filled the break in the line.
“So, are you fighting? In the tournament, I mean.”
“I am. That’s why we came here in a hurry.”
“I see. Yes, you should hurry. There are preliminaries after all.”
“There are?”
Sargas then explained that you are separated into groups that you fight in, and
the winners get to move on. A battle royale.
“Well, it shouldn’t be any problem for you two.”
“I’ll keep my guard up.”
“Indeed. Or we will have a repeat of what just happened.”
“Daniela…”
Let’s just forget about that.
□ □ □ □
“Next.”
“Ah, it’s me. See you later then. I’m just a spectator for this tournament. But
good luck.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“We are grateful.”
He had given us some useful information in the end. He waved and then
moved over to the counter, where he was promptly berated for taking too
much time.
“Now that I think of it, didn’t we get some kind of recommendation? What is
that for?”
“Perhaps it says we are so strong that we do not have to join the

preliminaries.”
The letter that Kiralika had given me was sealed, so I hadn’t read it. I could
not see it with Eyes of the God Wolf either. It was like the difference of
looking under a skirt versus pants. There needed to be an entrance.
Not that I would do such a stupid thing. After all, I had Daniela.
“Hey, Asagi.”
“You sounded like you could see what was happening behind the thief… Is
that what I think it is?”
“Yeah. My other skill. Eye of the God Wolf.”
After traveling the world and seeing everything, the God Wolf’s eyes were
able to see through all.
“I see. That is why your eyes had changed color.”
“What? They did?”

“Aye. They had turned a pretty, silver color.”
I didn’t know that. But I guess I wouldn’t if I couldn’t see them. I wondered
if it was the same with Night Eyes.
“Daniela.”
“Hm? Woah. They are yellow now.”
“I’m using Night Eyes.”
“I never noticed it before, as it was always night when you used it.”
“I think I should call it Demon Eye! The Nightmare Seeker!!”
“You better not.”
“…”
I always liked the idea of a demon eye, but Daniela rejected it quickly. Well,
maybe ‘Distance Sight’?
“Next.”
Oh, we just got called. I allowed my feelings of sadness to disperse and

stepped forward. Sargas had already left.
“I’d like to rank up. Both of us.”
“Very well. Please give me your status cards.”
“Here.”
I took them out of the bag and put them on the counter. Daniela also needed
to rank up. Neither of us had done this for a long time. We were both a little
negligent, I guess.
“You will be A-Rank, Mister Asagi. And you as well, Miss Daniela.”
“Oh, I caught up.”
“Took you long enough.”
There were quite a few times I racked up a ton of points while alone…still,
the day had come…I was quite moved by the thought.
“I will process this right away. Please wait in the waiting room over there.”
“Waiting room…right.”
I remembered it now. That claustrophobic space that resembled a smoking

room. I had played with some magic as a way of killing time. It caused a little
scene. I wouldn’t repeat it.
We left our status cards with the guild worker and went to the waiting room
with its stuffy air. I realized then that these rooms were the same in any city. I
could hardly breathe.
“Here are your status cards. Congratulations. You are both A-Rank.”
“Thank you.”
We accepted our status cards and moved away from the counter. I was finally
the same rank as Daniela…yes, that made me quite happy.
“We must celebrate today.”
“Let’s go eat when this is all done.”
“Aye.”
“What do you want?”
I had a big smile on my face as I waited for Daniela’s answer. She looked at
me very seriously and whispered.
“…Meat.”
“…”
□ □ □ □
After leaving the guild behind us, we followed our map and walked
northwestward. After a few corners and streets, the number of Adventurers
began to increase. We were almost there. Just one more corner…
“Woah, that’s huge.”
“Astonishing.”
The Imperial Arena. Its official name was the ‘Radelia Shvein Arena.’ A
huge colosseum of sorts. A little plain compared to the colosseums I was
used to seeing. Its walls showed engravings of swords and shields. The pillars
were men with bulging muscles who held up the roof. It was all very
overwhelming.
When I looked away from the area, I saw a small building to the side.
Adventurers and military men were going in and out of the doors. I suppose
that was where we needed to go. As we walked towards it, I rummaged in my
bag for the letter of recommendation. I could not forget that.
We passed an angry, stiflingly formal-looking gentleman and an immodestly

dressed lady by the entrance and went inside. It was still hot. And it was very
crowded.
Several tables had been prepared inside, and everyone seemed to be writing.
Those who could not write had someone write for them. So they must be
entry sheets of some sort.
And so Daniela and I picked ours out of a basket and began filling them in
with a pen. It was like a resume.
Once we were done, we looked around the room. Where were we supposed to
submit them…
“Asagi.”
“Hmm?”
Daniela tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the back. There was a door
and a man holding the sheet had just gone through it. At the same time, others
were coming out.
“There must be something there.”
“Pretty obvious what that is.”
There would be some kind of screening, I bet. And so Daniela and I headed
towards the door, slowly, so we didn’t disturb the others.
chapter 215
It turned out that the door led to the outside of the building, where there was a
field with several tents set up. There were signs next to the tents that read ‘G-
Rank’ and ‘F-Rank’ etcetera.
“Are stones and obsidian treated as the same?”
“Well, obsidian ranges from Level 6 to 20. Those closer to E-Rank would
have an advantage, but sometimes ore has abilities that exceed them. It is an
interesting group.”
Your honed skills and strength were important as you got stronger. As did
your experience. However, lower-ranking Adventurers had little of that. And
so their wisdom, speed, and imagination played a larger part in their victory.
There had been a time when I made vine ropes and used knives to fashion
wooden spears…
“That is us over there.”
Daniela pointed with her chin. There was a tent and a sign that read ‘A-
Rank.’ Uhuh. Ruby.
And so we took our entry sheets to the tent.
It was an ordinary tent inside. A single long table. Two chairs. And an old
man who sat on the other side of the table.
“Are you A-Rank?”
“Yes.”
“I am.”
“Good. Unfortunately, you have to come in one at a time. You can be after
her. I feel like talking to a pretty lady.”
“Well, there you go. Out, Asagi.”
“…”
That’s not very nice. I might have to express my displeasure.
Instead, I left the tent and waited for five minutes. Daniela came out and then
I went in. The fact that she looked a little smug annoyed me.
“Well, there was no problem with Miss Daniela. …Bah, it’s just a little
confirmation of your rank and skill. Official stuff. You can put your sword
away.”
“…Oh, sorry.”
I let go of the ice sword and it evaporated into the air. Then I took a seat.
“Alright. Put your status card and entry sheet down here.”
“Okay.”
I put them both on the table. The old man ran the card through the reader and
then looked at the entry sheet while he waited.
“Hmm…everything seems to be in order. You really are an A-Ranker. Hmm,

oh…you have three Unique Skills. The gods must really love you.”
“It’s a coincidence.”
“We’ll say it is then. Now, I’ve confirmed your rank and the entry sheet.
Now, I must explain to you the rules of the tournament. Listen carefully.”
He pulled out a sheet of paper and pointed while he talked.
“First, there are preliminaries. We separate you all before the real battle. This
is determined by rank and the number of contestants. But you and Miss
Daniela can skip this part. You have it, don’t you?”
“You mean this.”

I put the recommendation on the table.
“Yes, a recommendation from a Guild Master. If you have one of these, you
can skip the preliminaries and go straight to the main games. You are quite
lucky. These things are rarely issued. In fact, only three have gotten them this
time. And that’s including you two.”
“Three?”
“Aye. But then again, it’s really just a matter of being a strong Adventurer
who is also good friends with a Guild Master.”
“That sounds a little dodgy.”
“What? Use what you can. And what you can’t. Isn’t that what the strong
do?”
He was probably right.
“Well, never mind about that. You’ll be split into groups again for the main
fight. However, unlike the battle royale of the preliminaries, it’s one-on-one.
Ultimately, the tops of each group will fight. In this tournament…yes. You
will probably be split into four groups.”
“Is that a lot?”
“We’re expected to have about two hundred people. So they will be divided
into groups of fifty. There are exceptions, but it’s usually depending on rank.
And two people are chosen from each group to go to the finals. So that’s
eight in all.”
“That’s a lot of people…”
“A lot of people showed up this year. However, there’s been up to eight

hundred in the past.”
“Woah…”
And if they were split into groups of fifty…that’s sixteen groups. That really
was a lot…
“The preliminaries will begin in the Radelia Shvein Arena in two weeks. One
group per day, so it will take four days. And then there is one day of rest
before the real game.”
“In other words, I won’t fight until twenty days from now?”
“Exactly.”
I see. We had come in a hurry, but being exempt from the preliminaries had
given us quite a lot of free time. Well, I was not going to complain about that.
“You can go on quests or just rest while you wait. Though, if I were you, I
would watch the games and observe my rivals.”
“I intend to do just that.”
“You’re a careful one. Brilliant.”
As a jack of all trades and master of none, I had to do my research if I wanted

to do well. Thankfully, ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ was a reliable
partner.
“That’s about it then. Any questions?”
“Hmmm… Not really.”
“Well, you can always come back if you think of anything. Have a good day
and good luck in the tournament.”
He stood up and offered his hand. I stretched out my hand to accept.

However, he quickly pulled his back.
“Sorry-sorry. I just realized. I’d rather not shake your hand after Daniela. It’ll
overwrite it.”
“I’ll do my best in the games. Thank you.”
“Ahhh…!”
I used my high AGI to grab his hand and overwrote whatever it was he
thought was there. This was just the thing to do to these old men. Asshole.
In any case, I was able to enter the tournament. And the recommendation
from Kiralika had allowed us to skip the preliminaries. All in all, things were
going very well.
□ □ □ □
Daniela and I left the arena and we walked to a nearby diner. We would have
a late breakfast. Or lunch. I was starving, as Daniela’s waking habits had
forced us to skip breakfast. I didn’t even care what was on the menu. And so
we rushed into the first building that we saw.
“Sorry, but do you have anything that’s really filling?”
“I would recommend our ‘Meat of Love and Hate’ lunch set.’”
“…Alright.”
“I as well.”
I was starting to regret our rash decision to come here. On closer inspection,
it had a fancy, almost gothic look to it. A little chaotic. Even a maid cafe
would have a tighter concept. The waitresses were…gothic lolita…? I didn’t
know much about that, but it seemed like something Daniela would be
interested in. Yeah, she was looking.
“You seem to like this place.”
“I-I-I do not!”
“Huh? Don’t you like meat?”
“What? Oh, yes. I cannot live without it.”
Her face had gone red and she was clearly uncomfortable. Still, she was
looking at the waitresses. Perhaps we could find some nice clothes stores
here.
“By the way, Daniela. Will you ever wear that dress again?”
“Oh, umm. It…”
“Hmm?”
Daniela mumbled incomprehensibly.
“That…yes. It…is for when we go out together… So next time, perhaps?”
She said as she looked up, shyly at me. How dare she look so cute…!
“Alright. We can go out once I’ve bought all my equipment. We can go

sightseeing.”
“Yes…”
She fidgeted and nodded. I was so weak.
“Here you go. Enjoy.”
And then, bam! Two sets of ‘Meat of Love and Hate’ were set out in front of
us. Woah, there was a lot… I wasn’t sure I would be able to eat it all. Well, I
was quite hungry.
“Let’s eat.”
“Yes-mggmm-mm…”
As always, she didn’t wait for a second. I chuckled and bit into my own
oversized steak.
chapter 216
“That was very delicious”
“It was good.”
“Ah, thank you very much.”
We paid the sixty silvers and left the diner. Our business had gone
unexpectedly smoothly, and we had nothing else to do today. So how could
we pass the rest of our time… Well, what about a walk to help with
digestion?
“Yes. It was more than I expected.”
Daniela said as she patted her stomach. And so we decided to wander around
for a while.
Half of the northwest side of the Western District was facilities related to the
arena. Hospital, smithy etcetera. Hmm…I had been taken to a hospital in
Spiris after hunting that wyvern. That was the first time I saw medical magic.
I wonder what attribute it was?
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi?”
“You know, medical magic? What attribute is that?”
“Void. Medical magic and lifestyle magic are generally void. That is why
there are few people who can use them.”
“Ah, I see. That’s why potions are so important.”
“Exactly. There is even medical magic that allows you to create potions. The
power of medical potions is immense. It could even heal my ruined arm.”
“You mean…”
The potion I used after that wind dragon fight.
“That was really a close call. I shudder to think what would have happened
without potions.”
“Yeah… So, these medical potions. Are they more vibrant in color?”
“Aye. The fewer impurities they have, the clearer the color. Or so I have
heard.”
“Hmmm. In other words, potions made from herbs have fibers and other
impurities that potions made with magic don’t have?”
I see… Maybe potions made from herbs were bitter because of that as well.
Interesting.
“Void… It’s like you can do anything with it.”
“In a way. Perhaps it is the power that allows you to make the most of
magic’s potential.”
Well, I suppose it was a cheat that someone else would get. I would continue
to improve with ice and water. And ice was pretty cool. I could turn the
temperature to below freezing, dulling the enemy’s movements while I used
my AGI to go berserk…yes. I still didn’t have much magical energy, but I
would be able to do that one day.
Hmm… And what about water? Water…
A water cutter like Schwarz Tempest was good too…yes. But magic that
specialized in supporting instead of attacking would also be interesting. Up
until now, I’ve only really thought about attack magic.
Speaking of moisture, the ‘gi’ in Asagi was for mist. What about using mist
to confuse the enemy? And then I could use Presence Block for maximum
effectiveness. I could then use ice statues as decoys and… Ah, are these ideas
amazing or what?
“‘Mystic Mist’…yes, yes…”
“Thinking of more embarrassing names?”
“They’re not embarrassing!”
And I would give this some serious thought. If everything goes well, maybe I
would have something ready for the Imperial Sword Tournament.
□ □ □ □
As we wandered aimlessly in the Western District, we eventually found

ourselves close to the noble part of the city. There was a very high wall
surrounding it. We’d probably get arrested if we scaled it…
“Hmm?”
“What?”
“I sense someone on the other side…”
“Ah…you are right.”
I was able to use Presence Detection a lot better now, which included
detecting things above us.
Maybe it was because my skill level went up.
We were now checking the other side of the wall. There was someone
slightly above us, as faint as it was. While I could see nothing, there was
probably a building close by.
“Ah.”
“Oh…”
A part of the wall opened right above us. What a gimmick. And I thought this
wall was solid stone… Then a rope started to descend. There was no one else
around. Was it a rope to help some in? In that case…
“This is bad. Let’s go, Daniela.”
“Why?”
“I don’t like the smell of this!”
I just knew that someone was going to come down from there. From the town
of nobles. Some rich asshole, I bet. I’d rather not get involved with that type.
And so I pulled Daniela away from it before the rope hit the ground. I would
not get involved with this!
I let go of her hand when we were back in the main street. Once I had caught
my breath, I looked behind me just in case. …Yes, no one had followed us.
That was close…
“I know that pattern. Some noble was going to come out and demand that we
entertain them.”
“That would be annoying…”
“Right? There is a saying, ‘a wise man keeps away from danger.’ Only an
idiot would rush in by themselves.”
“I have heard that one. Some old Hero used to say it.”
Now that we had left that business to someone else, we continued our walk. It
was quite a long walk by now. If only we had an actual destination.
“In that case, we can look for your armor, Asagi.”
“Ah, that’s right. I’d forgotten about that.”
It was a good opportunity. While I still had twenty days left, it could take a
long time. But then again, Turia from the White Lily had finished it in a
week.
“It is too bad that we used all the materials on my clothes.”
“No. There’s no way we’d know that my clothes would get ruined so soon
after.”
“If any of the materials we sold in Usk made their way here, you could buy
them.”
“I’d feel quite sad if I had to buy materials I sold.”
“It cannot be helped. It is less likely that a wind dragon will conveniently
appear.”
Maybe if we were in a comic book. If we were walking around town and I

heard someone shout, ‘there’s a wind dragon!’ then I would know that it was
the end of the world. As if a dragon would appear in the middle of town.
“Hey, did you hear? The rumors about a dragon in the east mountain.”
“Aye, everyone is talking about it… They say it’s a dragon from south of the
continent…”
“Yes-yes. But I haven’t heard what type it is yet…”
“I heard that it was a wind dragon…”
“Really? …Wind dragons are vicious…”
There was no way that my ears were functioning correctly. Still, I spun
around and saw people talking as they ate on a terrace.
“It is rare indeed. Dragons don’t usually come around here.”
“Speaking of dragons, have you heard of the attack in Nicora?”
“Yes. And it is quite close… What happened in the end?”

“Someone killed it… Chopped its head off the same day it appeared.”
“Woah… I’m not sure which is the actual monster here…”
Geez. Sorry for being a monster. Wait, nevermind about that. What? A
dragon?
“Well, the imperial soldiers will take care of it.”
“But it’s still just a rumor, isn’t it? Will they really take action?”
“Who knows? But it will be the end of that dragon if they do.”
“I suppose… Oh, look at the time. We should go.”
“Ah, wait a minute. I’m almost finished eating…”
Daniela and I looked at each other. It was hard to believe, but where there
was smoke, there was fire. And we needed to move before the military in
order to find out if it was true.
And so we rushed back to the lodging facility to grab our things. We quickly
got changed and then ran towards the guild. After checking the quest board
thoroughly, we found a quest called ‘East Mountain Investigation.’ We
accepted it and then went to the market district to restock on supplies. The
first thing to get was a new tent. Nothing fancy, just something that was
practical. I found one that was supported by a single pole, just like I had
wanted, and so I bought that. Daniela found another one that was shaped like
a dome, and we bought that as well. We could use them depending on the
situation.
Then we bought food at street stalls and restaurant takeouts and then left the
city before the gates closed.
“Do you think maybe we are rushing things a little…?”
“‘It is good to have shelter against every storm.’ That is what an old Hero
once said….”
We caught our breath and continued towards the east mountain. I really hope
that it’s there. This wind dragon. Really, things could not have been more
convenient for us!
chapter 217
As we wanted to be as quick as possible, we decided that I should carry
Daniela and run while using Legs of the God Wolf. It was Daniela who
suggested this. I rolled up my pants so they wouldn’t get ruined. I also took
my boots off just in case. They hadn’t been damaged the last time I did this,
but I was cautious. Besides, my feet weren’t touching the ground, so it didn’t
matter if I wore anything or not.
“This is rather nice. It is more stable than the carriage.”
“But I’m not used to these legs yet. You don’t know how on edge I am.”
“As long as you do not drop me.”
And so I ran very carefully.
□ □ □ □
It had recently come to my attention that my eyes turned yellow while using
Night Eyes. It was a skill that allowed me to run through the night even if
there was no light, but I was human and I liked to sleep. Daniela was very
understanding of this, and so descended to the ground where we would set up
camp.
Once I had a fire, I was able to deactivate the skill. The fire offered enough
light for me to see clearly. Now, we just had to set up the tent. Would it be
the one I bought or the one Daniela bought?
“Which one do you think would be easier?”
“Hmm… Probably mine…”
You just stabbed a pole into the ground and pulled the tarp out. Not that the
dome one looked too complicated either. You just tied the cloth along the
frame and it was finished. The frame was made of iron and quite heavy, but
that was fine, since we carried it in the hollow bag. You could also take the
frame apart, which was neat. It showed how advanced they were in the
imperial capital.
Well, we were in a hurry today, so we’d go with the easiest one!
“…There. It’s done. Pretty nice inside as well.”
“Hmm…yes, this is quite good.”
We relied on the bonfire for light as we looked inside. I tried walking around
the pole and it didn’t feel cramped at all. The ventilation was great as well. I
had made the right choice with this one.
“Alright. Let’s eat then.”
“I have been waiting for you to say that.”
I handed Daniela some fried noodles from the bag. We set the food on a low
table and then I filled two cups with water.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s eat.”
“Yes.”
Our second day in the capital ended with us eating outside. And tomorrow, I
would run to the mountain.
□ □ □ □
We passed the night peacefull without any attacks. And in the morning, I ran
once again. I had been quite tired since yesterday, and so I had slept well
after my watch. Daniela looked tired as well. She also slept well. It was a
deep, dreamless sleep that we needed in order to blow away our fatigue.
The land zoomed passed us as we rushed towards our destination. The east
mountain was clearly visible now that it was bright. However, as we were
facing the sun, it was almost blinding. The mountain…was about as high as
Alessa. It was much higher than the mountain where I reunited with Daniela
after finding the automated doll. Still, there was something strange about it.
Its shape. The peek was flat.
“What an interesting shape.”
Daniela muttered against my chest.
“I’ve seen something like it back in my world. It was called the ‘Table
Mountain.”
The soil was soft, and so rain and wind had carved it away, resulting in that
shape. …Or so I remember hearing on TV.
“So you are saying that it is prone to crumbling?”
“I doubt either of us could do it. But maybe a wind dragon’s breath could.”
“Hmm… I would prefer to kill it without wrecking the terrain.”
“That seems very unlikely, Master Daniela.”
“I said it, because I believe in you, Asagi.”
She said with a grin. If Master Daniela ordered it, then I would have to do it.
However, I thought it was important that we gain experience fighting a

dragon. Terrains change with time. And even if there was a way to kill it
instantly, doing so would not result in much growth for us. Not that I meant
to toy with it.
“It is important to always have a method of attack.”
“Yeah. That’s why I want to gain experience defending myself.”
I had half-heartedly created Niflheim recently and had specialized in the

offense. But I wanted to have a method of attack no matter what, have other
options. I didn’t want to end up dying one day because there was nothing left
that I could do…
“My wind and earth and your ice and water. If we could use them to seal the
dragon’s attacks, then we would be unstoppable.”
“We might face something much stronger one day. But I don’t want to die
before that happens.”
“Good. We can think about the rest as we walk. I had been wary about this,
but it appears that no other Adventurers or soldiers are here. So we can slow
down the pace a little.”
“Got it. Can you get my shoes?”
Daniela had dropped down first and now took the accel panther boots out of
my bag. I had been wearing these for a long time now… The store that sold
them was horrible, but the quality was good. These panthers were
frighteningly fast, and the boots gave me a nice AGI boost.
As we talked about how we would use our magic, Presence Detection

suddenly caught something.
While our stats were now the same, Daniela still seemed to catch things just a
second before I did. Perhaps it was due to experience.
It was a giant lizard. According to Daniela, it was known as a ‘sand lizard.’
They lived in deserts and bit people with their venomous fangs. They
apparently came up the waist of the average man.
However, we hadn’t been moving towards it. And it didn’t attack without
being provoked.
“It must be a goblin.”

Yes, there were something else here. They were fighting. Well, in such a
fight, the sand lizard would likely win… There was no beating poison.
“…Hmmm.”
“Oh?”
One of them was fading. The sand lizard.
“It beat the poison?”
“Are there goblins that are immune?”
“…It is not impossible. I had once heard a rumor of a goblin who used poison
and was also resistant to it. There are also very small goblins known as
poison goblins. Perhaps…”
“Wait. It’s coming towards us.”
For some reason, the goblin presence was moving in our direction. I took out
my spear and Daniela readied her bow.
“We should split up.”
“Alright. I’ll use Presence Block and try and catch it from the back. You’d be
able to see me even if I was hiding, right?”
“Of course. Yes, we will go with that.”
We planned quickly and then moved into action. I activated Presence Block
with a thought and then made a wide circle around the goblin. From what I
could tell, it was still moving straight towards Daniela, so it must not have
noticed me.
I started to move faster once I was behind it. At this rate, I should be able to
take its back the moment it encountered Daniela.
It moved through the grass towards her. Now it was going faster. It must have
seen her. Very hostile… I had assumed a user of poison would be sneaky, but
perhaps it had made this one confident.
“!?”
I nearly screamed in surprise. An arrow had come flying. She nearly killed
me!! That idiot!!
…No, surely Daniela wouldn’t miss her target?
And she knew where I was… Perhaps it was a signal for me to hurry?
I didn’t know. But something felt wrong. And so I rushed towards Daniela,
all the while sending ice magic into the spear. As a precaution, Legs of the
Forest Wolf would sit this one out.
chapter 218
I held the spear behind me so it wouldn’t get in the way as I ran. It was crazy
how fast I could run now. I would have been able to catch all the shoplifters
had I been able to run like this back at the convenience store.
But that was hardly where my thoughts should be. And before I knew it, I had
arrived at the spot that Daniela was standing.
There was a purple goblin between us.
“So, that’s the poison goblin…?”
I continued to have Presence Block activated as I got close. My eyes met

Daniela’s.
“Do it!”
And so I moved. I used Legs of the God Wolf to jump into the air while
holding the spear downward. And then I fell. Platinum and green wind helped
control my trajectory as the spear plunged into the poison goblin’s head. I
quickly let go and moved away. The thick, purple blood that gushed out of its
head looked like it could hurt. Who knew what it would do to my body.
The spear was now covered in ice. Its temperature was below zero, and
anything it touched would freeze instantly. Ice of stomach-churning color
was falling to the ground.
“Well, that was educational. This thing is a lot more dangerous than it looks.
Its breath and the poison. Even the claws. Even the grass is burning because
of the blood.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No. Thanks to you.”

We bumped our fists together in celebration.
□ □ □ □
Still, the corpse in front of us left us with one problem.
What should we do with it…
“I bet burning it would create toxic fumes.”
“It will definitely damage our blades if we tried to dismember it.”
“It would contaminate the soil if we buried it.”
“Then there would not be much point in freezing it in ice.”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm…”
No burning. No cutting. No burying. No freezing. No. No. No. No. What an

annoying monster. No wonder Daniela was so cautious.
“Well, they do say poison can be turned into medicine. It would be a bit of a
waste to just leave it here.”
“So you want to put it in your bag and take it to the guild?”
“Ugh… Right, I would have to put it in my bag…”
My vintage bag deserved better than that…yes. But then again, I didn’t have
much of a choice. And so I opened the bag with a very heavy heart. Daniela
used a tree branch to lift the goblin’s arm and move it towards the bag’s
opening. And like that, the corpse was sucked into the bag.
“Hahh…”
“We can only hope that it is worth something.”

“Yeah…”
Damn it. What a terrible monster to encounter…
But there was no point in standing there sighing. And so I switched gears and
lifted my heavy feet towards the east mountain once again.
□ □ □ □
“What about using the power of the wind to parry attacks?”
“Good one. So you would instantly envelope yourself in as they strike.”
“Wind doesn’t have any shape. So I thought it would better to make a path to
have it escape rather than a shield to block it. Besides, it sounds easier.”
“I agree. We can practice doing it tomorrow.”
We sat around a fire and discussed ideas for ‘defense magic.’ I had made
some soup out of left-over vegetables, which we now drank. It was much
better to talk about this with someone else. We could choose the idea that was
best.
“What about earth?”
“Hmm…earth. Does that include sand and pebbles?”
“Pebbles are sand once they are crushed. And the earth contains sand. It is all
the same when using magic.”
“Soil does have a lot mixed in it other than sand.”
Yes, I thought as much.
“Those who are advanced in magic are able to remove substances from the
soil. For instance, they can take out the sand and then harden it as a rock.
This means that earth magic allows you to create rocks.”
This advanced form of earth magic was known as ‘ore magic.’ Daniela said. I
wondered just how much work it would require to get to that point. It
wouldn’t be possible for me. I didn’t even use earth magic.
“You’ll probably get there one day, Daniela. Seeing as you’re going to live
for so long.”
“Yes. But you might not be around when that happens, Asagi.”
“Haha. I’d love to be able to see it, though. If you could just hurry up.”
It was hard deciding to live the rest of your life with someone whose race
lived so long. One would have to go on and leave the other behind. Still, it
didn’t change my resolve. It was something I had wholly accepted. If
anything, I couldn’t complain if there would be a time when I was old and
she still looked the same. It would be hard, but not tragic.
“We should get some rest now. I’ll take the first watch. You can go and
sleep.”
“Then I will do just that… Goodnight, Asagi.”
“Mmm…goodnight, Daniela.”
Daniela kissed me on the cheek and then disappeared into the tent. I was glad
that we were together.
“I remember watching a cartoon a long time ago, where there was this guy
who could freeze time…if only I could do that… If I could use dimension
magic that affected time and space at the same… Wait, I don’t even…hmm?”
I was sitting by myself and thinking of other magic defense methods, when
something entered the area. Four lifeforms were detected. And they were
from the east side. Monsters…no. These were human.
“I suppose I should…”
I picked up my one-handed sword and the Glampanzer and moved in the

direction of the intruders while also activating Presence Block. Of course, I
first made sure that there were no others in the area as well. I couldn’t leave
our campsite if there was a danger.
We were in a clearing surrounded in rocks and with a small river close by. It
was the perfect spot to camp.
And now four humans were approaching us in the dead of night. It clearly
meant that something was about to happen…
“At worst, someone’s going to die…”
I muttered with a sigh. If they were bandits who were after us, then this could
end no other way. I sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day
and pulled my hood down over my face.
“Hah… Damn it… The boss sure is rough with us.”
“Where there is fire there are people. And people mean food. And so here we
are.”
“Still…we can eat while we’re there, and no one would be any wiser. I say
it’s a good deal.”
“Well, maybe you’re right. Benefits, benefits…”
“And there may be a woman there as well.”
“Surely you would not get away with that?”
“As long as they don’t live to tell…”
I could hear them from the shadows. …So they were bandits.
“Well, the boss has been prickly of late. We shouldn’t do anything to test
him.”
“He escaped from Nicora, didn’t he?”
“Aye. I heard it was a town of bandits. Some great bandit leader was ruling
it.”
“And who wouldn’t be prickly after being driven out of such a haven?”
“Haha. You’ve got that right.”
Indeed. Their boss was a bandit from Nicora. In that case, should I kill all but
one and then find out where their hideout is…so I could destroy them
completely? No, it wasn’t my job. I would protect myself, but the rest was the
military’s job. …Well, I could at least learn the location.
“We’re almost there. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Understood.”
“Aye.”
“…Eh? Are we missing…? Aghh!?”
“What-what…gaaah!!”
I was going to pick them off one by one from the back, but they caught me by
the second man. I wasn’t the best at sneaking.
“Damn it. You bastard!!”
“You’re dead!!”
“…”
As someone with a weak will, talking just made me less decisive, and so I
ignored them and swung my sword. This was the Demon Armor Sword. It
easily shattered their weapons. I love a strong blade.
“Ha, hah…! No…!”
“…”
Three down, one to go. I raised my sword. …Ahh…
“Crap, I almost killed you. Now, where is your boss hiding?”

“What…uh?!”
“I need to know where your hideout is.”
“Ah…uh…halfway up the east…mountain.”
“I see.”
“Wa-wait…ah-”
Yes, this was good. I swung down. Now it was over. We could tell the guards
when we returned to the city…
“Hahhh… Still, what a bummer.”
Unnecessary killing was evil. But this was necessary. I told myself this, but
the sighs kept coming. Things were just getting worse now that it was night.
And so my feet felt heavier than ever as I trudged back to the tent.
chapter 219
“There you are.”
“Ah…you’re awake then.”
“Something roused me. And you were gone.”
Daniela said as she tossed a stick into the fire.
“And then I detected five humans a short distance away. One of them was
you.”
“Uh-huh.”
“But now they are gone. …Were they bandits?”
“Yeah.”
“I see.”
“Their base is somewhere halfway up the east mountain. We should be

careful that we don’t bump into them…”
Daniela pulled at my sleeve while I talked. What? And so I sat down next to
her.
“You must be tired. I will take the watch from here. You should rest.”
“My time’s not up…”
“It is fine.”
Her arm went around my shoulder and pulled me down so that my head
landed in her lap. It seemed that there was no room for argument…
“I am not such devil as to force you to stay up when you look like that. Get
some sleep.”
“I look fine.”
“Not to me.”
She slowly ran her fingers through my hair. If I fell asleep like this, she
would end of with rather numb legs. But I didn’t want to move… Her hands
made all of my thoughts melt away. And like that, I fell into a deep,
dreamless sleep.
“Asagi. You are more tired than you know. It is on your face. I am here so
that you are not crushed. Not broken. Rely on me while you are alive. It is
one of my joys in life.”
I thought I could hear Daniela’s voice.
□ □ □ □
Morning. I woke up feeling quite refreshed and with my face on Daniela’s

thighs. Maybe I really was that mentally drained… I could only be grateful to
her.
I thanked Daniela as I got up and then took out our breakfast from the hollow
bag and then handed it to her. It always felt good to watch her enjoying her
food. Now, to eat mine.
“Mmmm… We should arrive at the mountain before midday.”
“It did seem like the bandits had walked here.”
They had probably used a telescope to find us. Damn it… What if they
attacked while we fought the dragon? That would be terrible.
“Well, there is no point in worrying about that. We will start searching from
the top when we reach it. Can I count on you?”
“Yes-yes.”
Our discussion on magic defense tactics continued as we walked.
“What about ice and water? Have you come up with any good ideas?”
“Yeah. There is something I’ve been thinking about using in the tournament.
But it’s more support magic than defense magic.”
And so I told Daniela about the mist spell I was thinking about using.
“There is something like that. Rainy Mist. You use it to blind enemies with
mist.”
“So it already exists…”
I was horribly disappointed at the revelation that I hadn’t invented it. And
this had happened before as well…
“You could use that as a starting point and alter it?”
“Starting point… I see.”
Creating mist alone was simple enough. If you could use water magic,
anyway.
So, what could I do? I would have to give it some thought.
First, using multiple spells of different attributes at the same time. I had
assumed this was impossible until recently. But if I could use ice and water
simultaneously, perhaps I could create something that was easier to control.
For instance, freezing mist. A tornado iceberg. Shaved ice…ice cream…no.

My mind was going to weird places. Hmm. My head hurts. I hate thinking
about these things. Magic was often about your imagination, but I wished it
was simpler.
And so I practiced using multiple spells simultaneously as we walked. ‘Jack

of all Trades, Master of None’ was quite useful here. I could see the swirling
current of magic within my brain. And there, I would create the colors of ic
and water. It reminded me of that first time Daniela checked what magic I
could use.
A rushing river. It was cold, frozen. But then it started to melt from the water
beneath it. And then it flowed on without stopping. My magical energy.
Towards the exits. My left and right hands.
“Oh?”
“I did it…”
A block of ice was in my right hand and an orb of water in my left. I kept
them there and then slowly moved them. They floated away from my hands
and then orbited around me like satellites. They could go up or down. I could
adjust their speed. They could reverse their course. While this wasn’t
particularly useful, I now knew that I could do it.
With a sigh of relief, I deactivated the magic. And then a wave of exhaustion
rushed through me. It used a lot of energy…
“We should have bought some potions.”
“We were in a hurry…phew…”
“But this is amazing. You have done something that even I cannot do,
Asagi.”
“Hehe. Thanks.”
I basked in the sense of accomplishment as well as the fatigue as we walked.

Then Daniela suddenly stopped.
“What?”
“Is this it? Where you fought?”
“Hmm…oh, yeah. It’s here.”
This is where I killed the bandits who had tried to attack us yesterday. There
was so much on my mind at the time, that I had just left them there. All four
of them.
“I’d like to bury them.”
“I will help you.”
“Thanks.”
Daniela used earth magic to create four holes. And then I lowered the bandits
that I had killed into them. I put my hands together and prayed for their souls
before throwing the dirt over them. Then I put the swords over the graves and
we were finished. I felt a sense of closure.
Daniela had even joined me in my prayers. Always kind…
“…Alright, let’s go.”
“Aye. We should hurry.”
“Got it.”
My little indulgence had cost us some time. It would now be past midday
when we arrived. Still, I felt good and optimistic. I knew I wasn’t being the
easiest person to be with, but this was one of those things… Well, it was just
how I was…
It was with such reflections that I followed after Daniela.
□ □ □ □
In the end, we reached the foot of the mountain before I had a single good
idea. Daniela didn’t have any either, and she focused on creating her own
magic. It had only been a short time, but she was already starting to activate
things.
“If I could only freeze time…”
“It is impossible. Well, maybe with dimension magic.”

“Grrr…”
Imagination was key, but that was hard. You had to take your fantastical
ideas and imagine them as if they were real. But it was hard to imagine things
that seemed impossible. Why couldn’t I just imagine things as a very vague
image?
“If it were that simple, everyone would be a great sorcerer.”
“You’re not wrong…”
Damn it. The world really was against you sometimes.
“We should focus on just finding the dragon today. And when we do, run
immediately.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard with my legs.”
“Indeed.”
“What about the bandits?”
“Nothing. We can tell the guild as part of our report.”
“Right. There’s no need to go the extra mile.”
“Exactly.”
It was past midday now. We quickly ate our lunch and then prepared for a
possible battle. Of course, I would be carrying Daniela, and she wouldn’t be
able to do much in that position. But, we prepared our minds to use magic.
After a brief rest, I picked Daniela up and activated Legs of the God Wolf.
The platinum and green wind blew as I stepped on air and launched us into
the sky.
□ □ □ □
While I did say it looked like a table mountain, there weren’t exactly
precipitous cliffs. A manageable slant, really. And it was halfway up that
slant that we saw the bandits. Well, there was a pillar of smoke that marked
them out. You couldn’t miss it.
“So that must be their base.”
“Looks like it. They’re drinking like a bunch of idiots.”
It was as if they had long forgotten about the four who had not returned in the
night. Some friends…
Well, it was nothing to me. I was their executioner.
“Alright. We’ll go around them and reach the mountaintop from the other
side.”
“Yes, it would be very annoying to be caught.”
I nodded and changed course to the southeast. We could see it from here, but
we would have to get closer and land in order to investigate, and we’d surely
be seen… Damn it. Bandits were just about the most inconsiderate people in
this world. I sighed and continued to rush through the sky as if sliding on ice.
chapter 220
I had a good idea of the mountain’s general shape after circling it.
It was very distinct. The top of the mountain had been carved away by wind
and rain, and there was a lot of dirt and rock visible. Everything below it was
covered in forest trees. A kind of jungle, really. There was even a river and a
waterfall.
“So, this mountain is bald.”
“Asagi. You must stop making so many enemies.”
Daniela scolded me as if I were a troublesome child. But that was my honest

reaction. But what was most odd was that the jungle was on the west side
alone. In other words, the side we had come from was also bald. So that’s
why the bandits had been visible…
“Could it be the result of some battle..?”
“A battle big enough to take out a forest? It would have to be on an incredible

scale for that.”
It wasn’t just a small change in terrain. They would have to redraw the map.
So, what if it was the dragon…?
I was reminded of the wind dragon’s breath. It let out a stream of pressurized
wind. It was an attack that cuts through everything and blew it away. What if
it had been a wind dragon’s breath that destroyed the terrain…
A horrifying thought. No, I couldn’t be bothered by that. We needed to think

of a way to stop it.
“…Daniela. If it really is a dragon’s breath, do you think you could stop it?”
“Unlikely. Not even with the magic I have created.”

“I see… Uh, so I guess stopping the attack is just not possible?”
“There must be a way… I just cannot think of one now.”
Well, if it was an easy idea to come across, then someone would have done it
already.
And thinking about something and doing it were quite different. We had to
think of something we could actually do.
So, we were near the mountaintop now. But the dragon was nowhere in sight.
The rumors said it was a wind dragon, but something of that green color
should be visible up here where it was mostly soil…
“Perhaps we should go down then. It is clearly not here. It could be in the

forest.”
“Hmm. That would be bad. It might see us before we saw it. I do not want to
be sniped at.”
And so I agreed with Daniela and we descended. As it could be dangerous if

we were visible from the forest, I landed somewhere near the halfway point
up the mountain.
“There really is nothing here…”
“I was hoping for some boulders to hide behind…but it is all barren land.”
The brown-colored peek looked like some kind of field. The rain and wind
had taken away any trees and plants that might have once grown there. It
made me think of the long history of this word, but in the end, it was very
inconvenient for us.
First, we would set up a base for our investigation. If there was nowhere to
hide, then we could make something. And so Daniela used earth magic to
make walls of dirt. We could break them down when we leave. Eco-friendly
etcetera.
After setting up the tent, I took out our cups from the bag and we drank some
fruit water to raise our spirits. There wasn’t much to look at, but drinking
fruit water outside was always nice.
“It would be about…three o’clock now…”
“Are we going to go look for it?”
“No. It will be dark very soon. We will go tomorrow. And no bonfire tonight.
The last thing we need is to be ambushed at night.”
“Right. They always seem to attack when we have a fire…”
…It was incredibly bad for the heart. There was no reason to mark our spot if
we knew there was an enemy lurking around.
And so Daniela used more earth magic to cover the tent. She looked quite
smug and proclaimed that no one would be able to tell that it was a tent.
Which meant that she hadn’t yet realized that there was no longer any need
for a tent to begin with. Well, she looked cute, so I wouldn’t say anything.
Night.
I was on the first watch again. After all, Daniela did not have Nighteyes. So I
was the only one who could see in the dark. But there were three full moons
in the sky now. Just like on the first night I had come to this world. And so
you could actually see just fine without any skill. I even deactivated the skill
just to confirm, and I was able to see just fine. So, the real reason I took the
first watch was because I had experience fighting a wind dragon. I had killed
it quite quickly, but I still knew a thing or two about how it moved. Even if I
didn’t have any time to wake Daniela up, I could use my mobility to lure it
away.
In any case, I was confident that I would somehow be able to deal with it.
Daniela looked a little grim, but nodded in assent.
And so I was sitting up, quite bored. Usually, I would spread out Presence
Detection and stare dumbly into the fire, but as I was unable to do that, I lay
down and looked up at the stars.
“What a great night…”
We had been using Presence Detection while setting up camp as well. But
there was nothing in the forest and the top of the mountain that we could
detect. And so we assumed that it had ‘gone off hunting.’ It was hard to
believe that something that big could get passed our surveillance. Besides,
there had to be something here. Since there were rumors. So the only
explanation was that it was away for now.
Perhaps if I continued to stare at the night sky, I would see it returning from
its hunt. But would I really be able to see it… Hmm…
“I would have to use Presence Detection and Nighteyes at the same time…
Haahhhhh…”
However, I was assaulted by a wave of drowsiness. This was no good. I

better get up.
It happened just as I sat up.
—oooooooo…
I heard a voice. It sounded like the distant howl of a wolf. And it was from
the sky.
“!?”
I frantically looked up. There was a small shadow in front of the red moon.
Yes. It had wings and a long tail.
How could I forget!
“It’s the wind dragon…! Da-Daniela!”
I rushed into the tent and woke her up. She was wide awake in an instant and
immediately grabbed her bow and came out of the tent.
“Where!?”
“In the sky!”
I pointed and Daniela looked up as she raised her bow. The shadow was
much larger now. It was descending.
“What should we do? What would be the most effective?!”
I asked her frantically.
“I will shoot it with my most deadly shot. And when I have done that, you
deal the final blow while using Legs of the God Wolf. How about that?”
“Short and sweet. Like always. Not bad.”
“We should always go by what is familiar to us.”
We had not perfected our new magic. It would be better to use something we
were certain about. Even a child would know that.
“Aright. Then…”
I looked back up at the sky. But my words froze in my mouth as I saw the
wind dragon.
“…Uh…Daniela. That thing…isn’t it a bit odd?”
The way it was flying was clearly strange. Its wing was spread out and its
head was directed towards us. Unless I was imagining things, there was
magical wind energy in the air.
“…This is bad. It knows where we are.”
“Shit-shit-shit-shitshit!! It’s going to attack!!”
“Asagi!!”
I quickly sheathed my sword and grabbed Daniela before dashing away with
Legs of the God Wolf. Those were the only two things I could save. Goodbye
tent… We may meet again if you survive…
In the next instant, our campsite was blasted away by the pressurized wind.
chapter 221
Things often don’t go the way you plan in life. This was clearly one of those
moments. I’ve said it before, but bad things follow the good.
But how long did it take for one thing to follow the other?
Immediately? The next day? Week? Month? Year?
Perhaps at least one more good thing would happen first?
None of this was worth thinking about.
There simply was no time. But it was hard not to think about it…
After all, the mountaintop had cratered with just one blast.
“Ughh…”
“This is no time to be amazed!”
Daniela had now moved away from me and created a sort of ‘wind board’
under her feet. It was basically her version of Legs of the Forest Wolf. She
had been working on it for a while, and this was its final form. This magic
that she had developed allowed her to move freely in the air. She claimed it
was because she saw me using my skill, but it was all her own ability that
allowed it to happen. It was incredible.
But enough about that. We had been in the middle of launching an attack on
the wind dragon, when it had blasted us with its wind breath. And so we had
no choice but to make a run for it. That’s life!
And so the top layer of the mountain was gone. As was our tent. We were
currently running for our lives. When I looked over my shoulder, I could see
that the wind dragon had made a turn and was trying to follow us. We were
its target for sure.
Daniela said she would fly with her own magic, but as things were dire, I
grabbed her hand and pulled her closer before picking her up and increasing
my speed. I didn’t know if Presence Block only worked on me or also
included people in my vicinity, but I activated it just in case.
And with that, I shot down into the jungle in order to hide.
□ □ □ □
We were now in the jungle, which meant we shouldn’t be visible from above.
However, that wouldn’t do us much good if the forest was carved away just
like on the west side of the mountain. And so I continued to run without
slowing down.
“Blast Wall!”
Daniela said with a raise of her hand. A light green barrier appeared in front
of us.
“It will not protect against dragon breath, but it should be useful, as it
destroys and protects at the same time.”
The barrier was made of countless wind blades. It shredded everything it

touched and blew them away. It was defense wind magic that Daniela had
devised. Very impressive…
Thanks to it, I could run without worrying about branches and vines slicing
up my face. I still had to avoid trees, but it was very helpful.
“But we cannot keep running like this.”
“Hmm…what to do…”
I needed to turn things around. A way to go on the offensive all at once.
“GIII!!”
“Hmm?”
The barrier had crashed into something. When I turned my head, I saw a red
ape flying through the air. It wasn’t blood. …Hm? A red ape?”
“A blood ape.”
“Right. They really are everywhere…”
Though it was the first time we were the ones to attack first. It was quite the
shocker.
“Hmm…blood apes…hmm… Ah, maybe…”
I might have an idea.
“Wind dragon. Blood ape…and bandits. Daniela, I got an idea.”
“Tell me.”
And so I told Daniela of my strategy and waited for her judgment.
“…So, what do you think?”
“You do think of the nastiest things…”
“I thought it was a really great idea.”
“Well… I suppose you might say it is two birds with one stone.”
“No…you wouldn’t say that.”
But in any case, it seemed like a good way of launching an attack on the wind
dragon. We both smiled.
□ □ □ □
All thoughts of the men who hadn’t returned were gone. We lost ourselves in
drink. Drink was good. You could forget everything when you drank.
It was easy enough when we worked for Eve. You just listened to what she
said and you were given money and a position. We were able to take the
women of the villages she attacked. She brainwashed merchants and we got
our hands on illegal drugs. Every day was a party.
Yes. It had been that way.
Until that day. The dark-haired man and the blonde woman. They destroyed
it all.
“Mmm…gg…ahhhh…”
The wine was cheap, but it got the job done. My body felt the effects of
intoxication, but I could still think clearly… It was as if something deep
inside me was warning me to keep my wits about me. But I couldn’t say why.
I had only ever taken orders. There was no way we could form our own band.
We were just prolonging the inevitable now.
And for some reason, the others followed me.
“…”
I looked at their stupid faces. I could hardly believe that they had come here.
All thirty of them. There were certainly enough of us to form a band of
thieves.
Ah, if I had the will and was willing to wager my own life, perhaps I could do
something to restart this life that’s stopped completely…
But what could I do?
“Boss. You’re drinking too much.”
“…Ah.”
“What should we do tomorrow? Should we attack some village?”
“Indeed… We might… There are enough of us…”
“We’ll surely succeed! We’re with you, boss!”

The idiots who were the first to follow me shouted. The others agreed as they
raised their cups.
I had no idea why they did this. But it made me feel warm inside. And I was
sure that it wasn’t because of the drink.
I had no choice then…
“Alright. We’ll attack the village on the other side of the mountain
tomorrow!”
“Yes!”
“I can’t wait to kill again.”
“Keep the women alive!”
“We’ll eat their cattle!”
“Perhaps we should sleep now so we can get up early?”
It was decided. We would all live as bandits. They were all ruffians, but I
thought I could trust them… Really, I had no choice.
I drained the rest of my cup and walked over to my tent.
That’s when I heard a voice that made me stop in my tracks.
“Hey, that…”
“Something is running towards us!”
What? The military?
No, he wasn’t looking at the base of the mountain. He was looking south,
along the surface. There was a full moon out tonight, which offered plenty of
light. But all I could see was dust clouds rising into the air.
“I-I don’t know…what is that!?”

“Ju-just take out your swords!”
“And bring the spears!”
Things became frantic in an instant. The others ran and grabbed their
weapons. Our base was a temporary one, and there were no barricades. What
was there, were a few boulders and rough tents.
“Get out of my way.”
“Boss!”
I picked up a telescope I had stolen when fleeing the city and looked into it. I
was desperate to know what it was that was causing the dust clouds.
The thing beyond the lens was…
“Th-that…!”
I saw the man and woman who had wrecked our lives. And they were now
rushing towards us with a hoard of monsters trailing them.
“What…how!?”
Our eyes seemed to meet. How good was his eyesight…! He was even
waving at us. Was it mockery!?
“No. That doesn’t matter!”
I shook my head and dismissed such thoughts.
“We have to run! A hoard of monsters is heading towards us!!”
“Wh-what!”
“Damn it. We’ve already run so far…!”
“Boss! Can’t you kill them!?”

While they appeared to be on the verge of tears, most of them were still
gripping their weapons tightly. I shook my head.
“Not with those numbers. Pack our things and…huh?”
I turned to give the order to the man who was standing next to me. I could
hardly believe my eyes.
The dark-haired man flew in as if sliding on air. The next thing I knew, both
of my comrade’s legs had been severed.
“Huh? Uh…my legs… AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”
He noticed a second after the fact and crumbled to the ground in screams of
agony. The others hardly understood what had happened as they stared at him
in shock.
But I had seen it happen. That Adventurer who had destroyed the bandits’
hold on Nicora.
The wet sound of blood splattering on the ground caused us all to turn our
heads. He was standing there. Looking at us.
“Sorry. But I’m gonna need you all to be bait.”
The Adventurer. Asagi Kamiyashiro. And with that, our deaths were
announced.
chapter 222
The plan I had thought of did not give much consideration towards morals or
whether it was humane.
We would cause a stir by having the blood apes clash with the bandits. The
wind dragon would be offered bait, and that’s how we would drag it down.
Maybe I was going mad. But I didn’t think there was any other way. I had
checked with Eye of the God Wolf, and there were enough of them for this to
work.
The wind dragon would likely forget about us when it saw so much food in
front of it. Then we would cut off its wings. Then its limbs and head. Then it
would be over. We would just have to deal with the remaining blood apes and
bandits after that and then return to the city. It was honestly a smart idea.
After all, it allowed us to get rid of the blood apes and the bandits.
Now, in spite of my sincere wishes, the bandits were running away. This was
no good. If they scattered like that, then there wouldn’t be anyone around
when the blood apes arrived.
“Frostheim.”
The boost to ice magic was magnificent. It wasn’t just a boost in power, but
amount as well. In other words, the magic in my body moved faster and there
was more of it. All of these factored into the boost in damage.
And so I was able to send magic into the ground and activate it immediately.
It was easy enough to freeze them. Well, there was a need to send magic into
the armor in advance, in order to activate the enchantment.
“I told you to be still.”
“Damn it…Agghhhh!…”
“I can’t move…!”
“Bastard. I’ll kill you!!”
Frostheim was a magic that sent ice-type energy into the ground and froze
anyone who was touching it. As most of them were running, they ended up
being frozen in awkward positions. It was like modern art. Though, I didn’t
know if it would be classified as good or bad.
I could sense the large group of monsters and the single large monster
coming towards us through Presence Detection. Obviously, the large group
was the blood apes. And the big one was our wind dragon.
The wind dragon had followed us to the forest and had been searching the
southeast area.
However, it had sensed the large amounts of magic I was using. And now it
was coming towards us. Its speed… Yes, they would all arrive at about the
same time.
Still, the fact that it had been searching for us in the forest showed me just
how effective Presence Block had been. This skill really did affect anyone
within range. Or it would have sensed Daniela. Even now, it was coming
towards us because of the magic used.
“Pretty useful skill…”
I muttered as I tapped my sword on my shoulder. This was the kind of skill

you wanted to use all the time in town in order to raise the level.
Speaking of skills that I wanted to level up, it was quite sad that I hadn’t able
to do it with the spear, as there weren’t many places for me to use it. As I
wasn’t confident with it, I always resorted to using a sword when it came to a
fight. But it was those times I probably should be using it…except the enemy
was usually the problem. It was really bad luck. Well, I could always try
tomorrow.
“…And here they are.”

I saw Daniela on her ‘Blast Board’(I named it for her. I think she was
happy?) and the hoard of monsters behind her. And then in a different
direction. The wind dragon was coming down from the sky in the east. It had
flown here from the forest. Thankfully, it had detected me before noticing
Daniela.
I looked at my surroundings again. The villainous bandits were all glued to

the ground. They would have been killed by the military soon or later. And so
they may as well die here in a useful manner. I knew that I was slowly being
poisoned by the standards of this world, but I also understood that this was
just how we had to work in order to survive.
I was always in my head. Thinking too much. I never found any answers, but
I had to move forward.
“It’s hard when you can’t stop thinking.”
For the sake of the part of me that was dying, I said a silent prayer before
beginning this inhumane plan.
I activated Presence Block just as Daniela arrived. Now that we were

together, we were both invisible. The wind dragon and blood apes would lose
their target.
However, they would find something else. Bandits all over the ground.
The blood apes were the first to fall on the feast before them.
However, the wind dragon continued to search for us. But it wasn’t easy.
After all, there were too many people in the area.
Eventually, even the wind dragon changed its focus on the flesh below it. The
bandits and the blood apes. They may not contain as much magic energy, but
at least there were a lot of them.
And like that, my plan seemed to succeed.
“Ahhh! Don’t eat me!!”

“Giii! Giii!”
“Help me…Ughaaaaa…!!”
“Gg-ggeh…gahh…”
“GIIIIII!!”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH…”
What I had wanted turned out to be hell. ‘I hadn’t imagined this…’ That was
not something I could claim. It was the result of what I wanted. But there was
that dying part of me that now frowned and said that this was too horrible.
“Asagi.”
“Yeah…”
I heard Daniela’s voice and looked up. The wind dragon’s wings were open
wide as it descended. It was within range of my magic, but I stayed still. I
would wait until it had landed. Then I would cut off one of its wings. It was
too big for me to cut off both with just a one-handed sword.
Maybe if I had Schwarz Tempest, but it wouldn’t be much of an ambush if it

sensed its magic. And at this range, it wouldn’t take much to be detected.
“Is this real!! It’s a dragon!!”
“Giii! Gii!”
One of the bandits felt the burst of wind from the dragon and started to
scream. The others looked up and saw it. Then they stopped resisting. That’s
when the blood apes tore into them. The blood apes were not intelligent
enough to care about anything other than their meal.
And it was amidst this banquet of flesh and blood that the wind dragon
landed.
The jade beast took in its surroundings. Now that I could see it closely, I was
sure that it was larger than the one I fought in Nicora. Perhaps Eve could only
tame small dragons. Still, it was bigger than any wyvern.
“GRRRRRRRRAAAAAA!!!”
It roared as if to warn any who might touch its food. We had moved close
enough to launch a surprise attack, and I had to fight the urge to cover my
ears.
Even the blood apes paused at the sheer volume of the roar. They froze and
looked up at the wind dragon.
I knew it was bad.
Now they would surely run away. And I had brought them all the way here to
be food.
Just as I prepared to send magic into the ground again, something very
unexpected happened.
“GGGAAA!!”
“GII!! GIII!!”
“GGGAAAAHHH!!”
The blood apes roared back. And then they charged towards the wind dragon
with their fangs and claws bared.
Was this really happening? Apes against a dragon?
“So, these guys are really dumb, huh?”
“Blood lust, perhaps? Nothing enrages them like someone trying to take their
food.”
“Still…that’s a dragon…”
“A monster. That is all it is.”

I guess that was the extent of their intelligence. This was a little annoying in
itself, but perhaps it was a good thing.
“We move as planned.”
“Of course.”
I used Legs of the God Wolf, which didn’t use magical energy and rose up
into the air. Then I unsheathed my sword and prepared to attack. That’s when
Daniela moved away and fell. This was in order to activate the Blast Board.
While she was doing that, I shot towards the dragon at a speed that the eye
could not follow.
Just as Daniela activated her magic, the wind dragon, who had a blood ape in
its mouth, turned its head to look up. It had noticed Daniela’s magic, and it
spread out its wings in order to take flight. However, My sword had already
begun to fall.
chapter 223
“Woah. Shit!!”
There was a high-pitched metallic clang as the demon sword bounced off. I
frantically jumped back into the air.
“Damn. I forgot about that!!”
The body of a dragon was impenetrable unless you used a weapon that was
enveloped in magic. I regretted focusing so much on my strategy and nothing
else.
“Asagi!”
“I’m fine! I can still do this!”
There was no point in moping. I had to attack!
“GRRRAAAAA!!!”
“HAH!!”
I threw the demon sword aside and raised the speed of Legs of the God Wolf
all at once. And then I created a giant ice sword and swung down.
But my timing was off, and it wasn’t the definitive blow that it should have
been. The tip of the sword merely cut through parts of the wing. A wound
like that wouldn’t take long to heal.
“Hah!”
Just then, Daniela attacked with a wind bullet. It went right through its wing
as well. The wound was getting bigger and affecting the wind dragon’s
speed. And I wasn’t going to let it go unpunished.
“There!!”
This time, I focused on speed. I threw away the giant ice sword and created
one of standard size. Then I rushed forward, this time, cutting the entire wing
clean off.
“GGGGAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!”
Blood sprayed from the wound and the ground turned red. The sea of blood
quickly covered the blood apes and bandit corpses.
I moved away as the wind dragon writhed in pain and I reunited with
Daniela.
“Perhaps it is because I am not used to it, but the magic depletion was
excessive.”
“Can you still fight?”
“Enough to support you.”
“That’s fine. Can you distract it?”
“Of course.”
The wind dragon’s wounds closed as we altered our plans. It was now glaring
at us with murderous rage. I created a second ice sword in my other hand.
For a time, we stared at each other. Two against one. I slowly moved away
from Daniela and activated a thin layer of Legs of the God Wolf. Daniela
slowly nocked an arrow.
The wind dragon folded its remaining wing. Its eyes swayed from me and
then to Daniela, as if intent on ensuring that neither of us got away.
Eventually, we were far away enough that it had to look entirely towards
Daniela. And at that moment, I activated Presence Block and raised the speed
of the wind as I ran.
At the same time, Daniela unleashed her arrow. It went right for the dragon’s
face. The dragon jumped to the left in order to dodge it, and that’s when it
lost me completely.
“…!!”
I held my breath and put as much power behind the two swords as I could. It
would take immense strength to cut those thick hind legs. I just had to believe
in my status I had worked hard to raise as I rushed behind the wind dragon
and towards the leg in front of me. And then slashed outwards with all of the
strength I could muster.
There was less resistance than I was expecting as the leg split into two. The
scales, skin, muscles, and bones all came away.
I felt rather good about my power then. But quickly had to move back as the
wind dragon shrieked and thrashed in pain. Its voice was much more pained
than before, and there was no longer any sanity in its movements. And so I
moved in and lopped off the other leg without hesitation.
“Ggg…GGGGAAAHH…!”
Its blood ran without anything to stop it. I was careful not to step in it as I
moved to the side where the wing had already been removed and looked for
another spot to attack. Well, the front legs were the only place.
However, the wind dragon was doing more than screaming.
“Asagi! The breath!!”
I looked up just as I heard Daniela’s voice. The wind dragon was looking
down at me and our eyes met. While I couldn’t see anything in its open jaw, I
could feel that energy was being compressed to a shocking degree. It would
be worse than that other time.
“…!!”
I frantically sent ice magic into the ground and had it shoot out, right under
the wind dragon’s head. There was no name for this spell. It was similar to
Icicle Inverse, but that was a spell that brought out countless icicles from the
ground in order to skewer enemies.
The thing I created now was a single icicle. A thick and long thing that shot
up into its jaw.
“Ggghfff…?!”
Its voice was muffled by the forceful closure of its mouth. Its head now
pointed upwards and rays of light leaked from the holes in its closed mouth.
“Bbbgggaaaahh!!”
It raised its voice in a dulled cry as the pressurized wind was released. And
like that, the blockade that was its own mouth, was blown away.
“Hahh…hah…!”
In fact, I was still in a panic. But all of my experience fighting up until now
had allowed me to always have this little corner of my brain where I could
think, and maintain the ability to make decisions based on the environment.
Though, there were always limits. I was having trouble thinking of my next
action.
“Asagi!”
Bam! Something hit me in the back. I nearly fell, but managed to catch
myself. Then I turned around to see Daniela looking at me with a confident
smirk.
“That hurt…”
“Forget about that! You were able to use such magic in that situation…that
was amazing!”
I heard her say. Was it really? It was the only thing I could think of.
“The wind dragon is barely breathing now! We must kill it! But my attributes
will not do. So you must do it!”
She slapped me on the back once again to urge me on.
I took a step forward. Then another. The dragon seemed to be unconscious.

The closer I got to it, it began to dawn on me that this really was quite a feat.
For an instinctive reaction, had it not really been the perfect action to take?
It was hard to shake the thought once it came to me. It was as if some hidden
talent had been unearthed at that moment.
“…Right.”
I was calm now. I understood everything. I just needed to cut off its head and
we were finished.
I conjured a greatsword made of ice.
The wind dragon had no hindlegs now. Its front legs were supporting its body
as its back arched. And so I did not need to lift myself with the platinum and
green wind in order to reach its neck.
I pulled the sword back and hunched forward.
Then I aimed for the neck. And swung.
□ □ □ □
And like that, this rather convenient encounter ended safely after a mishap or
two.
After that, Daniela and I used our magic in order to dig graves and bury the
dead. That being said, Daniela was sure to take the head of the leader. It was
wrapped up and placed carefully in a different bag.
We also took the long red tails from the blood apes. Nothing would go to
waste.
Of course, I was sure to pick up my fallen weapon.
Once most of the blood had been drained from the wind dragon, I put it into
the hollow bag. If I used these materials, I would be able to make superior
versions of my poncho, waste mantle and half pants. Thinking back, I really
shouldn’t have sold half of the stuff. From now on, I would be more careful
about keeping a stock of valuable materials.
In fact, there were other things that changed during this fight as well. The
willingness to make sacrifices and never giving up. A lot had happened up
until now, but no fight had left as big an impression on me as this one. To
think that abandoning something would weigh so heavily on me…but it was
something I knew was coming, and I could bear it.
Still, I might be a little unstable… I would definitely have to take it easy once
we returned to the city.
“We are going, Asagi.”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
I picked myself off of the ground and looked at the mountain that had turned
into a battlefield. I was glad that it had already been a wasteland.
I jogged after Daniela but then stopped. No, I would walk slowly today.
That’s what I felt like.
chapter 224
Hunting the wind dragon had robbed us of our sleep and turned our sleeping
schedule upsidedown, and so we decided to take the next day off. That being
said, it just meant we’d take turns sleeping. The mountain peak had harsh
winds, but there were no monsters. And so it was a good spot for resting, but
we decided that someone should still stay up and watch, just in case.
As for the tent, there was no trace of it ever being there…
The next day, we went to the former bandit hideout on our way down the
mountain. There was still blood all over the place. I couldn’t tell what was
from the wind dragon, blood apes or bandits. But it all looked very
ominous…
I folded my hands one last time in front of their graves, and then we started
our journey back to the city.
□ □ □ □
We moved at a much more leisurely pace this time, and ended up bumping
into the military who were on their way to investigate the east mountain.
They had decided that the rumors could not be ignored. However, the truth of
the matter was now in my bag.
“…And that’s how it went down. The rumors were true.”
“I see… But you two did it alone…”
I can’t believe it. He seemed to want to say. I was more than willing to prove
it to him, and so I dropped my bag and was about to unleash the dragon
corpse on him, when Daniela put a hand on my shoulder.
“If you do not believe us, you must go and witness the scene for yourself.
The battlefield will tell you much. You will also see where we buried the
bandits. And more than anything, I have the head of their leader.”
She said as she raised the bag.
“…Very well. We shall go and see this battlefield. We’ve come all this way,
and we can’t return without more information.”
He chuckled and assured us that he was not doubting our account. Very
convincing.
“As for your reward, the guild will handle that, so you should have that
processed as soon as possible. Now then, we’ll be on our way.”
He saluted us and then returned to the other men.
I stared dumbly as the troops marched off to the mountain. It was actually the
first time I saw the Empire’s soldiers marching. There was something
satisfying about the precision in their movements. It’s no wonder they started
doing parades.
“…We should go.”
“Yeah.”
Daniela pulled at my clothes as I watched them. And so I turned in the

direction of the city, and started walking.
□ □ □ □
It’s now been a week since our return to the city. During this week, Daniela
and I mostly acted separately, which was quite unusual for us. It had been a
while since I spent so much time alone in this world. But I really didn’t have
much to do, and so there was a lot of aimless walking through the city and
occasionally stopping to take in the city sights. Of course, it wasn’t like I did
nothing at all.
On our way back, I had told Daniela that I wanted to spend some time alone.
She seemed to have sensed something and so she readily agreed. I was happy
about that. And so it was with a lighter heart, that I ran. I carried Daniela all
the way back to the city. It had taken us two days to get to the mountain, but
the trip back was just one day.
After we returned, I went to the guild, reported the completion of the quest
and had the wind dragon carved up.
It only took one day for that to finish. They had been quite happy to be able
to work on a dragon. I chuckled at their undisguised enthusiasm. It was the
same in every city. In any case, it meant I could take the materials to a tailor
much earlier than expected.
The guild suggested a good place for me to go, and I ordered a set of clothes
that were similar to my old ones. The tailor did not look amused at first, but
that changed when I pulled out the materials. Materials were everything to a
craftsman.
Still, tailoring was a process that took a long time. And so I was told it would
take a week even without enchantments. As I had brought the materials in a
day after our return, that meant the clothes should be ready tomorrow. I could
hardly contain my excitement, but I decided that checking up on their
progress now would not help them at all. That was too bad…
And so I decided to go out into the city. I thought of going to the guild and
accepting a random quest, but then again, the tailor had my wind dragon gear,
which made me anxious about my lack of protection. What to do…
“Uh… Where am I?”
Before I knew it, I had walked into an area that I knew nothing about. Well, I
think I was still within the west district…
I looked around but there were no signs or obvious landmarks. Damn it…
“Oomph…”
I used Legs of the God Wolf to hop onto the roof of one of the buildings.
This was the thing to do when in doubt.
“Hmmm… Ah, I’m right by the nobles district.”
I could see the wall to the east.

“You get a great view of the castle from here…”
The Iron Castle, Revance Reve. It was mostly black and gold with many
spires. Very intimidating. As I sat on the roof and stared at it, something
moved in the corner of my vision.
“…A child?”
A girl. She was walking alone. Judging by her clothes, she was clearly of
noble birth…
From what I could see, she seemed to be lost. She looked around repeatedly
and her fists were clenched anxiously.
“I can’t ignore someone like that…”
I wasn’t the devil. Surely helping a child wouldn’t result in me getting

involved in anything… I could just help her back to the gate of the noble
district. Yes, that’s all.
I jumped off the roof and landed in the shadow of a building. I would walk
out casually as if I were completely oblivious.
With my hands in my pockets, I started to walk in her direction.
But on the opposite side of her, I could see that two men were walking in her
direction as well.
“…”
I had spent quite a while in this world now. And something in my brain was
raising an alarm. Those weren’t attendants or people with good intentions.
And so I turned into an alley and activated Presence Block. From there, I
peeked out into the street.
They could just be guards who happened to look rough. I wasn’t all that
experienced to have an instinct for these things.
“Now…”
What were they? The answer was about to be revealed.
“Ohhh…which way is it…”
“Little lady. Are you lost?”
“Huh?”
They were talking. She was lost after all.
“Uh, yes. I’m trying to get to the main street.”
“This place can be quite complicated. Hmm, I can take you to it.”
“Oh, that is very kind of you… Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it…”
He smiled. Hmm. Perhaps I shouldn’t judge people by their appearances…
And then the rugged man took the girl’s hand and started walking.
In the opposite direction of the street.
“It could be a shortcut…”
I couldn’t go around screaming ‘bloody kidnapper’ without knowing for sure.

And so I decided to follow them.
I was careful not to rely on Presence Block too much as I allowed them to go
on ahead before quietly following after them.
chapter 225
I followed them quietly for a few minutes. The men and the girl had now
reached a dead end.
So it wasn’t a shortcut… Not that I was surprised.
“Oh… But there is no path here.”
“Do it.”
“Yeah.”
The bigger man ordered. The smaller guy then took out what appeared to be a
rock from his pocket. As I watched, he started to send magic energy into it.
“So that’s how you use chained ore…”
Energy that took the form of chains came out and bound the girl.
“Huh? What!?”
“Good. Now, let’s get out of here.”
“Got it.”
It was certainly abduction. They were as bad as I had initially assumed. There
was no need to hold back now.
I activated Legs of the God Wolf and jumped out from the shadows. Without
losing speed, I shot forward and slammed a fist into the man who was about
to pick up the girl.
“Guhh!?”
His feet came off the ground as he flew into the air and crashed into the wall
behind him, head first.
Then he fell limply to the ground, leaving a smear of blood.
“WHAT!?”
“Kidnappers!”
“Agghh!!”
The other man looked at me in surprise, just as my knee connected with his
stomach. He started to fall to the ground, the perfect height for my foot to
meet his head. Like the first guy, he went flying into the wall.
“All done.”
I crushed the still glowing chain ore under my boot. The magic that had been
binding the girl now faded away. She slowly got up and looked at me with a
mix of fear and suspicion.
“Who are you…?”
“An Adventurer who happened to be passing by. People like these two exist.
It would be better if you didn’t come out here alone.”
“Yes…I’m sorry… I got separated from my mother…”
So that’s why she had looked so worried. I now felt bad for not helping her as
soon as I had noticed.
“Well then, we should go to where there are more people.”
“Oh…”
She was still suspicious. Well, that was the smart way to be.
“I know that you’re afraid. I understand why. So I’ll tell you where to go.
Just follow this path here and it will take you to the main street. Once you are
there, turn left and it’ll take you to the noble district. That’s where you’re
from, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Right. Then you should go. I’ll keep an eye on you from afar.”
I didn’t have to lead her there by the hand.
“Well, off you go.”
“Um!”
“What?”
She called after me just as I was about to move away.
“Would you tell me your name…?”
“Why?”
“Why… So I can thank you…”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.”
“But…”
“Look, just turn that way and walk straight.”
I turned her around 180 degrees and pushed her back. And at the same time, I
activated Legs of the God Wolf and Presence Block.
She turned around, but I was nowhere to be seen.
□ □ □ □
After that, I followed her on the roofs to see where she would go. Once she
was out in the main street, she began to run. Up ahead of her, there was a
woman who was surrounded by soldiers. When she saw the girl running
towards her, the woman left the soldiers and rushed to the girl. She was
clearly her mother. She was also clearly a noblewoman. Her clothes looked
incredibly expensive.
And then I decided to return to the inn. I had fulfilled my purpose. Ahh.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to go all the way to the noble district, and I had
time. Might as well get a bite to eat before returning…
It had been a while since I last helped someone, so I felt a little elated as I ran
on the rooftops until I reached the market district. Yes. the various delicious
smells were alluring. What should I eat today…? I’d been eating a lot of meat
recently, so maybe I could try some fish…
“Oh?”
“Hmm?”
Daniela was shopping and eating. I didn’t know how many times I had seen
her walking around with two skewers of meat in her hands.
“Ah, Asagi. Want one?”
“Really? Thanks.”
Now this was rare. Her sharing food. On top of that, she had given me the
one that she hadn’t already taken a bite out of. How sweet.
I didn’t feel like fish once I had accepted it, and so I bit into it without
hesitation. The spices packed quite a punch as the flavor spread wildly in my
mouth. And the juices… I had to lean forward so it didn’t spill on my clothes.
I looked like an idiot. But it was good. Yes, meat was the best after all.
“What did you do today?”
“Hmm? I helped someone.”
“Oh? Tell me about it.”
“Of course.”
We came out into a mostly empty park. Daniela sat down by a bench near
some monument thing in the center. Then we talked about what had
happened.
I was bored, and went on a walk and got lost. Being lost was actually quite
fun, until I found someone else who was lost. And then I ended up helping
that lost child from men who were trying to abduct her. And then I had sent
her back to her mother.
I was quite hungry after that, and so I came here to get some food.
“I see… That was very gallant of you.”
“Not at all. Normal. Normal.”
“No, it was. I am very proud of you Asagi, as my partner.”
It was kind of embarrassing to hear it in such a straightforward way.
“Hehe… I was worried. You seemed very closed off during the past few
days.”
“I don’t think I was. I just needed to regain my calm.”
“You can say that, but it was written on your face. You did not look well
when you were asleep.”
“…”
I had been having nightmares. That battlefield seemed to keep repeating in

front of me. I would be lying if I said it hadn’t stressed me out. It had woken
me up several times.
But it was all something I was resolved to deal with. And it wasn’t as bad as
it might have been. It was all something we had thought out and decided on.
I had decided to do it. So there was no reason I couldn’t deal with it without
asking for help. It was something I had to do alone.
And so I didn’t ask Daniela for anything. It was something that would sort
itself out with a little time.
And the Imperial Sword Tournament would start soon. I was sure that my
mind would be fully distracted when that happened. And then time would…
Well, that’s what I was thinking. But Daniela seemed to have sensed what
was happening.
“Asagi. Am I so undependable?”
“What are you saying? I don’t think there is a more dependable person in the
world.”
“Then…you could rely on me…just a little?”
“You help me more than I even know. I don’t want to take advantage of
that.”
My fist clenched around the skewer. It wouldn’t help me at all. Besides, why
should someone who kills feel the need to rely so much on another’s
kindness?
“…Well, perhaps this party is over.”
“What!?”
I was so surprised by this that I jumped off of the bench.
“This should have been a three-legged race. No matter where we are headed.
But I cannot run if my partner rejects me. So, there is nothing to do but
disband.”
“I… Daniela, are…are you serious?”
“Of course, I am. Do you think I am the kind of person who would joke about
this?”
Her eyes were filled with anger as she stared at me. Why won’t you depend
upon me? Why do you keep everything to yourself? Her stare seemed to ask.
“But, Daniela. This…”
“Say another word on it, and it is over.”
“Ggg…”
I would not let that happen here. I didn’t know what to do. But I didn’t want
to part ways with her, and so I sat back down.
“I know what you are thinking. You think that it would be wrong to try and
lighten any burden you might bear…”
That was exactly right.
“Basically, you are a foolish bastard trying to play some tragic hero role. So,
how does the city look when you are all alone? Do you even see it? I doubt
you see anything but yourself. Are you the protagonist on a stage?”
There was not a word I could say.
“It is idiocy. Nothing will come of it. You killed some people. They were
sacrificed. It is a lot to deal with the death of one, but there are now many.
Do you really have a choice but to rely on others?”
“Daniela…”
She was both enraged and on the brink of tears as her arms wrapped around
me.
“I do not think you will survive like this… That is not something I want to
see.”
“Daniela… I’m really fine.”
“It is not just this time. I have heard you in your sleep… You wanted
forgiveness! You have become much stronger during our travels together, but
your heart has not kept up with your body and experience… You are able to
think of things and do them. But you have not always been able to deal with
the results. But going forward, there will be many, many more deaths you
will have to overcome.”
I slowly caressed her head. At this point, I was the one doing the
comforting… No, maybe not.
I hadn’t killed anyone until I came to this world. In this world, it was normal.
I knew that I would have to do it one day.
That day did come. I killed the bandits that had attacked the carriage. And
then I fought many more after that.
“So, you must allow me to help… I do not want you to deal with it alone.”
She raised her head and our eyes met. It was surprising to me that she had put
so much thought into this. And I was sad that I hadn’t realized it.
“Thank you, Daniela…”
“We are two halves of a whole. Share whatever pain you have… We must
both feel it, the good and the bad.”
“Yes.”
She chuckled as a tear fell from her eye. Through tears and laughter, she was
so beautiful that I moved my face closer in order to take it in.
And then she laughed knowingly and moved her face even closer to mine.
chapter 226
“You have your own strengths, Asagi. Your knowledge of another world is
important. But there are things that were forbidden over there. You have not
built up much resistance. But, you have improved a lot recently.”
Once that debate was over, we talked about what to do next. Knowledge of
another world…
To be honest, I had been using quite a lot of it…but maybe not as much as I’d
thought. I mean, I was just a clerk after all.
“I myself have lived longer than most people. But I was just living. It is
somewhat embarrassing, but I have honestly not experienced much.”
“What? You clearly have a lot of knowledge.”
“Heh. It is because I am old. And what I know has not helped us much.”
She said self-deprecatingly. But I had been helped by her wisdom many
times. I’ve said it before, but the thought of what would have happened if I
were alone sent shivers down my spine.
“So, I will leave the insane strategies to you, Asagi. But if you end up hurting
yourself through them, leave it to me. I will know how to treat you.”
“Uh…I’ll do that.”
Damn it. She was such a gentleman. Sometimes I felt like I relied on her too
much. But there was nothing I could say if she insisted we were ‘helping each
other.’ It just meant that I needed to do a little more to help her. We’re a
party. A team.
We talked about this together as we lay on our bed. It was already midnight.
There was nothing to do now but sleep, but Daniela seemed to have
something else on her mind….
“So, about this treatment.”
“What are you…”
“It is obvious. Both the mind and body must be taken care of.”
Daniela licked her lips as she straddled me. I get it. That kind of treatment.
“…Hehe. And something tells me your body wants some attention.”
“Aren’t you forgetting my mind?”
A part of my body reacted under her touch, and I wrapped my arms around
her as she chuckled. And so I was treated very well that night.
□ □ □ □
The next morning, I was able to wake up quite refreshed, in spite of the rather
simple remedy Daniela had administered. And so I mused philosophically
about just how easy I was as I got out of bed.
There was a bathing room where I washed myself and then brushed my teeth.
The military had supplied us with items that we were to use freely.
I realized then that I hadn’t brought my clothes with me, and so I walked out
of the bathing room and went to search in my bag. I would wear casual
clothes that I could wear under my new armor… Ahhh!
“What!? Huh!?”
“…Hmm. You look very surprised.”
“Daniela. Did you just lick my butt?”
“It was pointed right at me…”
“I was getting changed, you idiot.”

Was she half asleep…? Well, she sure looked like it. Damn it. You could
never let your guard down.
I wiped myself with a towel and got changed. Daniela seemed to finally wake
up once the table and food came out. And so she climbed lazily out of bed.
Then she went to take a bath, and so I waited for her.
We ate breakfast once Daniela came out and looked refreshed. Today, it was
sandwiches with meat and vegetables. We ate our food and washed it down
with water while making plans for the day.
“This is the day that my armor will finally be complete. So I’m going to go
and pick it up. What about you?”
“Indeed… I will tag along then.”
She said with a gentle smile. So we’d be together today. I was happy about
that and smiled before finishing the rest of my sandwich.
We left word that we were leaving the lodging facility and then traveled to
the merchant district to the east. It was easy enough from the west district,
which was very convenient.
There were lots of craftsmen who made clothes and armor in the east district,
and they all competed over whose output was of the best quality. It was also
quite noisy. Obviously, you had the sounds of banging iron and angry
shouting. But it was more boasting than any actual hatred.
They all went out drinking together at night when their shops had been
closed.
And so that was why the place was so lively. Another thing that was true, was
that I would get caught up in something when I was only there to fetch my
clothes.
“Hey-hey-hey! What’s a little pipsqueak like you doing in this

neighborhood!”
“Turn around and beat it!”

“Get out of here!”
These Adventurers seemed to be in a bad mood. As for the armor…not bad. I

didn’t care for how shiny and extravagant it was. Monsters would see it from
a mile away. And this guy would probably cry if the metal got scratched.
Perhaps he was so confident he wouldn’t be hit!? What if he was that
strong…
“Get out of Lord Goz’s sight! He’s a B-Ranker!”
“Oh… Just a B-Ranker.”
I shouldn’t have worried…

“Yes.”
As our business was finished, we passed by ‘Lord Goz’ and entered the
merchant district.
But then someone grabbed my shoulder.
“Hey. That’s not where you should be going. Are you doing this on
purpose?”
“You’re not allowed in there, small fry!”
While I wasn’t in pain, it was annoying. I suppose we would have to talk to

them. And so I looked over my shoulder at this Lord Goz.
“Uh, why would I need permission to go in there?”
“Huh!? Because I am the greatest Adventurer here. Iron Hammer Goz!”
“Have you heard of him, Daniela?”
“No.”
“Ha! You country scum. We’ll have to beat it into you then!”
Goz’s right hand clamped down on my shoulder as his left made a fist and
swung towards me. But his grip wasn’t tight enough to make me immobile.
And so I easily freed myself, turned, and kicked him in the side of the head.
His lips seemed to kiss the dirt passionately as he slid across the ground. The
others looked at me dumbly.
“So, do I have permission now?”
“Uhh…”
One thing I liked about having worked at a convenience store, was that I had
the best customer service smile.
And I had one of the largest ones on my face as I stared them down.
“Maybe you should go and see how he’s doing. There’s a lot of blood.”
“Ah-ahhhh…!”
They looked like they had seen a ghost as they ran towards Lord Goz. They
tried to pick him up and escape, but his armor was so heavy that they had to
drag him. His armor would not look pretty after that.
“Hahhh. Let’s go then.”
“Asagi. You really must wear better clothes.”
“That again! I’ve had enough of that argument!”
“You have to ensure that people stop underestimating you. Or you someone
will die, eventually.”
The self-proclaimed fashion leader continued her lecture as we went to accept

my clothes. It was like torture. We had drawn attention at first, but the
spectators lost interest when the match was settled, and they all returned to
their work. Which was good for us. Craftsmen were different like that.
We continued on our way amidst the clamor of banging metal until we came
out into a calmer area. This was where those who specialized in tailoring sold
their goods. It wasn’t that blacksmiths and tailors didn’t get along. In fact, it
was very important that they made their products compatible. But the
constant clamor of the smithies made it hard to concentrate, and so they
worked separately. I heard all of this from one person I befriended, so clearly
it was all very true.
There were assemblies every month where they talked about recent trends,
shared research and drank, along with other forms of recreation.
“Hello.”
“Ah, you’re here, Asagi!”
It was the craftswoman Amarilith, of the ‘Solitude Clothing Store’ that had
explained this to me, and it was she who now greeted me and Daniela.
chapter 227
The store was filled with all kinds of cloths of varying colors, sizes and
materials. On the large tables and small tables alike. It looked rather messy,
but I knew from experience, that this was on the better end when it came to
craftsmen. They turned into ferocious devils at the mere suggestion that they
should tidy up.
This was what it should look like to them.
But it still had to be said. It was pretty much disgusting.
“Is it ready?”
“Most satisfactorily!”
Amarilith was the woman who ran this store by herself. Apparently, she had
run the place with her parents once upon a time, but their irreconcilable
differences, in clothing, that is, was the reason for their separation. I didn’t
really get it, and that seemed like a good thing.
“Oh, and who is this pretty visitor?”
“Daniela. She’s my partner.”
“I am Daniela. It is a pleasure.”
“The pleasure is all mine! Hehehe… Oh, but you do have the most beautiful
clothes…!”
Daniela’s clothes were from the White Lily. She often wore it with other
clothes, creating different interesting combinations.
“I think so as well. I suppose I dressed up because Asagi was so excited

about today.”
“Brilliant! That is rather adorable. And it looks amazing on you!”
Amarilith really did like praising people. Well, people who weren’t me, it
seemed. She actually seemed to snort in my direction.
“Miss Amarilith, the clothes.”
“Oh, oh yes! Come this way!”
Miss Amarilith pushed desks and chairs away as she made a path for us. It
made it all the more strange that she didn’t think a cleanup was in order.
After some time, we made it to the back of the store. Here, things were a little
cleaner. The area near the entrance was probably where she worked, while
this place was for storage. There were lots of drawers and cases. In the center
of the room, my clothes were displayed on a mannequin torso. The room was
illuminated by a magic lamp that hung from the ceiling. My old clothes were
also displayed right next to the new ones. And so I could compare them.
“Oh…”
I could not help myself from letting out a sigh. The clothes maintained that
jade color. However, in spite of the shine and smoothness of it, I could see
that they were very durable. The shape was mostly the same as my old wind
dragon set. However, it was superior in almost every way.
“Your suit was quite amazing, Mister Asagi. But I’ve brushed up the design a
little. I especially liked the embroidery on your waist mantle. While not
extravagant, it was detailed and beautiful.”
As for the new mantle, well the poncho as well, they both had detailed
embroidery on the edges.
“That embroidery was actually finished in one night.”
I was reminded of Kyuna, from the old Paw shop. They were very similar in
a way.
“What… Are you joking? That? In one night?”

“Yes. It was just supposed to be on the poncho and trousers at first, but then
she said that ‘it looked unbalanced,’ and so she made that the night before
giving it to me.”
“What the…that is crazy…”
Well, she was probably the best in Lambrusen.
“It was the Paw Clothes and Accessories Shop in Lambrusen. You should
visit them sometime.”
“Yes, I will do that! …But enough about that. Let me show you the new
clothes.”
She chuckled with a look of embarrassment. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Now! Your poncho, waist mantle, and torn up trousers. I decided to keep
what I liked about them but also change their designs where I saw fit. These
are made of wind dragon materials, after all. This set in itself will offer you
an AGI boost. However, there is something I have made in addition.”
Miss Amarilith took out a case and removed a shirt from it.
“Hehe. Are you surprised? This is for you. I had the wind dragon cloth dyed
and weaved.”
Indeed, the shirt was not jade…or emerald green. Darker. But not indigo
either.
“I thought it would go well with your white armor. In spite of the color, this
is wind dragon material. It will raise your AGI.”
“So, how much faster will I be in the end?”
Everything gave me an AGI boost. What would happen in the end?
“Hmm… In regard to your status, it should amount to a boost of 200 points? I

believe your old set was about 60.”
Oh. The numbers turned out to be less impressive than I was anticipating…
“Exceeding 100 is amazing enough… That is very impressive, Asagi.”
“Eh? Oh…yeah. I’m surprised.”
Well, perhaps my understanding of it was faulty. I see…so exceeding 100

was good… but getting to 200 was amazing. I’ve really gone up in the world.
“It’s because there were a lot of materials to use. Besides, I wanted you to
have something to replace the awful clothes you are wearing now.”
“That’s not really your business.”
“Do not say that, Asagi. She seems like a very nice lady. You should be
thankful.”
Grrr… Two against one. It wasn’t fair.
“Well, it might still take some time. I intend to keep you here for a while
today.”
“Thank you, Miss Amarilith. I am counting on you.”
“Of course!”
Daniela and Miss Amarilith shook hands.
“…Uh, so can I try them on now?”
“Oh, yes. Yes, you must do that. I want to make adjustments to the size.”
That was our purpose for coming today. Damn it. There was no need to talk
about my other clothes.
“Alright, excuse me…”
I said as I grabbed the clothes and my bag and moved into a different room.
There, I undressed and put on the new shirt. Hmm…I felt like I had just
welcomed the new year. Happy New Year me.
Next, the trousers. The ripping of my old pair had been the root cause of all
of this. It was my fault for not being able to control my own strength, and it
resulted in us being forced to hunt a wind dragon. These felt very
comfortable too. I could hardly believe it was from a dragon.
And then I wrapped the waist mantle around me and buckled my belt. What
was this belt made of? It seemed very durable. Maybe it was leather?
Well, whatever. Now, to the poncho…no, I had to put the ice dragon armor
on first. I had to wear everything and make sure it all fit together. I’ve had
this armor for a while now…it was covered small scratches. This too would
eventually be replaced by one made from an adult dragon…
Alright, now I had my armor on. My legs felt fine. It seemed to fit very
well…like a custom made suit…well, it sort of was…
I put the poncho on over my head and clasped the two small belts after
adjusting them. I then tried rotating my shoulders among other movements. I
was able to move completely fine. She said she wanted to adjust the size a
little, but it was perfect. I could not find a single flaw. It’s no wonder this
place was recommended… I sighed with admiration as I stepped out into the
room where they were waiting.
“Ahh…”
“Hmm…”
Amarilith looked surprised at the sight of me, while Daniela gave me a hard,
appraising look.
“What do you think?”
“Yes, I am amazing… The size was perfect…”
“It looks good… In fact, I might want a set just like it…”
“…”
What about the person wearing it…
“It’s quite comfortable. It fits so well that I can hardly believe it’s my first
time putting it on. And I can bend my arms, stretch my legs and twist my
body without anything getting in the way.”
“Hehe. I’m just that skilled.”
Amarilith said as she slapped her arm. Confidence was important.
But, yes. These clothes were great. My old set was really comfortable as well,
and it protected me well. But this was made from an adult dragon… It was
just on a different level, cliche as that may sound. I couldn’t think of another
way to describe it.
“It’s a good thing you were able to finish preparations before the
tournament.”
“Yeah… I don’t feel like anyone can beat me in this.”

chapter 228
And so I, Asagi Kamiyashiro, went out into the city in my new clothes. Of
course, I finished paying for them first. As I had brought my own materials, it
ended up costing five hundred and thirty gold pieces. Dragon materials were
difficult to work with, apparently. I didn’t know much about tailoring.
According to Miss Amarilith, ‘it would cost eight hundred pieces of gold to
buy a completed set.’ That was a lot…and it was mine. I couldn’t help but be
reminded of the time when I wore clothes I got from Russel, along with old
leather armor. I chased goblins around looking like that.
We were still walking in the craftsmen district. And we were definitely

drawing attention. After all, I was walking around in wind dragon materials.
It was not usual, to say the least.
“Uh…I don’t like this…”
It was too much for a boring convenience store clerk. I didn’t like being
stared at. That’s why I worked at night, when there were fewer people
around…
“It will be much worse during the tournament. You might as well get used to
it.”
“That’s true…”
I knew how to prepare myself for the worst. I’ve gone through trials and
tribulations in all sorts of places. I could get used to it. And then I wouldn’t
mind as much.
“You do realize that it is night time?”
Right. It was already 7 o’clock in the evening. That’s weird… We had gone
to Solitude first thing in the morning, and now that we’d left, it’s night…
“Huh…”
“While it was tiring, you are now quite presentable, Asagi.”
Daniela gave me a thumbs up. I had acted as their dress-up doll for quite a
while. Put on this, take off that… Eventually, they didn’t even bother to send
me to the dressing room.
Thinking back on it made the stares I was getting now seem like nothing.
Yes, this wasn’t half as embarrassing.
“Well, let’s go and eat then.”
“I would like fish tonight.”
“Oh? That’s unusual. Maybe it will suddenly snow tomorrow too.”
“Shut up. There are times when even I can enjoy the tender texture of fish.”
We joked together as we headed towards the dining hall we had discovered

during the week.
It was widely popular and known for having an impressive number of items
on its menu. They would serve fish there. As I also felt like fish today, it
seemed like a good time to enjoy a nice drink and slowly poke our plates. We
weren’t in a hurry.
□ □ □ □
The day after lots of fish and drinking. I had come alone to the back alley that
was the entrance to Rachel’s room. I usually had Daniela open the entrance,
but she had a bad hangover and didn’t seem up to the task this time. But it
opened anyway, proving that I was able to do it as well.
“So…”
I wonder if she is here…
“Hey. Rachel?”
“Hmm!? Asagi!? Wa-wait!”
“Eh?”
What was it? It was good that she was here, but I hoped she wasn’t too busy.
Still, I had time to wait. And so I did.
“Sorry…to keep you waiting.”
“That’s an understatement you bastard. It’s been two hours!”
I had considered just leaving. I had also considered just going in. But I never
did any of those things and ended up sitting in the alley.
“…Ah! You were taking a bath!”
It was clear, since her hair looked damp and the scent of soap was in the air.
“Well, why shouldn’t I…!”
“Look, I know that time stands still here…but that’s still too long!”
“SHUT UP!! And never mind that!! Come inside!!”
She hit the window frame hard. Why the hell was she getting angry now… I
sighed and pulled myself through the window…and then stopped.
“Uh, you’re here? Lehaty?”
“Oh, yes… Uh, hello…”
Lehaty always seemed very quiet and reserved when she wasn’t transformed
into a wolf. Still, at least she could greet me properly now.
“So…yes. Lehaty and I are living together now…”
“Oh… You should have told us. We could have visited.”
“Hmph. No one wants the likes of you as a guest!”

I pushed Rachel away as she folded her arms and snorted. Then I sat down at
the table on the opposite side of Lehaty.
“It’s been a while. What’s happened to you since then? Did you ever get to
go to the hot spring?”
“Oh…yes… It was very nice…”
That was good. It was a hot spring island… I wanted to go there myself.
“But, uh…as for living there…”
“You couldn’t?”
“…Yes.”
She looked down awkwardly. Rachel then wrapped her arms around her.
“Hey, Asagi. How dare you torment my Lehaty!”
“Since when was she yours…”
“Th-that…oh, I don’t know how to say it…”
“What?”
Both of them looked a little embarrassed.
“Well regardless, it was all thanks to you… So we should tell him…

Shouldn’t we, Lehaty?”
“Yes…Master Rachel.”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t call me that…”
It was all very surprising, but it made sense once Rachel explained it to me.
Apparently, beastkin used gestures as part of their courtship. One of them

was what I saw as ‘surrender pose’ which is when you exposed your
stomach.
And when Daniela and I had brought Lehaty and Rachel together, Lehaty had
done this pose in front of Rachel.
“It was love at first sight…”
Lehaty breathed dreamily.
“Really…I must be going senile.”
Rachel admitted that she had no will to resist.
In other words, Lehaty had confessed to Rachel, and Rachel had accepted
her.
“Uh, right. Well, congratulations, I guess.”
I wasn’t sure what I else I could say. Nothing needed to be said… Wait,
that’s not why I was here.
“So, why have you invaded our nest?”
“Don’t be so grumpy… Anyway, I got some new clothes. And they are made
of wind dragon materials.”
“Oh. That’s quite rare.’
And so I explained to them how we had acquired them. Besides, the reason
for all of this was that Legs of the God Wolf had wrecked my old trousers.
“…I don’t want anything like that to happen again. So, could you add an
‘Unbreakable’ enchantment?”
“Ugh. How troublesome.”
“…”
Rachel rested lazily on the tatami floor.

“Please. I don’t want to ruin my equipment again.”
“Just don’t use the skill and it won’t happen.”
“…Look. It was because I became your thrall that I was able to defeat the
Loup-garou. I have to use that skill. But I don’t want it to break my stuff.”
“But Asagi, do you really understand what it would mean? To make your
gear unbreakable?”
“What?”
Mean? It meant my pants wouldn’t tear apart…
“It means that it is ultimate protection.”
Rachel sat up and looked at me seriously.
“Ultimate protection…”
“Yes. You would call it a ‘cheat.’ And it is. You had nothing at first, but you
worked hard and experienced much to get here. Would you throw that all
away?”
“…”
That did make me think. When I had first come here. My arrival in town… In
Fhiraldo, it had been Russel and Maris and the Chief who helped me become
stronger.
Then I met Gardo and Ness and became an Adventurer. Then I met Daniela.
“Thanks. Yeah, you’re right. They shouldn’t be unbreakable.”
“Hmm. I thought so.”
“Alright, but can you tell how to use the skill properly?”
It wasn’t the Asagi Kamiyashiro way to rely on enchantments and skip the
hard work. At least it hadn’t been my style since I acquired Jack of all
Trades, Master of None.
I sat down and faced Rachel and pleaded with her.
“Hmph. You are my thrall… And perhaps I shouldn’t have thrown you out
before teaching you properly.”
“Uh, then…!”
“Stop looking so happy about it! It won’t be easy, you know!?”
I couldn’t help it. I was very happy.
“Thank you, Master!”
“Hmph…”
She snorted and looked away. But her ears had clearly reddened. Lehaty and I
saw this and laughed.
chapter 229
This was a space that Rachel Vanargand made through the use of dimension
magic. A place that connected to all other places. A foyer. As this place was
made with magic that affected time and space, time stood still here. Only
Rachel knew how that worked…
“In other words, your mind and time -hey, stop that you idiot!!- …It’s like a
dream space.”
I gulped at her sudden outburst. We were now in an open field.
I had seen this place before, back when she had made me fall into the sky. In
fact, this whole world seemed to be nothing but two rows of houses, one
alley, and open fields.
“Now, there really isn’t much to do here. You just need to learn how to use
your power.”
Rachel and Lehaty were now sitting together on a bench that seemed to have
materialized from nowhere. It was nice that they got along.
“So, they really won’t rip?”
“That depends on you.”
Hmm…that wasn’t promising. I was here because I didn’t want to ruin my

new gear. Of course, things had gone a little differently. But maybe I should
at least change my pants…
“You’ll probably try harder if your nicest clothes are at stake. So do your
best.”
Well, that made it hard to change. I guess I should just do it…there was no
other way.
“Hmm. Fine. So tell me how I’m supposed to use this wind.”
And so the lesson began.
□ □ □ □
And then a week passed. My pants were still intact. However, my mind was
in tatters.
Rachel’s training was Spartan, if not worse. One little mistake and you were
thrown into the sky with dimension magic. I had to frantically activate Legs
of the God Wolf in order to regain my balance. Of course, her magic was too
powerful and it was all useless. It was only after I was thrown about to the
point of feeling ill that I was able to come back down.
That was a good incentive to try as hard as I could, but she was a severe
judge. And I ended up falling into the sky many times.
I would get so exhausted that I’d sleep without eating anything. But I would
quickly be awoken and sent flying. It continued for seven days. I persevered.
Though, I now looked and felt like a walking corpse.
“Hmm. You look awful.”
“Sorry…”
I barely felt like talking anymore.
“All right, let’s start things easy. As always.”
Rachel’s training was quite simple. You started with a really weak wind, and
slowly raised it. I had been able to control the first eight levels of wind, but
nothing above that yet.
Even the weakest level required a lot of concentration. Raising the speed and
strength wasn’t that hard in itself, but it was hard to maintain the exact level.
And that precision was what Rachel wanted.
“…All right. You can now control strong wind perfectly. But lets move
above that now.”
“Right…”
“Not good enough! You just slipped!”
Rachel had quite a temper. I quickly righted my posture, but it didn’t save me
from taking another trip to the sky.
“Uggghhhh…”
“You’re filthy…hmm? Lehaty.”
“Uh…yes…”
“He looks terrible…”
I looked at them with dazed eyes after having vomited. They had the kind of
expression that would make you think they were looking at their trash…
“Let’s start again. From the weakest level.”
“Yes…”
I wiped my mouth and took in a deep breath before starting.
“Good. Now keep it…”
“…!”
It was now the second week. I was now challenging the strongest level of
wind. In spite of everything, I had arrived at this point. The only thing left to
do was succeed and earn the stamp of approval…!
“Nope. Enjoy your trip!”
“AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
Effort wasn’t everything, and I was sent into the sky at a very high speed.
Actually, I was getting used to it at this point. And so I tried resisting a little.
I activated one of the stronger levels of wind with Legs of the God Wolf. And
then I pointed my legs in the direction that I was moving.
“Tsk…!”
It wasn’t working. Maybe if I made it stronger…!
“Huh…it might just work.”
I was slowing down. I glanced towards the ground and saw Rachel had a look
of disappointment on her face. I would not mind if she furrowed her
eyebrows just a little more. And so I raised the level of the wind yet again.
“Good…!”
I was now moving at the same speed that I walked in. Interesting. So this was
the force being used to carry me…it was no wonder I had puked…
“Hehe. Take that!”
“Hmph. Idiot.”
“What? Wh-woahhh!!”
I had been directing my legs towards where I was falling, but she just
reversed the pull of gravity, and I shot in the other direction. It was at that
moment I decided to just allow her disciplinary measures to happen.
That night. We were eating dinner at the table. In spite of everything, it was
the last night I would be here. Apparently, there were limits to how long this
place could stop time. And that limit was two weeks. It would start to affect
the outside world if time was stopped here any longer.
“Strictly speaking, time isn’t actually standing still here. It is moving slower.
Something close to one-thousandth of the speed as the outside world.”
Rachel explained as she poked at her grilled fish. I guess it was still
impossible to stop time completely, no matter how great your dimension
magic. That didn’t give me much hope for creating my time-freeze attacks.
“Well, you’ve made a lot of progress. And you got to a very high level.”
“And it was the same level that tore my pants before, right?”
“Yes. So your pants should never rip again.”
While I wasn’t passing with the highest honors, it seemed that I had at least
passed the test.
“Eat up, take a bath and then leave.”
“You could be nicer for once…”
“Stop whining. You mustn’t disobey your master.”
Well, fine then. I was covered in sweat anyway.
“Thanks for dinner. I’ll borrow your bath then.”
“Mm.”
Rachel muttered with pronounced disinterest as she bit on her fish heads.
Lehaty sat next to her and poured her a cup of tea.
I pulled out a change of clothing and went to take a bath. There was a loud
sliding door that when opened, revealed a nostalgic, old bathing room. There
wasn’t a shower, so you had to use a bucket. I wiped myself with a cloth I
had brought and then soaked in the tub. The day’s fatigue seemed to seep out
of me.
“Hahhh…”
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
“Who would have thought it…”

I had only come to upgrade my pants but ended up training. It was a harsh
two weeks of training. While time hadn’t moved outside, it all seemed to
have happened in a rush…
“I hope I’ve become that much stronger…”
I knew I wouldn’t lose to your average Adventurer or monster. But dragons

still had me worried. I wanted to be able to kill them quickly. But perhaps
that was more about my weapons? Or my ability to hit my targets.
“Then maybe I should focus on armor for support instead of defense…?”
No, that would bite me in the ass if I was ever taken by surprise. I could be
attacked from far away. Then I would die because my armor was too thin.
No. Defense was important too…
“Huh…it’s getting hot…”
I got out once my face started to burn up. Then I dried myself and put on my
clothes. When I looked in the mirror, the face I saw was gaunt.
“Ugh. Horrible…”
I smiled as I touched my cheek. It was better to think of it as proof of your

efforts.
I returned to the dining room to see Rachel resting on Lehaty’s lap.
“I’ll be leaving now.”
“I see.”
“Thanks for the training. Maybe I’ll come again some time.”
“Hmph. I get it. Hurry up and leave.”
She sounded annoyed, but I saw her smile briefly. Lehaty also smiled. She
had gotten used to having me around. Well, it was nothing compared to when
we first met.
“See you later, Lehaty.”
“Oh…yes. Mister Asagi.”
I waved and she raised her small hand at me. I patted Rachel on the head
before climbing out of the window and leaving their world behind.
chapter 230
I came out into room 316 of the lodging facility. The place I had been in.
Daniela was still in her hangover stupor.
“…Hmm. It’s the same as two weeks ago.”
It was kind of maddening, but I would get used to it.
In any case, the first thing to do after my return was to crawl into bed. This
was the first day of the preliminaries for the Imperial Sword Tournament.
There would likely be a great opening ceremony first. And it probably
wouldn’t start till 10 o’clock if not later. Daniela’s eyebrows narrowed as she
slept. I would have to wake her up… Ah, but I really was tired… I could
barely keep my eyes opened…
“Hahhh…just a little…just a little…”
I adjusted the position of my pillow and then gave in to the demon of sleep.
□ □ □ □
I was very glad that I had adhered to a strict schedule up until now. I woke up
at 11. As I had slept at around 8 o’clock, that meant I had gotten three hours
of sleep…hmm, wasn’t much.
However, I wanted to check out the competition, and so I slipped out of bed
and made my way to the arena, the Radelia Shvein Arena, alone. Daniela was
too ill to come.
While there were procedures to take in entering the place, people who were
fighting in the tournament were allowed to enter through a separate gate.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning. Are you fighting?”

“Yes.”
I said as I pulled out my status card.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Race: Human
Job: Adventurer(Rank: A)
Alias: Silvergreen
LV: 89
HP: 850/850
MP: 835/835
STR: 463 VIT: 481
AGI: 936 DEX: 482
INT: 455 LUK: 39
Skills: ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’, Legs of the God Wolf, Eyes of
the God Wolf, Single-handed Sword(9/10), Short sword(6/10), Spear(3/10),
Archer(2/10), Greatsword(6/10), Presence Detection(8/10), Presence
Block(4/10), Nighteyes(5/10)
Quest: Imperial Sword Tournament
Equipment: Armor
Head: none
Torso: None
Arms: None
Legs: None
Feet: Sand Lizard Boots
Weapons: Glampanzer
– None
– None
Clothes: Bewitching Black Cotton Shirt
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“…Yes, everything’s in order. I see you’ll be fighting in the main matches.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Good luck.”
“Thank you.”
You needed to show that the ‘Imperial Sword Tournament’ was displayed on
your status card. It was like a ticket.
While it was a different entrance, I was going to the same place as the
spectators, as I wanted to watch. Perhaps very popular fighters were seated
somewhere else… I could imagine the chaos that would ensue if someone
here was popular.
“AHHH! It’s the great Adlus!”
“Look over here!”

“Oh, Adlus…how noble…!”
Ohhh. So there was someone very popular here. Someone called Adlus. Let’s
see…
“Huh…”
A handsome man was waving his hand with a friendly look. Graceful and
with pearly white teeth. Woah…he looked like some kind of prince…how
noble…
“…Hm?”
There was something distinct about him. The pale skin and platinum blonde
hair.
“The eyes…are gold.”
Was he a light elf…yes, he must be. I’ve never seen a light elf other than
Daniela before… I see, so light elves usually had gold eyes. Daniela’s unique
skill made her eyes a beautiful green. It complimented her skin, but a golden-
eyed Daniela would also be…
As for this Adlus, he was wearing white clothes and had a silhouette that
seemed almost blurred. Actually, he was so bright that my eyes hurt just
looking at him. I didn’t know if it was strategy or some religious thing, but I
put him on my list of people to watch out for. Adlus. Light elf. Handsome.
Noble.
It seemed that the opening ceremony had just finished, and the emperor was
now leaving after having made a speech. If this were a comic book, the
emperor would have likely been some cute little kid, but the person I saw was
clearly an adult. He looked strong too. In the prime of his life. I had the
suspicion that there’d be some kind of exhibition match after the tournament.
I wandered around after the beloved emperor had left, and searched for an
empty seat. I found one between a very fit young man and a girl with ash-
colored hair.
“…Huh? Miss Lemonfrost?”
“What? Oh!”
So it was. Lemonfrost…something.
“It’s Lemonfrost Grasilf! Ugh. Are you always so forgetful, Mister Asagi?”
“Uh, sorry about that. It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Ah, good health is the one thing I always have!”
She was a guard in the swampland town of Arkaroid. She had been
bemoaning the fact that she had not been able to find time to come to the
capital.
“What about your job?”
“Oh, that! I quit!”
“Huh.”
She quit! …Well, it was probably a good thing, as they were terrible and
never gave her a day off…
“And I decided to make the most of my newfound freedom by becoming an

Adventurer!”
“Huh, an Adventurer. That’s great.”
“It is! I expect you to give me lots of good advice. Senior Asagi.”
“Uh, sure.”
Adventurer Asagi Kamiyashiro and his junior. And I just became A Rank the
other day.
I wasn’t quite sure how to react to this, but my ears were suddenly filled with
a roar so deafening that my heart nearly stopped.
“Wh-what!?”
“It’s about to begin!”
I looked at the center of the arena. There was a raised platform where the
fighters were now standing on. These were likely group A. From what I
heard, two hundred people had added their names to the list. These two
hundred were to be split up into four groups.
“Today’s preliminaries are for G to E-rankers. Those who win will go on to

the main match!”
“…Are there preliminaries for the other ranks as well?”
“Yes. From E to A. Of course, people above that are not allowed to

participate. The fight would be a joke and the venue would probably get
destroyed.”
“Oh…So I guess I barely got in then.”
“What? Mister Asagi, you’re A-Rank now?”
“Just recently.”
“That’s amazing…! You must be famous!”
“No…hehe…”
I chuckled bashfully at her praise. But then I thought of something.
“Hey, Miss Lemonfrost.”
“You can call me Lemon.”
“Fine, Miss Lemon. Are the main fights divided into ranks?”
“The preliminaries are, but everyone participates in the main matches

together.”
“But wouldn’t that put the lower ranks at a disadvantage?”
A G-Ranker who just barely got through would then have to take on a group
of A-Rankers! It sounded like bullying to me.
“Well, it is a tradition.”
“Tradition?”
“Yes. The winner of the first-ever Imperial Sword Tournament was a G-Rank
Adventurer. Some people made fortunes off of this unexpected ‘giant-
killing,’ and those people became nobles. People love the unpredictability of
the games, you might say!”
“I see…so that’s why hopeful Adventurers join, even if they have a low
rank.”
“Exactly!”
Giant killing… So it meant I would do good not to underestimate anyone. I

would have to stay on my guard. I clenched my fists and swore to myself that
I would not lose.
“Ah, it has started!”
I looked up as Lemon shouted. The Adventurers had scattered out and were
closing in on their targets.
The Imperial Sword Tournament had begun.

chapter 231
The low rankers fought with blunt weapons. It was a battle royale with fifty
people in all. Everyone was your enemy. While you fought the man in front
of you, the woman behind you may take you down. If you tried attacking
with magic with a wide area of effect, you might find people uniting against
you.
It was hard to know what would lead a person to victory in this scenario. But
as long as they fought, there would be losers and winners. There would be no
draw. And the person that won would get through and move on towards the
real battle.
“That one in the silver armor is impressive.”
“Such ease of movement.”
The fighting style of the man we were staring at was rather cowardly. But
some would call it cunning.
…Who knew if it was right or wrong. What I did know, is that it drew
attention.
“Oh, again…”
“A great eye…”
“For weakness, it seems…”
There was an Adventurer with a spear and one with a sword. The one with
the sword seemed to retreat without closing the distance between them.
Running away here would mean a stab in the back. And the spear-wielder
advanced as if he had no intention of allowing the opportunity to go to waste.
The spear was in range now…it was at that moment, the man with the sword
was kicked from behind. He had been distracted by the spear that was poised
to attack him at any moment. The spearman was also surprised, after all, the
man had come flying towards him.
The newcomer quickly attacked and drove the spearman back with his sword
before slamming his weapon in the back of the first swordsman as he tried to
get up. In a flash, the newcomer had the advantage.
We were watching this newcomer. A man in light armor that was easy to
move in and a blue bandana.
“I bet he’s going to make it to the end.”
“Hmm… I don’t like his style, but it’s probably a good strategy for the
preliminaries.”
It wasn’t the most appealing, but it was smart when surrounded by enemies.
“Hmm…see anyone else that’s interesting…?”
“Senior Asagi, look at that dual-wielder over there.”
“…Huh…”
I looked at the contestant that Lemon had pointed at. He was wielding two
swords, which he expertly used to bash anyone in his way and out of the
boundaries. I was pretty sure that meant they were disqualified. That’s why
the area was limited. It was an interesting way of doing things.
Even now, he used his left sword to parry the attack of an axe-wielder, and
struck the attacker on the knee with the sword in his right hand. And then he
kicked the attacker who had lost his balance. Out of bounds. Yes, it was well-
done. I could see that there were already about ten people sitting on the
ground behind him.
I guess they had nothing better to do but watch from there, now that they
were out. It was amusing how quiet they were.
“…Really, just those two.”
“Yes. I think it is them that will move on.”

“What? Both of them?”
“Of course. The top two of every group. Senior Asagi, did you not hear the
rules?”
“Haha… I overslept.”
Actually, I had planned to come at this time. It just seemed like I could ask
about such details later. Besides, I wanted to sleep.
“Oh, you really are hopeless, aren’t you?”
“I couldn’t be more embarrassed.”
“Very well then, I will tell you all about it!”
“Thank you, I knew I could count on you.”
“Hehe. I have no choice.”
See. It was easily resolved.
And so junior Adventurer Lemonfrost briefed me on the main rules of the

Imperial Sword Tournament.
Two people would move forward in the preliminary game that were currently
underway. As for the rest, well, they could try again next year. As it was a
nonlethal battle, those who don’t win either surrender, are knocked
unconscious, or exit the boundaries. The dual-wielder was making quite a lot
of people do the latter.
There would be three more preliminary matches after this before the real ones
started. The eight fighters who survived the preliminaries, those with
recommendations, and the previous winner would then fight. According to
Lemon, three people had recommendations. Me and Daniela, plus one other
person. Who was it? Well, there would be twelve of us in all.
The main tournament would have similar rules. Surrender, become

unconscious or leave the boundary. Of course, there were sometimes
unfortunate accidents. But the Empire would apparently supply us with magic
decoy tools… That may sound safe, but I did not want to get anywhere close
to dying. I had seen the tool used before when fighting against Eve. It took
the damage of a lethal blow for you… I wonder how much they could cost?
“…Well, that’s basically it.”
“I see. I see. Very interesting. Thank you.”
“No, no! I’m glad to be of service!”
Lemon said with a laugh. It was so blinding that I found myself patting her
on the head. Maybe I was starting to feel like a senior.
“Uh…Asagi?”
“Think of it as a show of gratitude.”
“Ve-very well…”
She nodded and blushed. It was hard to believe that she was older than me…
Well, she was probably younger in human years. Maybe being someone’s
senior wasn’t always bad… Oh?
“It seems like the battle is finished.”
“Yes. It was those two after all.”
So it was the bandana guy and the dual-wielder that conquered Group A.
They had certainly dominated the match…so it was no surprise.
And that was it for today. It ended quite quickly… People were already
starting to get up and leave. I had to return to the inn as well…I was worried
about Daniela.
“Well, I gotta go too.”
“Oh… You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. Daniela’s got a hangover.”
“I see… Oh, perhaps I should go and see her?”
She asked with a tilt of her head. Charming. And there was no way that I
could deny her request. I’m sure that Mister Hipericam would let her in if I
explained things.
“All right, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
We got up from our seats and headed for the entrance. There were still
crowds of people, and we were crushed as the lines moved forward. It
sounded like a festival outside. There were rows of street stalls and the smell
of food and drink wafted in the air. There hadn’t been anything when I was
on my way in…
“The Empire is famous for its ‘quick stalls’…”
“Quick…what?”
“Quick stalls. It’s like they can smell a crowd of people, and they come
here.”
So they came out of nowhere and set up their stalls. Phantom food stalls.
Right. And they were famous here…Daniela would like that. Maybe I should
buy something for her. Might as well treat Junior Lemon to something as
well.
And so we bought some food and ate it while we walked back to the north
district and the lodging facility.
Mister Hipericam acknowledged us lazily and gave his permission. And so

we climbed the stairs and headed for room 315.
“A military facility…I’ve never been in one before.”
“Not even when you were a guard?”

“Yes. We are not the same thing, you know.”
While they still worked for the Empire, they were still separate when it came
down to it. I didn’t know why, but that was the way things were…
We quickly arrived at the door. I put in the key and it unlocked with a loud
click. When I opened the door, we were greeted by the white room that
appeared to be the height of cleanliness.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you.”
We entered and I closed the door. Lemon walked in, her eyes scanned the
room as it were all very interesting to her. As I followed after her, I heard the
sound of running water.
“Hmm…?”
It was coming from the bathing room. Daniela. There was no one else it
could be. I checked the bedroom and it was unsurprisingly empty. So she
must have finally gotten up and taken a bath…
“Asagi. Daniela doesn’t seem to be here.”
“Yeah. I think she’s taking a bath now. I heard the sound of water.”
“I see.”
“We don’t have anything to serve you, but you can sit here. I’m sure she’ll be
out soon.”
“Certainly.”
She did an exaggerated salute. I chuckled and took off my bag.

chapter 232
“Phew… Ah, you are back, Asagi.”
“Hey, Daniela. Might be better to wear some clothes. We have a guest.”
“Hello, Miss Daniela.”
Daniela came out with just a towel wrapped around her head and looked at
me. Lemon sat in the back. Well, I supposed it wasn’t a big deal, but she was
still a guest. It was best not to be rude.
“Hmm. You are that grey elf…”
“Yes! I am Lemonfrost Grasilf!”
“Ah, yes. Are you here on holiday?”
“I heard that you were sick from a hangover, and so I came to see you!”
“Hehe. Thank you. But I am fine now. Quite healed.”
Daniela said as she flexed her muscles. She wanted to show just how much
she had recovered, but it seemed like she’d be back in bed with a cold soon.
“I’m going to get changed. Wait here a moment.”
“Got it.”
Daniela picked up her clothes and went to her room, and so I prepared some
food in the meantime. Well, it was the food we had brought.
“Asagi, I’m already full.”
“It’s for Daniela. She eats a lot.”
Lemon chuckled as if she had known all along. A typical junior-type

character. It was kind of refreshing since there hadn’t been anyone like that at
work when I was a part-timer.
So we talked while taking out the various meats, fried vegetables, and
sandwiches and putting them on the table. Then Daniela arrived, fully
dressed. As she was the fashionable one, she looked good even when in her
casual clothes. It was always impressive. It made me feel like I needed to try
harder, but I didn’t know how… I had bought clothes from Miss Amarilith,
but, I’d think about that later.
“Is this for me?”
“Yeah. We already ate.”
“I see. Thank you.”
And so I pushed it forward and told her to eat. Well, she wasn’t exactly the
kind of person who needed encouragement.
I watched her eat it eagerly and told her about the preliminary match that had
happened today.
There were the bandana man and the dual-wielder. They would be moving on
to the main event. That meant there was a chance we would be fighting them.
So we’d have to discuss ways of dealing with their ways.
So first, I told Daniela about their fighting style. She chewed on her fried
vegetables and listened intently. Then she swallowed and opened her mouth.
“Well, perhaps they are impressive among that group, but I doubt we have
anything to fear. It seems like neither of them can fight head-on, that is why
they use such a strategy. So I think we need only crush them from the front.”
“I feel stupid for being anxious.”
“I don’t really care since I’m not fighting. But I feel very enlightened just
now!”
Not sure I would use that word. Still, they had the wisdom to make it through
that fight, so I didn’t think it was a bad thing to be wary of them. We didn’t
know how they would move in later matches, and they might do something
entirely surprising. I would keep my guard up, even if Daniela thought she
could ‘crush’ them easily. After all, maybe they have Unique Skills.
We continued to talk about other things until the sun began to set. It had been
a while since we did something like this, and it was quite fun. The table was a
mess now, kind of like when you have friends over at your house. It made me
feel nostalgic.
“Oh, it’s evening already! I must take my leave.”
“Do you have an inn to go to?”
Daniela asked as Lemon got to her feet.
“Oh, yes! I have a room in the south district!”
“I see…that is…nice…”
“Yes!”
Lemon said in an almost unnecessarily cheerful voice, clearly not sensing the
tone of jealousy in Daniela’s reply. But she had probably reserved a room
like a normal person… While she was a newcomer to adventuring, she had
lots of experience as a guard. She must have stayed at a number of inns
before…
“Wh-why are you two looking at me like that?”
“Oh, it is nothing…”
“Yes…don’t mind us…”
“Ri-right…”
She was taken aback by the dark mood that had fallen over us. It was a half-
minute later that we stood up.
“Huh? Go where…?”
“Why, to dinner of course. What time do you think it is?”
I took Lemon’s right arm and Daniela took her left. As she was quite short,
her feet barely touched the floor as we swept her away. It was the best time to
eat good food and drink. Daniela and I were both in agreement about this.
We left the room and told Mister Hipericam that we’d be going out again,
and then headed for the north district. There were lots of Adventurers there,
which meant lots of places to eat. And this was the most lively of hours in the
Empire.
So it was in this comfortably noisy atmosphere, that Daniela and I searched

for a place to eat. As Lemon did not know the area very well, she quietly left
the search to us.
“Hmm…”
“I’m not sure. Lemon, what do you want to eat?”
“Oh, I…”
Lemon became strangely reserved the moment that Daniela said she’d be
paying, and she just waved her hands awkwardly.
“Well, when in doubt. Meat.”
“But you’re never in doubt.”
“That is true…”
“All right. We’ll do meat today.”
It made things easy. We decided to cook our meat on a grill. But first, we had
to find a place where we could do it. There didn’t seem to be any barbecue
places nearby. The air was filled with smells that were not grilled meat.
Speaking of which, they didn’t have the sauce I used back home in this
world… I should have memorized some recipes.
We ended up walking for several more minutes after that before finally
finding a place. It had a sign in the front that read, ‘Meat, Meat, Meat, Meat.’
We get the point. I looked in the window underneath, and a most dream-like
sight greeted us. There was no doubt about it. It was what we were looking
for.
“Welcome!”
A voice called out as we entered.
“Uh, excuse me. Do you have seats for three?”
“Yes, exactly three! Come in!”
A waitress who was nearly as cheerful as Lemon guided us through the

building and to our seats. The place was packed and it seemed like a miracle
that we had gotten in. It must have been quite popular.
“Can I take your order?”
“Meat. Lots of meat.”
“Daniela…”
She was already holding her fork and knife as she barked at the waitress. I
sighed. It was quite childish…
“Sorry.”
“No, no! I will bring you some extra thick slices!”
I apologized as the waitress looked momentarily put-off. Then we made our

orders.
The meat was brought soon after that, and we threw them onto the sizzling
grill.
Not only Daniela, but Lemon also ate with the most satisfied expression. I
mostly just cooked the meat and put it on their plates while watching their
reactions. I didn’t eat much myself, but somehow came out feeling just as
satisfied. I think.
By the time I felt full, both Daniela and Lemon sat in their seats and looked
like they were going to burst open.
“Asagi, you cooked way too much…”
“And you cooked them so perfectly…”
“Don’t blame this on me. And you better not throw up…”
It would be a waste. And so we walked very slowly, so as not stimulate them

too much. Damn it. Was it an elf thing?
Well, the walk would do them some good. I thought with a chuckle as I
looked over my shoulder to see them slowly following me. Daniela seemed
happy to be able to talk and laugh with a fellow elf. That made me glad that I
had met Lemon again.
Hmm? Pink elf? I don’t know anyone like that.

chapter 233
We walked Lemon back to her inn before continuing on to our own. The cool
wind felt especially nice on our hot bodies after so much drinking. Lemon’s
inn was quite fancy. Daniela had already been jealous, but her face was full
of despair once she saw the building for herself. I asked her about it later, and
it turned out that it was one of the places that had turned her down. Right…I
would have felt the same in her shoes.
“The nights are getting colder.”
“It will really start to freeze once the Imperial Sword Tournament is over.”
“I see…winter, huh.”
A lot of time had passed since I came here. As there hadn’t been anything as
hot as summer, I had assumed that there was just one season all year round.
But apparently, they had winters. This was good because I hated the summer.
And I had the ice attribute as well.
“Winter… Is that what they call it where you are from?”
“Yeah. A season where the temperature drops, plants die and the snow falls.”
“Hmm…”
So they didn’t call it that here then. It seemed like the kind of thing that
Heroes of the past might have spread… But maybe not, since they didn’t
have summers.
“We call it the Icesnow Phase. A harsh time when water freezes over and all
is covered in snow.”
“Then I’ll call it that too. People will understand me.”
When in Rome, as they say. There are many times when it is best to follow
the customs of the land.
We talked about such things on our way back. The clear sky above was filled
with beautiful stars.
□ □ □ □
The next morning, I forced Daniela to get up with me and head for the arena.
The food stalls were early this time, as it was the second day of the
preliminaries. We had been eating a lot of street food recently, and so I
restocked our supplies before going in through the same entrance as before.
The same guy greeted us.
“Ah, good morning. I’m back again.”
We submitted our status cards and were granted permission to enter.
“Miss Daniela, yes. Good luck in the main event.”
“Thank you.”
We took our cards back, bowed and moved along. There was just one door
and then we were inside with the other spectators. Yesterday, it had been hard
to find a seat. But today…
“Hey! Over here!”
The trusty junior Adventurer had secured seats for us. We sat down with
Lemon between us. Yes, they were good seats.
“Thank you, Lemon.”
“Oh, I am just so happy to be of use to you, Miss Daniela!”
Last night, Lemon had offered to save seats for us and so she had. And this
was in spite of the fact that her room was much further… But Daniela’s
refusal to wake up on time gave Lemon a distinct advantage. I could have
abandoned Daniela and reached here first, but the consequences for that were
too scary to imagine.
“It’s about to start. The C and D-Rankers will be fighting today!”
“I see. There are only four days, so they have to do some of them together.”
“Um, but it was in the instructions…?”
I put on an expression of pure ignorance and she looked at me with

exasperation.
“E and G are on the first day. C and D on the second. The third day is B-
Rank. The fourth and final day is for A-Rank.”
“So it’s balanced out then.”
“Yes. The differences really show themselves at B-Rank.”
They really put a lot of thought into this. I mused. Just then, the audience
erupted into cheers. The fighters were now entering the arena. Like yesterday,
there were about fifty of them. I would have been among them had I not
ranked up. But then again, maybe not, since I had the recommendation.
“At this point, skills and magic have really started to develop, so you can
expect them to be faster. I would pay close attention!”
“If you say so…”
I closed my eyes and concentrated. Then I slowly opened them. They were
now a different color. It was Eyes of the God Wolf. A skill I had received
from Rachel. All-seeing eyes.
“Huh. Was your eye color always like that?”
“It’s a unique skill. It allows me to see far away.”

“Amazing…!”
Her excitement was rather adorable. If I adjusted it correctly in conjunction

with Jack of all Trades, Master of None, I was able to see the fight as if I was
just outside of the boundary.
But Rachel hadn’t taught me to use this skill, so it was still difficult…
I wasn’t able to focus properly without using Jack of all Trades… I would
need practice. Maybe I could do it while looking out of the window in my
room.
“And it feels odd not being able to hear things that appear to be close to you.”
“Stop whining. We have to strain our eyes to see.”
“Oh…I’m so sorry. I will get you better seats tomorrow…”
“Ah, it is not your fault, Lemon. I did not mean to hurt you.”
“Miss Daniela…”
“Hey, it’s starting.”
I ignored the odd atmosphere to my left, and looked towards the center of the
area, where the fight had begun. The crowds cheered once again as I stared
hard at the scene.
It had only just started…but a lot seemed to have happened at once. Fireballs,
ice attacks, and thunder flashed. The attacks were unleashed on a small scale,
but magic was magic. I wasn’t an expert on much of it, but I could see that
the ice magic being used was very basic. It was more like tossing ice blocks
than a magic attack. Well, they were the size of basketballs, so it would still
hurt if you got hit.
“There is something very exciting about seeing magic.”
“Yes. But the last day will put this to shame.”

As Daniela and Lemon said, it did seem like the audience were more thrilled
than they had been the previous day.
“Who is that…”
“Hmm? Which one, Asagi?”
“The woman in the corner to the right.”
She had a great staff that left no question about her being Sorceress. She was
surrounded by four other fighters. But for some reason, they had their backs
to her. What did this mean?
“Are they…protecting her?”
“It sure looks like it.”
Daniela and I looked on with puzzled expressions. Lemon explained.
“Oh, she is a noblewoman.”
“A noble?”
“Yes. They become Adventurers for the experience… Often younger brothers
and sisters without inheritance do it to find their own path… As nobles, they
are highly educated. Swordsmanship, magic and the rest. They can hire
instructors to teach them what they need.”
“I see…”
I hoped none of the Adventurers I had beaten were nobles. I somehow

doubted you could keep your good manners for long once you become an
Adventurer. It changed you.
I thought back on my early days with a sigh. Just then, the noblewoman
raised her staff and began to use magic. The color of the magic energy was a
deep blue. So it was ice, just like me.
“Huh…”
I couldn’t help but stare. The magic she had used was Frostheim. This magic
involved sending energy into the ground in order to freeze the enemy’s feet.
She just tapped her staff on the ground and it activated, though, not over a
wide area. Those who were suddenly caught by it either tripped or bumped
into one another. Some of them lost control of the magic they were in the
middle of activating. People were being hit by stray bullets and explosions. It
was a great way of creating chaos in a battle royale. Hell, I was thinking
about using it myself. I don’t mean to boast, but I was sure that I could freeze
the entire arena floor.
And with that, her shield-bearing guards attacked the trapped enemies. They
bashed their shields and swords against them until they either lost
consciousness or surrendered.
“Woah…”
“It’s a dirty way to play, but I guess it isn’t against the rules.”
“There’s always someone like that each year. Of course, I was in Arkaroid,
so I’ve never witnessed it.”
Lemon said that she had heard the stories from merchants and Adventurers.
You learned a lot when you were a town guard.
Ultimately, the noblewoman won the day with her strategy. Magic attacks
came her way ever so often, but the shield-bearers protected her as she
launched her counterattacks. It was usually blocks of ice, but she shot out an
ice arrow once.
There was one time that she was in danger. A man who used fire magic had
unleashed a most impressive ball of fire at her. The panic in her face was very
visible, but the shield-bearers came to her aid yet again. However, she also
lost them, as they were blown out of the area. She might have been in trouble,
except by then, there were only two left on the stage. And so the game was
finished.
“So the winners are both magic users.”

“That was quite incredible…”
“She would have been out if there were just one other fighter.”
We left the arena but continued to talk excitedly about what we had
witnessed.
I walked behind them and thought back at what I had seen through Eyes of
the God Wolf. Even when her face had gone pale, there was a strong resolve
there. Almost as if she was ready to use some hidden trick… I was curious,
but I guess I would find out if we ended up fighting each other. I looked
forward to it.
chapter 234
We left the arena and walked through a city filled with excitement. While the
air was filled with the smell of food, I found a stall that was clearly
something else. When curiosity led me to take a closer look, I saw that
several people were throwing objects and appeared to be trying to hit a target.
You got points depending on which part of the target you hit. The better the
points, the better the prize.
“Daniela. Lemon. I challenge you both.”
“Hehe. You will soon regret that decision.”
“You won’t beat me!”
The two elves said with enthusiasm. And so I called to the owner.
“Hello. The three of us would like to play.”
“Oh, are you competing? All right. Take these eight skewers and throw them
at the target! Maybe you’ll win something!”
“Hehe.”
I passed the skewers to Daniela and Lemon. We were supposed to throw

these things? It seemed quite difficult. They were made of metal… There was
probably some trick to doing it. But…
“I’m quite good at this stuff.”
“Asagi, you trickster.”
“Haha…”
I could learn to do it in an instant with Jack of all Trades, Master of None!

My wonderful unique skill.
Lemon looked puzzled at our little exchange. But then she turned to the target
with a look of determination.
“All right, let’s say the one with the lowest points has to obey one order from
the person with the highest points.”
“Uh, but that…”
“Now, start.”
I ignored her protest and threw the metal skewer after simulating the motion
in my brain. It flew straight into the center of the target. The people around us
gasped.
“Haha.”
“Damn it…”
Daniela glared at me. But then she glanced briskly above the stall and then
threw the skewer.
It went surprisingly straight.
“What…how…”
“Hahaha.”
Had she had such a skill? Then I suddenly felt the wind caress my skin. Oh,
did she…
“Daniela…”
“What? I just threw it?”
She said smugly. It was obvious now. She had used the spirits of the wind.
Damn it! Cheater!
As I looked at her reproachfully, there was another thud. And when I looked,
there was another skewer resting in the center. Daniela and I looked at each
other before turning to the person who had thrown it. She was folding her
arms and looking very pleased.
“Hehe. I happen to have a throwing skill.”
“Cheater!”
“Cheater!”
It was a mess after that. We all used our skills in this most serious battle. We
kept hitting the target, and in the end, we destroyed all three of them. The
owner cried bitterly and the game was over. We felt too bad to claim any
prizes, and so we left empty-handed.
“We’ll call it a tie.”
“I would have won had the targets not broken.”
“Really? I was sure I had it in the bag.”
We argued as we continued to walk through the capital. Wherever you went,

it was lively and festive. There had been festivals when I was in Japan, but it
just meant I had more drunks and crazy youngsters do deal with. Those
weren’t good memories. It was kind of ironic that it took me coming to
another world to actually enjoy a festival…
□ □ □ □
After that, we enjoyed a few other games and ate some light food. It was
evening before we knew it. Daniela was quick to announce that it was time
for dinner, but both Lemon and I were full. She was quite disappointed as I
dragged her along so we could drop Lemon off at her inn. We promised to
meet again the next day before parting.
“See you tomorrow then.”
“Yes! Good night!”
Good night, Lemon.”

We waved at her and then continued on our way.
“Hahh…”
“You’re still depressed…? You’ve been sighing nonstop.”
“You may say that Asagi, but I cannot fathom going to bed without a meal…
it is not right…”
“Uhhhh…”
She would be repeating this until morning if I didn’t do something. And that
something was to give in… But I really was full.
“Well, let’s find a place then.”
“I love you.”
“…”
She was holding my arm fondly, but I was not fooled. Her actions were
currently dictated by her hunger. She would have gone with anyone who
would take her out to eat.
“Now, let us hurry. I am starving.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Daniela was the one pulling me through the streets now. Everyone was
drunk, everyone was celebrating. It was as if things were only starting to
warm up now that it was getting dark.
I gazed at the different sights while being pulled along. That’s when I noticed
a large crowd. Was it some kind of event?
“As I said, I have not broken any rules!”
“That may be, but you’ve gone too far!”

“Hmph. That is rich, coming from an angry and violent mob.”
“You…!”
It looked like a fight. Rules and mobs?
“They are in our way…how annoying.”
Daniela muttered as she marched towards them.
“Hmm? Daniela, let’s go around.”
“But the restaurant is on the other side.”
“Wait-wait-wait-wait.”
She was only looking at the sign on the other side. The one that read, ‘Meat,
Meat, Meat, Meat.’
Damn it. We ate there yesterday!
Besides…
“Wh-what?!”
“Woah!”
“Ouch!”
“Sorry-sorry…”
Daniela pushed her way through without a word. Of course, people fell into
each other as the path opened. Daniela, what are you doing…
“You are in my way.”
“Ahh!”
She continued to open a path towards the food. And then we finally arrived at
the center of the noise.
“And who are you…”
“What is this?”
The two who had been fighting were an Adventurer and…the noblewoman
who had won in Group B. I see. That explained the argument.
“You are in my way. Move.”
“What? And why should I do that?”
“Because there is a dining hall behind you.”
“That’s too bad. Go someplace else.”
The man and woman seemed to have put their differences aside in order to
block Daniela. I wouldn’t have done that if I were them…
“Do not bother me.”
Daniela glared at them as a violent wind erupted. Not only the two in front of
her, but the rest of the crowd were also pushed down from it. Even I felt
myself rise into the air for a second. I would have fallen over had I not been
grabbing onto Daniela.
While there were screams of terror echoing around us, Daniela just snorted
grumpily. While no one had been injured, it was still a fearsome display of
her mood when she was hungry.
“Who-who are you…”
“What are you!”
The two who were arguing asked as they looked up at us.
“Just an Adventurer.”
She said before walking over them. She looked cool, to be sure. Like a
protagonist. But she was still heading towards a barbecue house. Of course, I
followed after her but was a little more careful to not step on anyone.
“Sorry, you two. But she’s really hungry.”
“There is no need to volunteer such information, Asagi.”
“Ahh!”
She pulled my arm so that I was next to her. Be gentle…
Well, we finally arrived. I wasn’t sure about eating meat two nights in a row,
but I wasn’t going to object at this point in time. Besides, it would make her
very grumpy the next day.
“Did she say…Asagi…”
“Asagi… Could it be… Silvergreen?”
I heard the voices behind us. The whole incident had made me oddly hungry,
and so I pretended not to hear them. Damn it, Daniela. She exposed me
alone… Oh. I had a bad feeling about this…
chapter 235
Love Rival
Then again, she was as good as exposed as well. I was more annoyed when
the restaurant people recognized us from the last time we were here…
“Eat more, Asagi. It is my treat.”
“Thanks.”
While we were a party, we managed our own money separately. Your treat?
Do you mean the party funds? Stuff like that didn’t happen. It was good to
hold onto your hard-earned money.
The slices of meat were thick today as well. It was as if they had gotten a
good grasp on what Daniela liked. It wasn’t the most appetizing sight… I
wondered if they had tripe.
But they kept bringing more and more meat. They knew she could eat it. Just
like yesterday, I focused on cooking and trying to make her happy.
“Asagi. I believe that one is ready.”
“No, not yet.”
“But I am hungry…”
“It’s best to eat it when it’s just right.”
I had become an expert, it seemed. Still, Daniela could not complain about
the results, and she even said, ‘I want you to cook meat for me tomorrow as
well.’ That made me regret it a little. But, well, at least I could see her
smile… Though, I would have to make her eat some vegetables later as well.
Eventually, the smell seduced me, and I ate until I was stuffed. And then we
both left the building very satisfied. As we had been in there for a while, the
crowd outside was now dispersed. It was quieter, even if the festivities
continued.
“Let’s go back…”
“Yes.”
We dragged out heavy bodies forward. I didn’t hate that sensation of being
stuffed after eating meat…I don’t know, it was different, somehow. The
memory of its taste lingered, of course…but also the memory of how fun it
was. Perhaps it was because I was with someone I liked.
The night sky was clear, making the stars very visible. They were so bright
that they looked like they might fall down at any moment. Next to me,
Daniela smelled of our dinner. Well, so did I.
It was very relaxing. I was glad that I was with her.
And it was with such feelings and smells that we held hands and walked back
to our room.
□ □ □ □
The next morning, we gave our clothes over to people in charge of laundry
and then headed for the arena. We woke up earlier than usual in order to do
it, but it turned out to be more time consuming than expected. And so we had
to hurry.
“Hey, Daniela. Come on.”
“I am tired…”
“So am I.”
We had stayed up quite late talking, which meant a lack of sleep. I thought
that moving my body like this would help me wake up, but…it didn’t.
Still, we had to go. Lemon would have saved us seats today as well. As
Daniela had let it spill that it was hard to see anything, she would have gotten
front row seats this time. She was very diligent.
“We finally arrived…”
“Uh, good morning. Mister Asagi, Miss Daniela.”
“Good morning… Here you go.”
We greeted the same guy and handed in the cards. You’d think they’d just let
us in, but rules are rules.
“Oh, are you a light elf?”
A voice called from behind us. Well, it was obviously not calling to me…
Still, I turned around to see who it was.
“Oh, Adlus.”
“Hmm? Have we met?”
“No…”
It was the handsome guy with the platinum blond hair. I hadn’t meant to say
that out loud.
“Who are you?”
“Adlus Brasilf. A light elf, just like you.”
“I see. Asagi, Lemon will be waiting for us.”
“Uh, yeah.”
I was shocked at her ability to take no account of someone. He had said his
name but she hadn’t given hers. I would want to cry in his position…
“Wait a minute. It is quite regrettable that you ignore me of all people.”
“I do not see a reason that I should give you any of my time.”
“But we are of the same race. Perhaps this is fate?”
“What utter nonsense. You have wasted enough of my time already.”
Sparks flew. …Well, it seemed like they were. His methods weren’t exactly
the most commendable, but Daniela was acting rather odd as well. I don’t
know. It was like they were somehow very incompatible.
“Hey, you.”
Adlus looked towards me.
“Uh, yeah?”
“Give up this woman. A light elf should walk with a light elf. Your kind does
not live long enough to be a suitable match. Ah, yes. I will pay you off. Then
you can withdraw.”
These words were so sudden and so meaningless that I was at a loss for
words for an instant.
What? Money? Leave? What was he saying about Daniela?
“All right, you handsome bastard… There are things you should never
say…”
My voice shook with rage.
“You are the one with the ungoverned tongue. We are elves, the chosen
race.”
“Chosen? Daniela is wonderful and beautiful, I’ll give you that. And light
elves are indeed a great race…”
“So you understand? Then…”

Adlus offered his hand to Daniela, completing misunderstanding me. I
grabbed his wrist with the intention of crushing it.
“However, in spite of appearances, you’re just full of shit. In fact, you’re not
even scum!!”
“Let go of my hand. Or else…”
“Or else what?”
Magic energy began to blow around Adlus as he looked down at me. Was
this a threat? Stupid bastard. That wasn’t enough to make me back down.
“Perhaps I’ll kill you?”
The calmness in his voice nearly made me blow a fuse. That was one thing
not to be said lightly. Back in Japan, such threats would just lead to a fight.
But in this world, people could actually die.
It didn’t help that I was already angry. Cold air was already gathering around
my feet.
“Then give it your best shot.”
Ice crackled on the floor. Adlus’s own magic stopped it from reaching him,
but the area surrounding him was starting to freeze.
But then something tapped my shoulder. I turned and saw Daniela. I had been
so aggravated that I hadn’t noticed that she was reacting in the same way.
The magic energy that was flowing from her was crazy
“That is enough. No one ridicules my Asagi to that extant.”
“Hmph… So you’re Asagi. You haven’t been an Adventurer for long, have
you? Still, you won’t earn my forgiveness easily.”
“I don’t want it. But come at me again, and I’ll ensure you’ll never want to
walk the streets again.”
I tightened my grip once more before letting go. Tsk. I was almost
disappointed it didn’t break. He was incredibly strong…
“Daniela. We’ll meet again.”
“I hope you will bring a written will next time.”
“Hmph. You are a feisty one… Now, excuse me.”
Adlus walked through without even being signed in. …What a rule breaker.
“…Did you not know him, Mister Asagi?’
“I knew that a lot of people were chanting his name. What’s with him,
anyway?”
“He won the last two tournaments.”
“He won?”
The man behind the desk shook his head in wonderment.
“Yes. Adlus the Wanderer…. He’s a professional water magic-user. He will

be in the main games.”
“Water, huh…”
Unfortunately, water magic was very powerful. Something without shape can
be made into anything. The possibilities were endless. It could be used for
attacks and defense. And he was clearly more skilled than me. But…
“I’ll freeze whatever he throws at me.”
I said as I crushed the ice under my foot. Ice magic was perfect for taking the
warmth out of something. I would show him. It didn’t matter if it had a shape
or not.
He’d fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness. He’d regret trying to take
Daniela away.
“Let’s go, Daniela. The game’s about to start.”
“Yes. There are better things to think about.”
“Right!”
We bumped our fists together. That was all that was needed for us to land on
the same page. It was ridiculous that anyone could think they could come
between us.
Now, it was off to see Group C!

chapter 236
Group C
I decided to switch gears and focus on the game. Still, it was hard to forget
the sense of irritation entirely.
“There is no point in being so bothered. Or did you actually think I would be

tempted to follow that bonehead?”
“I know. But he just came out of nowhere with that proposition. It gets to
you.”
“Perhaps. I have lived long and yet have rarely met someone who was so
rude. He seemed rather proud to be a light elf, but I never saw much worth in
it.”
He really had been proud of it. Something about being the chosen race. Elves
seemed to be quite rare already, but were light elves so few in number?
“There are some who say we are direct descendants of the ancient elves. That
is all it is.”
“What? That seems like a big deal to me.”
She never told me that! Direct descendants of ancient elves! The ones that
died out a thousand years ago…
“Whatever blood may have been there is too thin to mean anything now.”
“That may be…but, bloodlines are important…”
Well, they usually were important to the protagonist… There would be fights
over being purebloods and all…
“There really is no point in any of it. Besides, no one can use ancient magic.”
“True…”
But there was a meddlesome part of me that started to wonder if such abilities
couldn’t be unlocked somehow. I don’t know…a special item or something
that would awaken the old blood…
Yes, truly meddlesome. Daniela didn’t want it and wouldn’t be happy if I

pushed it.
“By the way, where is Lemon?”
“Hmm? Oh, she should be near the front…ah, there she is.”
It wasn’t too hard to spot the person with ash-colored hair. I saw her small
head very clearly. She was looking around and trying to find us in the crowd.
She was as cheerful and cute as always. A little different from Daniela.
“Look. She saved seats for us. We should hurry. It’s because of you, you
know? You complained about not being able to see. So she got front row
seats this time.”
“Now I feel terrible…”
Daniela said with a wince. All the more reason to hurry.
I led Daniela by the hand and we waded through the crowd of people until we
reached the front row.
“Ah, the two veterans! You’re late!”
“Sorry-sorry. This white weirdo got in our way.”
“What? I’ve been hearing people talk about Adlus and some Adventurers he
was angry with. Was that you…?”
She was looking at me like I was a monstrous idiot.
“He was trying to take Daniela away. I only reacted in an obvious way.”
“Ahh… Yes, Adlus is known for doing that around light elves…”
“I see… What a good-for-nothing.”
Seriously. I’ll beat him to a pulp in the main fight.
“He approached me once before. But then he rubbed at his eyes and
apologized for the mistake.”
“…”
“Well, you have nothing to worry about Miss Daniela. Since you have Asagi
here with you.”
“Indeed. And Lemon, sorry about yesterday… I am afraid you went through
much trouble because of what I said about the seats.”
Daniela bowed her head, but Lemon frantically waved her hands
dismissively.
“Oh, it was nothing! These just happened to be the seats that were open!”
“I see… Thank you, Lemon.”
“Oh…Miss Daniela…”
Daniela raised her head and gently stroked Lemon’s ash-colored hair.
Lemon’s face brightened and the two of them stared at one another for some
time. Nice.
“Ah, it’s about to begin. I’m so glad you arrived in time.”
“All right, Lemon. Sit here next to me. We will watch it together.”
“Yes, Miss Daniela!”
Daniela threw an arm around her and pulled her closer. Lemon’s hand was
also on Daniela’s arm now. They had sure gotten closer… I would feel rather
lonely as I watched the game. Still, it wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes.
It was Group C today. The Adventurers who would be fighting were Rank B.
Daniela and I were around that level in Replant. That meant that these guys
would be strong enough to kill a wyvern solo.
“No, I believe that was because of your skills, Asagi.”
“Oh, really?”
I had had a pretty bad start, and besides, Rex and the others had weakened it
for me.
We watched these strong fighters battle it out in the arena. But was it just me?
Or did there seem to be a lot more today…
“Ah, it is not just you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. There are a higher number of B-Rank Adventurers. It’s harder to break
through to A-Rank. Some people will never even make it. And so there are
up to eighty Adventurers here today.”
“Ouch…”
According to Lemon, there were not many Adventurers who could reach A-
Rank. Indeed, your rank was affected by your level, but it was also affected
by quest completion rates. You could have a really high level, but if you
didn’t complete quests, the guild could refuse to raise your rank.
That being said, you couldn’t just complete a bunch of lower-ranking quests
either. It was a matter of trust. However, A-Rank quests tended to be very
dangerous, and so B-Rank became a kind of pool where many B-Rankers
collected.
“People enter the tournament for the chance of fame. It will also help you get
better quests and raise your rank… A final desperate attempt of B-Rankers,
you might say.”
“I see… So in a way, it’s a relief measure.”

“Yes. After all, it’s best that there are a lot of high ranking Adventurers.”
Well, winning the tournament alone wouldn’t mean much by itself. It was
really about how many moves and tricks you could steal. That’s what B-
Rankers needed to do.
I had been blessed in a way. Beowulf had made me his thrall, and I had
received special skills. Of course, it didn’t hurt to have someone like Daniela
next to me as well. I would have likely stayed at G-Rank…had I been alone.
So I had to be thankful to them… Beowulf. I wonder what he was doing now.
I thought about such things as the fight continued. A battle royale of eighty
fighters. They may not have had enough experience and skill for the guild,
but they looked pretty capable to me. Perhaps it was sheer desperation. They
wanted it so bad. Winning was the only thing they were thinking about.
However, it tended to make you lose sight of things. If you aren’t fully aware
of your surroundings, you end up losing fights that you could’ve won. But
how many of them would realize this…
“Ahh…”
“Did you see that, Asagi? The woman with the spear.”
“I did. Impressive…”
One spear-wielder was expertly taking down opponents, front and back, left
and right. She pulled back from a forward thrust in order to attack the person
behind her, then she blocked a sword without killing her momentum. The
spear then twirled above her head and came crashing down. Yes, it was great.
I took notes with Jack of all Trades, Master of None.
And she could defend quite well too. Her flexibility was especially
impressive. She could even lower herself into the splits… I would scream in
pain if I had to do that.
She dodged attacks by crouching, all the while, swinging her spear. It was
hard to attack a target that was close to the ground. And just like that, another
enemy had their legs fly over their head and was defeated.
And there was more. Once, she evaded attacks from both sides by jamming
her spear into the ground and lifting her body high into the air. Then she
swung her spear, drawing a circle and throwing the two attackers off of their
feet.
It really was quite a sight, seeing so many opponents fall, one after another. I
felt like I was watching a martial arts film. The audience loved it.
It was as if one person fell with every swing.
“That one is clearly on the rise. Not like these others who are stuck in B-
Rank.”
“Indeed. She will be A-Rank soon enough.”
Lemon and Daniela nodded. I agreed. Imagine how deadly she was with her
real weapon…
“However, she does not seem to use magic.”
“Do you think she really got this far with that spear alone…?”
“Perhaps. She certainly has the skill for it.”
This was the kind of battle that felt good to watch. And it also had the bonus
of being educational for me.
However, it was about to come to an end. She blocked swords and dodged
magic as if a dancer on stage. Her enemies dwindled until there was just her
and one other person left. However, this was the Imperial Sword
Tournament. And there were two winners.
In other words, the fight was finished. The winners of Group C were the
spear-wielder and one lucky guy.
“His face… He looks as if he has already lost.”

“Yes, Miss Daniela. You can see that he’s already hit the ceiling.”
You had to be greedy for victory. Lemon added. I suppose that was her motto
in life. I didn’t know if I agreed with it, but I understood her. You could say
that it was also an important trick to living. I thought this as I stared at the
spear-wielder.
chapter 237
We left the arena and walked through the streets. The imperial capital had the
same festive mood as the previous day. And so once again, we enjoyed some
target practice and street food.
Once the sun had set, we dropped Lemon off at her inn and we went our own
way to have dinner.
“Now, we should go there again today.”
Daniela said, matter-of-factly. She rarely diverged from choosing meat…

And so I would have to choose a place today.
“Let’s eat here.”
“I prefer the last place.”
“Don’t be like that.”
In front of us was a sign that read, ‘Lambrusen Cuisine.’ Lambrusen was the
first country I came to in this world. Though, there hadn’t been anything that
seemed like local traditional food… Maris’s inn had only served normal
food.
“Well, Fhiraldo is in a far corner of Lambrusen. It is different when you are

close to the capital. Traditional cuisine is more popular on the other side, to
the north.”
“I see… Lambrusen is quite big then.”
Fhiraldo was my first town. It was east of the misty hills. There were forests
on both the north and south sides of it. The Alexia mountains stretch to the
southeast from there, and the Empire of Flugelnia lay beyond them. We had
traveled east from Fhiraldo, and gone to the city of the plains, Spiris. Then it
was down south to Alessa and off to the Empire.
We had gone far south, really. If it was famous north of Lambrusen, then it
was no wonder we hadn’t encountered much of it.
In any case, we were going in!
“Excuse me. Are there any tables available?”
“Yes! Please come in!”
The young woman who guided us in was wearing something I’d never seen
before. Bold yet beautiful colors made intricate patterns in what I assumed
was a traditional dress. She had long hair and wore a red bandana as well.
Over the bandana, a hair ornament kept her braids tied together. It looked
cool…
“Yes, this way please.”
“Thank you. Your dress is very beautiful.”
“Hehe. Thank you, sir. It is an old traditional Lambrusen dress.”
She turned around for us. Her long skirt rose lightly in the air. It was
beautiful.
“Yes, just wonderful. Gorgeous.”

“You’re very good at flattery. I’ll have to offer extra good service tonight.”
She said quietly with a smile. Then she disappeared into the kitchen.
Daniela and I sat down and scanned the menu. However, it was hard to know
what we were looking at.
“Did you really find her that pretty?”
“Hmm? Her dress was really nice. I don’t know much about clothes, but I’ve
always appreciated traditional clothing like that. There were plenty of them
back in my world.”
I remember especially liking traditional European clothing. They would look

good on Daniela. Hell, Daniela would look good in Asian clothes as well…
“So, that is your preference…”
“I guess so. Though, your clothes are nice too. At least for dates.”
“Hmm…I see.”
She said with flushed cheeks. I brushed my hand against them and everything
was resolved. But she did look cute when she was jealous.
After that, Daniela gave me recommendations for Lambrusen cuisine and we

made our order.
The same young women came to our table.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Yes. Uh, this…thing. Pavelyani…? Please.”
“What? Pavelyani…?”
She looked at me with an expression of undisguised distaste. Eh, what? But

Daniela recommended it?!
“He has never eaten Lambrusen before.”
“Ahh…I see. Very well.”
The woman nodded. Then she smirked as if a hunter who has seen her prey
get caught in a trap.
“And I will have some Ellefirasse with a baguette.”
“Uh, I think I’ll have that too…”
“Thank you. So, that will be one Pavelyani and Ellefirasse with a baguette.
I’ll bring it as soon as it is ready.”
“Um, could I change…”
Perhaps she couldn’t hear me, because she quickly withdrew. Hmm. This
atmosphere. It was like when people tried to feed wasabi to foreigners. I had
a bad feeling about it all.
“Now, Asagi. Settle down. You will disturb the other customers.”
“Are you my mother! Damn it, you tricked me. I know you did!”
Daniela just grinned with delight. From the corner of my eye, I saw the
young waitress poke her head out and smile as well before disappearing
again. Yes, I was about to step on a land mine.
I sighed about ten times before a large red plate came out and was placed in
front of me.
A red plate? You’ve got to be kidding me.
Was it food? No.
“This must be some torture device. My nose hurts already.”
“It’s your Pavelyani.”
I’d be better off eating some chili peppers. I mean, this was clearly like the
‘compressed file’ version of chili peppers. It went straight to your nose. My
tongue was already tingling. It was the kind of stuff that would make you go
blind if it went anywhere near your eyes.
“Now, Asagi. This is a famous Lambrusen dish.”
“Liar. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Just try it. You will not regret it.”
“I have nothing but regrets! Damn it!”
But I was tired of sighing. There was nothing else to do… My hand shook as
I picked up the spoon. Saliva pooled in my mouth like a defense mechanism.
I gulped and then dipped the spoon into the red liquid from hell. The first
thing I noticed was that it was like soup. Before that, I hadn’t registered
anything but the color and smell.
“Uh…”
“Hurry.”
“Don’t rush me. I’m not ready…”
“Let me help you.”
“Agh!”
The kindly waitress pushed my hand so that the spoon and its contents went
straight into my mouth.
And that was when I blacked out.
□ □ □ □
The next morning. I awoke in the military lodging facility. That was weird…
I had no memory of coming back here. Yesterday… Some handsome bastard
confronted us and then we watched that spear-wielder in the arena… Then we
enjoyed the festival and split up with Lemon…huh!?
“My mouth hurts!!”
“Mmm…”
The tingling sensation suddenly hit me. Daniela groaned with annoyance and
pulled the blankets over her head.
I slipped out of bed and headed for the washing room. There, I used water
magic to rinse my mouth, but it only offered momentary relief. The sensation
returned soon after.
“Are you kidding me? It really was a torture device.”

Pavelyani, was it? I would never eat it again.
Still, I was able to get up quite early, thanks to it… It was still dim outside. In
that case, I could secure us some seats without having to rely on Lemon.
And so I got out of my pajamas and into my outdoor clothes. Then I ate some
of the street food we had stocked up on, but I couldn’t taste any of it. There
was no mistaking it now. I had been tortured. I thought as I stuffed the
tasteless noodles in my mouth.
“Daniela. Get up. Let’s try to look impressive in front of Lemon at least
once.”
“Hmm… What time is it…?”
“It is past five. Come on. We’ll get seats for all three of us.”
“Yes… I will get up now…”
It was rather unusual for her to comply like this. She probably felt bad that
we had been leaving things to Lemon.
Daniela dragged herself out of bed and scratched her shaggy hair as she made
her way to the washing room. She would wash her face, hair, and body and
then finally feel awake.
I looked out of the window, bored. The sun was slowly rising as it shone over
the city.
“Oh, right.”
This was a good time to practice using ‘Eyes of the God Wolf.’ And so I
looked at the city with my silver eyes.
My senses were shared with Jack of all Trades, Master of None, and I
adjusted the focus while moving my gaze from right to left. There weren’t
many people out this early in the morning, but I could see some that were
headed towards the arena. It was the A-Rankers fighting today, after all.
“Ah.”
Among them, I saw the executioner lady from the restaurant yesterday. She
was wearing ordinary clothes now…not so surprising.
“Hmm.”
I was getting used to it, but it was also tiring. Kind of like staring at a
computer screen for too long. I hadn’t expected to feel eye strain in this
world.
Now that I was tired, I looked at things that were closer. It was clear then,
that it affected your eyes differently.
All the nearby buildings were military, of course. And people still worked at
these hours. I could see soldiers walking in various directions. They seemed
very serious about their work.
“Asagi. My clothes.”
“Surely you can do that yourself…”
I began to mutter as I turned around. I hadn’t deactivated the zoom, and so

my vision was filled with something that was pink. I hadn’t even thought to
do it, but Jack of all Trades, Master of None automatically adjusted the focus
for me.
“Asagi, what are you staring at?”
“Not sure. But I find it quite beautiful.”
“Perhaps I will tell Rachel.”
“My mistake, sorry.”
I turned the skill off and took out Daniela’s clothes from the bag and handed
them to her.
Now, it was off to see Group D.

chapter 238
I wasted a little time apologizing to Daniela after that, which meant we had a
late start as we joined the early crowd headed for the arena. I drank some
water for what was probably the tenth time that morning as we waited in line.
Judging by the number of people, it was clear that today was especially
popular.
“People really want to see A-Rankers fight.”
“We will be late…”
Daniela was right to be worried. Because it could mean that we’d be at

Lemon’s mercy yet again… Well, Lemon was probably somewhere in the
line as well. And given how serious she was about such things, she was
probably way ahead of us.
“Perhaps this is one place where we can rely on your skills, Asagi.”
“What? Here?”
I immediately knew she was talking about Legs of the Forest Wolf. But not
only would it disturb everyone here, but it would also draw a lot of attention.
“You could go in the alley over there and trigger it?”
“Hm…I guess.”
It seemed like a bit of a waste to leave after waiting all of this time. However,
the line wasn’t moving any faster. With Legs of the Forest Wolf, I could get
to my destination the fastest.
“If you’re going to insist on it. Let’s go.”
“Hehe. I knew you would agree.”

Daniela chuckled. I apologized to the people around us as we made our way
out of the line. Then we entered a back alley where I took in a deep breath
and drank some more water.
“Can you give me some as well?”
“Here.”
Daniela had created a clay cup out of earth magic. I filled it with water,
which she quickly drained. As a sloppy person, I just had the water pour
directly into my mouth. I looked like some kind of circus performer, and kids
started staring at me… Then I saw Daniela return her cup to mana and
decided that I should probably start doing the same.
“Yes.”
As she was ready, I picked her up and activated the silver and green wind
around my legs. There were streaks of white as well, a unique feature of Legs
of the God Wolf. It was like Daniela had been added to my colors.
The wind around my feet carried us up, and I landed on a roof. The sun was
now up in the sky and Daniela’s hair glistened beautifully under it.
“That’s a lot of people…”
“Will they even fit inside of the arena?”
Looking down at them now, it was hard not to worry. It had already been
quite packed yesterday…
“Well, we are going to sit in the front with Lemon.”
“It’s a bit dodgy, but it’s only for today.”
From tomorrow on, we would no longer be spectators. We would be fighting.

So it only seemed right that we take it easy today.
And so I blasted off towards the arena. And there, we quietly slipped in
through the special gate.
□ □ □ □
“Ah, Mister Asagi and Miss Daniela. You’re early today.”
“Good morning. Well, it’s A-Rankers today. We wanted good seats.”
“Hehe. There’d be plenty left now. You go on right ahead.”
“Thank you.”
We bowed politely and entered the arena. While it was still early, there were
a decent amount of people inside. As for the front row…hmm, yes, there
were empty seats. And there was not an ash-colored head in sight. So we
would be able to repay our debt to Lemon.
“Huh? You two are sure early!”
“Eh?”
“Oh.”
As I nodded with satisfaction, a voice called us from behind. When I turned

around, it was none other than Lemonfrost Grasilf, with her ash-colored hair,
that stood there, looking at us with a surprised expression.
“Oh, Lemon.”
“Yes. Good morning.”
“You are a fast one…”
“What?”
We had wanted to surprise her by securing front row seats… Upon hearing
this, Lemon told us that she had been particularly excited for today. There
was nothing to do but laugh and then we all headed for the front.
Due to how early we had come, there was quite a long wait until the game
actually started, but the time had finally arrived. The A-Rank Adventurers
were on the stage. There had been a massive group of eighty people
yesterday, but there were much fewer people today. It seemed closer to
twenty.
“And yet, they have come from all over the Empire.”
“So there are so few A-Rankers, huh?”
What did they call A-Rankers again?
“Rubies.”
“That’s right. By the way, is there anything above A-Rank?”
“There is.”
According to Daniela, there were only a handful of people with those ranks.
A+. And above that, there was S. And then further on, S+, SS, SS+, SSS.
“That’s a lot more than I thought…”
“Well, there has to be, for the races with longer lives. Anyone can strive to
reach the top. But for us, the path to our limits is a long one. But it means
there are more mountains we can climb.”
There was an SSS rank because someone had reached that level in the past.
Of course, it would never happen for me, but I now hoped that Daniela would
one day reach it after I was gone.
“Ah, it’s about to start.”
Lemon’s voice brought me back from my reverie. The fighters were

spreading out, weapons in hand. In order to maintain fairness, they all
wielded weapons and wore armor that had been prepared for them. The
blades were all blunt. As for armor, there were light, heavy and robes. That
wasn’t particularly great for people who relied on enchantments, but there
was nothing you could do about it.
It made me wonder what would happen if I entered the fight with my own
equipment. My AGI was higher than most, but I doubted I could match the
fighters who had lived much longer than me.
Still, you could apparently wear your own equipment in the main fight, so
that was a relief. I also had the magic decoy tool.
“Begin!!”
I focused my eyes as soon as the voice sounded. Every fighter moved at once.
Weapons swung in every direction. During the B-Rank fights, there were
people who fell on the first or second strike.
But this was an A-Rank game. Losers sometimes turned into clay and
crumbled, while others were swallowed up by a furious current of water. The
storm of magic and weapons seemed too large to fit on the stage.
“I don’t even know where to look!”
“Senior Asagi! Over there!”
I looked to where Lemon was pointing. I saw someone who had conjured
multiple sword-shaped lightning bolts that floated in the air. The man had
golden hair, just like his weapons. His opponent had constructed multiple
layers of earth walls, and seemed to be pushing him towards the boundary.
The lightning-wielder must have seen he was at a disadvantage, and so he
quickly moved away and changed his target. He dashed through the field in a
zigzag pattern, just like a lightning bolt. And then he swung his sword into a
fighter who had been using wind magic.
However, before his weapon connected, a pillar of ice shot out of the ground
right from under him, blowing him into the air. It was quite a surprise attack.
While he struggled to regain his balance in the air, it did not help him stay
within the boundary.
“I’m getting dizzy!”
“Ah!”
“What now!?”
Daniela leaned forward as she watched. There were two people who had
thrown away the provided weapons and were now fighting with swords they
had made with stone and ice. If I wasn’t wrong, it was very difficult for users
of earth magic to create stone like that. That meant that this fighter was
incredibly skilled.
The fighter who fought with the ice sword was also quite impressive. As
someone who also used ice magic, I could just tell. There was a lot of energy
in that thin, supple blade. I had never seen ice like that before.
I tried simulating it with Jack of all Trades, Master of None, and it was clear
that it took incredible skill. The magic had to allow the ice to constantly
change shape while also maintaining it. It was ridiculous… But if I could do
it, maybe I could create an ice whip one day? It was an amusing thought.
The fighter with the thin ice sword was pushing the enemy back with precise
thrusts. The fighter with the rock sword had cuts all over his hands and was
clearly losing his calm as his swings grew wilder. The ice fighter didn’t let
that go unpunished and so charged forward and landed a kick, throwing his
opponent off of his feet. And then the ice sword was pointed at the man’s
neck. The defeated man raised his hands in surrender, and so the ice fighter
nodded and moved on to the next target.
“That was amazing…”
Daniela also fought with a narrow blade and seemed to be quite moved by
this display of skill. She now leaned back into her seat. As I had always
watched Daniela closely, I could also recognize the skill. Or at least, I think I
did. The precision of the thrusts and thosee bold steps. It wasn’t something
that anyone could do.
The dizzying battle raged on. There was one desperate fire user who tried to
burn the entire stage in a sea of fire. This caused several users of water magic
to unite and create a giant wave to push him out of the field. Several others
were caught in the attack, while others were electrocuted or even frozen.
However, there were also fighters who cut through these attacks with their
blunt swords as if they were nothing. Seriously, these freaks were about to
give me a heart attack.
Still, all things must come to an end. The start had been a storm of magic.
The middle was a combination of swords and spells. And at the end, it
seemed like it was the sword that had the last word.
Because it was the fighter with the thin ice sword who stood there at the end.
And also one other, a hooded, slender fighter who fought with three short
swords held in each hand for a total of six.
Hmm. I hadn’t even taken notice of that last one.

chapter 239
“Man, that was some fight.”
“It was difficult to keep track of anything…”
“But still, that’s what makes it fun!”
The excitement had hardly died down even after we had left. That fighter was
incredible. That style was amazing. It was the same for those around us.
Everyone seemed to be preoccupied with searching for their favorite fighter
and praising them to high heaven.
“Ah, Daniela. You look beautiful today-”
“I know, we should go and find a place to eat.”
“Yes, there is so much we need to talk about! Let’s go!”
“Indeed…I would like to have meat.”
“Daniela, I’m pretty sure you want vegetables.”
And so we headed for the market district. It was as if we needed a quiet place
to talk in order to settle our over-excited nerves.
We immediately started to walk toward the center of the city. It was then that
I heard the ‘Hey, bastard. You’ve got some nerve to ignore me.’
Which wasn’t quite as annoying as the hand that landed on my shoulder.
“Look here, I’m in a really good mood now. Do you mind not ruining it for
me?”
“I wouldn’t talk like that if I were you, manservant.”

“What?”
“You better stay away from my Daniela.”
“Since when… Ugh, this is pointless. Let’s go.”
It was a waste of time talking to these kinds of delusional people. It was

simply tiring. You met them once in a while. Idiots who would not change no
matter how much you talked to them.
“Don’t ignore me, you animal.”
“You should try sticking to one insult, you idiot.”
“Oh, but there are many words to describe you. Living long gives you lots of
knowledge.”
“Living long and acting smart doesn’t give you the right to touch someone’s
partner.”
Oh, now I was getting angry. Did it really bother people so much that I was
with Daniela? I didn’t understand why. And where the hell did he even come
from?
Adlus looked at me smugly, but then he averted his eyes as if having lost
interest. Of course, he was looking towards Daniela.
“Daniela. Might I take you out to eat?”
“I do love to eat. But I do not feel like doing it with you.”
“You’re very stubborn. I know a good place that serves meat.”
“Not interested. You would do well to stop talking to me.”
Daniela said bluntly. For a second, I thought about what Adlus must go
through. I wasn’t sure why he was only attracted to his own kind, but if he
went around talking to every light elf he encountered…well, that was rather
worrying.
I calmed down once Adlus had backed off a bit, and was able to concentrate
on our surroundings again. I could tell by the expressions of some of the
onlookers that they had seen this all play out before. It really made me
wonder… What was happening? Either he was constantly getting rejected or
he was trying to make a light elf harem. The later did not seem likely… After
all, harems were things that just happened to you naturally. It would a look
pathetic if he went around, laboring hard to build one around himself.
Well…who knew what methods this guy would use.
I stared at him up and down as he glared at me. He was wearing white robes
that hid his physique but showed he was a sorcerer. But I still didn’t know
what his fighting style was like.
Perhaps he fought with a sword as well. Were those blindingly white clothes
for combat? Or were they just his casual clothes…
“I find no pleasure in being stared at by the likes of you.”
“Well, I don’t get many opportunities to observe an idiot, so you’ll have to

forgive me.”
“Hmph… Very well. Daniela does not seem to be in the mood today. I will
come again.”
“Don’t ever come back, you bastard.”
There would be no point, as he was likely to ruin Daniela’s mood on the

moment of his arrival.
Adlus bowed smugly to Daniela and then walked away. He was annoying
until the very last second.
“I have been targeted by a most despicable man…”
“Well, he’ll be in the fight with us. I’ll give him a good beating.”
“Yes, hopefully until nothing remains.”

“I don’t want to get arrested…”
Daniela was quite cross now.
“Still, he is quite popular, you know?”
“Seriously? I can hardly understand why…”
“It is mostly women. They call him the blonde prince.”
That wasn’t a very creative name. But I guess it was his only notable feature.
“Do you know anything about the way he fights?”
“Oh, that is famous!”
Well, he had apparently won before, so it was not surprising. According to

the well-informed Lemon, Adlus fought not only with magic, but also with a
long sword. He would control water in order stop his enemy’s movements
and then finish them off with his sword.
A long sword, huh… That meant he had a much better reach than me and my
one-handed sword. That being said, it seemed like a bad idea to try and bring
out the Schwarz Tempest. I wanted to fight with ice magic as well. There
must be a good way…
“More importantly, we should go and eat.”
“Yes… Eating will help drive away negative feelings.”
“I agree!”
Well, I was hungry. And so Daniela, Lemon and I continued on our way to
our destination.
That night, I looked out of the window with Eyes of the God Wolf. Well, I
wasn’t really looking, as there was something weighing on my mind. It was
about what had happened during lunch.
Ultimately, we had gone to ‘Meat, Meat, Meat, Meat’ for the third time and
ordered the same thing. It was a little awkward, but the conversation
immediately moved to Adlus’s fighting style.
“Regardless of this difference in reach, I suppose we’ll just have to fight with
the weapons we have?”
“It would not exactly be realistic for you to go out and acquire new weapons
now…”
“That’s true. Even if I have a weapon with the same reach, it would take time
to adjust to it. Something we don’t have.”
“Indeed. You can always search for a weapon after the tournament if you
really need one.”
“In that case, I recommend the auctions. They often have rare and powerful
weapons coming in.”
“Ah, that reminds me! There is something we would like to sell as well.”
“Oh? Do you two have something valuable?”
“Yeah, we dug up something really interesting.”
“Dug up?”
Yes, I was thinking about the auctions. The massive event that was the
Imperial Sword Tournament had made me forget, but we had come here in
order to sell the Automata. …Wait, maybe not. It was probably because
Daniela wanted to visit?
Well, whatever. After we ate, we went to the auction house to have our item
registered.
The building was to the southeast. The fact that it was located so close to the
inns seemed, slimy in a way, but I guess it was how they did things here.
I had been expecting something rather ‘underground,’ but it was not like that
at all. There was an open atmosphere if anything. Perhaps it was because of
some old perceptions I had about hidden routes and slave auctions. I had been
feeling anxious about what kind of shadow auction we were heading into, but
even the manager seemed to be a nice man.
“It will be held after the tournament. You will have to be here in person, is
that all right with you?”
“And where will we be?”
“On stage. We like to show the faces of the sellers. It is the style here.”
Like farmers, then…
“So, what item is it that you wish to auction off?”
“This thing.”
I said as I shoved a hand into the hollow bag and then dragged out the
Automata.
“Ahh!!”
“It’s an Automata.”
“Ah, oh, yes… I thought you had brought out a corpse.”
“That’s not really my kind of thing…”
But it was hardly a surprise that he was surprised. And I couldn’t say that I
hadn’t enjoyed his reaction just a little.
“An Automata! These things are very rare indeed…!”
“And we have a few spare ‘cores’ as well.”
“Wonderful! This will be the star of the show without a doubt. Would you
mind if we advertise?”
“Of course not. I hope as many people as possible see it.”
“Very good, Mister Asagi. Thank you for coming to us. I look forward to the
event.”
“Likewise.”
We shook hands and finished the registration process. By the time we left the
building, the sun had already started to come down, and so we split up.
Daniela and I bought some food to eat on the way back. And that was it. The
valuable Automata was still in the hollow bag. The manager was worried
about it being stolen, and so it was decided that we should keep it until the
actual date.
Well, it meant that we would be parting with the Automata… I felt oddly sad
about it.
As it was made by the perverted ancient elves, the appearance was quite
special. It almost seemed like a waste, but we had already made the
agreement. And there was no going back.
“Maybe we’ll pick up another one someday…”
“And that one will go straight to the auction house as well.”
“Damn it…have pity on a poor guy…”
“I do not think you need something like that. Am I wrong?”
“Oh, are you jealous of an Automata?”
“What? Fine, I will give you a lesson as to why you do not need such a
thing.”
“Sounds brilliant. You better teach me well.”
It was late into the night, but too early to sleep. And I was very curious as to
what exactly Daniela meant to teach me.
chapter 240
I felt tired the next morning. Something must have made Daniela more
passionate than usual. In any case, she was very thorough in her lessons that
night, and this resulted in me only having three hours of actual sleep. The sun
had already risen in the sky, and the room was filled with a refreshing energy
that I did not feel a part of.
I had laid down a blanket over our sheets last night, as an extra precaution.
The bed itself looked clean enough as I folded the blanket and put it back in
the bag. Daniela’s pale form slept soundly on the bed, the perfect image of
contentment. It suggested to me that you could not go wrong with indulging
in your urges, whether they were hunger, lust or sleep. At least, in her case.
Phew. I got off of the bed and went straight to the washing room. It was nice
when you had no need to take your clothes off.
There, I washed my filthy body and looked at myself in the mirror. It was
definitely not the same face I had in my past life. At least, I thought so. I had
that scar, after all.
“Back then… Things had been hard.”
I had tried to avoid thinking about my future. My past as well. However, it

was very hard when you spent so much time alone. I had not put enough
effort into living while I was a student. And I felt the harsh results once I
started working. I had nothing but regret as I imagined what my future would
look like.
“Though, the manager who visited in the morning was always there for
emotional support…”
I thought as my attention drifted to the length of my hair. She always tried to

get me to cut it as she touched it from behind. It always scared me, but I
suppose it was her way of communicating. It made me feel better when I
thought of it like that, anyway. Most managers would have shouted and
forced me to get it cut. It was a pretty relaxed environment, and I think I was
cut some slack because they knew how hard it was for me.
“I’ll have to cut it soon.”
I chuckled while my finger ran down my neck.
The manager wouldn’t like it.
□ □ □ □
A not quite awake Daniela entered a while later, and so we washed each
other. Once we were done, we went out to the north district to find something
to eat. I had suggested that eating in the north district would be nice for a
change. After all, we had those priority passes from the intelligence people. It
would be a shame not to make the most of them. I’d have to also go and find
Mister Tames so I could thank him.
The dining hall was just a short walk away from the lodging facility. It was a
place where soldiers ate.
“Hello. We’ll have two of the breakfast sets.”
We flashed our bracelets while talking to the old man in the kitchen.
“Understood. Find yourselves some seats and wait.”
It was amusing to see the military manner in which he talked. Daniela and I
sat down at a table and killed time by talking about yesterday’s game, when
suddenly, I felt someone staring in our direction. It was like being stabbed in
the neck. I turned around to look, but no one met my eyes.
“What is it?”
“Hm? Uh…it’s nothing.”
I thought it was just me, and so I turned back to Daniela and continued our
conversation. After a few more minutes, a young man, who was clearly new
to the job, came up to us and set our food on the table.
“Th-thank you for waiting! Here are your breakfast sets!”
“Thanks.”
That’s a lot of rattling… He did, however, give a perfect military salute

before disappearing. My gaze went down to the food.
Hmm. It seemed like a classic breakfast. Bread and beans. Fruits and a drink.
And what was this white stuff? It looked like that stuff that grumpy cooks
violently poured into the protagonist’s bowl in military movies. And then the
protagonist would have an equally grumpy face as he brings it to his mouth.
“Let’s eat.”
I tasted the mystery food first. Hmm…the texture was…terrible. The taste
was…terrible.
“Asagi, your eyebrows.”
“Taste this stuff. You’ll be making the same expression.”
Now I knew why they always looked unhappy. This was not good. I tried
eating it with the beans… It tasted even worse.
“Hmm…”
“See?”
“This…seems very healthy.”
She said, as if she were a reporter on air and could not give her honest
opinion on the dish. Still, I highly doubted it was that nutritious.
Ultimately, my eyebrows remained firmly narrowed as I finished my

breakfast. I somehow managed to eat everything and wash it down with
water. Several people were staring at us with smirks on their faces. I was
annoyed at first, but realized that they didn’t mean anything by it. It was
more of a ‘bad, ain’t it?’ So I chuckled as I reached for the fruit.
“I saved this one for last.”
Everyone else laughed.
After breakfast, we found ourselves walking towards the arena for no

particular reason. While I was practically dragging my feet, it seemed like
there were a lot of people passing us by.
“Isn’t the game tomorrow?”
“It should be.”
And yet it was oddly crowded. Puzzled, we continued to walk until the arena
came into view. It was the most crowded place of all, and we soon found out
why.
“I see. The tournament bracket.”
“So this is why there was a day in between.”
I had assumed that we’d find out on the day of the fight. However, now that it
was up, the reason for it being today became obvious.
“Come here to place your bets! Get in line!”
Yes, gambling. It seemed that it was a part of the Imperial Sword

Tournament. And on further inspection, it was a military man who was
managing it. The country ran a casino, in a way. Perhaps that was their way
of keeping it fair. The icesnow season would be approaching soon. There
would be fewer things you could do then. So perhaps this would have a
positive effect on the economy in the meantime. There would be more
tourists and people loved to bet money.
“So, who will we be fighting against?”
“Hmm…”
I stood on my toes in the far back. While my toenails were sacrificed, I was
able to acquire the needed information. There were twelve fighters. A-Rank
and B-Rank had two fighters each, while C, D, E and F-Ranks each had one
fighter. Then there was Daniela and me in the recommendation bracket. And
then Adlus, as the previous champion.
As for our opponents…
E-Rank ‘Macadenia Nikke’ —— B-Rank ‘Bandi Ree.’
A-Rank ‘Levee Badi’ —— C-Rank ‘Alenbia Ef Quingeria.’
F-Rank ‘Baz Rockwell’ —— D-Rank ‘Newt Erangute.’
B-Rank ‘Neyti Miniado’ —— A-Rank ‘Daniela Villesilf.’
A-Rank ‘Kapricorn Shteiner’ —— A-Rank ‘Asagi Kamiyashiro.’
A-Rank ‘Adlus Brasilf’ —— A-Rank ‘Henrich Azsilf.’
Hmm. I didn’t even know what to make of it. And so I decided to focus on
my opponent. Kapricorn Shteiner… Well, it was memorable, I suppose. This
was the person I would be fighting. Since the person was A-Rank, that meant
they had won yesterday’s game. So was it the woman with the ice sword or
the person with the short sword… I would have to ask someone.
“Uh, excuse me. Who was that woman who fought with the ice sword
yesterday?”
“Hmm? Ah, that woman. She’s Levee Badi. A veteran Adventurer with the
alias, ‘White Dew.’”
“I see. Thank you. By the way, who are you betting on?”
“Levee, of course. She’s incredible.”
“Really?”
“Aye. Didn’t you see? Those precise thrusts! They say she can hit the
dewdrops that fall from the morning leaves!”
“Is that where her alias came from?”
“It is. …Oh, I better be going. See you. And take my advice and place your
bets on Levee!”
“I’ll remember that!”
The young man waved and walked away. Interesting. ‘White Dew’ Levee…
Well, my bets were on Daniela. I would have liked to hear about the person
in the recommended bracket too…
Oh, well. The name sounded elvish.
In any case, it seemed that I, Kapricorn, Adlus, and Heinrich were going to
fight three times until we reached the finals. As for those who got through the
preliminaries, they would have to fight four times.
“That makes it seem like Adlus had an advantage…”
Regardless, I was going to fight the person with the short sword. Which was
unfortunate…because I hadn’t been watching that fighter at all and didn’t
know their fighting style. And I had been so careful to observe up until
now… Hmm, this was bad.
chapter 241
I tried memorizing the information until my eyes caught a tent where they
were passing it out as pamphlets. Perhaps my nerves had caused me to miss it
at first…I should calm down.
“They’re passing out pamphlets over there. I’m gonna go get some.”
“Very well.”
Daniela waited as I made my way over to the tent. It was after I had accepted
two of them and began to return to Daniela, that I felt someone’s eyes on me.
Once again, it was a tingling, stabbing sensation. No, it couldn’t be my

imagination. And so I slowly activated Presence Detection.
“Ah, it’s no use.”
There were too many people. It was a mass of different presences. But I
couldn’t see anyone that looked suspicious when searching with my own
eyes.
“Damn it…”
It bothered me, but there was nothing I could do. Oh, well…better get back to
Daniela.
When I found her, she was eating some fruit on a stick. It looked chilled and
delicious.
“I bought it.”
But, where’s mine?

“Thanks.”
I asked her with a look, and she produced a second one. When I bit into it, the
juices filled my mouth. It was chilled and very sweet. I loved this kind of
fruit…
As we had no reason to stick around, we started walking again as we ate.

There were crowds of people around who could have been citizens or
tourists. But you could tell that they were all excited about tomorrow’s game.
There were people who looked like Adventurers who were already drinking
and enjoying the festivities.
It was a lot of noise, but no one was fighting and it was peace itself. Of
course, the noblewoman, Alenbia Ef Quingeria, had been condemned for her
strategies the other day. But there was nothing like that now. And if you
asked me, they should have just taken her guards down and then fought her.
It was a battle royal. And she had played within the rules.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi?”
“The real tournament starts tomorrow. Anything on your mind?”
“…Indeed. Well, my first opponent is the lucky boy who we agreed had
reached his peak. So, no. I have not thought about it much.”
Well, Daniela sure lucked out in a way.
“The problem is the one after, after that.”
“Really? What about the second fight?”
“Insignificant. The problem is the woman with the ice rapier. She will
definitely rise to the top.”
The woman who they said could hit dewdrops falling from a leaf. Levee
Badi, White Dew. She would likely beat the noblewoman, Alenbia Ef
Quingeria and then beat the spear wielder, Bandi Ree. And then she would
appear before Daniela. Or so Daniela said…
“Well, we don’t know what will really happen.”
“Yes… Hmm. Perhaps it is just that I really want to fight her.”
“Because you use the same weapons?”
“Yes. I have used this weapon for many years, but I sense something in her
that is a natural gift.”
Daniela said as she caressed the rapier of the tree of life and death. That
sword…I had been meaning to ask about it. But I always seemed to forget.
Eve had said something about it back in Nicora. ‘Today, I will finally have
your sword and bow. The sacred treasures of the tree of life and death!’ What
were these weapons?
“Daniela, about that rapier…”
“The sacred treasure of the Tree of Life and Death?”
“Uh, yeah. Is it a secret?”
“Well, yes. But I should have told you. It must have slipped my mind.”
Yes. I had forgotten as well. I wouldn’t have even asked her now had she not
started to touch it.
And she did it with so much affection. Then she raised her face and looked at
me. Her eyes were serious.
“We should go back to our room. We can talk there.”
“Yeah, sure.”
She was going to tell me something important. That in itself made me happy.
It showed that she trusted me. And since we didn’t have any other plans, we
decided to head back for the day. Sometimes it was nice to just talk on your
day off.
We bought a little food, including fruit, to take back with us. And then we
returned to the lodging facility.
Back in our room, we sat facing each other on opposite sides of the table after
putting down our belongings. The table was covered in food.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
“I was quite anxious and was preparing myself for this serious story you were
going to tell me.”
“Oh, yes. Well, I can speak while eating, you know.”
She said as she reached for a box of noodles. She took in a mouthful and then
smiled happily.
“I want it back.”
“What?”
“My resolve.”
“You should have put it away in your bag.”
Grrr… This woman was too dedicated to her appetite…!
Oh, well. That was Daniela. I fell in love with all of the sides of her, so there
was no use complaining now. I gave up and picked up a box of the same
noodles.
“Mmmggmm…So? What are they?”
“Something that was passed down in my homeland. While they make

effective weapons, they were originally ceremonial treasures.”
“Ceremonial treasures?”
Something used for ceremonies, I suppose.
“Yes. They were used for many years. Perhaps through refining or some
other transition, they turned into sacred treasures.”
“Back where I’m from, they used to say that souls lived inside objects that
were treasured for a long time. Maybe it’s like that?”
What they call tsukumogami. Tools that were used for a hundred years would
be inhabited by a soul or spirit.
“Indeed. It is similar to that. And so the long-used rapier and bow became
sacred treasures. They are almost legendary among some light elves.’
“Legendary weapons, huh…”
Her rapier definitely had the look of a legendary sword. Like Excalibur.
“So it’s incredibly rare then.”
“Yes. Not many people know of it, but those that do will want it.”
“So that’s why Eve was after it…”
And she had targetted it after one hundred years. But perhaps acquiring a
legendary weapon was worth that effort.
“But I am the only one who can use these.”
“I was chosen by the weapons. And only chosen elves can wield them.”
“The sacred treasures choose their wielder?”
“Aye. It has to do with bloodlines. Back home, I was chosen as the maiden of
the tree of life and death.”
“I see.”
Bloodlines and legendary weapons. Beauty. Who’s the protagonist now…
“My mother…had lived as the maiden for many years. But I took her place
when I was born. Of course, it was shortly after that that the stampede
occurred.”
“…”
The loathsome stampede that had destroyed her home. Daniela’s parents have
been killed in front of her eyes. And the result was a trauma she carried for
years. Time seemed to have stopped for her since then. But Daniela said that
things changed once she met me. And her trauma was starting to weaken.
“Well, I have continued to live as the maiden who was chosen by the rapier
and bow. Not that I conduct myself as a maiden in any way.”
“I see… No, that was a very interesting story. Thanks for telling me.”
“Do not mention it. I had been meaning to tell you about it. But it is such a
dull tale that I needed a good meal to get me through it”
“That’s not true. Besides, it means a lot to know more about your past.”
“Asagi…”
In fact, I really knew very little about Daniela’s past. She didn’t talk about it
much, but part of it was because I knew we would always be together
whether regardless of how much knowledge I had. And she would answer
when I did ask her. But sometimes I worried about asking too many questions
and accidentally stepping on a land mine.
In any case, I was happy to hear her talk.
“I know. You tell me something about yourself, Asagi. Let me see… Tell me
about your childhood.”
“You want to hear a story about some stupid kid?”

“Yes, tell me about the stupid kid.”
What a curious person. Oh, well. I had to return the favor, I suppose. A
legendary story about my childhood. It was a real sidesplitter, so I hoped she
was ready.
“But first, what exactly would happen if someone else tried to use your
weapons?”
“They would be surrounded by darkness and have the life sucked out of
them.”
“The life…”
“And then their soul would forever be disconnected from the cycle and will
wander, lost in the world.”
“Lost in the world…”

chapter 242
To show my gratitude to Daniela for telling me the secret of her weapons, I
decided to tell her an idiotic story from my childhood.
“…Yeah, so I was so annoyed that I trained alone after that. Which resulted
in a fracture…”
“AHAHAHAHA! You were such a fool!”
“Uh, it really you hurt, you know…? Oh, look at the time. We should get
some rest and prepare for tomorrow.”
“Ah, yes… Ohh. My stomach hurts…”
Daniela wiped the tears from her eyes and moved towards the bed. I agreed
that I had been an idiot back then, but I hadn’t thought she would find the
story so funny.
But it was time for us to go to bed. It was dark outside and the clock told me
it was 10. I made a trip to the bathroom first, and when I returned, Daniela
was already hidden under the blankets.
“Make some room for me…”
I had to peel some of them away. I felt bad doing it when she was sleeping so
comfortably, but it was the only way to get in. Just then, Daniela’s pale
shoulder came into view.
“No clothes tonight?”
“I did not feel like it.”
“You know we have an early morning?”
“Just a little. All right?”

“Damn it…”
Free as always. Of course, it didn’t end as quickly as she suggested it would.
□ □ □ □
Perhaps it was just me, but I felt oddly refreshed the following morning.
Maybe it was the apt amount of exercise before bed. In any case, it was time
for a bath.
“Huh?”
Daniela wasn’t there. She actually got up before me…
“…Wait!? Was I late!?”
It just seemed too unlikely that she could have beaten me. So the more likely
explanation was that I was late… But then I looked at the clock and saw that
it was still six in the morning.
“So she really did get up…”
It was unbelievable. She wouldn’t be amused if I told her that, but it was the
truth. Of course, maybe she was like those kids that only got up early before
school excursions?
As I wondered about this strange event, Daniela came out of the bathing
room. She was drying her hair and wearing nothing.
“Ah, good morning. Asagi.”
“Morning, Daniela. Lost your clothes?”
“Hmm? When have I ever lost my clothes?”
“Well, maybe I’m losing my mind.”
“That is fine with me.”

“Not me.”
Daniela smirked and posed provocatively. But there was no time for that. We
had to get to the arena as soon as possible. I didn’t want to get disqualified
for being late.
I quickly washed up and put on my new equipment. It all fit me perfectly.

That feeling of magic that was specific to dragons was especially comforting.
It felt like a part of your body…it was hard to describe.
“Been wearing dragon for a while now…”
I had started off with my convenient store clothes. But those didn’t last long,
and so I had bought an old set of leather armor. I’d ended up in many
dangerous situations since then. Thankfully, my level went up quite quickly. I
had been lucky again after that when I was able to buy dragon armor at a
great discount. Well, some might say it was because of Matsumoto, but I’m
just going to call it luck.
It had been indestructible through my many battles after that. But eventually,
it was unable to endure the strength of my new abilities, and it broke.
However, I was lucky enough to acquire new materials soon after.
And that led to my current equipment. I hadn’t worn it for long, but it did feel
the most comfortable so far.
“I think I can win.”
It was like it filled me with power. Perhaps the God Wolf powers went well
with the dragon armor?
“Asagi? Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m finished.”
Daniela was also wearing her new equipment. Hers was made from the wind
dragon that Eve had summoned. As it had been dyed, it wasn’t the same color
as mine, but the features were much the same. I used the power of the wind
dragon and charge ahead at full speed. While I could also use magic, I
preferred to use it at close range.
As for Daniela, she used the power of the wind dragon for magic. It was
highly compatible with the wind attribute, obviously, and Daniela said she
was practically overflowing with power. But she could also use the rapier and
bow. She defended and attacked. She could do it all.
My opponent today was a mysterious fighter who used a shortsword. As for

why I hadn’t noticed the fighter during the game, it must have been due to
Presence Block. If you were at a high enough level, you could go unnoticed
during battle. Or maybe it was some other unique skill.
“Well, you will not know until you actually fight them.”
“I guess. Ah, there are a lot of people today…”
“Of course, there is.”
Radelia Shvein Arena was crowded. It was the long-awaited main match. The
citizens of the empire and the tourists all wore their best clothes as they
headed for the arena. Children rushed past us one after another. They were
certainly energetic.
As I smiled and watched, I noticed that people were giving me odd looks.
Why? Was I dressed strangely?
“Well, the armor kind of outs you as a competitor.”
“Ah, right.”
That made sense. People were dressing fancy, but they weren’t wearing
armor. A few people carried swords for protection, but no one else looked
like they were off to battle.
“Maybe we should wave?”
“Yes. I will wave as well.”
The Imperial Sword Tournament was a festival. There was no harm in getting
a little carried away. And so we tried waving at the spectators. More people
reacted than I expected. The deep shouts of men and the screams of women
rang in my ears.
“It’s actually quite off-putting. I regret it already.”
“Yes. Me too.”
Well, that’s a festival for you. We had been spectators at first, but now we
were part of the show.
I was ready to fight.
As we weren’t going to watch this time, we were led through a different

hallway that would take us to the stage.
“Please wait here a moment.”
“Yes.”
But first, we were left in a room without any further explanation. The other
competitors were also present. I suppose it was the waiting room… I saw my
own opponent, Kapricorn Shteiner, was standing in the back.
Everyone’s eyes turned towards us as we entered. But only one person stood
up and walked towards us. The one with the blindingly white outfit. His
white cape was a particular eyesore. But perhaps it held some religious
significance. I decided that it was better not to make any comment on it.
“Good morning, Daniela. You are as beautiful as ever.”
“Asagi. Looks like there is an empty seat over there.”
“Yeah. But you can take it. I’ll stand.”
“Really? Thank you.”
We walked past the blinding pillar and headed towards the table in the center
of the room. Daniela sat down in the empty chair and sighed comfortably.
There were drinks and some snacks on the table.
“Asago. This one looks good.”
“I’ve never seen it before. Hand one over.”
“Here.”
I sat on the table, fully aware that it wasn’t the best display of manners, and
began to eat the thing that Daniela had given me. Hmm…it was sweet. And
not bad. I might have to buy some later.
“…I have never met someone so persistent in their insolence.”
“Hmm?”
The man in the cape was shaking.
“I should kill you.”
“Heh.”
His face was so distorted as he spun around that I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Still, surely the proud light elf wouldn’t mind.
But Adlus didn’t say anything after that. He just folded his arms and leaned
against the wall. It would have been better for everyone if he had done that in
the first place.
“Ah, what a terrible air you’ve created.”
A voice sounded from next to me. Hmm? I didn’t recognize the person.
“So, you’re Asagi, right? Daniela’s lover.”
“Well, uh, yeah. I am…”
“Ahh, forgive me. I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Henrich Azsilf. Like
you, I am here on recommendation.”
“So it’s you. Asagi Kamiyashiro. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise!”
He shook my offered hand. Yes, this was the kind of reception I’d expect
from such a social interaction.
“I came from a town that is southwest of the imperial capital. It’s rare to be
recommended like this you know? It’s a great honor.”
“I see… Uh, sorry if I’m mistaken, but are you an elf?”
He had blue hair and pointed ears that were hard to miss.
“Oh, you really are the lover of an elf, aren’t you? Was it that easy to tell?
Yes, I am a blue elf. I’ll be three-hundred and thirty-eight this year.”
“I knew it. So you are ten years older than Daniela.”
“Haha! That was quick. But yes, and I would be about thirty-five in human
years!”
I glanced over at Daniela. She was not amused. But I was.
“If we’re lucky, we’ll fight against each other on the second fight. But my
opponent is quite strong, so that’s not too likely.”
“Oh… So he’s not just shiny.”
“Hehe… You do make me laugh, Asagi…!”
He looked embarrassed, as the rest of the room was looking at us. Adlus may
have been strong, but he hadn’t made the best impression here, thanks to us.
Well, I didn’t really care what others thought. He was straight up trash in my
eyes. It felt good to see his reputation tarnished before the fight, even if it was
just a little.
“Hmm…”
Daniela raised her face and looked towards the door. There was a click and
the door was opened. It was the same person who had led us here.
“Thank you all for your patience. The stage has been prepared. You will now
be introduced in front of the audience. Then there will be an explanation of
the rules and the announcement of the prize.”
Announcement of the prize? We had talked about that before, but weren’t
sure what it would be. So it had been a secret after all… No wonder.
“So, please follow me.”
And with that, everyone stood up and walked out of the door. As we started
to move towards the door, Alenbia Ef Quingeria, the noblewoman, stopped
us.
“Um, Mister Asagi, sir.”
“Sir?”
“Uh, nevermind… Uh, well… Good luck in the fight.”
“Oh. You too.”
It was always awkward talking to nobles. Well, except for that young girl I
had helped. Alenbia didn’t say anything after that and quickly ran on ahead.
“What was that about?”
“Maybe she’s a fan?”
“Haha! Surely not…?”
Just then, I felt something brush against the back of my head.
A chill ran up my spine and I spun around. But there was no one there. When
I looked at the door, Kapricorn Shteiner was walking out. He was the last
one.
“…What is it?”
“I… It’s nothing.”
It had touched my hair. That sensation… It was like that piercing gaze I had
been experiencing. But it was growing more tangible…
Unbelievable thoughts swirled in my head. No. But, no… And there was no
point in thinking about it now. Right now, we had to head to the stage.
chapter 243
While it still bothered me, it was time to head out to the arena. The
competitors who had gone ahead must have already appeared in front of the
crowds, as I could hear explosive cheering.
“I’m getting nervous…”
“Do not be. Be proud, Asagi.”
“Sure…”
I took in a deep breath and then exhaled. And then I raised my face and
walked out of the door.
I had never been surrounded by the sounds of a roaring crowd like this
before.
For a second, I wanted to shrink back. It was overwhelming and I felt

stunned.
“Woah…”
“They are excited. You should wave.”
Daniela said as she raised her hand. She was quite calm. Also, there were
suddenly many more female voices among the roaring.
Nice. Maybe I’d give it a shot. I looked towards them and waved my hand. It
was incomprehensible, but the shouting voices became notably lower. I
didn’t understand.
And it was among such cheers and cries that we got up on the stage. I looked
around again. The circular arena. The endless rows of people surrounding us.
It was immense…
As commanded, we all stood in a line on the stage. The crowds then settled
down as they wondered what would happen next. All eyes were directed at a
single point. It was a platform that was raised higher than the other seats. It
was tightly surrounded by military men.
There was an entrance behind it and a man came walking out. While he
looked elderly, he was tall and stood strong and straight. It was the Emperor.
He scanned his people before raising both of his hands into the air.
“And now, let the main battle of the Imperial Sword Tournament begin!! The
prize for the victor will be great!! And so I expect you to fight hard and
bold!!”
His voice boomed throughout the arena. The crowd’s reaction was intense
and it was clear that this Emperor was loved by his people.
“Long live the Emperor!”
“Lord Veldrid!!”
The voices rang. Emperor Veldrid. Both his name and appearance suggested
strength.
Once he made this announcement, the Emperor took his seat. There were a
few others who sat near him, most likely important officials of the empire.
After that, several of the staff came out and handed us something. It was a
bracelet. Everyone received one. And so I accepted mine.
“These are magic decoy devices. We do not want any accidents, so make sure
to put them on.”
I see. It was a simple silver bracelet that was a centimeter wide. However, it
was filled with engravings on the inner side.
“The one that I had was a necklace.”
“Right…”
So there were different kinds. As I looked at the thing, the announcer’s voice
boomed.
“And now we will explain the rules of the game. Requirements for victory
include evicting your opponent from the boundary, making them surrender or
fall unconscious. In rare cases, the referee may pull them out as well. The
match will also end the moment that the decoy bracelet is broken.”
That was a nice way of saying ‘when you die.’ Any attack that was big
enough would automatically be dealt to the bracelet instead.
“You will be disqualified if you continue to attack after that. If your actions
lead to an actual murder, then you will be tried by the laws of the empire and
sentenced to death.”
I would hope so.
“The match will run for fifty minutes. If it does not conclude before then,
then the judges will decide the victor. That is all. Please fight while obeying
these instructions. Now, the first battle will begin. Macadenia Nikke and
Bandi Ree! Everyone else, leave the stage!”
And with that, we descended from the stage. Madenia was the dual-wielder,
while Bandi fought with a spear. There were special seats reserved for us
fighters. Kind of like where baseball players wait their turn in a stadium. I
had been wondering if they were going to shove us back into the waiting
room, so it was a pleasant surprise
They stood, face to face in front of the referee. To the west was the man with
two swords at his belt. He wore a blue bandana and had light armor that
would be easy to move in. Macadenia Nikke. Facing him, was Bandi. A B-
Ranker. However, she wasn’t one of those Adventurers who had hit the
ceiling. She was a vicious fighter who had risen to the top with tremendous
skill. It was clear that she could reach A-Rank with a little more work.
Macadenia laughed.
“Hehe.”
“What’s so amusing?”
Bandi asked suspiciously with a raise of a thin eyebrow.
“Well, how can I not laugh… When I am fighting against such a fierce
warrior…”
“Yes. It’s perhaps too big a burden for someone like you, who only takes
people down when they aren’t looking.”
“Ahahahaha! And yet, I always win.”
“What?”
The suspicious face became expressionless. But it felt like there was rage
hidden under the surface. Bandi must have been watching the preliminaries
then. Well, the guy’s fighting style was definitely divisive. As it was a battle
royale, I thought you should always watch your own back. But I suppose it
wasn’t exactly the most honorable way to fight.
“Let’s begin. You will become my footstool.”
“Hmph. You’ll be a forgettable memory among the others I’ve defeated.”
Macadenia took a few steps back and withdrew his sword. Bandi jumped
back and raised her spear. Then the referee raised his sword high into the air
and swung down.
“Begin!!”
Bandi was the first to move. Her posture was low as she shot out with her
spear. While she wasn’t as fast as me, it was faster than most B-Rankers.
“She is quick.”
Daniela muttered. While I had become accustomed to ridiculous speeds,

Daniela was not. The white prince snorted. Blue-haired Heinrich rubbed at
his jaw as he looked on with surprise.
Bandi thrust forward without losing her speed. Macadenia’s smirk never left
his face as he thrust one sword into the ground and launched himself into the
air so he was doing a handstand on the pommel. The spear smashed into the
blade, but it not break. It was a good sword.
That wasn’t what surprised me. What surprised me was that he was able to
respond to such speed. From the front, it would have been like a bullet
coming towards you. But he had seen it coming and moved with precision.
Bandi scowled at this as she jumped back once again.
“Hmm. I suppose you were lucky.”
“Hehe. Do you think so?”
Either she didn’t want to admit that Macadenia was skilled or she didn’t
understand. In any case, Bandi twirled her spear over her head and crouched
low.
“Then what about this!”
There was a sharp thrust and the sound of something cutting through air. As
someone who was currently studying the use of a spear, it was night and day.
She aimed for Macadenia’s feet with an attack that I could only dream of.
“Hhhuh!”
Macadenia stepped away while simultaneously blocking the attack with his
other sword. The spear stabbed into the stage instead, but Bandi’s attacks
didn’t end there. Just as Macadenia had done, she used her weapon to launch
herself into the air and unleashed a ferocious kick to her opponent’s head.
“Ohhh!!”
I couldn’t help but gasp. It was a clean attack, and Macadenia fell to the floor.
Perhaps the thrust in the beginning had been used to mislead him. I should
take notes.
Macadenia’s face twisted in pain as he curled up on the ground. He had lost

his weapons, but the fight wasn’t over…
Well, Bandi wasn’t likely to allow him to pick his swords up. So I guess it
was over.
“That was fast.”
“This is about what you should expect in one on one fights…”
“Really? I suppose you’re right.”
Most of the fights I had gotten into personally had been against groups. But
now that I think of it, judo matches tended to end quite quickly. So maybe it
was like that…
“So, you were all talk, after all.”
Bandi said as she pulled out her spear and approached Macadenia. Macadenia
slowly picked himself up until he was on all fours. However, he was dripping
with blood. The kick must have been hard enough to tear his skin. Even
worse, it was falling from the left side of his face and so he had to keep his
left eye closed.
“Heh. Damn this pain…”
“You did well enough, I’ll give you that.”
Bandi said as she raised her spear and looked down at her opponent.
Macadenia looked up. It was then that his hand moved slightly.
“Huh!?”
Bandi frantically moved out of the way. In spite of his condition, Macadenia
had managed to throw a knife. While I wasn’t very close, I could still see it.
Bandi only barely dodged it, but she lost her balance in the process.
“There!”
Macadenia’s smiled disappeared. For the first time, he looked dead serious as
the second knife flew through the air. It was going straight towards Bandi’s
face. The audience seemed to be holding their breath.
“Gaah!!”
Still, she avoided death. I suppose that was a B-Ranker for you. Her left hand
went up and caught the knife. Well, I suppose I should say ‘stopped.’ The end
of the blade was sticking out of the other side of her hand. A stream of blood
began to cover the stage.
“Heh. Hahahaha!! I specialize in projectiles!!”
“I see… That’s why you have that eye…!”
So he wasn’t actually a dual-wielder. In fact, he had never actually fought

with both swords… I think it was just the impact of seeing him with two that
had made me forget. Hmm. He was pretty tricky for a low-ranker.
Bandi pulled the knife out of her hand as the blood continued to pour. Still,
she seemed determined as she faced Macadenia.
“The battle starts now! Macadenia Nikke!!”
“Hehe… Ahahaha! Let’s enjoy it then!”
And so the fight continued.

chapter 244
Not all E-Rankers were weak. Everyone started at G-Rank. But there were
different levels of preparation before you started.
For instance, some people became Adventurers after they failed in their
business. Or perhaps they became an Adventurer after a long period of
recuperation.
Status and skills weren’t the benefits of becoming an Adventurer. They were
the result of hard work and effort.
Macadenia Nikke’s acquired skills with throwing knives would have likely
been effective on a B-Ranker as well.
“Hehehe. What’s wrong?”
“Tsk… You’ll regret this… I’ll break that smirking face of yours!”
Bandi charged towards Macadenia, who was carrying two throwing knives in
his hands.
Of course, Macadenia wasn’t carrying them for decoration. He threw them.

One of them went straight towards Bandi’s right shoulder. As for the other
one…
“Hmph. Your aim is off!”
“I could say the same for you!”
“What!?”
Bandi dodged the knife targeting her right shoulder, which only served to put
her in the path of the other knife, which seemed to be sucked towards her
face. She frantically raised her spear and blocked it, but her momentum had
been killed. That’s when a third knife came flying.
“Kk…!”
“How far can you defend with one arm!?”
Even with one arm, she adeptly controlled the spear and twisted her body out
of the knife’s path. Just as it passed her, Badi charged forward once again.
Perhaps it was due to her useless arm, but she seemed a little off-balance.
However, Macadenia seemed to have an endless supply of knives, which he

launched towards her.
But Bandi seemed determined not to fall for the same trick twice, and she
moved out of the way.
“Oh?”
I couldn’t help but say. She was still moving forward, but had used some
interesting footwork to get out of the way without losing her speed. And that
was in spite of her one limp arm getting in her way. I had never seen anyone
move like that before…
“Damn it…!”
Macadenia began to curse. His knives were missing. He would have to attack
with something other than projectiles. Something like a pitfall or magic
would work. Of course, those options weren’t open to him.
With no other recourse, Madenia ran back to the sword he had dropped.
“Not so fast!”
Bandi lowered her posture and raised her speed in order to stop him. Then
she thrust her spear out.
The sound of the spear-tip tearing through the air was accompanied by an
explosion of dust and splinters of wood as she hit the stage.
“Wh-what happened…?”
Heinrich said excitedly as he grabbed the guard rail. How cute.
Though, I realized that I was leaning forward to get a better look as well. I
quickly leaned back into the chair. It was a little embarrassing… When I
turned to the side, Kapricorn was looking at me. Or so I thought.
“…?”
I gave him a questioning look, but he just turned away. No, he was watching
the fight. I turned my head to look back at the action.
The cloud of dust had settled a little, and we could see shadows moving.
They were both there. However, they didn’t move.
By the time everything became clear, the sight we saw was of Macadenia
with a spear through his thigh.
Both of them. The timing must have been insane. The spear had gone through
him when his legs were aligned.
“Ah… I should have practiced more with the sword.”
“Your throwing was impressive.”
“Hehe. Thanks.”
He dropped his knives with a clang and raised his arms.
“I yield! You win!”
And with that, the referee descended and made the announcement.
“The fight has ended! The winner…is Bandi Ree!!”
The spectators exploded once again. It was a brilliant fight and words of
praise now rained down on the two contestants.
The referee then called in a medical team to take Macadenia away to be

treated. Now empty-handed, Bandi attempted to come and join us, but the
medical team stopped her as they gestured to her wounds. It was as if she had
forgotten all about it. None the less, she followed after them.
“Phew…”
That was a lot for a first battle. I had been literally sitting at the edge of my
seat. But it seemed like it was over in an instant. I guess that’s just how these
things went.
I looked around me, and oddly enough, people still looked very excited.
It showed how satisfied they were.
Well, there was one voice that was an outlier.
“Hmph. That was a terrible bore.”
Adlus said with a sigh. But no one argued with him.
“Don’t you agree, Daniela?”
He seemed annoyed that no one answered him, and so he directed the

question to Daniela specifically. Of course, Daniela was in no mood to humor
him.
Ultimately, everyone gave him the cold shoulder. Silence was gold. I knew
that quite well. It was better not to say anything that was not needed. Besides,
no one here agreed with his opinion.
Still, in spite of being the previous winner, he seemed kind of unpopular here.
Well, I suppose he had lots of fans, but even he didn’t seem to care about
that. He only cared about light elves. And just talking to him quickly revealed
the character under the costume. And it kept spilling out every time he
opened his mouth.
“Adlus, silence is gold.”
A muffled voice that I had never heard before now rang. Everyone turned
their heads to look. It was Kapricorn. So he does talk… However, he wore a
low hood and had a cloth wrapped around his mouth, making it difficult to
hear.
“Hmm? You wish to lecture me? Know your place. You’re awfully arrogant
for an Adventurer.”
“You can’t take back what you’ve said. And such crude words only prove to
make you inferior.”
“Nothing you say can change me. This is what I am. However, there are so
many who are below me.”
“…”
I could hear the others sighing. So even Kapricorn couldn’t handle him.
Kapricorn folded his arms with resignation and sunk deep into his chair.
Adlus saw this and sneered before turning away. He probably thought he had
won… It was embarrassing to watch.
So, it was time for round two. ‘Light Dew’ Levee Badi and the noblewoman,
Alenbia Ef Quingeria. A swordswoman against a sorceress… And while they
took different forms, they both used ice magic. In other words, this should be
very educational for me. I had learned a lot from Bandi’s use of the spear.
I was interested in watching Levee, as she was an A-Ranker with an alias and
used an ice sword. But I was also curious to see Alenbia’s ice magic. I wasn’t
too strong with it and just used what I had, so it would be nice to see what a
real sorcerer would do.
“Levee Badi and Alenbia Ef Quingeria! Please rise to the stage!”
The referee called and the two got up from their seats. From what I could tell,
Levee seemed quite calm, while Alenbia seemed nervous.
Levee walked up the step very casually. Alenbia’s hands tightly gripped her
beloved staff.
“She is very nervous.”
Daniela saw it too. I nodded in agreement.
“On the other hand, there’s no hiding that Levee is an A-Ranker.”
Heinrich joined in. He was sitting next to me.
“Well, I suppose she would be nervous then. They both use ice magic but her
opponent is a much higher rank.”
“Don’t you use ice magic as well?”
He did his research then. Heinrich smiled. I just told him what I had been
thinking.
“Yeah. That’s why this fight is so interesting to me. Levee’s ice sword.
Alenbia’s fighting style. Well, they aren’t the same as me at all. Also, I feel
like they both have great instincts in battle.”
“I see. I see.”
“I’m a bit of a meathead who just likes to charge forward. So I’m looking
forward to Miss Alenbia’s strategy here.”
I was basically giving him more information about myself… Still, he would
learn it if he just sat here and watched anyway. Besides, a capable fighter
should be able to change strategies on the fly. My opponents would be such
people.
“Haha. So you like to fight very boldly.”
“I’m clumsy. Always have been.”
□ □ □ □
“I-I’m glad for this opportunity to battle against you!”
“Thank you. I feel the same way.”

They bowed to each other and waited for the referee’s signal.
“Begin!”
The crowd roared, but both of them seemed to be oblivious of their

surroundings as they jumped away from each other.
By the time they landed, Levee had her ice sword in her hand. And Alenbia
had four ice arrows hovering in the air.
“Woah…”
“I would expect no less from an A-Ranker and a noble.”
Daniela answered without any surprise. I would not have likely made much
use of that time as far as preparing for an attack. I suppose I only survived as
long as I did because of the protection of the Forest Wolf and the God Wolf.
The two glared at one another. Alenbia seemed to be analyzing Levee’s every
move. On the other hand, Levee looked a little bored. Her sword wasn’t even
raised. However, she didn’t look away from her target.
As the audience held their breath and watched, Levee was the first to move.
She raised her sword in a smooth, casual movement. At that, the three arrows
were launched. At the same time, Alembia created and shot out a fourth.
“Heh.”
Levee laughed. I knew that laugh. She hadn’t even meant to attack. But
Alenbia had panicked and unleased her ice arrows. Still, she was a noble with
an incredible education. She didn’t just pull the trigger. She quickly followed
up.
Levee dodged the three arrows with minimal movement and then struck the
fourth out of the air with her sword.
The crowd went wild. Levee laughed with a look of confidence. Alenbia
frowned with irritation.
“How are you now? Have your nerves calmed themselves?”
“What?”
Alenbia’s narrowed eyebrows returned to normal, and she looked at Levee

quizzically.
“Well, you seemed very nervous to me. And I thought if we touched swords a
few times…or, oh, you use magic. Well, I thought it would help calm you.”
“Yo-you’re worried about your opponent during a fight…!?”
Alenbia suspected that she was being mocked. Her face grew furious. Levee
frantically waved her hand to deny it.
“It is not like that. I want you to fight at your best. It would be very boring if
your nerves got the best of you, and you lost because of it.”
“So you are saying that you would win even if I was fighting at my best…
You are terribly confident, aren’t you? A true A-Ranker. How maddening.”
Levee didn’t want to fight someone who would make mistakes. Alenbia
found such consideration an insult.
While they sounded polite enough, it was clear that Alenbia wasn’t taking
kindly to it all.
Perhaps she had a short temper… I could understand Levee’s position, but it
really depended on who your opponent was. Some people didn’t like. It was
possible that Alenbia had been trying to hide it and was just annoyed that
someone had seen through her.
After all, she was a noblewoman.
“Very well. I will defeat you with all of my power. I, Alenbia Ef Quingeria,
will carve my name into your face! Mock me for my rank at your own peril.
Because you will die once today!”
Levee seemed very pleased by this. She seemed like such a calm, graceful
person. But perhaps she was really a bloodthirsty fiend. You could never
know what a person truly was…
Now, let’s see what skills the noblewoman had.

chapter 245
When I thought of nobles, I thought of people who like to throw their weight
around. Money talks, and all that…
And watching Alenbia did little to rid me of those prejudices. In spite of her
low rank, she had great equipment and could use high-level magic. Courtesy
of hiring skilled teachers, I presume.
“Hah!”
Another eight arrows shot towards Levee.
“Hmph…!”
However, Levee hit them out of the air with little effort. She was called
‘Light Dew’ for a reason. Her thrusts had all the precision required to knock
the ice arrows out of the air.
“So, it’s no use after all.”
Alenbia said through gritted teeth. She maintained a level of class while also
showing a vicious side. The spectators seemed to love it.
She hit her staff against the ground and sent blue magical energy through it.
Levee watched this with glee. However, she wasn’t letting her guard down.
She was just looking forward to seeing what kind of attack it would be.
“How about this…!”
The energy gathered together at the tip. The mana robbed the heat from the
moisture in the air as it formed. It was a block of ice that was at least one
meter in diameter.
“Frost Meteor!!”
The finished Frost Meteor went towards Levee in a straight line. I always
thought of meteors as things that fell… But this was like a truck running at
full speed.
Still, a threat is a threat. It wasn’t something you could just smash with a
sword…
“That’s what I like about you. But…”
The Frost Meteor shot toward Levee as she muttered to herself.
“That’s not good enough.”
She raised her sword arm until the blade was level with her face. Her elbows
pulled back, she took aim, and thrust. That was all that I saw. A mere thrust.
A thrust…
And with that, the block of ice split into two pieces. The ice flew passed her
and off the stage. The spectators screamed as it shot towards them.
Thankfully, it stopped just in time.
I looked back at the stage. Levee had returned to her normal posture. Alenbia
looked on in disbelief.
“No…my strongest spell…”
“I might have lost had I underestimated you, due to your rank. But, well… As
I was looking forward to this fight, I did not hold back or underestimate you
in any way. Still, you need more in order to beat me. Spamming magic will
not do. I would suggest that you think of a strategy next time. You are too
predictable. Surprise me. Entertain me.”
There was a silent madness in her speech. A madness for battle. The fact that
she was so calm about it somehow made it more unsettling.
“A match lasts fifty minutes. We still have thirty-seven minutes remaining.

So, let’s enjoy it until the end.”
“Hhh…!”
Levee smiled gently, while Alenbia took a step back and scowled.
I had thought Alenbia had a short temper, but there was no longer any anger
to be seen.
□ □ □ □
The rest of the battle was atrocious. Adlus muttered about it being child’s
play, and he was unfortunately right. It was that bad.
She launched dozens of ice arrows into the air, and all of them were struck
down. As were her ice boulders that rained from above. She even tried
building walls of ice, but they too were smashed. Once, she tried to freeze the
ground her opponent stood on, but Levee only had to send the same energy
into the ground in order to cancel it. Once Alenbia realized that ranged
attacks would not work, she created an ice blade at the tip of her staff.
However, her abilities in close-quarters combat were not good enough, and
she could never hit her target.
Finally, she shouted angrily and created a blizzard with all of her power. But
Levee also canceled it out.
I had been wondering if Alenbia had a trump card. That blizzard was
probably it. I would have probably been very shocked by it. But I would have
still dodged it. However, Levee didn’t move out of the way. She just
annihilated it.
It was a phenomenon that occurred when you hit a spell with the same
amount of energy. Levee did it so casually that Alenbia had to admit defeat.
She had used everything and still lost. She fell weakly to her knees. At the
same time, the referee announced that the fight had ended.
Fifty minutes. Levee had enjoyed every moment of it. She was soon
announced as the winner.
Alenbia rose weakly to her feet and walked up to Levee before falling into
her arms. She had probably been drained after using so much magic. At least,
that’s what it looked like… Alenbia was looking at the ground with eyes that
seemed scared. She couldn’t even look Levee in the face.
“Hehe. It was interesting.”
Levee said as she came back to her seat. She was still holding Alenbia and
helped her sit down. She looked terribly uncomfortable. Well, it was none of
my business.
As for the actual fight… There had been a lot of magic that I’d not seen
before. Even something as simple as creating ice boulders to throw was
something I had yet to do. I hadn’t even thought of doing it. And the
blizzard… Using it to slowly bring the temperature down and dull their
movements… It could work.
Levee had been great with the ice rapier as well. She cut down blocks of ice
and ice spears as if it were nothing. Seeing both of their styles had been
enlightening. I was glad to have watched it. Now, I just needed some time
with Jack of all Trades, Master of None.
So, on to the next fight…
“Y-you bastard!!”
Just as I was trying to recall who the next group would be, someone started
shouting.
“You insulted Alenbia… A Quingeria lady!!”
It was one of her guards from the preliminaries. I think… The guy who tried
to protect her and was pushed out of bounds.
He was now facing Levee. Of course, there were soldiers here to protect the
contestant.
“I don’t know who you are, but Miss Alenbia came at me with everything she
had. And so I only returned the favor. You have no right to talk to me…”
Levee did not look amused about these accusations. However, she was
quickly interrupted.
“Liar! You were not fighting with everything you got!!”
“…”
All expression seemed to withdraw from Levee’s face. It was as if her

previous anger had been a lie. Then she stood up silently and gathered magic
energy towards her right hand.
“Stop it, Zackus. We were both fighting hard. If you’re going to complain
about that fight, then I might have to launch a few complaints of my own.”
“…Lady Alenbia…”
While her shoulders slumped, she looked hard at this man called Zackus. His
eyes went from Alenbia to Levee and then back again. Then he hung his head
in resignation.
“…I was mistaken. I am sorry.”
“Then you may leave.”
“…Yes.”
While he did not seem satisfied, Zackus withdrew. Alenbia saw him being
escorted out and then she opened her mouth weakly.
“I’m sorry about that. I will make sure he doesn’t do anything like that
again.”
Then she sat back down. No one said anything.
None of that mattered. My mind was preoccupied with the chilling, deadly
energy I had felt from Levee. That seemed incredibly excessive for an
Adventurer like…
“…Alenbia saved that man’s life.”

“Yeah…”
Heinrich muttered, and I agreed. Had she not intervened, a certain rapier
would have found its way into his head before anyone had the slightest idea
about what was happening.
“…”
Levee remained quiet as she sat in her chair… She was strange for a person
with an alias. The only thing I was sure of was that she loved to fight and she
hated being insulted for it. I would have to be careful… Well, it was true that
she hadn’t been fighting at full power. She looked so calm throughout. I
didn’t want to think about what someone who was obsessed with battle
would look like when pushed to the brink.
“…So, who’s fighting next?”
“Ah…that would be me.”
I turned around and saw a thin man raise his hand. He was holding a staff.
Yes, yes. He was the fire user who had pushed that guard guy out of bounds.
Newt Erangute. And he was fighting…
“Me!”
A man in a blue bandana stood up. It was Baz Rockwell. He was the lowest
ranking of us all and had reached this position by using controversial
strategies.
The two of them now headed for the stage.
At a glance, Newt’s fire magic seemed the most dangerous. Baz’s style was
mostly effective in a melee. How would he fight in a one on one battle… I
was very curious to find out.
chapter 246
Newt, the D-Ranker pyromancer. Baz, the man in the blue bandana with the
underhanded tactics. I had assumed that Newt would make it a rather one-
sided battle… I was wrong.
Surprisingly, Baz showed that he could fight one on one as well. He was
discerning enough to read the movements of sorcerers and fight accordingly.
Perhaps he was also lucky to have an opponent like Newt, who was a very
traditional type of sorcerer and was not particularly high in rank. Baz had
clearly done his homework.
However, while Baz made a good show at first, with the way he dodged the
Fire Arrows, he was eventually taken down by a spell called ‘Ignition Road.’
“It is a subtype of fire magic. An original that had been created by someone a
long time ago. You can see how it runs towards the target in a straight line
there. It is quite unique.”
I nodded as Master Daniela explained.
“At higher levels, the power and number of lines will increase. A very
effective attack.”
“I see… Newt’s was just one, but with enough training, it could be
monstrous.”
“With enough training, yes.”
I sighed and watched as Newt returned to where we were sitting. He was thin
and looked rather weak-willed. Like a flame that was about to be swallowed
up by the waves… I bet he would have had more success as a researcher.
□ □ □ □
Next up was my very own Daniela.

“Daniela. Good luck.”
“Aye. I will not let my guard down.”
She stood up and we bumped fists. Then I watched as she headed for the
stage.
Her opponent, Neyti Miniado, jogged behind her. Neyti had only happened to
survive while Bandi was fighting. He was most likely a permanent B-Ranker.
And yet it took a lot to reach that rank. You could never be too careful.
“I look forward to…battling you.”
“Aye.”
Daniela was holding her bow while Neyti faced her with a sword and shield.
“Begin!”
The referee shouted, and the battle began.
Daniela jumped back to create some distance between them. And she fired
off two arrows while still airborne. Neyti adeptly blocked them with his
shield. However, it seemed to me that Daniela had meant for him to do that.
“Hmm.”
“Ugghh…!”
Daniela stared at him. Neyti’s shield hand was opening and closing. It was
clear that the impact had numbed his hands a little.
“He won’t last long.”
“Nothing but a lucky boy after all…”
Heinrich said as he sat next to me. Daniela’s arrows definitely packed a

powerful punch. They were also of good quality. But she had held back quite
a lot. And yet Neyti had barely been able to take it. There was too big a gap
in their status, perhaps.
After that, Daniela continued to deliberately unleash arrows with just the
right amount of force. Neyti either blocked them with his shield or rolled out
of the way. It was quite awkward to watch.
He would occasionally leap forward and swing his sword, but Daniela always
dodged it with ease. She could read his movements completely.
“It’s child’s play.”
Adlus muttered. I had to agree with him.
“Well, that is enough.”
“…Huh?”
After fifteen minutes, Daniela lowered her bow.
“I am sure you realize the difference between us now. You cannot beat me.”
“No, I… Are you saying you were holding back…!”
“Why, of course. Had I not done so, you would have been dead before you
first raised your shield.”
“Da-damn you…!”
“Yield.”
Once he learned that he had been toyed with all of this time, Neyti’s lips
quivered as his knees shook.
“…AAARRGHHH!!!”
He roared. It seemed that he had submitted to her. Then he threw aside his
shield. The audience watched in silence.
“Why! Why is it always like this! This time…this time I was going to rise to
A-Rank!!”
He stomped on the ground as he fumed. I suppose he was wallowing in

despair after realizing it was an unwinnable fight and he simply didn’t have
what it takes. It was pretty pathetic, but many B-Rankers were ridiculed if
they couldn’t reach the next level. I could understand the pain of a goal that
was forever out of reach.
I had been angry myself. Back when I was a part-timer. No, perhaps even that
emotion had left me. I was just in a deep hole with no future that I could see.
And so I saw myself in Neyti. He was the ‘lucky boy’ who had somehow
made it through the preliminaries against the odds. Kind of like how I had
somehow come to this world. I had lived without knowing anything back
then. But I did live. And somehow, I was given power and people who
supported me. That’s how I made it this far.
I was only here due to a series of coincidences. However, you also needed to
put in the work for those coincidences to have good results. It was one of the
tricks to survival. It didn’t matter if you were late to start. You just needed to
do it.
Neyti was at that forked road now. A coincidence had brought him here. He
could admit defeat, or…
“Damn, damn, damn! This was the chance I was waiting for!! I am here,
perhaps by accident, but I am still here!! I won’t yield!!”
He shouted. And then he gripped his sword with both hands and charged
towards Daniela. Up until that point, he had always seemed to be a little
hesitant as he moved. But now, I could see that he had a will to do nothing
but to reach his target and defeat her.
“Well, I have my reasons as well. Sorry, but this is as far as you go.”
“I can be strong tooo!!!”
Daniela threw her bow to the side and unsheathed her rapier before rushing
forward to meet him. The distance shrank rapidly. Neyti raised his sword as
Daniela pulled hers back.
“…!”
Neyti stopped. His arms were still up in the air. Daniela’s arm was
outstretched. Her rapier had pierced straight into Neyti’s right lung.
“So…I can’t even swing my sword…”
“You tried. That is what is important.”
The decoy bracelet on Neyti began to shake. It was taking the damage that he
should have received. Daniela quickly pulled the blade out of him, and the
bracelet exploded into shards that fell to the ground. Neyti crumbled.
“The fight is over!!”
Then the audience erupted with applause. Neyti had been ridiculed as the
‘lucky boy,’ but they had been entertained. After all, he had faced an
Adventurer with an alias. With such determination, maybe he would escape
his B-Rank one day.
Daniela sheathed her sword and picked up her bow before offering her hand
to Neyti. He looked at it for a moment before slowly accepting it and
allowing her to pull him to his feet. Daniela slapped him on the back and
whispered something to him with a smile. He nodded and raised his head to
look at the audience. Then he and Daniela walked back towards us. There
was no hesitation there. He seemed quite different from the person who had
walked out right before the fight.
Jawbrie: Hello, thank you for reading. I hope you are all safe during this time.
I hate to do this, again, but things have not improved with the site during the
last few months and I quite desperately need help this month.
Any small contribution that you can spare would be greatly appreciated! By
the way, Kamifuusen has just completed Jack of all Trades with chapter 402.
You can read up to 287 on Patreon, where the last chapter should be
translated before the end of the year.
Thank you.
chapter 247
“Good work.”
“Ah, that was fun.”
Daniela said as she returned. As for Neyti, it was as if the ghost that had been
haunting him was gone. He seemed refreshed.
“Miss Daniela. Thanks to you, I feel a renewed sense of purpose.”
“That’s nice. Well, it’s my turn now.”
I said to the grinning Neyti as I got up from my seat. When I looked over my
shoulder, my opponent, Kapricorn Shteiner, also stood up and then proceeded
to stare at me for a second before moving forward.
“Asagi. Are you all right?”
“Well, I’ll manage. Besides, it’s not like I can be killed out there.”
“That is true, but… There is something odd about that one. Be careful.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Daniela looked anxious as I patted her on the shoulder. Then I walked

towards the stage, sword in hand. I would fight with a one-handed sword
today. Of course, I had practiced and fought with many weapons, but for days
like these, it was best to use what you were the most familiar with. And the
Glampanzer, with its double-edged armor stone blade, fit perfectly in my
hand. It was heavier than steel and more durable as well. It had cut through
many enemies up until now, and yet there wasn’t a single chip in it. That
reminded me of just how skilled Kasil the blacksmith from Valdorf really
was.
Now, we were up on the stage. Kapricorn was standing still with crossed
arms and had eyes fixed on me.
“Don’t mind that. I wouldn’t even call it waiting.”
“You’re a lot more talkative than I thought.”
“Well, I have my moments. Perhaps it is because of you.”
“Haha. I’m flattered.”
We bantered as if we were old friends.
“And now, we fight. Let it be a good one, without holding back.”
“Yeah, to a good fight.”
We shook hands then. Kaprikorn’s grip was tight. And something about the
hand felt feminine. We were about the same height, but I was definitely the
less modelesque one.
“And now, the fifth battle will begin.”
As the referee’s voice boomed, I lowered my posture and unsheathed my

sword. I was used to this solid weight now, and it felt like an extension of my
own arm. On the other hand, Kapricorn had at some point, produced the same
dark blades which were held between the fingers as in the preliminaries.
Three blades in each hand. Six in all. The thumbs were free.
“Begin!”
And with that, I activated Legs of the God Wolf on both legs and shot
forward. As I was still taking stock of my opponent, I didn’t go at full speed.
Of course, I was still on the fast side. My current speed was actually quite
similar to Legs of the Forest Wolf. It was like when I was running towards
Spiris as the wyvern chased us.
Kapricorn’s facial expression remained the same. Well, the eyes, anyway.
And so I raised my sword and swung down.
“…Eh!?”
Clang! The sword struck the ground and chips flew in the air. Kapricorn had
been in front of me until the last possible moment; then there was no one.
At the same time, I sensed a presence at my back. Relying solely on that

feeling, I rolled forward. Two short swords stabbed into the floor where I had
been.
“Nice one.”
Kapricorn was standing behind me. A cold sweat ran down my back. I didn’t
think that anyone but Rachel could move faster than me at this point. Even
that blackened Loup-garou had seemed slow to me.
However, something seemed odd… Was Kapricorn really that fast? Maybe
that’s not what it was. I don’t know. I could ask.
“How did you do that?”
“I don’t think it will make for an interesting fight. Telling you things.”
I suppose so. I hadn’t really expected to be told anything either. Well, there
was one thing I learned within that last few seconds.
This was not the kind of person to toy with or assess before going all out.
“You are quite fast yourself. Your legs are quite famous, but I am still
surprised by them.”
“Liar. You didn’t look remotely surprised!”
I made a mental note to not pay this banter too much attention as I swung my
sword again. This time, Kapricorn stayed in sight and merely lept back to
dodge it. And so I pressed in and raised my sword for another swing. That’s
when the short swords came flying.
“Woah!”
I frantically hit them out of the air. Thanks to this, there was now quite a
distance between us.
Ugh. I was becoming nervous. I had never faced someone so skilled before. I
didn’t have much experience in these kinds of fights. My skills would usually
allow me to trample over enemies or take them by surprise. But facing
another swordsman as we glare at each other…it did a number on your
nerves.
Even the decoy bracelet was little comfort.
“…Hmm?”
As I desperately watched Kapricorn’s every movement, I noticed something

strange. The hands. They were holding six blades.
“…Eh?”
I took a few steps back and glanced towards the ground. Three swords had
been thrown at me. And yet, they were nowhere to be seen.
“Hehe.”
“…How did you do that?”
“There is beauty in mystery. Asagi boy.”
“Perhaps you have too many secrets.”
“Secrets are the key to a woman’s appeal. Hah!”
Now that the mystery of her gender was out of the way, she attacked. This
time, she kept them instead of throwing them. Her arms were crossed firmly
in front of her as she dashed forward.
I stood my ground and held the flat of my blade towards her to block the
attack.
“HAHH!”
Her charge turned into a front sault. The turning force gave power to her left
hand as it swung down.
“Huh…!”
It was harder than I was expecting as I received it with my sword. However,

that wasn’t the end of the attack. A series of kicks assaulted me. Then she
jumped back and landed on the ground. To return the favor, I too did a front
sault with the help of silver and green wind and swung at her.
“…There!!”
However, she dodged it. It was as if she had completely vanished from the
spot. And then her blades would suddenly shoot towards me from the side.
However, I had been watching out for such an attack, and was able to knock
them down. I still didn’t know what was happening, but I had seen the
moment she disappeared.
“Still not sure how you did it, but I did catch it this time.”
“Oh…?”
“Most people would think they were seeing things…”
I hadn’t even blinked the first time. And there was a small part of me that
doubted it was due to incredible speed. It had been a mystery. But after the
second time, I was sure that it wasn’t speed.
Besides, I remembered how I hadn’t seen her at all during the preliminaries.
“It’s shadows, isn’t it? You can travel between our shadows.”
“…It’s nice to meet someone with good instincts, once in a while.”
“Uh, thanks.”
She raised her hands and shook her head in admission. She seemed a little
disappointed, but not angry.
“You are probably the only one in the group who would figure it out.”
“Flattery won’t get you anywhere in this fight.”
“Haha. Oh, I agree wholeheartedly.”
She readjusted her swords with a pleased expression as she continued to talk.
They entered my ears in a way that no words had done before. It was almost
familiar, like a voice I had heard during my childhood. They were words I
never expected to hear in a place like this.
“Shadow diving. Yes, no one in this world would think of something like
that. Why, it’s straight out of a comic book. Don’t you agree? Asagi?”
chapter 248
“You knew it already, didn’t you?”
Kapricorn said as she held her swords. But I shook my head.
“I had a suspicion. But I didn’t want to believe it.”
“Hehe. You sound different already.”
“…”
I couldn’t help it when I was reminded of that person. She was my superior,
after all.
But this was a battle. I had to fight. It didn’t matter who I was up against.
“Oh? Rather cold-hearted of you to point your blade at me now.”
“Well, this is a battle. We have to fight.”
I hit. To the left, right and different angles, but all of them were dodged. Not
only that, she would constantly launch small attacks of her own, which made
it difficult to stay on the offensive for long. Still, I hit hard and pushed
forward while still being careful. Attacking was my best defense.
“Hehe. You’re quite strong.”

“I’m not going to hold back on this one!”
“Oh, how frightening. I think I want to run away.”
Kapricorn said as she retreated. I had no intention of allowing her to get

away, and so I used Legs of the Godwolf to close the distance as much as I
could before thrusting my sword into her. This would surely…!
“K…!”
However, she just disappeared again. She had gone into my shadow. My
blade cut through empty air just as short swords shot out from the shadow by
my feet. And so I ran up into the air with Legs of the God Wolf in order to
escape them. At the same time, Kapricorn emerged from the shadows.
“Hmm… Things have gotten harder now that you know where I’m going to
appear.”
“You’d never hit me if I stayed in the air.”
“That doesn’t seem very fair.”
“I agree.”
I believed you should fight on even footing in a match. I wanted to fight

head-on. And so after creating some distance between us, I landed on the
ground and raised my sword.
“Well, perhaps I’ve been running too much. This time, I’ll attack!”
“Wo-woah!”
In spite of the fact that I had landed some distance away, she crossed it in an
instant. I blocked the three blades that swung towards me and tried to take a
step back. But the followup attacks were relentless.
“Arghhh!!”
She almost seemed like a different person now. The pitch-black blades
slashed through the air, hungrily searching for an opening. Defending myself
was all I could do.
“How about…this…!”
Still, she was human. The smallest opening would be enough for me. And so
I would launch a surprise attack. Something she hadn’t seen me use yet.
Water magic. A furious fountain from under her feet. Her body twisted out of
the way as the cold torrents shot out. I slashed from the bottom right in order
to hit her.
“Too slow!”
I thought I had her. But it was then that she used new magic. She had dug her
foot into the ground and kicked her shadow. The shadow stretched out into
the air and created a barrier between us. My blade was swallowed up by it,
but it never reached her.
“Ggg…!!”
Instead, the tip of my sword emerged from the shadow behind me and shot
towards my leg. There was the sound of metal striking metal. Then the blade
stopped. Thankfully, the wind dragon trousers had guarded me.
My foot would have been gone had I not been wearing dragon armor… I
breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ah, that nearly got you.”
“…You really are full of tricks…”
“Hehe. Surely you are used to it by now? It is the lost art of shadow magic.”
“You’re kidding…”
After hearing that, one might assume that shadow magic was the only way to
do what she was doing.
But I had started to think that she was using a form of advanced earth magic.
I had even wondered if she could dive in the dirt anywhere and was just
misleading me into thinking it was the shadows…
However, a lost art…huh? How nice. It was almost unfair. This meant that
my opponent was at a similar level to Matsumoto the Hero. It was enough to
make you sweat.
“Asagi. Fighting with all your power and fighting seriously is not the same
thing. Do you understand? Only idiots show all their hands and try to win no
matter the cost. It will be a good fight as long as you don’t get lazy. The
important thing is to take it seriously.”
She started to sermonize all of a sudden. Well, I understood what she meant.
Let’s do this properly. But also, think of the future. Something like that. It
would be foolish to show all of my abilities here, while this crowd was
watching me. You were supposed to use your trump card during an actual
emergency.
“I only used the last one because things had gotten dangerous for me. And I
don’t want this fight to end just yet… But I won’t use such things now,
Asagi. That would be careless. I promise to take the rest of the fight more
seriously.”
Using a secret ability was merely careless to her. Clearly, she had plenty of
other things up her sleeve. I would have to be on my guard.
“Then I won’t be using any tricks either. But I will still go all-out. Everything
I know about swordsmanship and magic will be used.”
“Ah, I wish for nothing more. Now, let’s see how far you have come!”
I charged once again. My goal was the same. Offense was the best defense.
Especially against an opponent with so many moves. I wouldn’t give her a
chance to use magic or blade.
“Hah…!”
“What…!?”
I raised the speed of Legs of the God Wolf and used Jack of all Trades,
Master of none to make some calculations in my brain. The reach of my
sword was two meters in all directions. A slash while I lept into the air, a step
in the air with platinum and green wind, and then an overhead slash. Going
even faster, I move under the opponent. Behind. Above, from the front, and
then down again. The sword swings.
It was a unique sword art created during my trials with Rachel. I called it the
‘Kamiyashiro Space Maneuver Sword Art.’ It ignored the laws of gravity and
showed the true worth of Legs of the God Wolf. It also used Eyes of the God
Wolf to search for opening from every angle. You ruled space itself and
made it a place for your blade to run through.
However, there was a weakness as well. It pushed all of your organs into
overdrive. In five minutes, your nose would start bleeding and you would
vomit all over the place.
“Were…you…even…listening…!”
“I won’t hold back!!”
I spoke louder than I had intended. But surprisingly, Kapricorn was able to
deal with my attacks. But that was only for the first dozen or so seconds.
Gradually, small wounds started to appear. I still had time. I continued the
attack.
Ultimately, this was the only thing I had. I didn’t have any cheats or abilities
involving light and shadows. I had a unique skill, ‘Jack of all Trades, Master
of None’ and Legs of the God Wolf and Eyes of the God Wolf. It took a lot
of work to finally approach their level. These were people that could count on
their one cheat skill to trample a thousand men. People like me had to push
ourselves to the brink and look death in the face in order to face them. Had I
not met Beowulf and Rachel, I would have had to survive with Jack of all
Trades, Master of None alone. And it was just something that allowed you to
easily grasp skills and knowledge at a moderate level.
I had no idea how she had lived up until now. Coming from a modern world
and being given a cheat skill. However, I knew that I had to fight to survive.
So much would feel meaningless if I was defeated here. Besides, perhaps my
jealousy was making me feel all the more determined to beat her.
“Ggrrr…aahhh!!”
Kapricorn’s dark blades shattered and turned into shadows. Now that I
looked, I could see that she only had two remaining. She was getting tired
and was no longer able to react to every attack. The fight would end soon.
Besides, I was reaching my own limit.
“This is it!!”
“Come!!!”
I lept back and gathered the wind towards me. It increased in speed with a
painful, high-pitched ringing sound.
“Swiftest Wind Flash!!”
It was an attack that could kill a dragon. Of course, it worked best with a
great sword, but a one-handed sword should be enough against a human. My
fastest, most powerful attack shattered her crossed blades and went straight
for her throat.
“Ggggg!!”
Even with her blades gone, she desperately tried to twist her body out of the
way. However, she was not quick enough. The tip of the Glampanzer cut her
throat open.
“…So, I am defeated…”
I lowered my sword and turned to look, just as her decoy bracelet shattered.
The device took the damage for her. Had this been two attacks in rapid
succession, she might have been dead for good.
“The fight ends!! Asagi is victorious!!”
The referee shouted. Ahh… It felt like it had gone on forever. I knew that I
wouldn’t be killed, but I fought as if I would be. Now, since I had won…
surely her identity would be…hmm?
“Ah.”
Her hood had fallen off and the cloth around her mouth unraveled. The
bracelet took the bodily damage for her, but not the damage to her clothing.
As the cloth fell, so did long, black hair that reached her waist. A clear, cool
expression greeted me. And there was something in the eyes. A look of
triumph and mischief.
“Ah… I knew it.”

Kapricorn Shteiner was the manager at the store I used to work at.
Kizugawa Rindo.
“What the hell are you doing…”
“I took a walk one day and ended up here.”
As if!!
chapter 249
To be honest, I did not pay any attention to the fight between Adlus and
Heinrich. After all, the thing with the manager had all of my attention…
I heard it from Daniela later. Heinrich was defeated. Apparently, it was a

rather good battle, but Adlus used the various water abilities that he was
known for, and Heinrich was eventually swept away. I had assumed that
someone like Adlus, with his terrible personality, would torment his
opponent, but that was not the case. It had been a good and fair fight. I could
respect him for that, at least.
In any case, that meant that I would be fighting Adlus next. This guy who
kept bothering Daniela. He even mocked my friend, Lemonfrost. He
antagonized me. And now was the time to put an end to it all.
□ □ □ □
Some time earlier, when Heinrich and Adlus were still fighting…
“So, why are you here in this world?”
“Like I said. I was taking a walk.”
She said with an annoyed expression as she folded her arms and sank into the
chair.
She was no longer covering her face.
“I had to work in your place for a bit, after your sudden disappearance. It was
quite tiring… And one morning, I finished the orders and went home to rest
for a while before going back to the store. I think it was right in the back of
the building that I suddenly lost consciousness. And before I knew it, I was
here.”
“That’s quite a coincidence…”

“Perhaps. I’ve been thinking about it. It could be that the area around the
shop is special.”
Right. There was some kind of special magnetism there that was the reason
people were sent away… So that could mean that others in the area might be
sent here as well. I really hoped it was a rare occurrence…
“Do you know how much trouble you caused with your vanishing act?”
“You have my sincerest apologies.”
“We checked the security cameras, but the footage was messed up and I
couldn’t tell what I was looking at… I was eighty percent sure that you had
just decided to quit without saying anything. Out of spite. That is, until I
discovered that there was a famous Adventurer with your name.”
“And the other twenty percent was because…?”
She looked at me.
“I thought you might be here. And so I searched.”
I see… She had been dumped into this world out of nowhere, but had also
remembered me… It almost made me want to cry. It must have been hard.
“So, I would like to ask you the same question. Why are you here?”
“It’s a long story… No, not really. I robber stabbed me during my shift and
some voice rang in my head as I was dying. And then I woke up here.”
“A robber… Damn it. I thought you had run away with all the money or
something.”
“You’re terrible!”
Apparently, there was no proof to suggest otherwise. My pool of blood had

disappeared. Even the knocked over pile of cigarettes…
After that, we continued to ignore the fight and talk about what had
happened. I told her about my travels and how Daniela and many others had
helped me. As for the manager, she honed her abilities alone and would
occasionally remember me long enough to do a little searching.
“Well, it was mainly looking at faces at the guild. I didn’t go around asking
people.”
I wasn’t sure if she had cared all that much. But it was better than nothing,
and I was touched.
“I first landed very far away from here. A country of snow.”
The manager had awakened in a northern town of a small religious country

called ‘Erdiares.’
“I saw a beautiful sea. But it was so cold I thought I was going to die. It was
still summer back at home, you know? I was wearing a shirt and shorts.”
Yes, that was one way to die in a snowy mountain. However, she hadn’t died.
“There was something wrong with my body. As I searched, my shadow

began to move.”
The shadow attribute was supposed to have been lost. Eventually, she
discovered that she could enter the shadow. Then she no longer felt the cold.
After that, she moved through the shadows until she reached the nearest
town.
“Obviously, I was hounded by questions once I reached it. But, well…I just
told them that I had amnesia. Shortly after, I found a stable occupation in
Adventuring.”
It was a pretty stable job. And unlike me, the manager partied up with many
different people as she raised her level. Once she was strong enough, she
attached herself to a caravan as a guard and left the country.
“And then I stayed in Lambrusen and traveled. After a while, I just happened
to hear your name in a certain town.”
That town turned out to be Spiris. Spiris. The plains. Fiona worked at the
guild there. I had many memories attached to the place.
The manager had stopped at the guild and was about to accept a quest, when
she heard something most shocking.
“This woman would look at my hair. Then she complimented it and said it
was like yours.”
She said with a laugh. I snorted.
“Hahhh… So it was Fiona…”
“Hehe. Yes, she told me many things.”
Our meeting and things we had talked about. And a lot more. While this had
been quite the surprise for both of them, they hit it off well and became
friends. While I was happy to hear that my acquaintances were getting along,
I was a little worried about whatever lies they were telling each other.
“To think the boring part-timer would turn into a heartbreaker.”
“I’d rather not talk about that…”
That scene hadn’t been very fun. It was kind of a miracle I had gotten
through it. And it was not the thing you wanted to be reminded of.
The manager lived comfortably in Spiris after that, until Fiona gave her some
unexpected news.
“‘Rindo. I hear that Asagi is in the Imperial Capital!’ She stormed into my
room with this information. And so I left the town.”
I had sent a letter the night before we found the ruins. It was a simple letter
telling about our route after leaving Spiris. I had left it to be delivered at the
guild. I hadn’t really wanted Daniela to know about it. Yes, we had promised
to write, but it didn’t really seem like something I would do… Or so I
assumed, anyway… And I had only done it out of a begrudging sense of
duty.
But that letter had eventually reached Spiris and found its way into Fiona’s
hands. So that was how the manager found out. And then she came to the
capital as fast as she could.
“First, I had to go to the capital. But I didn’t have enough money. So I

completed quests along the way and would constantly hear rumors about you.
They talked of the newcomer who killed two wyverns. The pair that stopped
a stampede. It was all very boring, and it only got worse when I reached the
capital.”
I wasn’t too happy about the rumors myself, but she looked oddly amused as
she talked.
“You helped the group of Adventurers who stopped the orc army. And then
you faced a lesser wyvern that had attacked a village, and killed it with a
single hit. Oh, and then there was the Adventurer who purged a town of
bandits that even the Empire hadn’t touched. The Adventurer who turned a
great wolf into a block of ice. It was all you.”
Well, perhaps I hadn’t been keeping a low profile in any way. Besides, I
knew that there were a lot of false rumors about me, and the fact that she only
stated the right ones suggested she had heard from many people and
determined which were credible.
“Of course, I just had to come and see you then. And I knew I would find you
here. It’s been lonely here. But knowing there was someone else from my old
world was a tremendous encouragement. It motivated me to come here.”
She stopped there and looked at me for a second before glancing towards
Daniela, who was sitting silently between us all of this time.
“I had heard that you were partnered with ‘Lightwind.’ But who would think
you’d ever have a girlfriend.”
“Uh, heh, yeah.”
“…A girlfriend…”
She repeated the words with a sigh.
…That wasn’t good. I think.

chapter 250
“I went through many hardships up until now… But I worked hard and never
gave up… And this is what I get for it…”
The manager seemed depressed as she slouched forward like a defeated

boxer.
“You know, I never thought much about you before. Well, you were that nice
guy who worked hard on the night shift… Oh, and I was jealous of your hair,
which is wasted on you.”
Her back rounded even further. Her arms drooped downward.
“But once I discovered that you were here, it became a bit of an obsession.
Well, it might have had something to do with the fact that I wasn’t fighting to
live through every day anymore. Maybe I suddenly had too much time to
think…”
“Manager…”
I didn’t know how she had lived up until now. But it must have been
difficult…
What could I say? I wanted to pat her on the back to encourage her, but it
didn’t seem like a wise thing to do at this time…
“Ah, you are kind… You’re concerned, aren’t you? But it’s my problem to
deal with. Don’t worry about me…don’t…”
“Well, you can stop looking like you want me too then…”
Her expression did not quite match her words. What was this? It felt like a
desire to protect and also guilt were weighing down on me. I was being
crushed by it.
“Rindo, is it? Would you stop trying to seduce Asagi?”
Daniela finally broke her silence. Hmm? Seduce?
“Asagi is kind and perceptive. A man who will try to help those in need. You
have a lot of nerve to take advantage of that trait in order to try and tear him
away.”
“What? You were plotting such a malicious thing…?”
“Hmph. Well, I’m not really your manager anymore. And I learned a thing or
two during my time here. Sometimes you have to be excessive in order to get
what you want.”
Uhh… The shadow attribute sure got her… Shadow Manager… Her attitude
also seemed to change, as she now leaned back in her seat and gave a wicked
grin.
“Ahhh. Still, it’s all being done out of a desire to have you. Surely, that’s
forgivable?”
“Uh, I didn’t say that I won’t forgive you… But I…”
“Asagi. There is no need to listen to her. Besides, she looks strong enough.
She will survive just fine without you.”
“True. But…”
“We worked together for so long. Are you going to abandon me now…?”
“What? You were just the manager. We barely saw each other.”
“Huh? I thought I was your saviour? Who hired you when you had nothing
and looked after you?”
“I’m grateful for that, but…”
“Asagi was nothing but an employee to you. And that connection has been
severed a long time ago.”
“We are not severed. Our relationship would be the same in our original
world.”
Ah. There was an ominous feeling in the air… No one was listening to me.
The fact that the manager had been searching for me all this time, and
considering our history, it was hard to be as firm as I probably should be. Not
that I would ever waver regarding my decision.
Thugh, there was always polygamy…just kidding. Besides, I could just

imagine Fiona’s reaction. She had withdrawn peacefully after I told her how I
felt. She also helped me with other things too.
In any case, I could not reciprocate. The words just needed to come out of my
mouth… But the atmosphere here was so…
Uh… Heinrich was running around… Adlus was strong, unsurprisingly…
“Hey, Asagi. I think you should just tell her.”
“Yes. How do you really feel?”
“Right… Well, I’m…sorry…”
I had been in a bit of a daze, but the words shook me out of it.
“I suppose by apologizing, you mean I’ve been rejected…”
“Uh, yeah. Sorry. I really love Daniela… There can be nothing between us,
Manager.”
Well, that wasn’t so hard. You just needed to get the first word out.
“Manager. I’m sure you had a rough time out here, living alone. It wasn’t fun
for me either. I had to fight monsters I’d never seen before with weapons I’d
never held… And I had no special magic. The people didn’t think much of
me and I was constantly ridiculed… It was then that someone helped me.
Daniela.”
I still had the clearest memories of that first day we met.
“We’ve been traveling together ever since. Once, I nearly lost myself after
killing monsters. And she helped me. I’ve never stopped loving her since
then.”
“…I see. So you had it hard as well. I feel ashamed…for being so selfish…”
“You shouldn’t. You helped me a lot. I know that I owe you a debt.”
She slowly looked up. Her expression was no longer depressed and it was as
if a cloud had lifted.
“…Thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that.”
“Manager…”
“Besides, I’m half convinced it was a temporary thing. I had nothing to hang
onto, and then there you appeared. A person from my world. I was excited
and convinced myself that I liked you.”
“Uh, there are actually others…”
“What!?”
That’s strange. If she passed through Lambrusen, she should have heard
about Matsumoto… And so I told her about the Hero who had come from
Japan.
But I didn’t bring up Rachel. It was complicated and I didn’t even know
where she was. Still, I would tell her eventually.
“Huh… Yes, I think I’d prefer the younger one anyway.”
“Manager…”
“Haha. I’m kidding. Ah, Miss Daniela.”
“What?”
“Forgive me for what I said earlier. It was very selfish of me.”
“I will not hold it against you. Besides, this is not the first time. And you can
just call me Daniela. Can I call you Rindo?”
“Why, of course. Daniela.”
They shook hands. Well, that was a relief. You might say that everything had
worked out well in the end… Fiona had been a lot more emotional, perhaps
due to her age. As for me, my feelings for Daniela had grown stronger. I
could not be shaken.
“So, something like this has happened before? Mind telling me about it?”
In any case, the danger had passed. Heinrich returned, covered in sweat,
while Adlus walked back with the same cool expression. Bandi and Levee
were now fighting on the stage.
I had meant to study Adlus’s fight, but the unexpected incident had made me
miss it… Perhaps Daniela had caught it all. I would have to ask her about it
later…
chapter 251
As Daniela had been watching the fight, she filled me in while we watched
Bandi and Levee.
“Ahahaha!!”
“Kk…!”
Levee’s combat mania could be disturbing.
The vicious attacks of the ‘A-Ranker with an alias’ meant that it was a pretty
one-sided fight. However Bandi was doing a pretty good job, all things
considered. I would even say that her impressive work with the spear was
worthy of an A-Ranker. Considering that Levee had an alias and was
considerably ahead of most A-Rankers, it was not a huge stretch…I think.
As I watched, Bandi’s sharp attack thrust into Levee’s stomach. It was that
rapid thrust I had seen in the first fight. She had been crouching low and so it
went into Levee’s stomach at an upward angle.
However, Levee didn’t seem bothered. She even smiled as she grabbed the
spear with one hand.
“Hehe. Hah. Ahahaha! Yes! Good! This is better!”
She was as mad as ever. And with that, she raised the ice rapier with her free
hand, and smashed the blade into Bandi’s horrified face.
“It is finished! The fight is finished!”
The rattling bracelet was another indicator. And it seemed like I wasn’t the
only one who felt anxious about Levee. The referee looked a little frantic as
he came down and made the announcement. That was very brave of him…
“…It’s over already?”

“Ha…ah…”
Bandi was covered in sweat and breathing hard. The sword had been pulled
out and the magic device shattered. Blood and sweat dripped from her
drenched clothes as she softly raised a hand to her forehead where the blade
had been. Of course, it was as smooth as before. Bandi sighed with relief
before crumbling to the ground.
“Ahhh…how dull.”
Levee looked dazed as she wandered back to the stand. The referee quickly
pulled her back. There was a spear in her stomach, after all.
Levee sighed in annoyance and allowed them to take her to the medical room
to be treated.
“…So, Heinrich was unable to breath in the water, and he surrendered.”
“I see…”
“Were you listening?”
“Hmm? Ah, yeah.”
“You were not.”
“I was. I was.”
Heinrich looked at me with suspicious eyes after hearing my answer to

Daniela.
“You can be quite terrible, Mister Asagi…”
“Huh? Hehe. I don’t think so. Sounds like you did great, Heinrich.”
“Yes…”
Heinrich slumped forward and his blue hair fell in his face.
□ □ □ □
Daniela’s second fight. She was facing the fire user, Newt Erangute. He was
not exactly a worthy opponent for someone like Daniela, in my opinion. His
trump card was something called ‘Ignition Road,’ but it could never get
passed Daniela’s wind barrier. In theory, wind wasn’t necessarily stronger
than the fire attribute, so it was really more about the incredible discrepancy
in their ability.
With his magic now useless, Newt had no choice but to give up. Daniela was
showered with praise and cheers for her total victory. Need I say that her
fanbase seemed to be predominantly female?
Now, I recalled the tournament bracket. It would be Adlus and me next. And
then after that, it would be Daniela and Levee. And then the final battle.
While Daniela would fight three times, if things went well, I would only have
to fight twice to reach the final battle. This was due to the number of
contestants and the fact that it was set up to be in favor of the previous
winner, to a small degree. Apparently, it was tradition. I was told this by a
member of staff during Daniela’s fight.
It was then that I also learned that, as it was such a great event, the final battle
would take place on the following day. The fighters would have time to rest
so they could return in optimum condition.
“I believe this was explained to you all in great detail already…”
“Uh, sorry. We weren’t here.”
“…”
She looked at me with disdain. A chill ran down my spine.
And so it was now my turn. I was surrounded by cheers as I rose to the stage
and faced Adlus.
“Hmph. Well, I suppose Daniela will finally become my companion now.

Officially.
“That’s not how it works, idiot.”
“Haha. You won’t be so insolent for long, Black Rabbit.”
…???
“What did you say…?”
“Hehe… I said, ‘Black Rabbit.’ Isn’t that your name? You aroused my
interest, and so I asked around.”
I was furious. That was all in the past. It had ended, and in a way that I was
satisfied with. In fact, I was able to talk about it casually as one of many
memories.
But not with this guy.
“The hair and the fast legs. I think it’s a very fitting name for you. I would
like to shake the hand of the man who thought of it.”
“…”
My eyes grew hot and the back of my head started to hurt. I hated his
laughing face so much. The part of me that saw this as just a game seemed to
vanish, and I became intent on dishing out some real pain.
“Haha! I think this might be a good fight. What do you think? Black Rabbit.”
“…”
Meh.
I wasn’t a kid anymore. I’m mad. I’ll hit you. That’s not how I work. Nope.
Especially not in a place like this. Yeah, I was pretty pissed off a few seconds
ago, but I’ve already forgotten about it. Yes, let’s just say it didn’t happen.
“Hahh…hahh…”
I took in a deep breath. I needed to concentrate. This was all part of his
strategy. He had gone out of his way to do some research. He must feel very
cautious about this fight.
That had to be it, right? It was such a small incident that happened far away.
A winner wouldn’t care about that. Crush me with your overwhelming skill if
you’re a true winner.
“Have you figured out how you are going to run away? Let’s begin then.”
“Yeah. Let’s make it a fight that neither of us will regret.”
“Haha. Indeed.”
I unsheathed my sword and held it in a lowered stance. Adlus pulled out his
blue, two-edged sword in a smooth motion. I guessed that it had the water
attribute. Adlus’s alias was ‘Wanderer.’ He had the ability to control and
shape water as he desired.
I could see the energy flowing from him. It was a dark blue.
“Begin!!”
The referee shouted. And with that, water began to flood around Adlus’s feet.
The currents of water rose into the air and enveloped him.
“That’s a lot of water to create… I suppose that’s why you have an alias.”
“Hmph. This is nothing. It’s very telling that this much surprises you, Black
Rabbit.”
I pulled down my hood, as I didn’t like to get wet. And then I let the ice
magic flow. I could hear it forming around my feet. Then I used Legs of the
God Wolf to crack the ice as I walked forward.
“Ahaha. That is quite the performance. You’re not even worth fighting! …
What!?”
The shocked look on Adlus’s face was incredibly satisfying. I raised my

speed all at once and instantly moved behind his back before swinging my
sword.
“Huh?”
“Did you really think I would fall for that?”
Adlus had spun around and blocked my blade. I could see him smirking
behind the flow of water. Had he predicted it? Right now? That was crazy.
“…!”
I pulled back my sword and moved away. This time, I thrust towards his side.
But this was also blocked by the water. He then looked at me and laughed.
After that, I used Legs of the God Wolf at full speed and slashed at him from
every angle, and yet they were all blocked. Of course, I wasn’t just swinging
randomly. I was putting Jack of all Trades, Master of None’s simulation
abilities to heavy use. And yet, not only my sword, but even the Ice Arrows
were being blocked. This was true even when I attacked from multiple sides
simultaneously. Perhaps a cheat was involved?
“It’s no use, Black Rabbit. My water will block all of your attacks. Why
don’t you understand? That is the nature of my magic.”
“…I see.”
Water magic auto-guard. Hmm. So that’s what it was. Adlus laughed every
time my attacks were blocked. So he hadn’t actually been able to follow my
movements. He just needed to stand there, because the magic barrier
protected him. He had been prepared before the fight even began.
“I lived long enough to create this water magic. ‘Wogenstrom Shield’ can
easily deal with your childish attacks.”
“Right… Well, I should change tactics then.”
I could tell it was original magic just by the name. Just the sound of it gave
me a headache.
“The only thing you can do is run away.”
“Is that what you think, bastard? You clearly didn’t do enough research.”
I had more traits than being called ‘Black Rabbit’ at one point. Looking up a
person’s weaknesses alone was no way to victory…
At least, I think… I could never become fully confident about such things.
chapter 252
“Are you just incapable of fighting like everyone else?”
Adlus must have sensed that he was being mocked, because he glared at me
with undisguised irritation. I hadn’t meant to anger him, but I would welcome
any result that meant the loss of his concentration.
“Well, after all of your talk, you’re doing nothing but defending yourself.”
“Hmph. Don’t jump to conclusions, Black Rabbit. My magic can do more

than defend.”
I didn’t doubt it. From what I heard, Heinrich had been trapped inside of
water. And I’m sure he had more than just original spells.
“Water Javelin!”
A javelin shot out of the swirl of water that surrounded Adlus. I dodged it
while lunging forward.
“Aqua Sword!!”
Just as my own blade was blocked by the wall of water, a torrent separated
from the rest like an arm with a tip that was the shape of a sword. It swung at
me. I twisted my body out of the way and used Legs of the God Wolf to put
some distance between us. Then I tried to slide my sword in from a different
side, but that was blocked too, and then another attack by a water blade
followed. Not only that, but every time I moved too far away, I would be
assaulted by the water javelins.
“I can’t do anything to him…”
The water autoguard thing also became the source of his water magic. He
unleashed magic from magic that he’s activated… I didn’t know that that was
possible. Well, it wasn’t that I was impressed with him, I was just interested
to know that it could be done. Educational.
“So…”
It was time. I’ve seen his attack magic. And as someone who could use water
magic, I learned a thing or two. Still, I would not be able to copy the
autoguard thing.
“Aqua Sword.”
I sent energy to my free left hand and generated the weapon. A blade like
flowing water… That’s what I was thinking. What came out wasn’t exactly
pretty, but it did seem like a sword made of water.
“Water Javelin.”
I then used the sword as a medium to create a javelin. Well, it was really a
rather familiar looking trident. Like the one from the marshes… In any case, I
was able to make magic from magic.
“Yo-you bastard…I was the only…!”
“This little trick? I happen to be pretty good at copying things.”
On the other hand, I had trouble inventing new things. But if I had a clue,
Jack of all Trades, Master of None would teach me how to do it. It was a
great tutor.
I watched as Adlus shook with anger and surprise. Then I followed the
instructions by Jack of all Trades, Master of None and sent deep blue energy
into the trident. And then it changed…it transformed into an Ice Javelin.
“It can change into magic of a different attribute too. Thanks for teaching
me.”
“Do you have any idea how long it…you…you…!”
“Maybe if you hadn’t been such a show off. You should have seen it
coming.”
Who wouldn’t want to copy something that was better than what they had?
Especially someone like me. I had to absorb new tricks if I wanted to survive.
Pride did not figure into the matter. And in any case, if I improved on it, it
will be mine.
“Now, I guess I don’t have any blindspots left. Looks like you lost this one,
Adlus.”
“No, not yet! It is not finished!”
The undulating waves moved at his command and then assaulted me like a
flash flood. I escaped to the air, but the waves followed me. Then I kicked
higher into the air, but it kept chasing me. And so I turned to face it and
launched my Ice Javelin towards it. As it was swallowed up by the rushing
waves, I attempted to alter Adlus’s magic.
However, one was not enough. I wasn’t able to freeze it completely. It turned
into a kind of sherbert.
“My magic… Damn you…!”
“Hmm. Slushy.”
The current slapped down on the ground like a snake that had been beheaded.
It was quickly no longer able to maintain its shape, and so it drifted away and
vanished.
“Now you have no auto-guard. Why don’t you yield?”

“…It’s not overrrr!!”
He shook with rage as he fell on me with his water sword. When the blade
was swung, several streams of water branched out from it and twisted
towards me.
“Hah!”
A shout and a slash. I cut down all of the tendrils of water coming towards
me. And midst the spray, Adlus’s sword came swinging down. There was a
loud clang of metal as our swords touched. I tried pushing him back, but he
was stronger than I was anticipating. I was being pressed back and
downward.
“DIIEEEE…!”
“You’ll be disqualified if I do…!”
“No one has ever made me look like a fool before…!”
“Well, thanks?”
While enveloped in Legs of the God Wolf, I used the wind’s power to kick
Adlus, launching him into the air. He flew behind and landed, rolling.
“Aqua Sword!!”
He got to his feet in a flash and created a sword in his right hand. As for me, I
had not been in the best position when kicking, and so I fell down on my
back.
“Frost Sword!”
Crack. The frosty blade materialized in my left hand, just in time to block his
down swing. As I was wearing ice dragon armor and it was magic I was
accustomed to using, I was able to do it in an instant. I could probably do it
silently now, if I wanted. It was imprinted permanently in my brain.
After blocking Adlus’s attack, I quickly launched a counter attack. However,

Adlus was a tough opponent. He created a water shield without chanting and
blocked my sword in the nick of time.
“Look what I can do when there’s less water!”
With the ice sword pressing against the shield, I began to freeze it, starting at
the point they made contact. My magic overwrote his, changing its property.
The water shield became an ice shield and then was incorporated into the ice
sword to become an ice javelin. I threw the demon armor sword to the side
and with the javelin, moved to attack. I was copying the movements of
Bandi, the spear wielder. There was also a bit of the moves I’d seen in kung-
fu movies a long time ago. This was mainly because Bandi’s moves had
resembled them in the first place.
I would smack down, sweep to the side, swing up. With martial arts
incorporated into the attacks, Adlus was overwhelmed. The opponent with
the sword was suddenly fighting with a spear.
Eventually, he was unable to keep up. That’s when I unleashed a sharp kick
and then slammed the butt end of the spear into his face.
“HAHH!!”
“Guaha-!”
A trail of blood stretched out as he slid across the stage and fell. I tightened
my grip, exhaled and calmed my breathing. The crowds were going wild. It
was unlikely that Adlus had been pushed this far before.
Now, if only he would go unconscious, the fight would be over…
“Ggg…gg…!”
I was not so lucky. While he was shaky, he managed to get back on his feet.
He was using his sword as a cain. And while the legs had enough strength yet
to stand, I doubted he had the energy to swing his sword. However, there was
a strength in his eyes as he glared at me.
“Not to you…no…never…”
“You don’t have a choice. In your state…”
“Silence…”
He gripped the sword tightly and stabbed it into the ground.
“SILLEEEENNNCCEE!!!”
He roared. And with that, his blue energy increased like an explosion. The
body of magic pushed towards me as a giant tsunami. It was enough water to
cover the entire stage. I couldn’t just run away. Adlus had clearly forgotten
himself in his anger. He was not holding back. It would affect our
surroundings…
“Adlus! Stop!!”
“Silenceee!!”
He would not be persuaded… I stole a glance towards the special spectator

seats. The Emperor didn’t move. He just stared at me silently.
“…”
What was I supposed to do… When I looked back, I saw that the water was
rising faster and faster. He had something even stronger than what was
supposed to be his trump card…
Perhaps he felt he had to use it in spite of so many people watching. Of

course, he must have had his reasons.
Well, I guess I should return the favor. I would expose a secret that allowed
me to survive in this world in spite of being weak.
I jumped back to where the demon armor sword was and allowed the ice
spear to disperse. Ice energy now flowed throughout my entire body. As if in
reply, the ice dragon armor began to shine brightly. The enchantment gave an
added ice attribute boost, enhancing my ice magic. It was then concentrated
within both of my hands where they took the forms of swords. Double-edged
blades. The blades were about a meter and a half in length. The hilts were
fifty centimeters. That was a bit long, but I wasn’t going to be carrying them
anyway. I was going to fire them.
“Niflheim.”
What came out was an elaborately decorated greatsword that was clear and
made of ice. The detailed engravings caught the sunlight and caused the
surface to sparkle.
This was my trump card. The audience watched with bated breath. I wished
they wouldn’t…
“Black RABBBIIIIIIT!!”
Adlus must have felt the threat of my magic, as he set a tsunami on me.
While it wasn’t that fast, it seemed like a wall of water. And it was moving
towards me. And as I had no choice but to stop it, I would have to show one
of my trump cards.
With the Niflheim blades floating in the air above me, I carried the demon
armor sword and an ice sword in my hands. Then I activated Legs of the God
Wolf. Platinum and green wind swirled around my legs as I ran up into the
air. The oncoming waves were intimidating, but I had no choice but to face it.
The spectators behind me would be in danger. If only we were in some level,
empty land…
The unleashing of the three swords was how I had killed the Loup-garou. I
would freeze my target and then cut it into pieces.
“You! You’re going to have a lot to answer for when this is over!!”
“DIIIEEEE!!”
Adlus just roared back. The amassed wind pressure allowed me to accelerate
all at once. I moved to the tsunami and swung my sword. The Niflheim
blades shot out and froze the tsunami in a flash. At the same time, I swung
the two swords in my hands, cutting an ‘X’ through the ice.
“Kamiyashiro-style: Final Frost Triple Threat!!”
Normally, I would have thrust my swords into the target. After all, the name
came from the fact that I’d break a bloody ice statue. Of course, there was no
point in doing that to a normal block of ice.
Niflheim and the ice swords shattered. I held the remaining demon armor
sword on my shoulder as I watched the four pieces fall apart and shatter.
Adlus’s final act had been in vain. He looked up at me. Stunned. There was
nothing left for him to do.
A moment later, the battle was over. Of course, I had won based on my
performance.
Thank you so much for the recent donations. It really means a lot. Stay safe
everyone!
chapter 253
Adlus was rushed to the medical room due to his sudden magic energy
deficiency. As for me, while I wasn’t holding back, I had enough energy left,
and so I returned to my seat.
“Welcome back.”
“Thanks.”
The manager looked a little annoyed as she watched us.
“You have the face of someone who’s not remotely surprised that he won.”
“Hehe. Why shouldn’t I?”
That guy targeted Daniela. I couldn’t let that go. An insult to me wouldn’t
have meant much, but this was different. Well, he had lost after everything he
had said and done. It was unlikely he would be walking around with the same
attitude now.
“So, you really were that strong. I’m impressed.”
“You were strong enough to get a recommendation too, Heinrich. Besides, I

had some luck with this fight. My style worked really well against Adlus.”
“Haha. That’s interesting, given how you hate his guts.”
“Hehe. Yeah.”
Heinrich shook my hand and then slapped me hard on the back. Still, it really
was true that Adlus had been a good fit for me. Though, they say that you
shouldn’t let your guard down after a victory, so I would continue to follow
the other fights. I had already missed one, after all.
“Uh, I already forgot the order. Who’s next?”

“Ah, it is me. But…”
Daniela stood up. But then she quickly sat back down.
“Hmm?”
“My opponent seems to be absent.”
“…Ah, Miss Levee.”
The bloodthirsty ‘Light Dew.’ She had been pierced in the stomach by
Bandi’s spear and was sent to the medical room. I suppose she and Adlus
were currently enjoying each other’s company.
But that meant that the next fight could not take place. How long would it
take for the wound to heal? I had been badly injured during my fight with a
wyvern once. I was taken to the guardhouse medical room and treated there.
And I was mostly healed by the afternoon of the following day…
As we waited and wondered what would happen, the door of the medical
room opened and several people came out. They went to the referee and
exchanged a few words before leaving again. After that, I looked towards the
Emperor and saw that someone was whispering into his ear. I tapped Daniela
on the shoulder and pointed towards them. After a few nods, the Emperor
stood up.
“Listen! Levee Badi’s injuries in the previous fight were more serious than
expected! It would hardly be fair to continue like this! Therefore, the fight
will be postponed until tomorrow!”
I see. Well, there was no point in sending her out if the wound would just
open up again right away. And she’d be full of regret if she lost like that. She
was obsessed with battle, after all.
“So that means the final battle that was planned for tomorrow will also be
pushed back! We have decided to put one day of rest in between. So the
battle will occur three days from now! That means that this tournament has
been extended for two days!”
The audience seemed pleased to hear that the festivities would be lasting for a
while longer. I could understand that. I almost wanted to join them. Of
course, Daniela grabbed my arm and yanked me back down before I could.
“And so, the Imperial Auction that was to be held after the tournament will
now be held two days from now!”
Ah, that’s right. It was supposed to be after the tournament. And since they
put in a day of rest before the final fight, the auction would be on the same
day. So the day of resting and restoring your energy was also the day of the
auction…basically, I wouldn’t be able to rest at all!
□ □ □ □
And then the day arrived. The day of the auction, that is. And so I had come
to the venue along with Daniela and Lemon.
What? Daniela’s fight? She won that, obviously.
Still, I hadn’t expected Levee to pull that trick out of nowhere. It nearly took
Daniela out of the game. However, Daniela’s experience in combat allowed
her to recover spectacularly and launch a counterattack. Levee ended up
being blown out of the boundary. It was a neat way to use wind magic… I
took a few tips myself.
But Levee still impressed me. Hell, Daniela had to spend the night in the
medical room. She still had bandages on her head, but the wounds were all
pretty much closed. It wasn’t likely to affect her in the fight tomorrow.
“Asagi, your fight was amazing! Besides, I was sitting in the front row
towards your back. So I thought I was going to die!”
“You’ve told me that about five times already…”
“But really! I think you might have saved my life!”
“Hehe… Uh, I’m glad you’re not dead.”
Lemon was like this ever since we bumped into her. She had yet to cool
down after the excitement from the game.
“And your fight was also brilliant, Miss Daniela… I think I fell in love all
over again…”
Lemon said with a dazed expression. I could practically see the hearts
popping out of her eyes. All over again, huh… Well, it was Daniela. So it
couldn’t be helped.
“Ah, but I have lived quite long, you know. You should not find it hard to
reach that level with a little more training, Lemon.”
“I doubt I’ll ever reach it… After all, I’ve been a guard for so long.”
“Hey, I was just a clerk in a store. You have what it takes to be much stronger
than me.”
“What? You worked in a store!”
I didn’t say ‘convenience store,’ as they wouldn’t know what that was.
“Yeah. So, you just need to keep gaining experience, and you’ll get there.”
“I see… Yes, I feel more confident already!”
That was good. And it was true. She had a long life ahead of her as an elf.
That is, if she didn’t get herself killed.
We continued to talk like this until we reached the building.
Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of people gathered around it. This wasn’t
some kind of secret auction house, after all. Still, it was bound to have some
interesting and rare items. It would be fun to watch, even if we didn’t buy
anything.
And so the three of us went to the reception desk and informed them that we
had an item up for sale.
“Uh, I’m a seller. My name’s Asagi.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard about you. …Uh, and who is this?”
“Companions. Can they come in with me?”
“I’m terribly sorry. The stage is only so big…”
“Ah. I see. Yes.”
It was no surprise. I would be on stage with the item and the auctioneer.
There might even be a bunny girl assistant. The last thing they’d want would
be additional guests to get in their way.
“But you can enter from the back, as they’re here with you.”
Lucky us. We wouldn’t have to pay an extra fee to get inside then.
“If you would just put these tags on please… Now, a guide will come and
show you around. I hope you find something nice.”
“Thank you.”
And with that, the three of us entered from a door that was on the opposite
side of the main entrance. The guide who led the way kept stealing glances at
me. It was probably because we were recognized from yesterday’s game. I’d
be gaining even more attention after today.
“Please wait in this room. You will be called when it is your turn.”
“All right. Thank you.”
A waiting room… I could only hope there wasn’t anyone like Adlus in
there… And so I cautiously opened the door.
“…Hmm?”
“Oh?”
I saw one familiar face mixed amongst the other sellers.
“What are you doing here, Manager?”
“I’m here to make some money.”
It was like I couldn’t get rid of her now. I thought as I pushed the door open
all of the way.
chapter 254
Aside from the Manager, the others in the waiting room were all elderly men
and women. Of course, these weren’t ordinary people either. They looked
sophisticated. Probably nobles.
There were plenty of chairs and everyone sat where they liked and talked
freely. At least here, it seemed like people were just generally seen as sellers,
and there were no strict aristocratic rules.
“You three. Take a seat over here.”
“Uh, sure.”
“Aye.”
“Th-thank you.”
Daniela sat down to her left. Lemon didn’t hesitate to take the other seat next
to Daniela, which meant I was forced to sit on the right side of the Manager.
“By the way, I don’t believe we’ve spoken before. Uh, Lemonfrost, was it?”
“Uh, ye-yes! I am Lemonfrost Grasilf.”
“Yes, I’ve seen you with Asagi on multiple occasions.”
I had felt that someone was staring at me a number of times once I arrived in
the capital. So it was her. She had been watching me from the shadows.
Lemon and the Manager seemed to get along after that. Daniela would
occasionally mutter something and the overall mood was congenial. As for
me, I stared dazedly at the ceiling. I was bored… If only something
interesting would happen…
“Ah.”
The Manager turned away from Daniela to look at me. There was something
that I had been wondering and it seemed like a good time to ask about it.
“Manager. Why do you go by Kapricorn Shteiner?”
“Ah, that. What took you so long to ask?”
“I had a lot on my mind and forgot.”
Her real name was Rindo Kizugawa.
“Look at this place. Do you think I would just use my real name?”
“Uh, I didn’t have a second thought about using mine.”
“You have no sense of danger… In any case, I did. Besides, I was pretending
to have amnesia.”
“Right… So, why that name?”
“Because I’m a Capricorn.”
That was simple.
“And Shteiner?”
“It sounded cool.
Embarrassing.
“Well, I told them that I got my memories back. I even had my status card
remade the other day. So it’s back to Rindo Kizugawa from now on.”
“Uh, great.”
And that was it. Daniela had an idea about what we were talking about, so
she just nodded. Lemon was looking at us blankly.
“Uh, she’s an old friend of mine. She was a manager at a general store.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Yes. We were separated due to circumstances. And we just happened to

reunite at the tournament.”
“It all makes sense now!”
Lemon said with a brightened expression. It was just then that there was a
knock on the door. Everyone’s heads turned as it was opened.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Preparations have been made. Please follow
me.”
Finally. I was getting tired of staring at the ceiling…
Everyone got up noisily and started to shuffle out of the room. I hadn’t
counted earlier, but there seemed to be about twenty of us in all. That was a
lot. It kind of felt oppressive.
On the way, Daniela and Lemon were led through a different hallway, as they
weren’t sellers. Still, they would apparently be seated near the front. Lemon
seemed to have pretty good luck when it came to seats.
□ □ □ □
“Now, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for gathering here today. We were
quite anxious once we heard that the tournament had been delayed. And yet,
so many of you have shown your faces here today. I am full of gratitude.
Thank you, thank you.”
There was a round of applause from the guests. Us sellers were seated up on
the stage. Ten to the right and ten to the left. The magic lights were
practically blinding and painful. In fact, I could hardly see the audience at all.
“Please forgive me, I have not introduced myself yet. I am your host for the
day, Mericareed Yafina. At your service.”
He gave a gentlemanly bow.
“Now, let us get to business. Here is the first item of the day!”
He suddenly seemed to be very excited. The audience reacted with cheers and
whistles. Apparently, it was always like this. Even now, I still had images of
secret auctions and slave auctions in my head, so it was a good way to be
brought back to reality. I had been wondering if I should put on a mask.
The first item was a painting. It was of some muscular guy, and the painter
was supposed to be very famous, so the price was quite high. After that, there
was an extravagant suit of armor. And then a glass shield. What the hell?
And then came the Manager’s item.
“And here we have an artifact from the Adventurer Rindo. It was discovered
deep within a dungeon.”
Mericareed said as the bow was brought out.
“It is a bow…but it does not require arrows!”
Huh. She sure picked up something interesting. And in a dungeon…I hadn’t

really experienced something like that myself. But maybe I hadn’t been
searching hard enough. Though, there was that one kobold mine we had gone
down. And there had been something surprising at the end.
The audience was clearly enthusiastic. And as the bids went higher and
higher, I turned to the Manager.
“What kind of dungeon was this?”
“Ah, it was a place I went to with other Adventurers I happened to meet on

the road. There were lots of traps and monsters, which is always fun. Makes
you think of those role-playing games, doesn’t it?”
“Uh, yeah. What else?”
“That’s about it. Well, such places could hold treasures if they haven’t been
cleaned out already. That bow was given to me by one of my party
members.”
“Given…you’re not being literal, are you?”
“Bah. They all died.”
“Ah…”
It was a surprisingly sad story. She then told me that they had been killed by
a guardian who was protecting the dungeon core at the deepest level.
“We were so close to winning too… It’s true what they say about letting your
guard down. It leads to death. Asagi, if you are interested in dungeons, you
best be careful too.”
“I’ve had my share of brushes with death. So I know to be careful.”
“Haha. That’s a death flag if I’ve ever heard one.”
“Grr…”
“Ah, it’s been sold.”
While I was being teased, the bow without arrows was sold.
“Congratulations! Sold for eight hundred pieces of gold!”
“Oh, not a bad price. I’ll be able to indulge myself for a while.”
She stood up and took a bow before sitting back down again. Eight hundred
seemed like a lot for ‘indulging yourself’ for a while. …What was she going
to do?
After that, there were other magic items that I didn’t know anything about,
along with some fancy armor. The kind of stuff you’d expect nobles to sell, I
suppose.
But there was one thing that really caught my eye. It was a set of light armor
made from wind dragon.
“Excuse me, I’d like to buy that.”
“But you’re a seller.”
The Manager reminded me as I raised my hand. Yeah, but if we had that…

Daniela’s armor…she would have gauntlets. She had the chained ore
gauntlets, which were quite powerful, but most of her equipment was made
of wind dragon. So this would be perfect for her. The rest of it? We could just
sell it…
As I thought about this, the bidding began. Oh, Daniela was really going for
it. Yes, we were going to earn money after this anyway. There’s no need to
hold back!
“All right, one thousand and four hundred! What about you?”
“One thousand and eight hundred!”
The other guests were shocked by Daniela’s words. The reward for hunting
the lesser wyvern and the wind dragon materials. The reward for the orc hunt.
All the money we made from selling materials. All of that added up to quite a
hefty pile of savings. To be honest, I didn’t even know how much it all was.
It was all in the hollow bag…
And that’s what Daniela was using. It was the party funds, so I had no
problem with it. In fact, I really wanted her to get it.
“Anyone? Anyone? Sold! One thousand and eight hundred pieces of gold!”
“Yes!!”
I raised my fist into the air. I could barely make out Daniela smiling on the
other side. Still…it was quite expensive. It was a whole set of armor, after all.
It would have been nice if they sold it separately.
And then I realized that I was up next.

The artifact made by the ancient elves. The Automata. It was the star of the
shows. How much would I get for it… I couldn’t wait to find out.
chapter 255
“My apologies for keeping you waiting. The next item is what you are all
here for.”
Mericareed made the signal, and then my Automata was brought out on a
fancy table. People immediately began to stand in order to get a better look.
Others cheered and there was a round of applause. I knew that it was
something special. Something rare. And so it felt good to see their reaction.
“An Automata that was excavated from a preserved ruin. Not only that, but it
has four extra cores. It will all be sold as a single set, starting at one thousand
pieces of gold!”
Oh, he was being aggressive… But if no one bought it, we would have to
wait for the next auction. And I didn’t know if there would even be one. I
might just have to stuff the thing in my bag again…
As I nervously watched and perked up my ears, I started to hear the bids

come in. My wish was for it to at least cover the one thousand and eight
hundred I had spent on the armor…
“Two thousand.”
The crowd buzzed at this. Even I was shocked. Things were going well!
“Two thousand and one hundred!”
Another voice shouted. A finely dressed man. He was quite plump and
looked like a nobleman.
For a while, it was him and the first guy who were competing. I could see
quite a few people sighing. It was more than most were able to spend. Yes,
the fact that it had exceeded two thousand was quite shocking.
“Three thousand and five hundred!”

Came the shout from some mysterious woman. She had joined the fight with
a ridiculous number. The two men fell silent as if to consult their wallets.
“We have three thousand and five hundred! Anyone else?”
Mericareed called provacatively and the two men frantically raised their
hands.
“Three thousand and eight hundred!”
“Four thousand!”
They looked flustered but then turned to the noblewoman to see if she would
give up. But she was strong.
“Five thousand.”
There were audible gasps. Then the Automata was sold for five thousand
pieces of gold.
□ □ □ □
“Mister Asagi. Here are the five thousand pieces of gold. As we take a twenty
percent commission, that leaves you with four thousand. Any questions?”
“No. Thank you.”
Mericareed gave me leather pouches that were filled the coins, and so I
stuffed them into the hollow bag. He had guessed that it would be sold for
five thousand in the beginning. And even after paying the one thousand, there
was a lot left. Yes, we could live quite well with this.
I left the building after that. Manager, Daniela, and Lemon seemed to be
enjoying a conversation. The sun was starting to set and the west sky had
hints of red in it.

“Daniela suggested we go out to eat tonight. Since you made so much.”
“Why not? Will you come too, Lemon?”
“Of course, I will.”
If there was one day to indulge ourselves extravagantly, it was today. Well,
maybe not too much, since there was a fight tomorrow. But today was
special. We should enjoy it.
It was obvious what was going to happen once Daniela stepped out to take
the lead. ‘Meat, Meat, Meat, Meat,’ read the sign. Haven’t we come here
enough?
“Now, let us eat.”
“This is a nice place.”
“Ah, meat! Meat!”
The three of them got very excited when the meat was placed on the table.
And hey, I didn’t hate the stuff myself. However, it wasn’t good for you to
eat it and nothing else. And so I ordered plates of vegetables too. But Daniela
was quick to cover the grill in meat first. I wasn’t completely defeated
though, and soon found a small corner with low heat, where I could leave a
few pieces to sizzle.
“Go to a vegetable store if you wish to eat that!”
“Shut up. Just let me eat my vegetables in peace!”
“What did you say…?”
“Asagi, Daniela is right.”
“Exactly, Mister Asagi.”
“Are you kidding me…”

The loud, yet entertaining battle continued over the grill until we were all so
stuffed that we decided to call it a night and disperse. Lemon returned to her
fancy inn. Manager went to her room in a tavern. It wasn’t a nice place, but
she had been suffering from a gold deficiency during her arrival in the city.
Daniela and I started to walk back to the military lodging facility.
The sky was getting dark, but the city was very much awake. We watched the
glimmering lights as we dragged our heavy bodies through the streets. Here
in the capital, it seemed like people were determined to party and drink until
the morning, regardless of what was happening the next day.
As I watched the sight before us, Daniela turned to me.
“Asagi. About the fight tomorrow…”
“Yeah, I know. We really are going to end up fighting each other, after all.”
“Yes. But I was quite sure this was going to happen.”
“Hmm…”
“And so, Asagi. I want you to come at me without holding back.”
She sounded so serious that I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks and look at
her. Her expression only served to enhance the gravity in her tone.
“Can’t we just playfight and get it over with?”
“No. I want to fight you for real.”
“But I…”
“You do not want to hurt me, is that it?”
“Yeah. I’m not being conceited here. But I know that I’m capable of causing
you harm.”
We’ve been fighting together for so long now. I was able to analyze my own
abilities.
“Indeed. And I am capable of hurting you as well. But still, I want it to be a
real fight.”
“But why? Why is it so important?”
I picked up a sword to defend myself, and after that, to earn a living. It wasn’t
something I did just to hurt people.
“We have come this far together. I want to see how strong you and I have
become.”
“You always traveled alone before.”
“Aye. And I mostly avoided combat. There didn’t seem to be any reason to
poke my head into places that were dangerous… But my level has been
raised after we started traveling together. I want to put it to the test. And I
have all my armor now, as well.”
You needed a certain amount of power to be rid of all danger. Daniela had
been weak and could not face it.
Back in Fhiraldo, Daniela had rarely even used magic. She had even been
wearing a mask to hide her identity. Well, she still tended to do that every
time we entered a new town… Regardless, it did seem that being partnered
with me had made her less paranoid about the possibility of danger. I was
happy about that. And of course, it allowed her to become stronger. It was no
wonder she wanted to put it to the test. Besides, we would be wearing the
decoy bracelets. This was really the perfect time for it.
And so I gave Daniela my word. She listened and then chuckled happily.
“Great. Now, to the next place!”
She said as she grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the course that
would lead back to our room. Damn it…
□ □ □ □
I was prepared to wake up the next morning with a blinding headache, but
found myself surprisingly clear-headed. My stomach felt fine and I hadn’t
over-slept either. I was in good shape.
“Morning, Asagi.”
She had already been awake and now rolled on top of me.
“Hmm… I am still tired…”
“Don’t go back to sleep. We have to fight.”
“Yes… Ahh… All right…”
“Now, get off of me.”
She muttered something as I pushed her away and went to wash my face.
When I came back, Daniela was up and putting on her armor.
“It looks good on you…”
“It was expensive. I would be angry if it did not.”
She was wearing the clothes made of wind dragon material that she had
purchased from the White Lily. It had a wind magic boosting effect. And then
on top of that, she wore the wind dragon armor from yesterday’s auction…
Well, the gauntlets and boots from it. There would be a dramatic spike in any
wind magic she used.
“I need to wash up.”
“Yeah.”
I started to get dressed as Daniela moved to the bathroom.
The wind dragon shirt. Poncho. Pants. Waist mantle… Daniela was all in
wind dragon, but not me. My light armor was made of ice dragon.
“As for my weapon…”
Schwarz Tempest, Glampanzer, Ashikirimaru, Cocytus Lance. I had a lot

more to pick from now… I had been hoping to find something new at the
auction, but that hadn’t happened. They were all just about looks… Except
for the wind dragon armor and that bow.
“This one.”
Daniela had seen me fight with the one-handed sword many times. And so I
decided to take the greatsword with me. As it was too big to unsheath from
my back, I had it strapped over my shoulder like a bag. It was bulky, but what
could you do.
“Hmm…the greatsword?”
“Yeah. I think I showed enough of the one-handed sword during my fight

with the Manager.”
“Yes, you were quite a threat. I doubt I would have been able to block those
attacks.”
“It’s not meant to be…”
But in my mind, Daniela was the strongest. I had to think of a way to beat her
if I wanted to win.
It was almost time. I looked at the clock and saw that it was just past
breakfast. I was still full from last night. Daniela was the same, which was
very unusual. And so we left our room without eating.
We didn’t talk at all as we made our way to the arena. But it wasn’t because
we were in a dark mood. I could tell that she was trying to concentrate and
prepare.
“Well, here we go.”
“Come at me with everything, Asagi!”

And here we were, on the stage and facing each other. The companion I’ve
been traveling with. We swore to live our lives together. And it was to this
loved one that the point of my greatsword was now directed at.
chapter 256
“Begin!”
The referee’s voice rang, and then all others died away. I could feel my
concentration rising. Daniela was the same. She stared me down, her sword
in hand. And without signaling each other, we charged forward at the same
time. While it wasn’t something I should be thinking about now, I couldn’t
help but muse over how synchronized we were.
“Hah!”
“Ah!”
The power of wind aided Daniela’s sharp thrust. I twisted my body out of the
way and swung the broadsword from that position. She blocked it with her
sword and pushed back, and her feet left the ground. She flew back a short
distance. As I watched her, Daniela let go of her rapier while she was still in
the air. However, it was enveloped in wind magic and floated as it stayed
fixed to her side. I didn’t even know she could control wind magic so
precisely…
“There is no time to be surprised!”
“!?”
No sooner had she let go of the blade, her bow was in her hand and she
unleashed an arrow that was also boosted by the wind. I didn’t have to
consider it for a second to know this would be bad, and so I used Legs of the
God Wolf to pull myself out of the way. Just then, bam! There was
something like the sound of a bullet. An arrow was lodged in the ground
behind where I had been standing.
“Is that thing even an arrow anymore?”
“Yes. Yes, it is!”

Now she had arrows floating in the air and she was firing them off one by
one. Daniela herself was floating up above with them. I frantically dodged
the attacks, but those beautiful arrows seemed to follow me. Honestly, it was
getting scary.
As I ran, I searched for an opening that would allow me to launch a

counterattack, but she was not so kind. The commanding view allowed her to
shoot at me from any position, and she would even stop me from getting back
on the stage. Hmm. Her anti-Asagi measures were severe. However, I didn’t
like being suppressed like this.
“How about this…!”
“Hmm!?”
I boosted my speed for just a split-second as a way of disorienting her. Then I

activated my ice magic. A pillar of ice. It was the same attack I used on the
giant monster Grendel. It had no name yet.
Daniela broke her stance as she dodged the great icicle that shot up towards
her. I pulled back my greatsword, stepped on air, and then dashed up the
surface of the ice. As I got higher, I prepared to swing.
However, Daniela was a fiend. She easily twisted her body out of the way.
“Not yet!”
With Legs of the God Wolf propelling me and the tip of the greatsword as a
fulcrum, I began to spin vertically. And without losing any momentum, I
added platinum and green wind to boost my speed even further as I raised the
sword; and then swung downward. And yet Daniela still responded to these
irregular movements. She brought her sword back and blocked it. But when it
came to aerial battles, there was no besting me. I raised my speed again and
pushed. She smashed into the pillar of ice and fell towards the ground as the
whole thing went crumbling down.
“Gahhh…”
The beastly groan rang as she rolled on the ground. The tide had turned. And
now it was my turn to take the lead.
I pointed my blade at Daniela and sent a rush of dark blue magic into it. My
equipment didn’t give me an ice magic boost, but the greatsword seemed to
do a lot with what it was given. In an instant, the blade was covered in water,
and I launched flowing tendrils of water, just like Adlus had done. For now,
five seemed like enough.
“Damn it!”
Daniela rolled and jumped, but one of the streams slashed her left thigh.
Adlus’s tricks were rather useful. He was no friend of mine, but that wasn’t
the fault of his magic. I would use what I could. That was one of the tricks to
survival.
I rested my greatsword on my shoulder and continued the attacks. Daniela

was covering the blood rushing from her leg for a moment, but then she
looked at me and let go.
“!?”
For a second, I had no idea what had happened. What I did understand, was
my vision was blocked, I had lost my balance and then was violently thrown
down to the stage. My face contorted with pain as I felt something wet on my
face.
“Blood!”
She had flung her own blood onto my face. I frantically splashed a sphere of
water into my eyes and washed it away. My heart was racing as I pushed my
wet hair back and looked around. Daniela was nowhere to be found. I looked
up, but she wasn’t there either… What the hell…?
“…? …!!?”
I had a bad feeling about it. But not in time. In the next moment, an arrow
had gone through my right leg.
She had somehow appeared above and behind me, and the bloody arrow she
had unleashed was firmly implanted in the ground at my feet.
“Fuuuuuuck! Aggghhh, damn it…!”
The blood sprayed as my shaking hands started to cover the holes on both
sides with ice. I had done the same thing when fighting the wyvern. Though,
it had been a broken sword at that time. It was also just ordinary trousers, and
so it wasn’t too big of a deal. But this was my wind dragon armor. The attack
had had enough force to pierce dragon equipment… I wasn’t holding back or
anything, but it was clear that just a moment’s indiscretion would mean my
death.
“You are not being careful enough.”
“Gggg… It’s not my intention…”
I spun around and looked at her. She had multiple arrows around her and was
ready to shoot them. Her left leg was covered in blood, but she didn’t need it
to stand, as she was in the air. And Daniela wasn’t weak enough to let the
pain break her concentration.
It was easy to use Legs of the God Wolf to accelerate. However, there was a
specific reason for this fight. This was to show Daniela just how strong I had
become. Daniela’s strength. And my strength. We had to show each other by
using everything we had. Daniela had gained new power and used magic that
she had only talked about up until now. In that case, I had to use both the old
and new. I had to show her.
It was time for me to test the tricks and skills as well as the new magic I had
invented.
“Haaahhh!”
I sent a surge of water magic into the greatsword. It was the first step in
making a water blade, but that wasn’t what I was doing now. The dark blue
blade became a medium, and it would turn the mana in the air into moisture. I
could feel the humidity rising rapidly.
“Wh-what are you…!”
Daniela looked frantic as she tried to stop me by raising her bow, but the
situation changed too quickly. All at once, the moisture in the air was frozen
with ice magic. The dark blue greatsword in my hand had been unleashing
water magic. And I had converted it to ice.
In other words, we were suddenly surrounded in a thick mist.
“This is my magic. Mine alone. ‘White Garden.’”
“Kk…!?”
It was based on magic by the noblewoman, Alenbia Ef Quingeria. I had

consulted with ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ for quite some time.
Even during the auction, my mind had often been busy making calculations.
In any case, I already had the materials. It was just about cooking it all
together as a meal… And this was the answer.
Furthermore, this mist wasn’t a natural phenomenon, it was magical. In other

words, I could cool it down even more and rob others of their ability to move.
The fact that my power was surrounding them meant that I could also
interfere with their magic to a degree. It was a lot more effective than
appearances might suggest.
Bam! The mist stopped Daniela’s attack. It had interfered with her magic.
This mist could stop any magic that used the mana around us to activate it.
At the same time, I activated Presence Block.
“I knew it… I knew you would do that after seeing this mist.”
I could hear her voice. I also knew her position through Presence Detection.
However, she did not know my position. It was open season…
“…Hahh!”
Or so I thought, rather smugly. And then an arrow came flying. I thought that
I was going to die, but was barely able to move out of the way.
“Allowing yourself to be distracted will hurt the precision of your skills. You
are using this great magic. So make the most of it!”
“Sorry!”
It was like I was being schooled in the middle of a fight. Perhaps I wasn’t
taking it seriously enough… She certainly was. I would have to do better.
And so Asagi Kamiyashiro had a change of heart.

chapter 257
I steeled myself and then used Presence Block again. I thought I could hear
Daniela click her tongue.
Daniela’s ‘Presence Detection’ was very high-level. This was no surprise

since she had practically been using it nonstop. And yet, I was able to hide
from her. It was partly because of this magic mist.
The magic took the shape of mist as a way of commanding the area we were
in. In other words, I had control over it. Magic was about imagination. So the
mist was hiding me. The power of magic could cause optical refractions
etcetera. It was hard to explain.
“Huh…!”
Daniela was using magic. I suspected that she would use wind magic in an
attempt to blow the mist away. Of course, I had a way of dealing with that.
The dark blue magic that emitted from my greatsword grew darker, and then
it swallowed up the wind magic. As the mist connected the mana, all of it that
surrounded us was under my command.
Once Daniela understood that she couldn’t use magic, she switched to
attacking with her bow. An arrow struck the ground where I had been
standing a moment ago, but now she didn’t have wind to aid her. It was just a
normal arrow. And I was moving with Legs of the God Wolf, so she couldn’t
hit me. Not only that, but my feet weren’t actually touching the ground, so
there were no footsteps either. She couldn’t see or hear me.
As soon as the area was filled with mist, the chances of Daniela winning
became nonexistent.
Well, I had crushed the possibility of her winning by ‘score,’ but she could
still win if she defeated me before the time ran out. After all, I wasn’t just
going to sit in one place. We made a promise, after all… I was going to
defeat her with everything I had.
And so I sent ice energy into the mist. It was easy, as the ice dragon armor
helped me, but I was also at a point where I had to be careful about how
much magic I was using. It was incredibly rare for me to use so much, and I
was starting to feel the pain.
The temperature dropped all at once, but it had no effect on me. This was also
due to the ice dragon armor. And the wind dragon equipment and Legs of the
God Wolf allowed me to use the power of the wind smoothly. As the wind
rose quickly, I could act quickly. There was also an AGI boost on top of it all.
Still, it made me wonder what I’d be capable of if I had a real aptitude for
wind magic…
But, never mind that now. I had to deal with Daniela. I could tell that she was
waiting for a chance to use magic. The magic energy was building up inside
of her. While I controlled the energy around us, I couldn’t reach inside of her.
Well, maybe at night time.
I aimed at Daniela and unleashed an Ice Arrow. As there was so much

moisture in the air, it was very easy to create. I just had to freeze the mist in
the right shape. It shot towards her, silently. However, it missed. She cut it
down with her rapier.
I created arrows from the mist surrounding her and fired them. She shouldn’t
be able to dodge them at that range.
“Hmmph!”
However, she survived the attack with her sword and martial arts. I had never
seen her kick an arrow out of the air before… She must have learned to do it
recently. Yes, it was dumb to assume I was the only one here learning new
tricks.
In any case, this meant that ranged attacks weren’t going to cut it. So, what
then? I would have to hide in the mist and sneak up on her. And so I pulled
my hood down and went into stealth mode. Yes, it wouldn’t make a
difference, but it made me feel more concealed.
I would hit and fall back. This was a matter of speed.
“…!”
“!?”
The first hit. I hacked down at Daniela’s back with the greatsword. She
ducked just in the nick of time, but I didn’t move to a counterattack. It was
important to stick to the basics. That was the trick to winning. And so I
vanished into the mist again and attacked from a different direction. Daniela
was quick to respond with her sword, however, it was difficult to block a
broadsword with such a thin blade. She could soften the blow a little by
allowing herself to fly back. It was a good decision, but she could only fall
back so far. After all, the entire stage was covered in mist.
Another hit. And another. While she was barely keeping up, she blocked,
dodged, and managed an occasional counter-attack. Her movements were so
precise that it was shocking to think that her left leg was injured. She was that
much of a threat.
“Kk…!”
While our swords rang against each other, I would unleash arrows from
different directions. More and more small wounds appeared on her body.
“So, this is how you are going to play!”
“I’m going to do whatever I have to.”
Perhaps some would call me cowardly. I couldn’t say for sure that I wouldn’t
be annoyed if I was facing an opponent who fought like this. Still, it was only
because Daniela was that dangerous. She was strong. This was the only thing
I could do to prevent her from shooting at me with her arrows.
As we continued to trade blows, I started lowering the temperature in order to

slow her movements. Not the most honorable thing, yes. But a jack of all
trade and master of none will do what he must.
“Very well, then… I will do the same.”

The same? Does she really think she can turn the tables now…
And then it hit me.
Daniela’s best skill. Fresh Green Eye. Damn it!
“Hahh…!”
She was going to call the wind spirits and blow the mist away!
“Spirits…lend me your power!”
“No…!”
Jade-colored energy began to explosively increase. It was all the wind

spirits… I tried to suppress it with the energy around me. Every nerve in my
body seemed to be used in order to transmit the power. The ice dragon armor
was pushed to its limit.
“Ggg…uhh…!”
Tragically, there was no iceberg or river here. All we had was clear air and
wind. There were no ice spirits or water spirits, and so I could not beat the
power of the wind spirits. And just like that, the blue colored magic was
overwritten.
“Damn it…damn…! I was so close…!”
“It is over! ‘Blast Hurricane. Full Burst’!!”
Daniela usually performed her magic without chanting. It quickly took shape.
“Ahh…”
The green tornado appeared on the stage. It started off small, however, it
quickly expanded to the point where it could swallow up the stage. I didn’t
want to think about how many spirits had come to help her. It was clearly
above skill level 10, and with such force, it easily sucked up the mist and then
swallowed me before I could run.
(Ah, it was just like a comic book…)
It wasn’t every day that a tornado shot you into the air. I had no sense of
direction anymore. Such were my thoughts as I was violently thrown around
and shredded by wind blades.
Even activating Legs of the God Wolf didn’t help me. That’s how dense the
wind and Daniela’s power was.
And so I could not resist. I flew in the air and then plummeted to the ground.
“Uuhhh…”
I must have blacked out for a second, the pain in my back was so bad. When I
opened my eyes, Daniela was looking down at me.
“How do you feel?”
She was pointing her rapier down at me and had a victorious grin on her face.
“Ah…well…I don’t know…”
“You do not know?”
She tilted her head and the smile was replaced by her usual expression. I
couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden shift. It was cute.
“Hehe. It’s weird. I feel really good.”
“You freak…”
She looked put-off, but it was the truth. Perhaps it was weird to feel good
about losing. But I had challenged her with everything and lost. It was a good
way to lose.
My current best and hers. Neither of us could have done more than we had.
As proof of it, I couldn’t even get up. Daniela looked like she would fall at
any minute. The fight couldn’t continue.
So there was only one way to end it.
“I surrender. Surrender.”
I did feel a little bad about the people watching. After all, I had obscured a
huge chunk of the fight with my mist, and then it had all ended with a
tornado. They had no idea what was happening.
Still, it was our fight. And we got what we wanted from it. It was the perfect
stage for our little egoistic fight. I was sure they’d forgive us.
It was with such thoughts in my head, that cheers and shouts poured down on
us like rain.
chapter 258
Daniela was the winner. And so the tournament ended with me as the runner-
up. I was fine with this conclusion and had no regrets. I felt great as I stood
on the stage during the ending ceremony.
“It was a glorious battle that will go down in history. I am greatly pleased.”
The Emperor said as he held the trophy. His voice was surprisingly soft when
he talked. I had imagined him to be a more hot-blooded military-type after
hearing his roar echo across the arena earlier. And as insolent as it may
sound, it made me like him a little more. Perhaps it was this discrepancy that
made him loved by the people.
Emperor Veldrid handed Daniela the trophy and shook her hand. Then the
crowd erupted into applause and cheering. Suddenly, the air was filled with a
storm of confetti. It was beautiful and grand. It reminded me of how great
and historical this event was for them.
“This trophy is like a title bestowed on the victor. But there are other prizes
as well. I could give them to you here, but I would prefer it if you came to the
castle. As the gates of the city are open wide, we do not know who may be
here and what they are thinking.”
He said in a whisper. In spite of strict security measures, such things still

happened.
“I understand. We will visit the castle tomorrow.”
“Hmm. Well, now that I think about it, I doubt there are any enemies here
that can match you.”
The Emperor said with a chuckle.
□ □ □ □
Once the tournament was over, all of the participants were invited to a sort of
night festival.
It was held within a corner of land near the imperial castle. There was a huge
mansion there, but I wasn’t sure who lived in it.
People from the castle also attended, and it was a grandiose affair. That being
said, Daniela and I were in no mood for that. We had talked about it in
advance and decided on just sipping some tea and then leaving. It was while
we were attempting to do just that, that someone stopped us by the gate.
“You’re leaving so soon?”
I turned around to see Adlus standing there. He had collapsed from a rapid
magic deficiency, but had recovered and was standing on his own two feet
now. There were a few other light elves with him, but they stayed silent.
“We’re practically falling apart… But they didn’t want any more delays, so
here we are. But we’re heading back now to get some rest.”
In spite of everything that had happened, I was able to talk very calmly.
Perhaps it was because there was something about Adlus that seemed
different. His eyes weren’t glaring menacingly and he was composed.
“I see… I watched your fight. It was wonderful.”
“Thank you.”
It was a short reply, but Daniela actually looked at him for once.
“Such power would not be possible without much training. No…you two
traveled together. You must have gone far as a team. I didn’t know that and
was insolent. I apologize…”
Very slowly, he bowed his head. I couldn’t help but glance towards Daniela.
“I apologize to you as well, Asagi. Of course, I don’t expect to be forgiven.”
He continued. As for me, it was in the past and didn’t matter at all anymore.
“I won’t ask for forgiveness, but if my life will make up for, I will gladly
offer it.”
“Wait-wait. I don’t think that anyone cares about…”
“No, Asagi. I actually do care. Besides, he dug up your past and insulted
you.”
“I don’t care about that. I really don’t, Daniela.”
“Hmm…”
It was nice that she was angry on my behalf, but I wanted to leave it in the
past.
“Adlus, raise your head. Your companions seem to be a little flustered by all
of this.”
“But…”
“It is fine. Raise your head.”
Adlus looked at her carefully and slowly raised his head. The other elves
moved closer to him. In spite of appearances, perhaps he was rather nice to
his close friends. Or else I’m not sure why they’d care.
“Daniela and I are two parts of a whole. Just as your companions are
important to you, she is important to me. Just remember that and we can
leave this all behind us. Fair?”
“…Yes… But, are you certain? You will forgive me?”
He now looked a little like a scolded child. I couldn’t help but chuckle. So
did Daniela.
“That is what he is saying. Now, let us forget it.”
“I see…”
Daniela dragged her wounded leg as she moved forward to pat him on the
shoulder. Adlus whispered through gritted teeth. But I could hear him clearly.
“Thank you… I was so wrong.”
□ □ □ □
And so everything ended. The auction and the Imperial Sword Tournament.
The next day, we went to the castle in order to accept the prize. As the
Emperor had a tight schedule, it was done quickly.
“There you are. Now, here it is. As the winner, you will be awarded three
thousand pieces of gold and this bracelet. This is a ‘Hollow Bracelet.’ It can
store almost anything that is not a living human. Like this.”
The Emperor put the bracelet on his wrist and stored the three thousand
pieces of gold inside.
“It is very valuable. So use it well.”
“Thank you.”
Daniela accepted it and put it on immediately. Yes, it looked good on her. I

already had the hollow bag, but it was sure to be useful on our journey.
“And one more. I believe you have the wind attribute. This is a cape made
from the materials of a green dragon that a previous emperor killed. The
person who wears this will be loved by the wind and should be able to
withstand anything. You will even be able to soar through the sky. As it used
the power within the cape, your own energy will not be depleted.”
Green dragons were supposed to be the strongest type of wind dragon. I

remember hearing something about the ones with color in their names being
the strongest. Daniela had received such a wonderful gift…I was incredibly
jealous.
While the cape was made of green dragon, the color was pure white. On top
of that, it had an intricate green pattern on it that was elegant and subtle. It
wasn’t something you wore to show off, but it also didn’t look cheap. It was
the perfect cape for someone as beautiful as Daniela.
“This…”
Daniela put it on and looked at it with surprise. I could smell the green
energy in the air. It was the moment that the cape recognized Daniela as its
owner.
“Hmm. It suits you. In fact, it was the Empress Velgrys that slew the green
dragon. She used wind magic just like you. Even a green dragon could not
match her.”
The strongest monster with the wind attribute was no match…
“As for you, Asagi…”
“Uh, yes.”
The Emperor called my name while I stared at Daniela dazedly. It would not
be long before I was executed for being disrespectful…!
“Haha. I can see why you would be stunned. But please accept this first. One
thousand and five-hundred in gold for being the runner-up. And this sword.”
The shiny coins were brought in on a tray with a single sword. It was a one-
handed sword in a black sheath.
“The Black Empire Blade, Velnoir. This was also from a previous emperor.”
“Uh, oh, Your Majesty. Surely I couldn’t…”
I could understand bestowing such gifts to the winner or their tournament.

But I hadn’t won. I couldn’t help but hesitate.
“It is fine. Besides, you did well in the fight. You might have won had the
spirits not been called in at the end. And so I think you deserve something for
that.”
Well, I couldn’t argue against him. He had recognized what been happening
at the end. I hesitantly reached out for the sword.
“Uhh… Woah…”
The texture seemed to suck at your skin. It wasn’t just bound in leather. The
handguard was clearly designed with practicality in mind. With the exception
of one black gem-like stone, it was very simple.
“It is the sword of Emperor Kisaragi. The Black Emperor. He is mostly

known for being the sole emperor who was not of the royal line, but he was
also the strongest up until then.”
“Emperor…Kisaragi…?”
Kisaragi…? Could that mean…
“Try unsheathing it.”
“Certainly…”
The Emperor said as I was musing on the name. And so I did as he said. A
blade that was as black as the sheath now appeared. It was a two-edged blade.
However, one side had comb-like teeth near the base. The words ‘sword
breaker’ flashed in my mind.
“It is said that he used this sword long ago, during a great war. And it is said
that as he rushed through the battlefield, he left a trail of broken blades
behind him.”
So, you could break swords with that part of the blade.
“It’s made of an ore known as Black Star ore. It is found deep within the
earth. Kisaragi called this ore the Star Core.”
Who knew how he got his hands on such a thing… In any case, I understood
that it was a great sword. I sheathed it and strapped it on the opposite side of
the armor demon sword.
“Thank you. I’m honored to be able to accept it.”
“Hmm. And now, it is finished. The festivities will continue for one more
week. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in the city.”
He said with a smile and then got up from his seat.
“I would have liked to talk with you some more, but there is no time,
unfortunately.”
“Well, until we meet again.”
And then he quickly left the room. We were then led out of the castle and
back into the city. As I couldn’t carry it, Daniela stored my gold with her
own.
And like that, our business in the imperial capital came to an end.
chapter 259
“Woah. This stuff is incredible.”
“Indeed. I did not dream of such a thing.”
Velnoir now hung on the right side of my belt. Daniela was looking at the
Hollow Bracelet on her right arm. As the wind dragon cape might attract
attention, she kept it stored in the bracelet for now. Combined, the gold added
up to four thousand and five hundred pieces. Add that to the four thousand
from the auction, and we had nine thousand and five hundred. While we had
spent some money on Daniela’s suit of armor, the expense was hardly
noticeable now.
“To be honest, we could live quite comfortably with this.”
“If we did it modestly, we could live off of it for the rest of your lifespan,
Asagi.”
Of course, that’s not what I wanted. We had made a promise to travel the
world.
The imperial castle was in the center of the city, and there were entrances to
the north, south, east, and west districts. However, the actual entrance to the
castle was on the east side. This was so they could march out with the sun,
apparently. It sounded superstitious.
And so Daniela and I left through the north side and went straight towards
our lodging facility. This was because we wanted to get some more rest.
I called to Mister Hipericam when we reached the front.
“We’re back. Mister Hipericam.”
“…You sure are a considerate one.”

He said in his usual lazy voice. He lowered the book he was reading just
enough so that he could peer at us over the edge.
“I’ve told you that you don’t have to tell me every time. Just take the key
over there…”
“Ahaha. Well, old habits.”
“Ahh…yes-yes. So, the Imperial Sword Tournament is finished. The inns

should start emptying out within a week, so you’ll have to move to one of
them.”
“Oh, really? I quite like it here. It’s very comfortable.”
“That may be, but this place is for military… It’s not exactly for civilians.”
We had only been allowed to stay here because one of Mister Tames’
subordinates had given us a priority pass. Though, we were currently wearing
bracelets with the same function.
“Well, I guess it can’t be helped then…”
“You. You were thinking of just staying here forever, weren’t you?”
“Why not?”
“Huhh…”
He sighed with exasperation and waved his hand for us to go. He didn’t seem
to be the most passionate about his job, but I understood that it was business
as usual for him, and so took the key and headed for our room.
The door opened with a loud click and the now quite familiar white room
greeted us. It was currently littered with Daniela’s things… We had been
quite busy recently. But we’d have to clean up if we were to leave soon.
“Asagi. Asagi.”
“Hmm?”
“Look. It is just wonderful.”
“Huh…whoah!”
The hollow bracelet on Daniela’s wrist was sucking up all of her things from
off of the floor. It was like a vacuum cleaner…
“Hey, don’t suck up your dirty clothes with everything else.”
“We can just wash it all together later.”
“You’re so careless…”
If only the Emperor could see this. He would probably be filled with remorse.
Once Daniela was finished vacuuming and the floor was quite clean, we both
collapsed onto the bed. The sun was still high in the sky, but we didn’t want
to move anymore. Hell, I wanted to sleep until the morning. That was how
tired I was.
However, it also came to me that we had achieved everything we had set out
to do in the imperial capital. So, what next? I asked Daniela about this, and
she thought for a moment.
“…Indeed. Now that we have done everything, perhaps we should leave.”
“Do you have a destination in mind?”
Walking without a destination seemed very dangerous. And we didn’t have

an unlimited supply of food.
“I suppose we should stay here until we decide that.”
“Yeah…”
I had been curious about ‘dungeons’ ever since Manager brought it up. But I
was completely ignorant about them. Still, if there were any nearby, I might
like to do a little dungeon crawling.
As I considered that possible future, the demon of sleep ambushed us, and we
drifted off to the world of dreams.
□ □ □ □
Then a week passed, and the city calmed down after the festive season. We
had left the lodging facility and moved to a single room in an inn. It was a
quiet and relaxing place.
Daniela and I had nothing to do during that week, and so we just spent our
days lazing around. When we did go outside, people would swarm around us,
as we were the ‘winner and runner-up duo.’ Though, it did mean that people
would buy us food and drink at night. Daniela got to eat to her heart’s
content. I felt a little bad that people were spending money on us, but I had to
accept it, as it was all part of their festival tradition.
But even that started to fade after a few days. People returned to their jobs
and normal life continued. We had gone to a Lambrusen restaurant yesterday,
and it was pretty quiet.
Today was the day we finished moving. It so happened that Lemon’s inn was
nearby, which meant we had already seen much of the area and knew that
there was no point in exploring it.
Daniela was standing by the window now and staring at her hollow bracelet.
It was times when I caught her like this, that I wished I could paint. Then,
without warning, Daniela’s rapier materialized in her hand.
“Woah.”
“Watch.”
As she said this, the sword disappeared and her bow took its place.
“The bracelet?”
“Aye. Now I will be able to switch weapons much more smoothly.”
“I’m so jealous.”
How nice would it be to be able to switch between a one-handed sword,
greatsword and a spear on the fly… It was also pretty impressive that Daniela
even thought to use it like that.
“I am not giving it to you. It is my prize for winning.”
“I wasn’t going to ask for it…”
That being said, watching her was like rubbing salt in the wound. If only I
could do something similar with the hollow bag…
But speaking of prizes, I had Velnoir. I took it out of the bag and inspected it.
The blackness seemed to suck in all the light. It was pretty cool.
“I didn’t expect to get an actual Emperor’s sword.”
“Aye. It was a surprise.”
We had talked about what the prize might be before the fight. And the
possibility of receiving such a treasured sword had been brought up. But it
was still a surprise.
The Black Empire Blade was longer than the demon sword. It was two-edged
and had a ‘sword breaker.’ So…it was for fighting humans… Certainly, it
was something that could come in handy against bandits. Not that that was a
very appealing use for such a sword.
Apparently, it had been wielded by an Emperor known as Kisaragi. Unless

my guess was wrong, this person was from Japan. Perhaps he was called the
‘Black Emperor’ because of his hair. Hmm…Black Emperor. Black Rabbit.
What caused this difference in treatment, I wonder… I suppose it was the
good old ‘protagonist compensation’ thing.
“Ah, Asagi.”
“What?”
“I took a walk to the guild recently, and heard a rather interesting rumor.”
“An interesting rumor?”
“Aye. About a labyrinth town to the south.”
“Labyrinth town?”
A town that was like a labyrinth. Who would want to live there?
“Yes. The labyrinth is underground. Below the town.”
“Uh, wouldn’t that make it a sort of dungeon?”
“Yes, a dungeon. And the rumor is related to this dungeon.”
A dungeon under a town. And a rumor regarding it…
“They say that the dungeon has been cleared recently.”
“Uhhh… And I was just thinking about going. No point now.”
“Hold on. I have not finished. This dungeon is supposed to have a core deep
within, and when touched, the formation of this dungeon shifts. That seems to
be what happened. And the result was that half of the town was swallowed
up.”
“That sounds like a complete disaster?”
“It is. And the guild is going to investigate it.”
This was pretty big. So someone went dungeon crawling and caused half of
the town to be swallowed up… Perhaps it was a trap for treasure seekers…
“So, we have our next destination then.”
“Uhh…we’re going…? I don’t like the sound of this place at all.”
“I do not see how it would be possible to ignore something so fascinating.”
Daniela showed that she had every intention of going. And we had only just
got our new room. It seemed like a big waste of money.
“I want to go.”
“Yeah, but…”
“I want to go.”
“Still…”
“I want to go.”
“…”
She was being unreasonable… She had been like this when we decided to
enter the tournament as well… In that case, there was no other option but to
go…
“Fine. Let’s go…”
“I love you, Asagi.”
“Yeah-yeah…”
And that was the moment that our next destination was decided.
Still, a town swallowed up by a dungeon… Sadly, the words had an

adventurous ring to them that began to stimulate my sense of curiosity.
chapter 260
The town that was to be our next destination was called Reserentrible. It was
an odd, long name, but it was an old town. And there was a dungeon in this
town that many Adventurers had visited and few had ever returned. Of
course, this was all from the mouth of Licoris Ladiaray. Management
Division of the Empire’s North District.
“…Word of someone clearing the dungeon has reached the capital, yes. They
say that seventy percent of the town is now gone.”
“Seventy percent? I heard that it was half…”
“It was half at first. However, the dungeon is eating away at the rest of the
town. Our latest reports say that it is seventy percent.”
That seemed ridiculous. I didn’t know what happened to the person who
touched the dungeon core, but things had really gotten out of hand now.
However, I’m sure they had no idea about the consequences. It would have
been hard to get down there and survive countless traps and monsters. And
when you finally arrive in the place where the treasure is supposed to be
kept…
“Are you going too, Mister Asagi?”
“Yes. Well, Daniela insisted on it very strongly.”
“I have no memory of that. Do not tell lies, Asagi.”
“…”
She had a memory that served her conveniently. If I were a doctor, I’d want
to look inside.
After gaining some information about Reserentrible from Licoris, we began

preparations to leave. I was in charge of buying camping supplies while
Daniela took care of the food.
“Remember, buy vegetables too. And fish, if they have any. I’d also like
some spices. And please don’t come back with nothing but street food.”
“I know. I know. I am not a child. I can go on simple errands without you

reminding me so many times.”
“The fact that you’d even call it an errand is suspicious.”
It was procurement. Yes. It was a dangerous journey we were about to

embark on, and preparations had to be made seriously if we didn’t want to
die.
“Alright, I’ll go pick up the equipment we sent in for repairs and buy the rest
of the stuff on my way back. We can meet at the inn at sundown.”
“Aye, understood.”
“I hope so…”
I muttered to myself as I watched her walk away. I was still quite convinced
that she would spend all of her money in the street food district.
Well, there was no use standing here and worrying about that. I had my own
job to do.
As my clothes had been damaged badly by Daniela’s magic in the final fight,
I took them to the Solitude Clothes Shop. Thankfully, they were able to use
magic and some left-over materials to repair it. As it would take a week to
finish, Miss Amarilith had had to withdraw from the festivities a little early.
“Hello. How are things going?”
“It took me a while, but it’s finished now. Damn it, I don’t know what you
did in that fight to ruin them as you did…”
“Ehehe…”
I had nothing to say on that account.
And so I accepted the clothes and then went to the changing room to make
sure that it fitted well while I was wearing my ice dragon armor.
“Hmm. Everything seems good.”
“Well, no surprise there.”
“Thank you very much. Uh, how much does it all cost?”
“Two hundred.”
“But it didn’t even cost that when it was new.”
“Repairing stuff is hard work. Not only that, but it pulled me away from the
festival. I’ll never know what I missed.”
“…”
Miss Amarilith was more of a businesswoman than a craftswoman. And she

knew full well that our pockets were rather full at the moment.
“…So, you are leaving then?”
“Uh, yeah. Apparently, there is a southern town called Reserentrible that, uh,
has some things in store for us.”
“Oh, I’ve heard some terrible tales. You best be careful.”
“Thank you. But there isn’t much that can scare me after that final fight.”
“Haha! That’s the kind of confidence that gets people killed!”
I was well aware. Every win should make me more cautious. That was the
trick to survival. Well, I didn’t actually win.
□ □ □ □
Aside from my clothes, I picked up a heap of scrap cloth to use as bandages

before leaving the store. Then it was off to a general goods store. The east
district was the merchant district. There were many shops in the same area,
which made things very convenient.
“Which place to go… Huh?”
As I was searching, a familiar face entered the corner of my vision. An

Adventurer. The easy walk and the light armor and spear. Oh, and the meat
skewer in the hand.
“Hey.”
“…Ah, Mister Asagi.”
It was Bandi Ree. This was the first time I had met her outside of the arena.
“Are you shopping?”
“Yes. And you as well, Mister Asagi?”
“Yeah. We’re going to be leaving the city soon. Uh, how’re your injuries?”
To be honest, I was more worried about the psychological ones. It had been a
little chilling watching her fight that battle fiend.
“Ah…yes. I was shaking for quite a while after that fight. But I’m fine now.”
“I feel like I was just as scared watching you…”
“Yes, she is…yes…”
Bandi seemed to remember it all as she rubbed her arm. Maybe I shouldn’t
have brought it up.
“Uh, sorry for bothering you. We’ll return to the city later on, so maybe we’ll
meet again.”
“Of course. Oh, and I know it’s a little late, but congratulations on being the
runner up.”
“Ahaha… Yeah, I couldn’t beat Daniela… But, thanks. See you.”
“Yes.”
We hadn’t really talked properly before, but she seemed like a nice person. I
hoped that she’d make it to A-Rank eventually.
We separated and then I returned to my shopping duties. I had clean cloth.

Daniela was getting the food. Yes, I was worried. But I had to buy the other
traveling supplies. Thankfully, I still had the magic lanterns we got from the
orcs.
“There’s plenty of money, so I should get anything that looks useful…”
Wasteful shopping occurred when you wasted something that you bought. As
long as it is still usable, it is not a waste, no matter how much you have. Or so
I told myself.
□ □ □ □
There was a sign that read, ‘Crimson Variety Shop.’ The sign itself was the
color of blood. As was the door. And the interior and everything sold within.
It was an eyesore of the worst degree.
Still, I was able to buy some cutlery that we’d be able to use. I was told that
there were many variations of red, but my eyes were in too much pain to tell
the difference.
“Cups, spoons, forks, plates…bowls…all red…”
I stuffed them in my bag and went off to search for a store that sold magic
goods. I couldn’t help but rub my eyes a little as I walked, which resulted in
my shoulder bumping into someone else. It was completely my own fault.
“I’m sorry, are you alright?”

“Ah…damn-damn, it hurts…”
I blinked and looked at the stranger. He looked like an Adventurer. A dirty

one…
“You’re injured?”
“Injured? Aye, you broke my bones you bloody fool!”
He howled as he clutched his left arm. As I had hit him with my right
shoulder, it should have hit his right as well…
Regardless, he wailed in pain. Heads began to turn in our direction. That was
no surprise. Well, it couldn’t be helped. Though, there was a bit of sneer in
his look that I didn’t like.
“Hey, you! Don’t you have anything to say!”
“I’m very sorry. I will pay for your treatment.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to go to the hospital!”
“Sorry, if you can tell me where it is.”
“Bah! That’s fine. Just give me the money, alright?”
I sighed at the predictability. It was never nice throwing your money away.
Besides, it would just encourage him.
“Oh, I just remembered. I know this remedy that was passed on in the
family.”
“What!?”
“You have to cool off the injured limb.”
And so I held my hand over his left shoulder and sent out a wave of ice
magic. It would feel cool and nice. I even used the energy around us to create
a block of ice. His right hand was now fixed tightly to his left shoulder. I was
too kind.
“He-hey! What is this!”
“Yes. Cool it down with ice and keep it still. This is perfect. You’ll be fine
now.”
“Damn you! You bastard!”
He tried to kick me with his legs but missed. He then lost his balance and fell
on the ground in an awkward position. The spectators laughed.
“Is that man crazy? He tried to take on Silvergreen!”
“Don’t you know? He was the runner up in the Imperial Sword Tournament!”
They pointed and jeered with laughter. The face of the fallen man was red
with embarrassment as he gritted his teeth. Still, he stayed down. This really
was a matter between me and him, and so I became annoyed at the spectators
that were throwing insults. Well, annoyed enough to activate Legs of the God
Wolf for a second and making them disperse.
“…Regardless, I should have watched where I was going. You are fine,
though?”
“Ah…yes…”
I converted the ice into water. Now that he was free, the man stood up and
bowed somberly.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I need to be more careful.”
The matter was settled. People were walking away after losing interest.
“Well, I have to be going.”
“Yes…”
And so I continued to walk. It was a reminder that I now had a certain status
in this city. The label of being the first runner up. It would affect my
interactions with others. I felt a little sad about it. A private feud with
someone could cause a whole mob to turn against them if it escalated. It
didn’t seem right.
“I have to think a little more before I act…”
My eyes still felt a little sore, but my head hurt even more.
chapter 261
While I hadn’t won the tournament, it had definitely resulted in a boost in
confidence and it had been a good experience. That being said, it was now
very difficult to live within the imperial city. I never did like to draw
attention to myself. I didn’t even like my alias. Still, a part of me must have
been getting carried away by fame, even though I wasn’t aware of it. This
was a good reminder.
“We should hurry up and leave…”
I couldn’t help but mutter to myself as I felt the stares. My mind was in a
very negative space now… Nope. Nope. It was best to stay positive if you
wanted to enjoy life.
And so I sighed and switched gears before continuing my shopping.
□ □ □ □
It didn’t take long to arrive at the closest store that sold magic tools.
“The ‘Rabbit Magic Tool Store.’ …Rabbit.”
Maybe I was still in a negative mood. Still, a kindly old woman I had asked
on the streets had recommended this place to me.
There was a sign over the door that had a painting of a pink rabbit on it.
Alright, it was sort of cute.
“Well, no point in standing here.”
I muttered as I opened the door. The bell of the door rang, announcing my
arrival. The place was packed with all kinds of things. There was something
fancy about the designs too. The kind of stuff girls would like.
As I wandered around, I heard the sounds of footsteps from the back of the
store. It was probably the clerk.
“Welcome.”
A young girl popped out. She had twin ponytails that were tied up with
ribbons.
“Hello. Do you help around here?”
“That is so. I’m Miruru. I am the manager.”
“Ah…are you now?”
She seemed to be very proud of her position as well. I had met a lot of people
in my life. Sometimes they were just as they seemed. Sometimes they
weren’t. This person seemed like the later. My Adventurer’s intuition was
telling me this.
“Hey, you! I told you not to go out there without permission!”
Just as I was about to trust my instincts and ask for advice on what to buy,
someone else stormed out from the back. This time it was a woman with a
single ponytail. There was definitely a resemblance…
“Bu…but, I am the manager. So I have to help the customer…”
“I’m the manager! You are too young to be a manager!”
“But…bu…!”
Her mother scolded her with the kind of authority that proved she was
correct. Miruru stomped her foot in angry defeat.
“Hey, stop doing that! We’re in front of a customer! Oh, I am terribly sorry
about this. She just…”
“Ah, please don’t mind me.”
“This customer is a nice man.”

Miruru stopped stomping her feet and ran to stand behind me. Perhaps she
thought I’d protect her from her mother.
“Hey! Come back here!”
“No!”
“Ah, this child…”
“Hmph.”
The girl was quite bent out of shape now. She would not listen. Well, it
seemed common enough at that age. Not that I had any kids of my own.
“Ahaha… I really don’t mind.”
“I’m so very sorry… I am the real manager here. Maruru. Can I help you
with anything?”
And so I asked the one true manager if she could recommend anything for
our trip. As for me, I was thinking of something that was much more
powerful than our current barrier tools. If there was something that had the
power to keep monsters away… We could sleep so much easier…
“Those things are over there.”
“Hey, be quiet!”
As the manager pondered over where she had put them, Miruru quickly
pulled me by the hand and guided me through the store. Surprisingly, she
seemed to know her way around it better…
Miss Maruru sighed with annoyance but followed after us until we arrived at
the shelf. Here, there were some square-shaped magic tools. They had rabbits
painted on them. I generally preferred more minimalist designs… Still, what
were they?
“This is a tool that stops monsters from getting inside.”

“Getting inside?”
“Yes. It is much stronger than your average barrier tool. Thunder magic will
activate and stop any monster that tries to invade.”
“Ah. That is exactly what I wanted.”
“You can place four of them around the area that you want to protect, like
this. Well, the minimum is three, but four is advisable.”
“So four is enough. Anything else I should be careful about?”
“You will want to be careful that there aren’t any obstacles between the
devices. For instance, it will not work within a forest. Grass and small bushes
should be fine, but not trees.”
“I see…”
“Additionally, most barriers emit magical energy that makes monsters avoid
them. So while they may have the same use, the result is a little different.”
Hmm. I hadn’t known that. Still, I liked the more obvious way that this
barrier was activated. It seemed like it would be very useful.
“Right. I’ll take four then. …Uh, no. Plus two as backups.”
“Thank you so much!”
Miruru shook my hand in triumphant joy. Kids really did get excited over the
smallest things. It was cute.
“Thank you. Each device costs fifty pieces of gold and thirty in silver. A set
of three costs one-hundred and sixty in gold. As you are buying two sets, that
will be three-hundred pieces of gold in all.”
“Th-that’s quite expensive…”
I had thought there was something suspiciously fancy about the design. And
it turned out that the price was pretty severe. The kind to make you sweat.
We had money, but we didn’t want to waste it. But these really did seem
good…
No, there was no point in worrying over it. This was the time to make the
purchase! Yes, I would do it. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If
you’re uncertain, just buy it!
“…Any chance of a discount?”
However, Asagi had less backbone than he’d like to thing. And he decided to
negotiate first.
The result? Three-hundred. Wonderful…
□ □ □ □
Aside from the barrier tools, I bought some better magic tools for making
fires, which replaced my old ones. Also, a water bottle. It was a water bottle
that had a lid made of water ore. This meant that it could draw out the
moisture from the air and store it inside the bottle. So, if ever I was in a
situation where I couldn’t use magic, I would still have drinking water. I
bought an ignition tool and water bottle for Daniela as well. By the time I left
the store, it was just before sundown. Things had taken longer than expected.
“Better go back then…”
And so I headed down the west road in order to return to the inn we had just
rented and would be leaving soon. As I walked, I could hear the bustling of
the city. You could feel the approach of the night not just with your eyes, but
with your ears. I had been in this city for a month now… Was that long or
short? It had sure been an eventful month.
I thought back on this city that we’d be leaving. The tournament had ended.
And things had gone back to normal. Of course, normal here was still
incredibly lively.
chapter 262
It was quite late by the time I arrived at the inn. But due to being near the
busy streets, it was still fairly loud. And so it wasn’t easy making my way
through the drunk men with their mugs of beer and the other guests staying at
the inn.
“To think that I’d be the one to return late…”
I sighed as I remembered what I had told Daniela before we parted ways. It

was bad to ask people to do things that you were incapable of doing yourself.
It brought me back to my early days as a part-time worker. I sighed again.
“Happiness will flee if you sigh too much.”
I recalled that rediculous saying as I entered the inn. A familiar person stood
with their back turned towards me. Short, platinum blonde hair. Daniela.
“Sorry. I know I’m late.’
“Hm…I just got back myself.”
Daniela said as she turned around. She was holding skewers of meat.
“I hope you have something other than meat in that bracelet of yours?”
“Hahaha.”
“It’s not funny. I’m actually worried.”
There was something a little awkward in the way she laughed. In any case,
we left the entrance and walked towards our room. While I had a bad feeling
about it, surely, it was nothing.
I grabbed the keys from the counter and followed Daniela up the stairs. She
had finished her food it seemed. Did she put the sticks in her bracelet? I hope
she wasn’t using it as a trashcan.
“We should get changed and then go out for dinner.”
“You’ve already eaten, old woman.”
“Hey, Asagi. That is extremely aggravating.”
This elf did not like to be reminded of her age.
“So? Where do you want to go? And it better not be meat.”
We had eaten nothing but meat since coming to this city. We were going to
start smelling like it before long.
“Indeed. A quiet bar might be nice for a change?”
“Hmm… I like the sound of that.”
It was an unusual suggestion from Daniela. She usually preferred meat to

drink.
I put down my bag and we both changed into rougher clothing before going
back out into the city. Up until now, I had to take a smaller bag out of the
hollow bag and use it to carry my wallet. But now, Daniela held the money in
her hollow bracelet. We had put half of the money that I used to carry into it.
It was incredibly convenient to be able to walk around without carrying
anything.
“It’s nice that you don’t even have to carry your weapons anymore.”
“But you still have your sword belt.”
“Yeah.”
While I was empty-handed, I did have the demon armor sword on my belt. It
was a relatively safe city, but you never knew what could happen. I was
pretty confident in my bare hands these days, but perhaps there would be
some other use for it. I just liked to be cautious.
We walked through the night, side by side. This was the busiest, liveliest city
we had ever been to. Also, the most populated. But that meant more places to
go. While I was expecting Daniela to take a long time deciding…she seemed
to be walking with a sense of purpose. Had she heard about this place
beforehand? I suppose she was going to escort me. I felt like a lousy date.
“There is a good place just around the corner.”
“Uhuh.”
“…What?”
“Hmm? What?”
“…?”
I had been a little distracted as I argued with myself, but I pushed those
feelings aside. We turned the corner and entered an ordinary alley. There
were doors and small windows on both sides where soft light poured out.
There was something foreign about it all. Like we had stumbled into a
different county. Well, I was in a whole different world.
Daniela went to the fourth door and knocked. The light behind it seemed to
become brighter.
“Why are you standing there? Let us go in.”
“Yeah.”
Daniela turned around to call me over. The interior was that of a very chic,
atmospheric bar. There was a counter and a few tables. It honestly made me
hate the clothes I was wearing. My shirt and trousers may have been made
from wind dragon, they were too rough for a place like this. I should be
wearing a suit and tie. What was worse, Daniela was wearing rough clothing
too, but she somehow pulled it off in a way that I couldn’t. This was the gap
between us…
“Welcome.”
“Two sweet wines.”
“Certainly.”
There was a young, handsome man who prepared the drinks. Daniela had
already taken a seat down by the counter and patted the one next to hers.
“Hurry up and sit down.”
“Right.”
I was nervous from my head to my toes. It was very uncomfortable. Surely it

wouldn’t have hurt her to choose a place that was a better fit for me? Well, I
suppose this place fitted her quite well. Still, I was a little annoyed. But I was
also aware that it was stupid to feel this way. Sometimes humans were just
controlled by their emotions.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you very much. It looks wonderful.”
“Asagi…”
I accepted the glass of red wine with both hands and slowly raised it to my
lips. Daniela was looking at me with an exasperated expression. Maybe that
was why I couldn’t taste a thing.
“Uh, it’s incredibly delicious.”
“Good to hear.”
My nerves were doing a bad job of calming down. Oh, now I was getting
dizzy.
“I suppose you were not ready…”
I heard Daniela mutter. And then I blacked out.

□ □ □ □
Apparently, being incredibly nervous and drinking strong wine were a bad
combination. And Daniela had suffered the embarrassment of carrying me
back to the inn.
“Well, that is never happening again. I will have to go alone.”
“Don’t say that… I am sorry…”
I had never been able to go to such a place before. There were some things in
this world that just couldn’t be helped.
However, Daniela crossed her arms stubbornly. By the time I was able to
placate her, the sun was already high in the sky.
“Should we go to a normal place for lunch?”
“Yeah. I love normal.”
Daniela touched her forehead and sighed.
We sat down to what was really a brunch and talked about what we would do
next.
“…So, how long will it take us to reach this Reserentrible place?”
“It is three days on foot…I believe. But there is a dense forest on the way.”
Usually, you would discuss your trip in advance and then shop for supplies.
But as we had no carry limit, we stocked up first.
“A forest, huh? It’s been a while…”
“Aye. There will be goblins and kobolds there. It is supposed to be very

dense and dark.”
Daniela said as she read from the paper she was holding. I had killed kobolds
in a mine once. They liked to dig dark and narrow holes and tunnels. The
forest must be pretty dark for them to live there.
“There are also lizards and other smaller monsters… Hmm. Well, nothing I
would say is dangerous.”
“But, don’t you think it’s possible that the dungeon could be having an effect
on them now?”
Maybe monsters had crawled out of the dungeon and moved to the forest. It
was easy enough to imagine.
“Who knows? This is all the information I was able to get at the guild. But
there is nothing about any changes… At least not yet.”
“Hmm…”
Well, they had just recently found out that it was seventy percent of the
dungeon that had been swallowed up, not half. I don’t know how much time
it was in between, but the information was constantly updated. I only hoped
that Daniela’s information was new and still relevant…
“Well, I guess we won’t know until we go. It should be fine as long as we’re
prepared.”
“Indeed. Food and magic tools are no longer a problem.”
“Really? I haven’t seen proof of any fish or vegetables being bought yet?”
“Shut up… I told you. I bought them.”
“You better have…”
Daniela puffed out her cheeks sulkily as she ate her bread. I glared back and
chewed on my salad.
“Mmm…gg… Right. We should buy more potions and other medicine.”
“We have the money. So there is no harm in getting everything that we can.”
“And not just healing stuff. I want potions for status effects as well.”
If we wanted to survive, it would be best to be able to deal with as many

situations as possible.
“You mean like burns or to fight drowsiness?”
“Yeah. I really don’t know much about them. But are there potions that work
against petrification?”
“Yes. But they are very expensive.”
The reason that I wondered about this, was because I had seen a ‘Petrification
Shield’ at the auction. It was a magic shield that turned swords into stone, no
matter what they were made of. They had even demonstrated it in front of us.
Apparently, it had been made with a monster’s eye.
In other words, there was a monster out there that could turn things into
stone.
“Alright, let’s go and buy them after we finish eating.”
“I do not know where it is. We will have to stop by at the guild.”
“Right.”
Now that we had decided on what to do next, I hurriedly cleaned the rest of
my plate while still savoring the taste.
chapter 263
The Vellefrost Adventurers Guild Headquarters was intimidating and
crowded as ever. In most places, Adventurers went in the morning in order to
find work on the quest board. But in the capital, it was constantly updated,
and so there were always people there to check it.
We made our way through the crowds until we reached the counters. Our
destination was ‘Questions & Other.’
“It’s so busy today.”
“I dislike waiting in lines.”
Daniela said with annoyance, but we had to line up if we wanted help. We

had no choice.
As for me, I didn’t even think our line was that long. And so I stood at the
back and counted the stains on the ceiling as we waited. Unfortunately, they
actually cleaned the place, and there were not many stains to count.
□ □ □ □
It was what, ten minutes? I barely felt a thing, but Daniela looked like she
was tired already. Maybe it was because we had just had lunch. …No, that’s
not it. Her stomach had the vastness of space itself.
“Hello. How can I help you?”
“Hello. We’d like to know where we can find a store that sells potions.
Specifically, the kind to help us on our journey.”
“Certainly. Let me find you a map.”
They must have been used to these kinds of questions. The guild worker
quickly produced such a map and began writing directions on it. Just an easy
line. Smart…
“This store here. They have a wide selection of potions.”
“Thank you. This will really help us.”
“My pleasure. Please be careful.”
I accepted the map and thanked the guild worker before leaving. The person
behind me immediately stepped forward, and things continued like clock-
work.
My eyes dropped to the map. Hmm. It was a little far from the guild. And the
route was rather winding. Still, we shouldn’t get lost.
And so we left the guild and started walking. We had a map. It would be
easy.
Daniela even took out some meat skewers out of her bracelet for us to enjoy
on our stroll. Walking at this leisurely pace allowed you to see new things
about sights you thought were familiar. Shops you barely noticed before
suddenly proved to be very interesting. What looked like an empty alley
would have children running out of it. Further inspection would show that
there was a park on the other side.
After the Imperial Sword Tournament, I had been moaning about how it was
becoming difficult to live here. But really…I wouldn’t mind staying longer.
“Over here.”
We turned a corner, just as the map instructed. The street here was rather
narrow, and the buildings were all two stories high, which made the sky feel
darker.
Of course, we weren’t looking at the sky. Further ahead, there would be an

even smaller back alley for us to walk through.
Several people passed us by as we walked. Eventually, we came into a place

that felt very different from the other busy streets. It felt refreshing and new.
Perhaps it was the general lack of tourists. This was a place mainly filled with
citizens and merchants. It was like when you go to a big city for amusement
purposes but make a wrong turn and suddenly end up in a residential district.
“Fresh vegetables!”
Huh, seemed like a good time to buy some… I just couldn’t trust Daniela in
this one department.
“Hello. I’d like to buy some vegetables.”
“Ah! Not many youngsters like you care to buy them! But you know, eating
only meat at such a young age will turn you into a savage! You need
vegetables to help calm your spirit!”
I smiled thinly as he began to sermonize. Then I looked at what he was

selling. Of course, they didn’t use chemicals in this world. At most, they
would mix red pepper in water and use that. And so the vegetables were all
organic and delicious.
I could feel Daniela glaring behind me as I selected a few and paid for them
with silver.
“Thank you.”
“Aye! Come back any time!”
That was not likely, but I did hope that business would be good for him.
□ □ □ □
“You do know that I already bought vegetables?”
“Oh? Let’s see them then.”
“The bracelet is acting strangely…”
Daniela muttered as she tapped it. I would have to be responsible for food
next time.
Well, I really had no one to blame but myself…
“Hmph. Eating so much vegetables will only make you weak.”
“You can’t travel while only eating meat. It’s called balance, Daniela.”
“Hmph.”
Perhaps it didn’t affect her as much. After all, she could eat a mountain of
meat. But it paid to be safe.
“I want you to stay healthy. A balanced diet is important for a long life.”
“…Hahh… If you are going to say that, then I have no choice but to yield.”
It’s not like she was incapable of eating it. We used to eat both every night
during our travels. And she would always drink the soup and even ask for
more. It was only when we came here that her obsession with meat went out
of control… I had to get her back on the right path, or we didn’t have any
hope of surviving this dungeon.
And so my mind was full of ideas regarding Daniela’s nutritional education

in the future as we continued walking. However, Daniela stopped after a few
steps.
“There.”
Daniela pointed at one of the stores. I braced myself and looked, but it turned
out to be an ordinary shop and not a pile of meat. Why was she pointing at it?
Then I realized it wasn’t the shop, but the person standing in front of it.
“Oh…that’s…”
“It is Aeneus.”
The Adventurer who fought with a trident. We had met him in Yukka. I
remember him saying something about entering the tournament. But I didn’t
see him at all.
“Hey, Aeneus.”
“Hm? Ah, it’s you. Been a while.”
He was always so calm. It was a bit of a relief to see that nothing had
changed.
“What an odd place to find you.”
“Really? I thought we told each other that we’d be entering the tournament.”
“Haha. Oh, I decided not to, once I knew you were going to fight.”
What the hell…
“And not only that, but Bandi was going to be there too. Yes, I turned right
around and took a spectator’s seat.”
“Huh? You know Bandi?”
I was a little surprised to hear that name from him.
“No, we’re not acquainted. But she is very famous. At least, among us who
wield spears.”
“I see.”
Both of them were experts in that area. I suppose she was famous among this
network of spear-wielders then. You would think that would make you want
to fight her even more, but Aeneus might have been the type of person who
preferred to watch.
“I was watching your fight too. Aye, then I was really glad that I didn’t
bother.”
“I’m not sure how I should feel about that…”

Aeneus sounded rather cheerful. Well, it was his decision, so there was no
point in arguing with him.
We chatted a little after that, but the store owner started coughing in our
direction, and so we left. Daniela had really only greeted Aeneus in the
beginning and then wandered off to some shopping.
“Well, I better get going then. Maybe we’ll meet somewhere else.”
“I’m sure we will. And when that time comes, I’ll be as famous is Bandi.”
“Of course, you will. You’ve got that great spear, after all.”
“I hope so… See, you Asagi. You too, Daniela.”
“Yeah, be safe!”
“Farewell.”
Aeneus waved at us as we left. Daniela waved her stick in the air. I knew he
was coming to the city, but hadn’t expected to meet him here…
“Let’s go.”
“Aye.”
We had some potions to buy. I was sure that there were wonderful selections
waiting for us on those shelves. I couldn’t wait to see them.
chapter 264
We separated from Aeneus and continued then on while relying on the map
from the guild. It was just around the corner.
“Harvey’s Potions. …Yeah, this is it.”
I compared our position to the map just to make sure. Yes, it was fine. This
was the place that the guild had recommended.
“Let us go then.”
“Ah, wait up.”
Daniela already had her hand on the door. She never liked to talk with clerks,
and yet she was often the first through the door… But all the negotiating
would be up to me.
I followed after her. The interior was quite dark. I had heard of chemicals that
change color under sunlight, so maybe it was similar to that… There were
rows of shelves that went all the way to the back. And they were lined with a
great variety of bottles in different shapes and colors. It was pretty crazy, but
I liked it.
We moved through the narrow space between the shelves until we reached
the counter. However, there was no one there.
“Hmm… What to do…”
“They must be in the back.”
“Huh?”
Daniela stared towards the back. How did she know? Then she looked at me
and sighed.
“Did it not occur to you to use Presence Detection?”
“Ah.”
I had forgotten completely. I used to use it all of the time in town, back when
the skill level was low. It was so I could raise it. But I tended to have it
switched off now that I had caught up with Daniela. That was a huge waste.
Really. And yeah, there was someone back there. One person. Maybe we
could call out and be noticed. As for Daniela…she was cursed, apparently.
“Hello?”
I called out. After a few seconds, I felt the presence getting closer. That was
good. I wouldn’t need to shout again. I didn’t like doing that.
“Yes-yes. What can I do for you?”
A kind-looking older man appeared. He had a white beard that looked very
soft.
“Uhh, I want a few normal healing potions and some recovery potions for
status effects.”
“What about quality?”
Right, quality. The ones with more vibrant colors were supposed to be better.
Bright green was good for healing wounds and bright yellow for recovering
energy. It was pretty weird that drinking something could close your wounds,
but that was how things worked in this world.
“On the higher end, please.”
“Yes, certainly.”
The old man nodded as he came out from behind the counter and started to
move around the store. We followed him to a shelf that was lined with
particularly bright bottles.
“Hmm…”
He grabbed a green bottle and a yellow bottle first.
“Is this high enough for you?”
“Uhh…”
I tried to look like I knew what I was doing for a second, before deciding to
ask Daniela.
“Is it?”
“I think it is rather good. The color is bright. It might even heal a limb that is
about to fall off.”
It was a nice green, but that seemed insane… How much would it cost…?
“How much for one bottle?”
“Thirty pieces of gold.”
Woah. Well, I suppose it was cheap if you considered the price of the loss of
a limb?
“Asagi, we should buy it. Buy a few.”
It must be a good deal for Daniela to make such a quick decision. And with
that, I unloosened my purse strings.
In the end, we left with six yellow and green bottles each and three red ones
that were good for burns. I also got six blue ones that healed frostbite and
three purple restoratives. I even managed to get four of the white petrification
potions I had been wanting. They were all expensive, but it was worth it.
From what I heard from Daniela, there were other status effects like paralysis,
but potions for them were rare to nonexistent.
However, there were a lot of potions that surprised me. Like the ones for
illnesses. Luckily, neither of us had gotten sick so far. Even a cold would
slow us down considerably. There were hospitals, but they were mainly for
treating wounds. As far as I knew, this world didn’t have much in the way of
anti-virus measures. So it was pretty great that we were able to get these
potions.
“Thank you. We’ll feel much safer as we travel now.”
“No, thank you. And please be careful.”
And with that, we left Harvey’s Potion Store behind us. A nice man who sells
high-quality potions. It was no surprise that the guild recommended him.
□ □ □ □
I suddenly started to feel cold as we walked back to the inn. And that brought
back a memory of something Daniela and I had talked about. It was nearing
the icesnow season.
“Indeed. Snow will fall and the temperature will drop. Our travels will be
much harder when the lakes freeze and our limbs grow cold.”
So, we would need winter clothes. Well, Daniela did have her new cape from
the Emperor, and I could use ice magic and also wore ice dragon armor. Still,
I was worried. It seemed like a good idea to buy some, just in case.
“I do not need anything. I have my jade wind dragon cape.”
“Yeah-yeah. It’s very pretty.”
I said irritably as Daniela smugly pulled it out of her bracelet and threw it
over her shoulders. I wanted a cape too. While my magic allowed me to
adjust the temperature a little, it used energy. It would be best to not rely on
it.
“I think I’ll buy something…”
“I hope you find something as good as my jade wind dragon cape.”
“There’s no way that I will…”
I’d be worried about the state of the world if I found one so easily. But even
if my standards weren’t that high, I did want a good one. In this world,
investing in the wrong thing could lead to grave consequences. So I wanted
something that was warm but also effective in terms of defense.
And for that reason, we soon found ourselves in the Solitude store.
“I’m looking for a cape to keep me warm.”
“This is quite sudden.”
I just knew that I’d find what I was looking for here. It didn’t matter when I
came. I knew it was a long shot, but surely it wouldn’t be a miss…
“Also, with high defense.”
“Ah… Uh, just wait one moment.”
Miss Amarilith said as she crossed her arms and disappeared in the back. I
could hear her muttering to herself all the while. Good. It seemed like she had
something. The fact that she had stuff left over when I had come out of
nowhere was pretty impressive. I had assumed that many people would be
buying capes in preparation for the cold season. Just like how air conditioners
and fans get sold out during the summer. But then again, prices were pretty
high here, so maybe that kept them at bay.
I considered all of this while looking at Daniela, who was thoughtfully

staring at some cute clothes; and I waited for Miss Amarilith to return.
chapter 265
Miss Amarilith came back after about ten minutes. She was holding some
very expensive-looking cloth… It was a cape.
“Unfortunately, it’s not made of dragon materials.”
She said with a chuckle. We may have been in the Imperial Capital, but that
didn’t mean they just had dragon capes lying around. Still, what she was
holding looked pretty impressive. It was pure white.
“The fibers are beautiful. What is this made of?”
“It is made from the web of spiders that live in the snow fields.”
“Spiders?”
“Yes. The ‘Snow Arachne.’ They are half spider and half human.”
“I see…”
I always thought those demi-humans were cute. Not that I would tell Daniela.
Besides, they tended to be rather vicious in this world. They were monsters,
after all. Sometimes I wondered what would happen if it was possible to
communicate. Still, that wasn’t realistic.
“Are they pretty?”
“Asagi?”
But I was curious. Even the promise of an angry glare from Daniela could not
stop me.
“Hmm? Snow Arachnes are male.”
“…”
But I thought Arachnes were female!? Who named them!?
“Well, it is said that they are handsome. Perhaps you should be careful they
don’t take Daniela.”
“I have no use for other men.”
Daniela said flatly. While those words made me happy, the stony look in her
eye dampened the effect a little.
In any case, I picked up the cape and looked at it. It felt nice. So, this texture
was the result of some handsome guy’s webs…
It was better to not think about it.
Regardless of its origins, it was a high-quality product.
“How is it in terms of protecting you from the cold and physical attacks?”
“It’s the best I have, currently. It should be warm and very durable. It is also
waterproof and does not get dirty very easily.”
“I was never going to insist on a dragon cape, but there really are other good
ones, huh?”
My first full set had been dragon, and it had helped me through many battles.
So in a way, it had narrowed my idea of what was reliable. I would have to
fix that. We were going dungeon crawling. We would have to use whatever
we could, regardless of what it was made of if we wanted to survive.
“I’ll take it then.”
“Thank you. It is eighteen in gold.”
“That’s rather cheap.”
“No, it is just dragon that is expensive.”
I see. I see. There weren’t many people who could fight and win against
those things. Not only that, but there weren’t even that many dragons out
there. Most Adventurers would get by with equipment made by ordinary
monsters. And eighteen in gold wasn’t actually cheap.
“Thank you!”
I took the money out of my wallet and handed it to her. Miss Amarilith
counted it carefully and then offered me the cape with a big smile on her face.
“By the way, seeing as you needed this, are you leaving the city?”
“Yes. We’re going to investigate the town to the south. We’ll have to return
once to make a report…but after that…we haven’t exactly decided.”
I looked over to Daniela and she nodded. We would figure that out once we
were finished with the investigation.
“So, we may never see each other again.”
“Maybe. But we’re very thankful for everything that you’ve done.”
“Oh, drop it. It’s all just business for me!”
She said with an embarrassed laugh. I doubted anyone else would have been
able to repair my equipment. And it was the same with this cape. In a way, I
had her to thank for my position in the tournament.
“Thank you. We’ll try to come back if we can.”
“I see. Maybe business will be good enough that I’ll have a bigger store by
then. You won’t have any trouble finding me then.”
She offered her hand and I shook it. The hands of crafters were always bigger
than they seemed.
I then put on the cape and pulled my hood out from under it. Hmm, the color
suited me well. Once I was finished, I looked to the side on saw Daniela
saying her farewells to Miss Amarilith.
“Goodbye then.”
“Aye, be careful!”
We closed the door and left Solitude behind us. The best tailor in the capital.
I would advise any new visitors to the city to give it a look. I’m sure they will
find something that is perfect for them.
□ □ □ □
Now, we were fully prepared. Nothing was left undone. We bought what we
needed.
We even had potions for dealing with potential threats.
“So, the last thing to do would be to go accept the quest at the guild.”
“Yes.”
Investigating the Reserentrible Labyrinth. We might not even be allowed to

enter the town if we didn’t accept it. Security would be pretty tight there
these days. The last thing they wanted was for merchants and travelers to
wander in.
“I have not told you about this, Asagi, but I have encountered a similar
situation once. These ‘labyrinth disasters.’”
“You have?”
Daniela told me as we walked to the guild. Apparently, they called this a

labyrinth disaster. The dungeon cores that lay deep in the dungeons were set
to react in certain ways. Once you touched it, the trap was activated. There
were not enough case studies to be able to predict what would happen. But
Daniela assured me that they would all be bad.
“This dungeon is especially close to the imperial capital. And so many

merchants and Adventurers gathered in this town. That is why the damage is
so immense.”
“So, we’ll have to help people while we investigate it then.”
“No, I do not think that is important.”
“Huh?”
But if the dungeon was encroaching on a town with a large population, then
surely there would be people who are wounded if not worse.
“The residents are well aware of the dangers of living near a dungeon. They
are not going to plead for help once the fangs turn towards them.”
“That might be true, but…”
“In fact, you are made to sign such an agreement before moving there.”
“I see…”
Danger and business were side by side. I guess it was true no matter where
you were. Daniela chuckled and continued.
“Besides, the residents are likely tough. I am sure they are already trying to
make a profit off of this.”
“Hehe. I suppose.”
Merchants never let an opportunity to make money slip passed them. Perhaps
there was a lot of interesting stuff to discover there. I was feeling a mixture of
excitement and apprehension.
“So, what was this ‘labyrinth disaster’ thing like when you encountered it?”
“Let me see…it was nearly thirty years ago. The town was also right above
the dungeon. No one had ever conquered it, and it swallowed up many
Adventurers for years. Those were the rumors that attracted me to it. The
disaster happened just before I arrived.”
Thirty years ago… Daniela still looked young now. She would be close to
thirty in human years. However, she looked closer to my own age.
“It was a normal town. There was a protective wall and houses within… And
the dungeon was in the center. And then the dungeon suddenly shot towards
the sky.”
“It what?”
“Yes. It became a gigantic tower.”
That was hard to imagine. The town became a tower? So many people must
have died. All of those houses… You could open your door one day and find
yourself suddenly facing a monster.
“What happened after that?”
“I and many other Adventurers entered the tower…but the monsters were too
strong… And so I had to give up and retreat.”
“It’s important to know when to fall back.”
“It was not worth risking my life, yes. I have not heard any news about it
since then, so it is probably still there. Unconquered.”
A town with a giant tower… It sounded kind of interesting. But, well,

priorities. Maybe this tower would be something we could consider after
gaining some experience.
As I listened to Daniela’s story, the guild came into view. Now we just had to
accept the quest and leave the city.
“…Hmm?”
“Oh, hello.”
When I opened the door, Lemon and Manager were standing there.
chapter 266
Asagi Harem
“Oh? What are you two doing here?”
“I should be asking you that, Manager. Is it a quest?”
The Manager and the grey elf were standing in front of us.
Daniela and I were in the same party. What about these two?
“Ah, we bumped into each other yesterday. And I suppose we just hit it off
well enough that we decided to do a quest together. And there happened to be
a very interesting one.”
“Exactly! Miss Rindo has been telling me the most amusing things! So we
formed a party!”
“A party? You sure move fast…”
Daniela was right. It was quite surprising.
“Yes. Forming a party was the main goal. But we thought we should do a
quest to celebrate… In fact, we are just about to leave.”
“I see. So, what kind of quest is it?”
“Hmm? Oh, dungeon crawling.”
“Ah…”
Surely, it wasn’t the Reserentrible Investigation?
“Rindo, are you going to the town towards the south?”
“Impressive, Daniela. You guessed that just by hearing the word ‘dungeon’?”
“Aye. We came here to accept the same quest. We already finished making
preparations.”
So, it was the same quest after all. While Manager would likely be fine,
Lemon had only just become an Adventurer… It seemed dangerous. She
considered us veterans, even though she was actually quite a bit older.
Though, her appearance was closer to a sixteen-year-old.
“I see. You two are going as well. Hmm. We might as well go together then.”
“Yes. I do not see why not.”
“I would be very relieved if you two joined us!”
“Oh? Does that mean you were worried about it just being the two of us,
Lemon?”
“No-no-no-not at aaaall! Ahahaha…”
“Very well. We should go and accept the quest then… Come, Asagi.”
“Ah, uh, right.”
I hadn’t gotten a word in before the decision was made. I wasn’t sure how to
react to all of this.
□ □ □ □
I grabbed the card from the quest board and put it on the desk along with my
status card.
“Very good. So, Mister Asagi and Miss Daniela, you have accepted the quest
to investigate the southern labyrinth town of Reserentrible. We have recently
had reports of a trap being triggered that resulted in the dungeon being
inverted.”
“Inverted?”
“Yes. The upper and lower layers have been inverted. Much of the town is
now very, very deep underground. The residents had been told to evacuate in
advance, but some insisted on staying in their houses. Obviously, we have no
obligation to rescue such people, but if you do encounter anyone, you should
tell them to evacuate.”
So there really were people who remained for business purposes. They said
we didn’t have to save them, but I don’t see how we could abandon anyone
who was being attacked by monsters right in front of us.
“The guild’s demand is that you investigate and resolve the situation. As an
A-Ranker, you should prioritize the latter.”
“That’s what we intended to do.”
“It is good to hear you say that. Obviously, there is a chance that thieves and
criminals may also appear. You have permission to exterminate such people.”
Bandits always seemed to appear in such situations. I suppose it was the

promise of gold and valuables lying around. Yes, we would take down any
that we encountered.
“Now, do you have any questions?”
“I’m fine. Daniela?”
“No.”
“What she said.”
“Very well. Here are your status cards. Now go, and please be safe.”
We accepted the status cards. I gave Daniela hers and looked at mine.
“Open Status.”
Race: Human
Alias: Silvergreen
LV: 89
HP: 850/850
MP: 835/835
STR: 463 VIT: 481
AGI: 936 DEX: 482
INT: 455 LUK: 39
Skills: Jack of all Trades, Master of None(-), Legs of the God Wolf(-), Eyes
of the God Wolf(-), Single-handed Sword(9/10), Shortsword(6/10),
Spear(3/10), Bow(2/10), Greatsword(6/10), Presence Detection(8/10),
Presence Block(4/10), Night Eyes(5/10)
Quests: Investigating the Reserentrible Labyrinth Disaster
Equipment: Armor
Head – None
Torso – Ice Dragon Breastplate
Arms – Ice Dragon Gauntlets
Legs – Ice Dragon Leg Guards

Weapons – Glampanzer
None
Clothes – Wind Dragon Poncho
– Wind Dragon Waist Cloth
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
The last time I checked had been before entering the tournament. I had also
killed that Wind Dragon, but it seemed that I was at a point where my level
didn’t really go up by much anymore. Still, three was pretty good. I would be
in the nineties soon. That was exciting. We’ve been doing quests like proper
Adventurers. Everything was good.
Daniela finished looking at her own status card and nodded to me. Then we
went over to where Manager and Lemon were waiting. They were sitting on a
bench together and talking happily. They must have really hit it off. I always
found her somewhat mysterious and intimidating… Well, I suppose I didn’t
anymore. Lemon seemed like the type who could get along with anyone.
They were laughing together. Perhaps they were perfect for each other. There
was something about Lemon’s smile that was void of any ill will.
Still, we were starting to look a little bit like a harem. Obviously, it wasn’t
anything of the sort. But there were elves and an older sister type and a
younger sister type… It was a little too close to some kind of template.
“Asagi. Doesn’t this remind you of one of those harem things?”
“Manager…”
“Oh, I can see that…!”

Lemon joined in.
“No. I am Asagi’s only husband.”
“I’d be the husband, you dumbass.”
“Hahaha! Well, we’ll be counting on you. I have some experience as well, so

this arrangement should be beneficial to us all.”
“This is my first quest, but I’ve been fighting for a long time! And I’ve killed
my share of bandits, so you don’t have to worry about me.”
“Right. That’s great. Daniela is a veteran, but I’m still pretty inexperienced.”
And like that, our temporary party of four was formed. Well, it was more like
two parties. In any case, it was off to Reserentrible. It would be terrible if we
arrived and the entire town had already been swallowed up by the dungeon.
chapter 267
We returned to our inn after deciding that we would leave the capital on the
following day. I told the innkeeper we would be leaving so we could check
out, and then we packed our things, had a quick meal and went straight to
bed. …Well, Daniela did invite me to a little night sport, so we didn’t sleep
immediately.
“It will be a long time until we can do it again…”
“I’m not so sure…”
But now that I think about it, we had been quite busy recently with the
tournament and the auction and other events. It had been a while, which
resulted in us getting a little carried away.
Still, I slept soundly that night. We only barely got up in time to check out of
the inn. After that, I had to use Presence Block and Legs of the God Wolf in
order to meet the others at the guild without being too late.
“You must think very highly of yourself to not be on time.”
“Sorry…”
“Well, I will forgive you then. But the amount will be docked from your
wages”
“I don’t work for you anymore…”
It was rather nostalgic, though. A past I couldn’t return to…
That being said, I had never been late to work.
It was colder than usual. And so I took out the cape from my bag and put it
on. Daniela had also taken her own out at some point and was wearing it.
Damn, that bracelet was convenient… I looked at her with envy as we
walked towards the south gate and filled our stomachs with street food.
Apparently, Manager and Lemon were always packed and ready to be able to
leave, and so they also had winter clothes. Manager had come from a colder
region in the first place, which was convenient as she had been disguising
herself. They were both carrying medium-sized backpacks as they followed
after me and Daniela.
“To think that we would one day travel together like this… Life sure is
strange, Asagi.”
“I’m also surprised to be traveling with you people.”
They muttered. As for me, I had actually thought something like this would
happen. I knew that things wouldn’t be normal the moment that she showed
up. Well, perhaps I didn’t expect to keep bumping into Lemon. In any case,
while traveling with just Daniela was great, it couldn’t hurt to experience
being in a larger group as well. We had traveled with Fiona to Spiris, but that
was mostly just rushing through the plains.
“So, we just have to go out the south gate and go straight through the forest.
Reserentrible will be on the other side. Unfortunately, there are no official
carriages going out, as it is too dangerous.”
“Official?”
I asked Daniela, who had suddenly turned into a guide.
“Illegal…would be a bit of an exaggeration. But yes, there are carriages.

However, they charge five times as much.”
“Ugh.”
“It is because of the danger to the driver and the assumption that any who
would go would have heavy pockets. Is there not a saying about tough times
and opportunities?”
“I guess there is…”

Probably something that old Hero said.
“It is too expensive. Besides, we should not have any trouble getting through
the forest. Asagi even purchased some barrier tools that should keep us safe
at night.”
“I don’t know if it will mean much if some ridiculously strong monster

appears… But then again, we wouldn’t need barriers to notice something like
that.”
Saying such things could raise a flag, but we had three Imperial Sword
Tournament fighters here. And Lemon had a lot of experience fighting
bandits and monsters as a town guard. It was way too early for us to start
stumbling.
“We will journey to the forest edge today. Then we enter it tomorrow and
hopefully reach the other side before nightfall. After resting, we will enter
Reserentrible on the third day. It is the fastest we can go without inviting too
much danger.”
“…Hmm. I suppose it is fine. How about you, Lemon?”
“Of course, I’m fine. Miss Rindo.”
They probably didn’t bother to ask me, because I had Legs of the God Wolf.
They knew what this skill could do. As for it being from a monster… -
though, Rachel might not appreciate that description- I just told them that it
was someone powerful. I never did like explaining things… And it wasn’t as
if I knew much myself. She had insisted that it was privacy protection.
“So, there’s the plan. It should be easy enough. It’s been a while since I
traveled with others, so I want to enjoy it.”
“Me as well… And there is a lot that I want to hear from Asagi on the way.”
“I don’t have much to tell.”
She jabbed me in the ribs with a mischievous grin. But it was true, I wasn’t
sure what I could tell her that would be interesting.
“First of all, what were you doing last night?”
“Alright, let’s go. Lemon, do you want to be left behind?”
“Oh, wait a minute!”
I called to her just as we went through the south gate. Daniela and Manager
were talking amusedly about something as I gave the guard our status cards.
Unfortunately, I did not have Ears of the God Wolf.
□ □ □ □
We came out to a vast open field. There were small hills in the distance. It
reminded me a little of Spiris. There was a dirt-colored path splitting it in
half. A hardened road. It was wide enough for carriages to pass each other.
“I heard that the Empire intends to pave some actual roads here.”
Manager said. I imagined the amount of stone that would require. Still, it
would make traveling easier for many people. More traffic meant more
money. The city would grow even larger… Maybe there would be taverns
and inns on the side of this road by then. Future tournaments would get even
more crowded… It was a nice thought.
“The increased traffic would mean the city will be overflowing with people.”
“But, that is a good thing!”
Daniela and Lemon voiced what I had been thinking, so I just nodded. This
place had a long history, but it would continue to develop. I hoped the capital
of Lambrusen was similarly glorious. I wanted to visit it one day…
It was easy traveling through the plains. The weather was nice, and while we
met other travelers, there were no monsters. Besides, this wasn’t just an
ordinary merchant road. It led to what was practically a nest for people who
fought as their trade. If anything, monsters would probably want to stay
away.
Several hours passed after we started. The grass grew taller and the trees
started to appear.
“We should be careful.”
Daniela suggested. I instinctively touched my weapon of choice for the day.

The demon armor sword. It really was easy to use. It felt like a part of my
body now. I was quite sure that I could smoothly sheath and unsheath it on
my back at this point. Or maybe I was delusional. The blade itself was very
durable, which was no surprise, since it was ore that was usually used for
armor. It made me wonder what a set of armor made from it would be like.
I used Presence Detection as we moved. After a while, I sensed something up

ahead. As Daniela had the same skill level, she noticed it at the same time
and stopped.
“It is behind those trees and boulders. Goblins.”
I couldn’t even tell what the monster was. Recognizing their signals was
easy, but not at this distance… I suppose Daniela’s experience still gave her
the upper hand in that area.
This was our first monster after leaving the capital. If we wanted to maintain
our good start, we’d best be careful, but also bold. I prayed for our success in
Reserentrible as I unsheathed the friend that hung on my belt.
chapter 268
The goblins were slaughtered swiftly and then we took a short break.
“Well, we are a group of three A-Rankers and veteran town guard. It would
have been unfathomably embarrassing if they put up much of a fight.”
Daniela muttered as she drank water from the bottle I had bought her. She
was right. Staying on your guard was good and all, but goblins were goblins.
I couldn’t feel nervous about it no matter how much I tried. And to think
there was a time when I ran for my life back in the Fhiraldo forest…
Once we had all finished quenching our thirst, we started walking again.
While there were more trees now, they were still short and thin. We weren’t
quite inside of the forest yet. These trees didn’t even have fruits. What if they
were monsters in disguise…? No, if they were, they would have fruits in
order to attract their prey.
“I just remembered something that happened a long time ago…”
Daniela suddenly began as she looked up at the sky. Daniela didn’t often talk
about her past. And so I listened carefully.
“This is when I was a guard for a merchant caravan, and we had to travel
through a forest. And so I and another Adventurer went on ahead to make
sure there were no monsters or bandits on our route. While we walked, I
looked up and there was a branch with fruit hanging from it.”
“Ah, the blessing of the forest!”
“Aye, it looked quite delicious. And the man who I was with saw it too, and
he immediately asked if he could pick it. He did not wait for a reply, and
went running straight towards the tree.”
This guy didn’t sound very smart. Anyone who was nearly as cautious as I
would not have gotten close to it.
“So, what happened?”
“It was a monster tree.”
“What!”
“Ahh.”
“I see.”
Lemon. Me. Manager.
“Yes, the trunk of the tree suddenly spread open… Rows and rows of razor-
sharp teeth tore into the man’s torso as he was caught. I was not so
experienced back then, and panicked. I pulled out my bow and unleashed un
arrow. Most amusingly, it went straight into his bottom.”
Daniela was the only one laughing. I doubted it was very funny for that guy
as well…
“The man was so surprised that he started to jerk around madly. And that
ultimately helped him escape the tree’s grasp. I was able to calm down and
deal with it after that. So you see, my arrow saved that man’s life…”
“That’s a terrible story…”
“Asagi, you can rely on me if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
Though, I cannot promise that you will come out of it with the same number
of ass holes.”
“You wouldn’t dare!’
I had been expecting a story that would teach me something useful… But
well, Lemon and Manager were chuckling, so I suppose it served to create a
peaceful atmosphere. Hmm. And now that I think of it, I at least knew to be
more wary of trees with fruits… It did seem a little forced. But I would take
that lesson.
□ □ □ □
Just as the sun started to fall, the forest came into view. At this point, we had
encountered goblins, grass wolves and other weak monsters. Daniela had
suggested that the labyrinth disaster had caused a lull in traffic, which in turn
meant that monsters were widening their area of activity. But even with the
disaster, there were still people traveling to Reserentrible. Adventurers saw it
as a chance to make a name for themselves. Merchants were willing to brave
the dangers for the business opportunity. So while there may have been more
monsters than before, it was not by much…I think.
We chose a place on top of a small hill to set up camp. It gave us a good view
of the forest. Of course, it would make us quite visible to others, but…at least
we would be able to see them as well. We used the dome-shaped tent that
Daniela had brought, and Manager used her own tent. The first tent that
Daniela bought had been blown away by the Wind Dragon…and so she got a
new one. That incident had made me feel like I should have a backup, but I
wasn’t able to find another one that I liked. Still, I bought a simple triangle
tent, because I didn’t want to have to rely solely on Daniela’s…but it was
kind of small for two people.
I watched as the others pitched the tents with skilled ease. At the same time, I
took some firewood out of the hollow bag.
“You seem to have everything you could need in there, Mister Asagi.”
“I only have what we need. Except for…”
“Except for?”
“Friends.”
“…”
I enjoyed her rare, put-off reaction as I lined up the firewood and used an
ignition tool to light a tree branch. Then I put that into the pile of wood and
used my cape to fan it until I could see that it had caught on fire. The flames
slowly spread until I had a magnificent bonfire in front of me. Now, to cook
an easy meal. As I took out an assortment of ingredients out from the bag,
Lemon spoke to me in a cool voice and offered to help.
“Alright, you can peel these potatoes then. When you’re done, just toss ‘em
into that bowl.”
“Understood.’
I was thinking about a stew. Besides, it would probably be very nostalgic for
Manager.
As for how to make it…the lady at the store taught me. Though, I’ve never
made white sauce before, so it was a little scary. But it would surely work
out. I would make it with butter, flour, and milk.
“Gah…my wrist hurts.”
It was surprisingly easy when following instructions. However, my wrist was

now in pain…
“I cut all of them.”
“Alright. Now chop up the meat and fry it. I’ll do the vegetables in the
meantime.”
“Understood.”
It was a lot easier when you had someone to help you. N-not that Daniela
never helped me. That’s not what I’m saying at all…
Lemon cut the meat and fried it right next to me. When the meat was cooked
just right, I tossed in the vegetables. While she fried them together, I stirred
the white sauce and looked around to see where Daniela and Manager had
gone. The two were just coming up the hill to where we were.
“There were no monsters nearby. And we set up the barrier tools.”
“Thank you. Dinner will take a little longer, so you’ll have to wait.”
“Hmm, very well.”
Daniela went towards our tent. Manager watched as we cooked.

“Stew, eh? I’ve never eaten that outside.”
“But you’ve had it in this world?”
“Yeah. At a dining hall.”
“Right.”
It was actually pretty common.
“It is one of my favorites. So I’m looking forward to it.”
“You should.”
“Yes…”
Manager nodded and then walked over to Daniela’s tent. Yuri vibes…
Just then, Lemon tapped me on the shoulder.
“What do I do next?”
“Hmm? Ah, we’re going to use some secret stock.”
“Ohh…”
I took out some chicken soup that I had made on a previous trip. Lemon
looked amazed at the sight of the golden liquid, but it really wasn’t anything
special. I poured a bottle of the stuff into the pot. Then the potatoes went in
and I turned up the heat. Now, we were mostly finished. And so Lemon and I
stared at the fire as I occasionally scooped out the scum from the surface.
“Still… This is an interesting group to be traveling together.”
“Yes… It was fun watching the tournament with you two. But I hadn’t
expected Miss Rindo to join us. And now we are traveling… Sometimes, I
don’t feel worthy.”
“Of course, you are. And I’m glad you’re here with us.”
“It’s very nice of you to say so!”
She said with a laugh. I suppose she felt bad for being the only one who was
new to adventuring. But that was a mistake.
I was the newcomer in the group. Lemon had years of experience fighting
against monsters. Manager had also traveled a great distance and met many
people. And then there was Daniela.
On the other hand, I didn’t have much experience fighting humans or

monsters. I was only A-Rank because of borrowed powers. So, who was
really the newcomer? Lemon should be proud of her position.
Of course, I didn’t say any of that. I just stirred the sauce with my wooden
ladle.
Maybe the thing I needed most was courage. I had a long way to go
chapter 269
After everything else was finished, I added the sauce and stirred. The stew
was now complete. The sun had come down by now and the crackling fire
alone illuminated our little campsite. When it was just me and Daniela, it
really felt like we were on a journey. But with more people, it felt like some
kind of vacation. Of course, the wildlife that surrounded us weren’t animals,
they were monsters. So it really wasn’t a time to relax…
“It’s ready.”
“We have waited long enough.”
Daniela marched to the fire immediately and pulled out the red bowls. They
were a little on the large side, but carried the stew nicely.
I poured some into Manager’s bowl next. She had a wooden bowl. It looked
like it had seen a lot of use.
“It’s been a while… The last time I had it was when I was staying in a town
with lots of farms.”
“I’ve yet to see a place like that.”
“Yes. This town was in the center of a large prairie. They had a lot of sheep
and cows. It was a very quiet place.”
That reminded me of the city in the plains. Though, that place wasn’t really a
town. In any case, livestock meant you had to worry about monsters. One
town we visited was threatened by a lesser wyvern. So having a farming town
meant there was some reason that they were able to maintain their peaceful
existence. Perhaps it was in a place where monsters didn’t go. Or they had
the power to fight them off…
“The mayor of the town was also the Master of the Adventurer’s Guild. And
he had an alias.”
“Right…”
So it was the latter. It sounded like an interesting place…
I listened to Manager talk while I poured stew into Lemon’s bowl as well.
Then I poured some for myself.
“Alright. Let’s eat then.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Thank you!”
“Mmmggmm…”
Daniela was already on it and seemed to be enjoying herself. Manager

seemed to savor every bite. Lemon looked quite happy as well. So, no one
was hating it, at least. And so I took a spoonful and brought it to my mouth.
…Hmm. It was good. The creamy texture and the sweetness of the milk went
well with the saltiness of the chicken stock. But I wasn’t a food reporter, so
that was about all I could say about it. It was good. That’s all.
Of course, stew didn’t seem like it would be enough, and so I had another
thing prepared.
It was chicken that I had seasoned with a variety of spices we had bought in
the capital. After cooking it on a frying pan, I cut it and served it on plates
which I passed around.
“I was wondering what that was.”
Daniela said happily as she took a bite.
“Mmm…! This is delicious. The tenderness of the chicken and the savoriness
of the fat are wonderful, but the calculated seasoning with the spices has an
almost violent impact on the senses. It is more than appetizing… The hot
spices and oils combine in a most satisfactory fashion. Is it the chicken’s
flavor that allows it to mingle so perfectly with the light, and yet also rich,
stew? This combination cannot be matched…!”
I won’t say that her impassioned food review was not in the least bit
embarrassing, but I then tried it out for myself. Hmm. It was cooked
perfectly. I looked to the side and saw that Manager and Lemon were also
alternating between stew and chicken. Well, this was the kind of reaction that
filled this cook’s heart with joy… Well, Adventurer.
□ □ □ □
Dinner continued rather quietly after that until we had all eaten as much as
we could. I stared at the crackling flames and thought about what we would
do next. What was happening in Reserentrible now? It would be so much
more dangerous if the town had been reversed completely. There would be
high-level monsters nesting on the surface. Hell, they could be scattering all
over the neighboring lands by now.
As a larger group, I knew that we weren’t quite as fast as when it was just the
two of us. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to at least try to speed things up. Maybe we
should leave earlier in the morning? I might have to suggest it. And so I
brought it up with the others.
“Hmm… Yes, I think Asagi may be right about this.”
“However, we’re going into a forest. Yes, it’s not exactly uncharted territory,
but it will take at least half a day on foot. And isn’t there still some distance
between the forest and the town?”
“Yeah. About half a day…I think? Uh, Daniela?”
“Yes. We should arrive in the afternoon if we leave in the morning.”
“So, we won’t save that much time…”
“That’s where Daniela and I come in.”
“Oh?”
I told them what I had been thinking about.
“Daniela will use wind magic to launch herself and you two into the air, and
then I’ll use Legs of the God Wolf to carry you all over the forest. What do
you think?”
“Hmm…you want me to carry Lemon and Rindo?”
“I will be able to pull you all if there’s no weight pulling me down. But I
can’t carry all three of you at once.”
“Well, it would save a lot of time. And I’ve experienced the power of Asagi’s
skill firsthand.”
Manager said with a chuckle. Well, I had been very serious at the time… But
I could be even more serious… I think. It was actually scary that I still didn’t
know the limits of this skill. But I didn’t have the best imagination, so I often
didn’t get anywhere unless there was a barrier to overcome.
“Very well, we will do that tomorrow. So, what about after we get past the
forest?”
“I think I might just keep going until we reach the town.”
“Are you sure?”
“I think so. What about you, Daniela?”
“I should be fine. My equipment has enhanced my wind magic capabilities. It

is a good thing I won that tournament.”
That jade wind dragon cape was crazy… Daniela was already a master at
wind magic. And yet now she could use it more efficiently and likely do even
more damage. Yes, I would lose to her if we fought. Well, I couldn’t even
beat her during the tournament.
In any case, we decided on what we’d do the following day. And thanks to
that, Daniela and I were allowed to have a good night’s rest, in preparation.
Manager and Lemon took turns on the watch. We also had the barrier tools,
so it seemed like a good, peaceful sleep was all but promised to us.
…There was a time when I believed that.

“Asagi! Wake up!”
I jumped up as Manager’s frantic voice reached me. I grabbed the demon

armor sword and flew out of the tent.
The sky had brightened a little, the dawn was close. I looked down again and
then activated Presence Detection. Naturally, my eyes shifted towards the
forest.
“Sorry. I can’t use Presence Detection as well as you and Daniela. I didn’t
notice until it got this close.”
“No, it’s fine. Hell, you should have seen me not too long ago.”
Being on the brink of death several times had helped raise my skill level. But
Manager seemed to have traveled with much fewer thrills. It was better not to
take such risks.
What Manager had detected was a high-level monster. It was currently in the
forest. While it wasn’t moving in a straight line, it was definitely getting
closer to us. The fact that its path seemed to sway from side to side had
probably made it harder to detect.
By now, Daniela had also come out of the tent and had her bow ready.
Lemon was holding her spear. She was a veteran guard and spear-wielder. It
was her chance to show what she was capable of.
I unsheathed my sword. Manager also unsheathed her twin shortswords.

During the tournament, she had been using blades made of shadow magic,
but these were made of actual metal.
“These things? They were from a dungeon.”
“Nice. They were a pair then?”
“Yes. They came out of the same box.”
I see. Dungeon treasures were in boxes. The appraisal glasses I had found
were also in a box. Though, the Automata was just discarded. That place had
been an ancient elven building. I have no idea if it counted as a dungeon or
was something else.
In any case; monsters. Judging by what Presence Detection was telling me, it
would come out of the forest soon.
It happened in just a few minutes.
“Woah…I’ve never seen a real one before…”
I couldn’t help but mutter. I had never seen one, but it looked so familiar.
The thick head and two horns. The bushy hair that grew on its back and the
muscular body. The massive arms carrying a double-bladed axe. The bare
legs that appeared under the loincloth were also thick.
“Minotaur…”
The monster breathed heavily as it took in its surroundings.

chapter 270
The head loomed quite high once it appeared from the shadows of the forest.
It was much taller than us humans for sure. While I couldn’t make out many
details yet, there seemed to be blood on the blade of the axe. Was the blood
from a human or monster…?
“I don’t think it’s seen us yet.”
“It is only a matter of time.”
Daniela said as she held her bow and stared at the Minotaur. Yes, it hadn’t
seen us yet. I wasn’t sure how much speed that giant thing had in it, but we
probably had some time.
“Hmm. I’m going to change weapon.”
“Asagi?”
And I knew just the thing. I ran back to the tent and thrust my arm through
the flap. I always kept the hollow bag right by the entrance. Then I put my
hand in and pulled out a sword with a pitch-black hilt.
“Good.”
I attached it to my belt and then put the demon armor sword into the bag.
“Why do you do that voice…”
“Asagi, you’ve been doing that here as well?”
My low voice echoed as I returned to the other three and unsheathed my

sword. The Black Emperor’s sword. Velnoir… A gift from the current
Emperor.
“That’s a very dark sword, Mister Asagi.”
“It’s supposed to be. It was my prize for being the first runner up in the
tournament.”
“Oh! That is great. A gift from the Emperor!”
“Exactly. As for Daniela, she got that bracelet thing she’s wearing.”
“And this cape.”
Without even moving, the cape came out of Daniela’s bracelet and was
draped over her shoulders. I had to actually put my hand in the hollow bag,
but it wasn’t the case with the bracelet. Who knew how the thing worked. But
I was still jealous. Maybe I would beg Rachel to make me one as well.
“I saw it earlier today. It really is a beautiful cape…”
“Yes, isn’t it?”
“Yours is not bad either, Mister Asagi.”
“Should you two really be talking about that now?”
Manager’s voice was so serious that we immediately straightened our backs.

Yes. Yes. There was a Minotaur.
I squatted near Manager and observed our enemy. It was odd. The way it was
slowly taking in its surroundings made it seem like it had never seen the
outside world before. In fact, it had not taken a step forward since exiting the
forest.
“In case you were wondering… No, Minotaurs do not live in the forest.”
“Eh?”
Daniela seemed to have read my mind. …So, did that mean…
“But they are very common in dungeons.”

“Serious.”
The dungeon had likely completely inverted then. The Minotaur had probably
escaped. It wasn’t likely that there would be many people guarding the
place…
“We really need to hurry…”
Lemon said as she clenched her spear tightly. It had mostly been my
negativity and paranoia at first, but now it seemed like a reality. We had to
kill this thing and hurry on to the town.
“Then let us begin. Asagi, you ambush it from above and destroy its weapon.
Rindo, you distract it with sword and magic.”
“Understood.”
“Fine.”
“I will support you from the back. Lemon, you finish it off with your spear.
You can do that, I presume?”
“I can!”
Obeying Commander Daniela’s orders, I surrounded my legs in platinum and

green wind. Manager covered her own body in black energy, while Lemon
prepared to run.
“Then let’s go.”
I used Legs of the God Wolf and jumped into the air. I felt the sensation of
the wind pushing me up until I was high enough to see the sun creeping up on
the horizon. Below me, Manager and Lemon had started to dash forward. As
soon as I saw this, I shot down towards my target like a bullet from the sky.
“Alright now.”
Jack of all Trades, Master of None was playing in my mind. The angle, the
amount of force. Everything. I had already learned to do this before, so there
was no hesitation.
“Hey, Mino!!”
I shouted from above. It looked up with its heavy movement. Once its eyes
caught me in the dark blue sky, it positioned its axe to meet my attack. Yes,
at the right angle. It was going to swing upward.
I raised my speed by three levels. I was already free-falling but was even
faster now. Faster than a bullet. The Minotaur could not react in time.
Fluctuating speed was the key.
“Hahh!!”
I shouted as my blade hit the axe. The amount of force was perfect. The thing
to be careful about was the angle. If all went well, it would gouge out a great
chunk of it.
Ultimately, one side of the blade was mostly destroyed. I doubted any
monster could adapt quickly to something so terribly balanced. So in a way,
his weapon was useless.
Now that I had accomplished my purpose, I hovered in the air and backed
away.
That’s when Manager’s shadow stretched out and connected to the nearby
trees. Then another, thicker shadow came out of the tree’s shadow and
connected to the Minotaur. Manager stabbed her twin blades into that
shadow.
“Dark Magic. Shadow Stitch.”
“Grrraaagg…!”
She bound it with shadows and then stitched it with her swords. Her dark
magic was cool but scary. It was a good thing we weren’t enemies… As
Manager crouched with her blades piercing the ground, an arrow flew over
her head. Daniela’s arrow stuck the Minotaur in the hand. Well, it blew it off,
axe and all. No, it would not be allowed to retaliate.
To finish it off, Lemon lept at the last possible moment during her dash.
“HAAAHHH!!”
She expertly positioned the spear so that it sank deep into the Minotaur’s
chest. Fountains of blood erupted around her. It was as if all the blood was
rushing to get out of its body. Lemon was entirely drenched, thanks to that.
Even half of Manager was covered in blood. I was glad that I moved away…
“…”
“…”
Lemon silently pulled out her spear. Manager was also quiet as she retrieved
her swords and stood up. Her shadows disappeared. While it was no longer
restrained, the Minotaur did not move. It had already breathed its last.
“Uh, you two alright…?”
I asked them. But they didn’t answer. Though, Lemon did shake her spear
instead. The blood flew off of it and splattered angrily on the Minotaur
corpse. And with that, the dead monster fell lifelessly onto its back.
“I hate this…”
Lemon muttered. Her voice was so deep that I shuddered.
“You should change your clothes quickly. Pass the bloody ones to Asagi.
You do have spares?”
Daniela suggested as she approached us. The two sighed and started to take
off their clothes, and so I hurriedly retreated to our campsite. That was
close… Those two were so angry they must have forgotten I was there. Yes,
getting blood on you was part of the job, but you were rarely drenched quite
so thoroughly… Maybe the fact that they hadn’t gotten much rest last night
made it worse as well.
As I started packing our things, Lemon and Manager returned wearing much
simpler clothes. Daniela returned looking very untouched by any battle.
“I put the Minotaur away in my bracelet. We will head for the town as soon
as we clean up here.”
“Got it.”
The appearance of the monster had made me worry about the state of the
town. What would it be like now? What of the residents? How were things
outside of the town?
I was quite anxious at first, but managed to calm myself by the time we
finished packing.
“…Alright, let’s go.”
I grabbed Daniela’s hand after she had launched herself and the others into
the air with wind magic. After making sure that Manager and Lemon were all
connected, I then dashed up into the sky.
chapter 271
I watched the shadowy forest zoom past us as we raced through the sky.
Well, I was doing all the running. The rest were kept in the air with Daniela’s
wind magic as they were pulled along for the ride.
“‘Fly Float’ has existed for a long time. It is a fairly simple spell that allows
you to move in the air. However, it is usually very slow. It is mostly
something used to teach children wind magic in the early stages.”
“But you can move quickly with the aid of Legs of the God Wolf.”
“Yes, it is all about how you use it.”
Daniela nodded. Lemon and Manager had been very loud and excited about it
at first, but now they seemed to be quietly enjoying the unusual view. It was a
good thing too, because this was not likely to happen again…
Once we had crossed the forest, the circular town came into view. A town
that was surrounded in a round wall. There should have been a charming
town within. Well, perhaps it was more a town of greed that had fed off of
the labyrinth. However, there was nothing of that now.
There was a castle instead of a town, and it was tightly pressing against the
walls. A fortress, maybe. This thing was apparently the inverted dungeon.
And since it had once been a town, there were occasional houses sticking out
in odd places, which made the whole thing look even more disturbing.
“So, this is what they call a Labyrinth Disaster.”
Manager muttered.
“I can hardly believe it was a town… You’d think that this dungeon was
always here.”
Lemon added. Indeed, it was not the kind of thing that most people would
easily believe.
“Everyone, look down.”
Daniela was the only one not looking at the town, and so we followed her
gaze. It seemed like a vast field that spread out on and on, but the sunlight
was now casting shadows, which showed some small hills. A Minotaur was
walking on one of them. And there was something else. Something that was
half human and half snake. A Lamia? It slithered speedily through the grass
and towards the forest.
“Monsters…”
“Aye. They must be from the dungeon. I was quite sure that our little
Minotaur was from there, and it seems like it was not alone. The town has
completely inverted.”
I gulped. So it was finished then. But, what did that mean for us? Should we
help the residents escape? Exterminate the monsters? Try and destroy the
dungeon? I wasn’t sure at all. The thing to do…was to get information.
“Let’s go inside.”
There was no other option. However, we should probably deal with those
monsters first.
“There will be other Adventurers headed here as well. And those monsters
will not be a problem for them. Besides, it will help them understand the
situation here. They are like living sacks of information.”
That was uh, severe. But I wasn’t going to argue with Daniela on this. And
the Adventurers from the capital were particularly confident. This wasn’t the
kind of quest that would get stone classes sent. So it was probably a good
idea to leave the monsters.
□ □ □ □
We descended to the town’s entrance, but all we could see were walls. This
was because another wall was behind the gate, blocking it. But I suppose
none of us had actually expected the dungeon’s entrance to match up
perfectly with the town’s. However, where were the monsters coming out
from?
“Asagi. The wall is broken over there.”
Manager pointed to a part of the wall that had crumbled. I hadn’t been able to
see it from above because there was a watchtower covering it. The tower was
jutting out of the parapet and there was a crack below that spread out towards
the ground. It seemed that the smallest impact could cause the whole tower to
come down. And so we were careful as we approached it.
Once we were closer, it became clear that this was where the monsters had
come from.
“This trail here…it is the Lamia.”
Lemon said as she crouched low and traced the ground with her finger. While
it did wind from side to side a little, the trail was clearly leading towards the
forest. Perhaps it was instinct that drove the monsters to a place that they
could hide.
“Let’s go inside then.”
We all unsheathed our weapons and held them ready. And then we stepped
foot into the fissure. The ceiling was falling away in several places… Not
only that, but there were gaps all over the place, which let in a decent amount
of sunlight. It was made of stone. But not just any stone. These were polished
bricks that were stacked on top of each other. The fact that it suggested
delicate human craftsmanship made it feel even eerier. It reminded me a little
of the ancient elven ruins.
I expanded the reach of Presence Detection. There were a few monsters and
also humans nearby. The closest was a small group of humans. But due to
there being monsters near them, it was likely they would be fighting very
soon. It would be ideal if we could reach them in time to help, but we had no
map for this dungeon, which would make it difficult. And so after discussing
it with the others, it was decided that we would instead try to minimize
casualties by luring the monsters towards us.
“I can do mapping!”
“Will you do it for us?”
“Of course!”
Due to Lemon’s hidden ability, we would be able to map out the place as
well. I had muttered about not having a map, and Lemon had raised her hand.
It was nice having a capable junior with us…even though she was older. And
so we switched directions a little. Manager would scout in the lead, I would
be the middle guard, Daniela would be the leader and rear guard. Lemon
would also support from the rear. And so I handed Lemon the hollow bag.
“Hey, wait a minute.”
“Huh?”
I took off the small figure that was strapped to the bag.
“That’s very cute.”
“Yeah. It’s important to me.”
It was ‘Gumi.’ A present from Merica, back in Senka village. I’d been
carrying it for quite a while now, but it was in good shape. The string was
durable too. But it would be better to put it away in the dungeon. I didn’t
want to lose it…
“There are writing materials in the bag, so you can take them out.”
“Alright. …Hmm…this? Ah, there!”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“I want this.”
“You can’t have it.”

Lemon had become enchanted by the bag very quickly. But this was
something that Russell had given me. And I would not be giving it up.
After we were fully prepared, Presence Detection alerted me of a monster

approaching. Daniela gave the order, and I moved behind Manager.
“I’m the scout here. So I’ll mostly take a supporting role during the fight.”
“Uh, but aren’t I the middle guard…”
“Do your best, part-timer.”
“Hey!”
Manager grinned and then disappeared into the shadows. Before I could try
and stop her, the monster turned the corner and showed itself. It was a Lamia.
The torso of a human and the bottom half of a snake. It held a spear with a
stone head. It immediately hissed menacingly upon seeing us.
“Alright, Asagi. Rindo will likely take it from the back. So you are free to
attack it head on.”
“Ugh…”
I suppose I was. Not only was this thing in our way, but it seemed very happy
to fight us. The fact that it was so human-like above the waist made me feel a
little uneasy, but it was a monster. It would definitely kill us. And so I sighed
and then grunted with determination. And with the black emperor sword in
hand, I charged forward.
chapter 272
I caught Manager moving out of the shadows on the other side. But my relief
was premature. I hadn’t thought that this snake woman would be capable of
much. Surely that long body wouldn’t be capable of slithering too fast. And
yet, the Lamia shot towards me in a flash.
“W-woah!?”
I somehow managed to dodge the spear thrust, but also lost my balance in the
process. There wasn’t much foot room to begin with, and I ended up stepping
on part of the tail. This only threw me off balance even further. The result?
A-Ranker Asagi Kamiyashiro, also known as ‘Silvergreen,’ fell.
“Damn it…”
Daniela muttered. Her ears looked red. I tried to recover from it by stabbing
my sword into the snake tail. It was unsurprisingly tough, but the tip of the
sword still sunk into the flesh. Blood sprayed as a pained shriek echoed
throughout the tunnel. Now it was my turn to be showered in blood.
The snake’s tail flailed around violently. But I would not let go. I continued
to stab and stab with my sword. When the torrents of blood started to
weaken, so did the Lamia’s strength. By the time I started to feel like I would
burst into tears after being slammed against the floor and walls so many
times, the Lamia collapsed on the ground.
“Ouch…”
“I don’t know how you ever received an alias.”
“I’ve never been in a dungeon before… So I’m dungeon G-Ranker.”
I retorted as Manager looked at me with exasperation. Still, that wouldn’t do

anything for the situation. It was pointless. I wiped the sticky blood off of my
face and flicked my wrist towards the ground. After that, I made spheres of
water to wash my face and hair. Once I had done this about three times, I
turned to face the others.
“Alright, I messed up. I’m sorry.”
“It is your first time, and I was not able to give you much advice on how to
approach things. Well, I did not expect that thing to give much trouble either,
so it is also my fault.”
“I’ve been in dungeons multiple times, so I can teach you some things. But
really, seeing you in such an embarrassing state was an interesting surprise.”
“Oh, but you still killed it in the end! That is very impressive!”
Daniela apologized. Manager was annoyed. Lemon took pity. I didn’t think I
was special or anything. I wasn’t the best. But I did see myself as being better
than your average Adventurer…so it was embarrassing… Perhaps more so,
because they expected more from me. Yes, I hadn’t been so embarrassed
since that time those forest wolves chased me into the gates Fhiraldo.
After that, we found a small room and Manager and Daniela gave me some
advice on how to fight. It was for Lemon’s benefit as well.
“…In other words, you move too dynamically when you fight. That is no
good when in a dungeon.”
“However, there are many kinds of dungeons. Some are tall towers while
others are a single rooms that are incredibly vast. Though it is true that most
dungeons are made of narrow passages.”
Indeed….I usually fought by using Legs of the God Wolf, which allowed me
to move freely.
But they were saying all my experience fighting like that was getting in the
way. That was ironic. That meant I might have done better down here had I
not had such a good grasp on the skill.
“Besides, the monsters down here are different from the ones on the surface.”
“How so?”
“The ones on the surface are mostly animals that have been affected my
mana. Like forest wolves and blood apes.”
“What about goblins?”
“They are monsters that originally lived in dungeons. As you know, they
multiply quickly. They left the dungeons and spread out. It is a similar story
with orcs.”
Huh, interesting.
“Unlike animals, the dungeon monsters are more primitive. Their appearance
and abilities cannot be explained. So, their attacks are not always as direct or
simple. Sometimes they use weapons skillfully or employ strategies. Of
course, they are still not at the same level as us, but you can never be too
careful.”
So these monsters were completely different from the animals on the surface.
Yes. When facing the Lamia, I had considered that the tunnel was a straight
line and assumed that it would move slowly through it. But that was just too
convenient. I hadn’t had much trouble using my old style with the Minotaur,
but we weren’t near the forest anymore. I needed a better strategy and to
move in a way that fitted the narrow spaces.
“Well, the thing to do is to fight and gain experience. Besides, you can
always just use magic, if nothing else is working out for you.”
“Yes, as a last resort.”
This would be important if I wanted to go dungeon crawling again in the

future. Training against monsters. I would gain new experience to
supplement Jack of all Trades, Master of None.
And so we set out once again. It was the same formation as before. While
there were windows along the way that let in a little light, it was still quite
dark. The walls sometimes shifted from stone to wood, perhaps because of
the town being swallowed up and the dungeon reconstructing itself.
Sometimes, there’d be a hole in the middle of a passage that led to a different
passage. Or there’d be doors that obviously belonged to someone’s house at
one point. Whether or not they led to a house or not seemed to be random.
“I’ve never been in a dungeon that was so strange and easy to get lost in.”
Manager said. Daniela nodded.
“Yes, this one is different. Well, this is my first time being in one during a
labyrinth disaster, but it is more than I had imagined.”
Hearing that from a veteran like Daniela suggested just how startling it all
was. Yes, someone as cautious as her would not usually want to come here…
I would never have come if I was alone. It was only because I had someone I
could rely on.
“Hmm… Monsters coming from behind.”
Daniela was the first to catch the movements through Presence Detection.
Moments later, the monsters entered my detection range as well. Just as I
turned around, Manager disappeared from the front and reappeared in front of
Lemon. I was so jealous of her cheat skill.
Eventually, they showed themselves on the other side of the passage. They
seemed to be about as tall as us. Emerald green skin. While they were
muscular, they weren’t quite as bulky as orcs.
“They look like goblins…”
“Hobgoblins. They are an advanced type of goblin.”
“I see…I’ve never seen them before.”
I had only ever seen the small goblins. But here, in this closed in dungeon,
the weak were killed and the strong survived. It was different in the outside
world. Well, only a little.
“I suppose I will go first.”

Daniela unleashed her first arrow. It went straight between the eyes of the
first hobgoblin. Then the six blades that Manager held in her hands tore the
following hobgoblin apart. A third hobgoblin sprang out from behind it, but
Lemon thrust out her spear, stopping it in its tracks. At the same time, I flew
in the air, barely touching the ceiling and then slammed the black emperor
sword into the last goblin’s head. Yes, things went well this time. I hung
upside down from the ceiling and gave them a thumbs up.
“See, you can do it. That was completely different.”
“I’m capable of learning too, Daniela.”
“Haha. Now get down here and help us collect the ears.”
“Right.”
We had to get the proof of the hunt. Hobgoblins were like normal goblins,
you took the left ear. However, the ears looked slightly different and it was
possible to tell them apart. As for Minotaurs, it was the horns. And for
Lamias it was the scales. We had forgotten to take anything from the
Minotaur, but we did get the scales from the Lamia.
I used the Ashikirimaru to cut off the ears. I couldn’t remember if I’d ever cut
any legs with it yet…
chapter 273
I cut off the left ears from the hobgoblins and handed them to Lemon after
wiping off some of the blood. But as I watched Lemon wrap them up in
leather and put them away in the bag, it all started to seem rather macabre.
Putting away ears. It was a bit late to start having thoughts about it, but the
hobs were closer in appearance to humans than ordinary goblins.
Regardless, I started a replay of the fight in my mind through Jack of all

Trades, Master of None. I needed to study on how to fight in tight spaces. I
could still make use of my own strengths, I just had to know how to do it.
The four screens were currently playing in my brain. As for things that
needed improvement…hmmm. I really wasn’t smart enough for that kind of
self-analysis. But as I stared at the looped footage…I remembered something.
The reason I had cut downward, while upside-down from the ceiling, was
because of the long reach the sword had. In other words, it was another thing
that might get in the way while I was in these cramped spaces.
That being said, it was difficult to choose a weapon. The Ashikirimaru was a
short sword, but I wasn’t confident in it being the right choice. I wasn’t used
to fighting with something of that size. Of course, Jack of all Trades would
help me there and show me how to move. But that only took you so far. The
thing with this skill was that even if I knew what to do in my head, my body
couldn’t always keep up in the way that I’d like. I had raised my skill with
the one-handed sword and the great sword so that I could fight even without
Jack of all Trades.
“Hmm…what to do…”
“You having trouble with something?”
“I’m bummed about my sword being pretty unfit for this excursion.”
“Well, it is the most standard weapon in a wide field. But things are different
here. Still, I use my sword just fine.”
As she said this, a one-handed sword materialized from her shadow. It was
thinner than mine. Maybe somewhere between mine and Daniela’s rapier.
“There is a trick to using it. You must thrust instead of swing. Of course,
there are limits to that. I’m not sure if Daniela would agree, but you should
also be able to slash in a dungeon. Like this.”
When she thrust, she pulled her elbow back and moved forward in a straight
line, as was usual. As for slashing, it was with her arm pulled in and covered
a minimal area. As I wasn’t used to it and preferred to keep my distance from
the monsters, I had extended my arm far out and left a lot of it to momentum.
Timing had been the thing I cared most about.
And so I traced her movements with Jack of all Trades and then tried
swinging the Black Emperor Sword. Hmm. I might be able to manage it if I
stayed in the center of the tunnels.
“Very good. Not many people would learn after seeing something just once.”
“It’s not me, it’s just the skill.”
“The skill is still your power.”
Maybe that was her perspective, but I didn’t agree. As far as I was concerned,
resting on your laurels and relying too much on a skill was a good way to get
killed. It was important to put in the work and continue to improve on your
own.
“Well, it’s probably a good thing that you think that. But you should put a
little more trust in your skill, I think.”
“Trust my skill?”
“Yes. This is not a world you can survive in without them. So, perhaps you
shouldn’t keep such a distance from it.”
“I see.”
But I did have complete trust in Jack of all Trades. It helped me survive this
long. However, the second part of the skill always had me worried. Perhaps
part of it was the initial reaction I got from those other Adventurers. Perhaps
that had caused me to have reservations without really thinking.
Who knows. Who knows. Who knows. Who can even calmly analyze their
own feelings? Still, surely some good would come out of being aware. Let it
in. Trust it more… Hell, it’s not like it’s a person. It might not be too hard. It
would be something I’d keep in mind as I continued to fight.
“You did say before that you just needed a reason to make something yours.
That is great.”
Daniela said from behind me. That felt good. I grew when I was
complimented.
“Well, I’m still trying to make up for the last one. Heh…”
I had a reputation to restore. I’d managed to overwrite great embarrassments

before. And I would do it again in this labyrinth.
□ □ □ □
After traveling for a while through the passages, Lemon suggested that we
take a break.
“I thought it would be a good time to look at the map.”
Lemon said as she spread out the map she had been making. She had done it
mostly as if it were a grid, with straight lines and right-angle curves.
Basically, pixel art.
“This is where we took our first break and planned our next move. And this is
where we killed the hobgoblin.”
“I see. We had just been moving towards any monsters we detected. And this
is what it looks like on a map.”
The thing we were looking at was quite interesting. It was like we were
moving in a circular path while slowing moving towards the center. It wasn’t
hard to imagine what that meant.
“There will likely be something in the center. Perhaps the entrance where the
monsters are coming from.”
“Yes, most of the monsters I’ve detected have been near the center. It’s like
they’re spreading out from there.”
Of course, there were lots of splitting paths, but it wasn’t hard to navigate if
you used Presence Detection and carefully chose which road to take. I had
been overwhelmed at first due to it being my first time and because of the
architecture, so it was a relief. At the same time, I was grateful for Presence
Detection. So was Manager…
“Hmm. I really regret not being able to use it. But I never felt the need, as
there was always someone in my party who could do it.”
“It’s not hard once you get the hang of it. I learned to do it pretty quickly.”
“Well, I suppose it’s because you had a good teacher who knew what she was
doing.”
She had been in a terrible mood, though.
“Rindo. I doubt you would have much trouble learning it and improving. Just
do not think too much. Feel.”
“Oh, so you’re gonna teach her now…”
Manager picked it up pretty much immediately. I see. I see. So that’s how it

was going to be. As it was part of her job, Lemon was already an expert. You
know, she had a lot of experience. Because she’s old. Though, she’d killed
me if I called her that.
“Ah, so this is a monster… Hmm, but the thing close by seems a little
different.”
“That is a human. You should remember it.”

“Hmm… And there is a monster approaching it.”
“Yes, we’ll have to decide what to do here.”
Help them. Don’t help them. Lemon wanted us to decide together.
“As for me, I think we should help anyone we can.”
“I do not care either way. But there it will be a waste of energy trying to
avoid them.”
“I think I want to help. However, we must remember that some people can be
terribly ungrateful.”
“Yes, some of the people here won’t be Adventurers…”
Thieves and bandits were also a possibility. After all, this town was now a
lawless land. The only people who had remained were some residents,
merchants, and Adventurers. Who knew if there had been a guardhouse, to
begin with. Well, there probably was, but I doubted they stuck around. In any
case, we had a decision to make.
“Well, if it just so happens that they’re bandits, we can just kill them, right?”
“Indeed. Besides, there is not much point in considering what to do when we

have yet to even do anything. We should act first.”
“I agree.”
“Yes!”
So we decided to help the human close to the monster.
I had yet to know that it would result in a surprising reunion.

chapter 274
We had now walked through the tunnel that was an odd combination of stone
and wood for several minutes. Due to the layout, we were able to reach the
floor where the humans were before encountering any monsters. Still, if any
of them had Presence Detection, they would know we were coming…
“Maybe we should knock first.”
“Monsters wouldn’t knock, so they’d know it was a human coming.”
I thought as we looked at the door that would surely lead to these humans. It
would be nice if they would just open it from the other side.
We played rock, paper, scissors to decide who would hit the door. Daniela
did rock. So did Manager. And Lemon. I did scissors. By the way, apparently
it was some Hero who had popularized this little game in the world.
I glared angrily at my scissors and then adjusted the sword at my belt. I

wanted to be prepared in case I was attacked.
“Alright, I’ll go then…”
“Be careful. We do not know what will come out of there.”
“Then why don’t you come too?”
“I will watch over you from here.”
“…”
Daniela sent me off with a cool smile. And so I stomped purposefully

towards the door. That was when I heard something on the other side. I
paused for a second, but there was no point in stopping now. Would it be a
snake or a demon…? I sighed, stood in front of the door, and knocked.
“Hello.”
Nothing.
“We felt a human presence nearby, and so we came to see. We have no

intention of fighting.”
Still, there was no answer. What to do…
“…Asagi?”
“Hmm?”
I turned around to look at the three others, but they looked puzzled.
Apparently, none of them had called to me. Just then, the door in front of me
slowly opened. The person on the other side was a man with reddish-brown
hair. He looked a lot older than when I had last seen him…
“So it is you, Asagi!”
“Rex! Ah, it’s been a while!”
Rex was the Adventurer I had said goodbye to in Spiris. He’d been the leader
of a party I encountered while in the woods. They had been trying to hunt a
wyvern. Tank and Danny had been taken down by its breath, and the party
was in terrible shape. I helped them and we became friends.
“Ah, wait. There are monsters nearby. We should be quiet.”
“Yes, we’ve been running away from them. Is Daniela with you? Anyway,
you should come inside.”
Rex quickly scanned the area. Then he waved towards Daniela and the others
and gestured for them to come. Daniela seemed relieved when she saw Rex’s
face, but Manager and Lemon still looked cautious.
“It is fine, we know him. An old Adventurer friend.”
“Ah, you are pretty! I’m Rex. An old friend of Asagi.”

“Hmm… Rindo. Nice to meet you.”
“Lemonfrost. Pleased to make your acquaintance!”
They introduced themselves briskly as they entered the room. There was one
woman who looked like an Adventurer and two men who looked like
civilians. Maybe merchants. So, Danny and Darius weren’t here.
“And you’re as radiant as ever, Daniela.”
“I am glad to see that you are well, Rex. But where are the others?”
“Ahh…”
Daniela had been wondering the same thing, and so she asked him. Rex
started to scratch his cheek uncomfortably. I noticed there was a scar there
that hadn’t been there before. It suggested a terrible fight. Perhaps they…
“I split up from them. …You can say, we weren’t quite compatible…”
“Compatible…”
It made me think of a rock band.
“I didn’t want to fight wyverns and giants monsters anymore. You

understand that, don’t you? You saw what Danny looked like after… And so
I suggested we mainly go to dungeons, where the survival rate is a little
higher. But they insisted that Adventurers had to hunt large monsters. They
said it was every Adventurer’s dream. The last fight only made them more
determined. But I was scared. No, I’m not suggesting that dungeon crawling
is easy, alright? But it’s not grand battles against giants that I want. I would
rather carefully disarm traps and fill out my map…”
I understood how he felt. The sight of Danny’s blood had made me panic. I
had never seen someone wounded like that before, and I could still hear
Rex’s scream in my ears. Danny would have been dead without Wesley’s
potions or Darius’s strength. And if I hadn’t been there… Well, I didn’t want
to think about it, but they would have all been dead.
And if you considered challenging the wyvern to be the root of all of that,
then it would be harder to repeat it. They say that you must not confuse
bravery with recklessness. This just meant that Rex was not reckless enough
to challenge monsters that were above him. And he had the courage to choose
a steadier path. On the other hand, perhaps Danny and the others were not so
reckless as to suddenly change the path they had been on up until now. And
while it was different from Rex, it was still brave as well. Who knew which
side was right. But they were clearly unable to continue together.
“…Well, that’s why I’m here. I mainly travel through dungeons now. I found
a few smaller ones first to get me started and help me learn. So now I’ve
come here to Reserentrible to stretch my feet a little. Life sure is strange…”
So he’s had quite an adventure too… Well, he was involved in a disaster

now.
“That must have been tough.”
“Aye. Ah, but this is no time for such talk. Allow me to explain to you what
has happened.”
I nodded. Rex now looked very serious. Just like he had during the fight
against the wyvern. I turned to the others. They were also ready.
“These are the people that I helped after the disaster occurred. Rerik the
weapon merchant and Lime, a food merchant.”
“Hello.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Rerik was thin and had slanted eyes. Lime was much older and quite wide.
“Do you know that residents here are responsible for their own safety once
the evacuation order has been sent? I knew about it, but I still couldn’t
abandon them. And so we’ve been traveling together and searching for the
exit. But then we encountered a most horrible monster.”
“So, you’re currently hiding from this monster?”

“Aye. You’ll recognize it easily. It has very long legs. Eight of them. And
poisonous fangs. Yes. This poison even melts through floors. To be frank, it’s
a poisonous spider. But there is half a human body coming out from the
spider’s back. It made my skin crawl… What? Man or woman? Uh, it was a
woman.”
Yes.
“But what is most dangerous is its movements. The webs allow it to move in
every direction above the floor. And its attacks are tricky. It’s particularly bad
because the passage up ahead is wider. That is its domain.”
“I think I understand. So there is a crazy spider monster in the way and

preventing your escape.”
“Yes.”
I also understood that Rex was terrible at explaining things. I understood that
it was dangerous, but that was about it. But it made sense now. There were so
many people here making noise, but it hadn’t come for us because it was
protecting its nest.
And to think that I would finally encounter a female Arachne in this dungeon.
Maybe it was fate. I had never thought I would actually meet a half-human
girl monster in real life.
“By the way, I remember that you left some book about that at the shop
once.”
“Shhh!”
Manager, some things were best left unsaid!

chapter 275
Manager’s unnecessary information had made things a little awkward…
Some people really needed to learn how to read the room…
“Seriously…”
“What is it, Asagi? You sound strange.”
“Uh, nothing.”
The shock of it all had caused me to switch to a Kansai accent. But I was fine
now!
“So, we just need to kill this spider monster…no, wait. You guys are trying to
get out, right?”
“Yes, that’s right…”
“Then you’re going the wrong way. Go in the direction that we came and it
will lead you outside.”
“Damn it… So you’re saying we’ve been going in deeper all this time?”
That was an impressive skill in itself. A completely useless one. They were
trying to get out. We were trying to reach the center. This is where our paths
should split. However, killing this monster would put us all at ease. After all,
it could attack us from behind.
“Then you should take this map with you!”
“Map? You’ve created a map already… Are you sure? This would be very
valuable.”
“Don’t worry, the entire map is inside of my head!”

Lemon sure was brilliant.
And so Rex accepted the map from her and bowed his head and over and
over again.
“To be honest, I was close to giving up. But I wanted to press on for their
sake… Maybe I was reminded of that time when you helped us against the
wyvern.”
“Well, I think most people would help someone in need who was right in
front of them. I didn’t do anything special.”
“True… True!”
Rex said as he slapped me heavily on the back. While he had split up from
the others, he still lived as an Adventurer. Even though his path had changed,
his character had not. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Thank you so much, Mister Asagi. I have heard the stories about you.”
“Aye, they say you are a skilled Adventurer who is a weapons enthusiast.”
The plump and polite elderly man, Lime. And the wild and easy-going young
man, Rerik. I turned to them and scratched my cheek as if to hide my
embarrassment. What was this about being a weapons enthusiast?
“I’ve never seen that sword you have on your belt… It probably has a name.
But I’d expect no less from someone like you.”
“Well, it’s definitely not a common weapon.”
“I had my share of good swords at my store, but this disaster crushed it all…
It’s possible that some of them found their way into treasure chests here, but
it would be nearly impossible to find them.”
“I couldn’t find a trace of my store either… Though, I did manage to save my

money…”
People who lived in these towns were responsible for their own safety. But it
was still hard to not be sympathetic. To think that something you worked so
hard to build up could vanish like that… How much money had been saved
up to build those houses? How many prized possessions were lost? I couldn’t
imagine how it must feel.
“Well, I started from nothing in the first place. I can build it all up again.”
“Indeed. I have a fresh start as well.”
“…Huh. You two are awfully optimistic.”
It was almost shocking how positive they were.
“Both Lime and I used to be Adventurers. All I need is one sword and I’ll
eventually have items to sell again.”
“Ah. So all of your products are from dungeons then?”
“Exactly.”
He sold things found in treasure chests. I see. In that case, he just needed to
go dungeon crawling and finish quests and he would eventually be back in
business.
“I have a lot of connections I made while traveling around, so I shouldn’t

have too much trouble getting back on my feet. But until then, I think I’ll go
back to hunting a little so I can save up some money.”
Yes, very positive. It didn’t matter how bad the damage was as long as you
were alive. A lesson I could learn… I tended to get discouraged a lot. I would
have to be more determined to get up and continue on. Besides, Daniela was
with me. I could do it. And on the other hand, if Daniela ever fell to her
knees, I would be there to help her up. We had decided to live together and
support each other…
“Alight. In order to start again, let’s get rid of this thing that Rex fears!”
“Sorry to trouble you…”

“It’s fine. It’s the least we can do.”
“…Aye. Then I’ll leave it to you! I want to see you in action once again!”
I nodded at Rex and turned to Daniela and the others. They were prepared to
go.
“We’re ready.”
“This is exciting.”
“I’ll fight too.”
“Alright then. Let’s go and hunt this monster!”
I couldn’t wait to see what she looked like!
□ □ □ □
The monster’s presence grew stronger as we left the room and continued
down the passage. I could see that we would have to turn a corner a little bit
farther on. That’s where we would likely meet it.
“As it is a spider-type monster, its attacks will generally involve webs, fangs,
and poison. But you already knew that, right?”
I nodded to Daniela.
“However, this is a dungeon. The monsters here are quite different.

According to Rex, this one is half-human. So it must have hands and be able
to use weapons. We must also consider that.”
I was wearing a snow Arachne cape right now. Those snow Arachne were not
dungeon monsters. They lived in some cold, snow-covered land. Maybe the
cold helped them adapt. Breeding in rediculous numbers probably helped
“Like fighting a human…huh. That’s not comforting.”
“Have you fought many humans, Manager?”

“Well, yes. My hands aren’t exactly clean.”
That’s what it meant to live in this world. You couldn’t stay clean. I was
pretty dirty myself.
“…Let’s go then.”
Daniela’s hand came to lay on top of mine as I stared at it. Then she squeezed
it and nodded towards me.
We would go in the same formation with Manager in the lead.
She slowly poked her head out. I was already holding my sword and was
prepared to jump out.
“There it is…”
Manager gestured for me to come, and so I snuck over and looked. There was
a wide-open chamber that was covered in spider webs. As for the monster
itself, it was in the center of the room. The spider girl. The Arachne.
“Ah-ha…”
“You really need to restrain yourself in times like this…”
“It’s times like this when some dreams come true.”
It was similar to a silk spider in coloring. Yellow and black. Its multiple eyes
were red. It had its left side towards us. As for the human body that protruded
from the top, it was a woman, just like Rex had said. The stomach was nicely
toned and the skin was so pale you’d think she had all of the blood drained
from her. The breasts were large but were, unfortunately, lacking nipples.
The face was of a young woman and very pretty. But there was something in
the expression that suggested she was not as young as she looked. The black
hair had streaks of yellow in it to match the rest of the body. As someone
who liked punk, I thought it was a nice touch. The overall appearance was
rather appealing. Damn it. Sometimes I really wished I had my smartphone!
Or knew how to draw! This was an image that should be saved!
“It saw us!”
“Huh!?”
“You were breathing way too loud!”
“Asagi!!”
“It’s not my fault!!”
No matter how you looked at it, it definitely was my fault.
“Damn it. Let’s go!”
“It’s not! It’s not!”
“Shut up! Let’s hurry!”
“What’s gotten into you, Lemon!”
Lemon pushed me forward as we burst into the chamber. The Arachne was
already heading in our direction, and our eyes met. Of course, the eyes on the
top half. While the swaying chest was distracting, it was hard to take your
eyes off of those red pupils. There was a strong will there. It made me
wonder if she could talk.
“Wait. We have no intention of-ggaaah!!”
Something kicked me from behind.
“Have you gone mad? Get out of the way!”
I rolled into a wall. While Daniela’s insult hurt a little, I now understood
what she meant. Whatever will I had sensed was just the will to kill. It
wanted to kill us so desperately. I was fully awake now… I could hardly
forgive myself for getting distracted like that. There was no doubt about it,
this Arachne was a monster.
“Alright, I’m awake now. I’m back!”

“Good. Then do something about those webs!”
“Got it!”
I thrust my sword into the ground and gathered indigo blue magic to my
hands. I knew that this was what I had to do.
And so I clapped my hands together loudly. Bam! The sound echoed, and just
as everyone’s movements stopped, I slammed my hands onto the ground;
activating Frostheim. The frost began to spread throughout the room and
freeze the webs.
“Sorry that it’s not real alchemy!”
“Caution really means nothing to you!”
I could hear Manager shout, but I was busy. This was no time for caution. I
sent magic into my hands once again and created a frost sword as I stood up.
Manager sighed. The frost sword was in my left hand and the Black Emperor
Sword was in my right. A black sword and a pale white sword. I almost
wished I was wearing a black coat to match.
“Alright. Let’s end this now! I’ve already been kicked!”
The Arachne seemed startled and took a few steps back. I charged. It was
easy to pass Daniela and Manager while they were going for their weapons.
After all, I had Legs of the God Wolf. The platinum and green wind that
enveloped my legs gave me a sense of security as if it would take me
anywhere.
I dashed forward and then climbed up the air and did a backflip near the
ceiling. I landed upside-down on the ceiling and then jumped again. My wind
dragon clothes flapped wildly as I raised both hands up and then down
towards my back. Then I swung down with both swords.
“Haaaaah!!”
The Arachne raised her right arm to shield herself, which resulted in her arm
promptly being severed twice. But my attack didn’t stop there. I ran upward
as if there was a wall in front of me and planted my accel panther boot right
into her pretty face. The Arachne stumbled. Then I unleashed a wind boost
around my feet and slid towards the ground and to her flank. There, I slashed
at the spider legs. I took two with every hit. That was four with both blades.
The Arachne could no longer maintain its balance and started to fall in my
direction. I discarded the frost sword and held the Black Emperor Sword in
both hands and used Jack of all Trades, Master of None to ensure a quick and
precise swing. And like that, the Arachne’s upper half was split from the
bottom half as it tumbled to the ground.
“Phew…”
I sheathed my sword and sighed. So, now the monster that had chased Rex
was killed. Just then, I saw him peeking at us from behind the corner. At the
same time, I heard him mutter.
“We should just leave everything to him…”

chapter 276
Rex joined us, and I had to tell him about the inefficiency of hogging prey
and the importance of everyone gaining experience, as Manager and the
others carved up the Arachne. To be honest, I didn’t want to carve up a
monster that looked that close to a human. Which is rich, coming from the
guy who killed it…
“Finished.”
“Hmm…okay. So, Rex. We’ll be leaving then. Even though you have a map
now, be careful.”
“Aye. I’m sure we won’t get lost, yet we’ll still have to be wary of monsters.
I still can’t thank you enough for killing the monster for us… You be careful
out there.”
Rex raised his fist and I bumped mine against it.
“Who do you think I am?”
“Haha. See you in the capital!”
“Yeah, in the capital!”
It reminded me of another parting. But this wasn’t as hopeless a situation. I

was quite sure we would meet again as I watched them head for the exit.
So, we would continue on our journey then… Hmm?
“Huh?”
Daniela looked towards where I was pointing. The webs had all been frozen
by my magic. They were all harmless now, and behind one section, the floor
seemed to have peeled off.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t stone, wood or concrete. A surface that was black
and shining. I went closer to get a better look. The others followed me.
The frozen webs shattered easily as I moved through them. I could see it
clearly now. There was a shining line drawn on the material that looked like
black stone. And there was a light blinking as it moved along the line from
the right to the left. As if it was heading somewhere.
“What the hell?”
Manager scratched her head. I could practically see the question mark
floating above Lemon. Daniela held her chin and stared at it with
concentration. Like she had seen it before…maybe. However, I was the only
one that was certain.
“I found something just like this before by accident. It was when I was
exploring through an ancient ruin.”
“You what…?”
“Surely…”
Manager and Daniela seemed shocked. Lemon looked at me and waited for
me to continue.
“It was an ancient elven ruin.”
It had been bugging me all of this time. The dungeon being inverted. The
lower floors rising.
Why should the most important part, the heart of the dungeon, rise to the top?
Usually, the deepest part would have the best security. Even with a labyrinth
such as this. Traps would make sense. But inverting the layers? That didn’t
seem right. Why would they move what they wanted to protect the most to
the top?
“So this place…it is an ancient elven ruin too.”
“No… So this center that we are headed to, it’s not the real core?”
“It must be a trap.”
Once the dungeon is conquered, it inverts as part of a disaster. And then

people are sent to solve it. And then when they reach the core and touch it,
the real trap would activate… Considering this possibility, it felt like we were
on a road to hell. The others must have been thinking the same thing because
they now looked at the continuing passage with fear in their eyes.
“Perhaps there will be a guardian protecting it.”
Daniela said.
“Considering how grand all of this is. It would not be off if there was a
guardian or some kind of warden up there.”
“Yes… I doubt it can all be automated magic.”
That being said, if this was an ancient elven ruin, then it was over a thousand
years old. Even though it was intact, the elves themselves were long dead.
“Can elves live for a thousand years?”
“Who knows? I have certainly not lived that long…and I have never met one
who did. But I once met an elder who was over seven-hundred years old.”
Rachel had reincarnated eight-hundred years ago. But in human years, that
was probably like a ten-year difference.
“Perhaps it is some kind of artificial intelligence…”
Manager muttered. I see. Yes, that seemed possible as well. It was an age of
highly advanced magic tools. While it may be hard to have automated magic
spells, it was a little different with machinery with independent features.
“Well, we still have to go forward. But not down this path. We go…”
I stared at the light on the floor.
“Just like before. Down.”
Pretend that it’s inverted and hide everything below. I wasn’t sure of it, but it
was clear that we shouldn’t continue on to the center. In that case, we should
go deep down, where no one could see. The ruin in Replant had been similar.
There was a structure on the surface that hid the real thing underground…
Though, that place didn’t have a core. But then again, there might have been
a lower layer that I missed. There was no confirming it now.
No one disagreed with me, and so we decided to head downward. However,

there was still only one route ahead. Manager suggested that the center might
have means of going to the lower levels, but there was also the possibility of
traps. I really didn’t want to go to the center… But it seemed like we had no
choice for now.
We would go to the center in order to reach the bottom. By the time we made
this decision, it was so late that no more light leaked into the dungeon from
the outside.
If the upper layers and lower layers inverted, the weaker monsters would be
in the lower layers. Well, that was what seemed obvious to me before we
came here. Not only me, but the rest of the party thought so too.
However, we soon realized that it wasn’t the case.
“Daniela. It went over there!”
“Got it!”
We reached the center without much trouble. There were some typical
dungeon monsters like Minotaurs and golems, but they went down easily. It
was my first time seeing a golem. Daniela and Manager killed it before I saw
much, though. Apparently, there was a trick to doing it.
“Ahhh!”
“Lemon! I’m coming!”

Like that, we killed the monsters, advanced, became annoyed as they kept
coming, and then finally reached the center. It was a large hollow chamber
with a door on the far side. The whole thing seemed to scream ‘here is the
way to the core.’ However, things were not so simple. A giant centipede was
lying in front of it.
Clearly, it was a guardian.
“Hah!”
It was dark now that the sun had gone down. And I was in a hurry. I rushed
past the others and cut the centipede in half. And then it became two. This
might sound confusing, but I understood it. Damn it. This was going to be
troublesome.
I cut again and they multiplied. Soon there were twenty of them. Even though
I know I shouldn’t, I couldn’t help it when Lemon was in danger. I wanted to
freeze them all with magic, but…look, I’m not saying I used up a lot of
magic while showing off and freezing the entire room earlier…
“Can’t you do something!?”
“We only have swords! Maybe with a blunt weapon…!”
“Blunt!? Like a great hammer!?”
“Yes!”
I see. Crush instead of cut. It was so simple I don’t know how I missed it. But
we’d never fought monsters like these before.
Still, that made things easier. And so I made a hammer with ice magic. It was
a simple weapon in design. But it had a decent weight that my current status
and level were able to manage. I made four of them.
“Use these!”
“Good!”
“It-it’s so…heavy.”
It seemed like it was a little much for Lemon. And so I made another one that
was closer to a sledgehammer and gave it to her. While she was still a little
shaky, she seemed alright with it.
“Crush their heads!”
The others nodded and scattered. As we were four people in a square room,
we each took a corner. I picked up my hammer and ran to my side. Seeing the
writhing centipedes made my skin crawl, but I wasn’t particularly scared of
bugs. You know, I quite liked tarantulas and whip spiders. But nevermind
that… I swung down on the first centipede that caught my eye. The floor
didn’t break. The hammer didn’t break. The centipedes head exploded in a
wet mess. As the hammer was quite large, it partially crushed a nearby
centipede as well. Thankfully, it stayed intact and did not multiply.
And so I raised the hammer again in order to finish it off, but the barely intact
centipede was faster. I gave up, let go of the hammer and lept forward while
creating a sledgehammer in one hand. Then I swung down and crushed it.
The sledgehammer was much easier to swing. However, it did require a little
more precision.
I looked over to Lemon to see how she was doing. She must have been good
with her hands because she was adeptly killing centipede after centipede. I
sighed. Still, I wasn’t going to get any better by doing that. What I could do
was use Jack of all Trades, Master of None and try and copy her movements.
It was easy to do that if you had the basics down. I see. Yes. It’s all in the
waist, huh? Interesting. This might affect how I swing with a sword as well. I
felt like I just gained a level.
After learning this, I continued on my centipede squashing rampage. They

didn’t breathe poisonous fumes or use magic. They just multiplied. This
might have been hard if I was alone, but thankfully, I had friends to help me.
Once I was done, I returned the hammer to mana and looked around the
room. The others were also finished and leaning on their hammers while they
rested. No one was injured. That was pretty great, considering this thing had
been a guardian.
We rested for a while after that, and then I suggested we gather the proofs of
the hunt. However, that dream was crushed, just like the heads. There were
no fangs to be recovered. And no one wanted to spend time gathering the
legs.
“Perhaps…the carapaces. It can probably be used as materials for

something.”
“Hmm… Yes, since it is so late, we should just take them and then rest for
the day.”
Daniela suggested. And so I flipped over the centipede at my feet and slid
Ashikirimaru in between the stomach and back. Needless to say, it was a
horrible experience, but it came off rather cleanly. I tried tapping it my sword
and it seemed quite hard. They hadn’t put up much of a fight against my
hammer and sword, but to be honest, mine were better than your average
weapons. You couldn’t just go to a weapon store and buy them. But that was
what it took to cut through these. And since there was a lot, they could fetch a
decent price. Maybe they would become armor for some newcomer
Adventurer.
“Alright, let’s take the undamaged ones!”
“And then we can have dinner.”
“Leave the corpses in a single corner when you are done. I do not want them
close to the tent.”
I got my hollow bag from Lemon and slung it over my shoulder. We would
need the tent soon, and I felt bad for making her carry it all this time. We then
split up again and began to carve out the materials. After all, while it
wouldn’t happen immediately, the corpses would eventually turn into mana
and disappear…
chapter 277
It didn’t take long to set up the two tents. We were used to it by now. The
tents faced each other and we started to build a bonfire in between them.
There was plenty of firewood in the hollow bag, so that wasn’t a problem.
Speaking of not being a problem, the chamber we were in was large and there
were passages that meant we should have enough ventilation for a fire.
Then Daniela used earth magic to create a large bathtub and I filled it up with
water. Then I made a fire underneath the bath boiler to heat up the water. As
we had gotten covered in blood and bug fluids today, the feeling of disgust
was overwhelming.
“If only I could use fire magic.”
“Don’t worry, we have magic tools to make up for it.”
“I guess…”
I looked at the swaying flames and the water’s surface and sighed. There was
a small spark inside of me as well. I just had to use it properly. But up until
now, I’ve only been able to make use of water and ice magic. Quickly
switching magic attributes. That was something I was good at, but I’d been
relying on ice magic because it was easy to think of specific shapes. If I was
able to use water magic as smoothly as Adlus, it would mean I could do so
much more during battle. Jack of all Trades, Master of None helped me study
it, but it was still hard to visualize it. Even that skill couldn’t allow me to do
it if my imagination wasn’t there.
Once the water was ready, I pushed the women to go in first. While they
laughed and talked loudly, I prepared our dinner. That being said, it was just
the usual soup. I used some tasty dried meat for stock and then added some
spices, chopped meat, and leafy vegetables into it. Then I threw away the
scum. But it seemed a bit lonely, and so I skewered some blocks of meat and
tried to place them near the fire…
“…Oh, I can’t stab them into the ground here.”
We weren’t camping on dirt. We were inside a building. The floor was all
stone…
“Hmph!”
I forced the metal skewer into the cracks. Hmm. It worked, but the skewer
had bent a little. It just looked sad… Perhaps I should get steel skewers
instead of iron ones next time. In any case, preparations were complete. I just
had to wait for the soup to boil and the meat to cook.
“Asagi. You can take your bath now.”
“Ah, right.”
Manager was calling me. In spite of there being a man present, she was
completely… I’m just kidding. She came out looking very warm and fully
clothed. This wasn’t some light novel.
I got up to my feet and grabbed some clean clothes from the hollow bag and
then headed for the bathtub. And unlike the protagonist of such
aforementioned novels, I waited outside and called to see if it was fine to
come in. Daniela and Lemon’s voices answered me.
“We are still changing. Give us a minute.”
“You don’t need to rush.”
“Hmm…Lemon. You need to hurry up.”
“Ah, hey, wait a minute!”
“You really don’t need to…”
I said to Lemon as well. If this a light novel, Lemon would have become so
frantic that she’d fall through the partition, but such things didn’t happen
here. I wouldn’t allow it. Regardless, I had my back towards it, just in case,
as I stared at the ceiling.
“That’s a high ceiling…”
So, the Reserentrible dungeon was an ancient elven dungeon. We were likely
the only ones who knew about it. Perhaps even the people who got to the end
and triggered the trap didn’t know. I think, anyway. Perhaps they had other
things to worry about. But…who had they been? Were they alright…?
We were quite deep in the dungeon ourselves. If this was a normal disaster,
controlling the dungeon core up ahead would put an end to this inversion.
The dungeon would go back into the ground. But it was different here. I
guessed that the core here was fake and the real one was somewhere deep
underground.
The idea of such a deep, deep chamber reminded me of the mines. It had been
quite deep, and we had found the mysterious power of the dragon vein. Did
the dragon vein flow through here as well…? I wouldn’t be surprised… But it
had been so long since I last detected it.
“You can go in now.”
“Sorry, it took so long.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Daniela and Lemon came out looking very steamy. I had mumbled something
back, as I had been deep in thought. Daniela looked at me as if to ask if
something was wrong, so I shook my head.
While it hadn’t really been long since my last bath, it was incredibly relaxing
and I felt I would fall asleep if I wasn’t careful. But then again, those had
been fights worthy of praise.
□ □ □ □
After finishing the simple meal, we all sat around the fire. As there was only
one exit, we set the barrier tools there to prevent any intruders from coming
in. That meant everyone would be able to get some sleep tonight.
“Hmm. I’m going to bed…”

“Haahhhh…good night…”
Lemon rubbed at her eyes and walked towards her tent. Everyone must be
very tired…
Especially Lemon. As a supporter, she had carried the bags and also watched
our backs. As I got to my feet, I decided to do something to show my
appreciation once we got out.
“Alright, good night.”
“Aye, good night. Rindo and I will talk a little more before going to bed.”
“Got it. But don’t drink anymore.”
“I know.”
“Yeah, good night.”
I waved at Daniela and Manager and went into our tent. Then I took out my
water bottle from the hollow bag and drank a few sips before rolling up in my
sleeping bag. It didn’t take long for me to drift off to the land of dreams.
The next morning… Or was it? I wasn’t sure. The sunlight didn’t reach the
chamber we were in. Regardless, we had had enough rest, and so we packed
up our things and stood in front of the door.
“So…I suppose we go in now.”
“I’m worried there will be a trap as soon as we walk in. How likely is that?”
I asked as Daniela folded her arms.
“It is not impossible. These are ancient elves, after all. Anything can happen.”
Anyone who could make Daniela say that was pretty impressive in my book.
But no one would disagree with her in this case. It was hard to even imagine
what could happen. These were people who lived during a time of incredibly
advanced magic. I wasn’t sure if they quite exceeded the modern world that I
came from, but it wasn’t a stretch.
But there was no point in standing here and trying to guess. We had no
choice but to open the door. We did talk about escaping should it be
necessary, and then we all held our weapons ready.
“I’m opening it now.”
I nodded at Manager. I was quite worried. Lemon and Manager each pushed
one side of the double doors. Daniela and I stood ready with our weapons
drawn.
While the doors seemed to struggle against them, it was just weight. Lemon
and Manager pushed even harder, and the gap began to widen. Light poured
through the gap and lit our feet. It rose to our legs and then enveloped our
entire bodies. Before long, I was using my free arm to shield my eyes.
“It’s so bright…”
It was like coming out of a long, dark tunnel. Aside from the sounds of the
others complaining about the light, the only thing I could hear was the
creaking of the door. That stopped eventually. And after what seemed like a
long time, my eyes adjusted. I lowered my arm and held my sword up.
“This…”
I heard Daniela’s voice. I glanced to the side and saw that her eyes had
widened with surprise. I returned my gaze up ahead, where Daniela was
looking. Just as I thought. A black room spread out before us. It was like the
ancient elven ruins. The walls, floors, and ceiling all had the glowing blue
lines running across them. And in the center of the room, was a rectangular
monument of some sort. There was nothing else in sight. No traps or guardian
monsters. And of course, no ancient elves.
“This is really the center?”

“But there is nothing here.”
Manager and Lemon said as they looked at the room.
“We will have to inspect it in any case. I will go first.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Thank you.”
Daniela walked in the lead and I followed her.
“You two stay there, just in case the doors close.”
“Got it.”
“I understand!”
Daniela and I wouldn’t be able to do anything if it was locked from the

outside. I wasn’t sure if this material could be destroyed, but I wanted to
avoid a situation where we were all trapped inside.
“Asagi. Let us go.”
“Aye, Daniela.”
I gulped and looked at Daniela’s back. I had seen this back for a long time
now. I knew I could rely on it. And it was a back that only I could protect. No
matter what, I would not let Daniela die.
Daniela took her first step into the room. Nothing happened. Then she took
another. Still, nothing.
Then I took a step. Nothing happened. I tapped on it with the tip of my boot.
Nothing. Then I jumped in and bumped into Daniela. Nothing. Well, Daniela
did glare at me.
“It seems fine…”

“So there’s no traps…!?”
Seems like it. It was just as I was about to say that. The glowing lines
suddenly shot towards the stone monument in the center of the room. The
multiple lines gathered towards it and blue lights began to shine brightly. The
lights traveled up to the top of the stone. When all of the lights were together,
the lines disappeared. And then the lights on the stone were unleashed
towards the ceiling.
“What!?”
“Huh!?”
A human figure could be seen within the pillar of light.

chapter 278
It was a female elf. But there was something different. There was…an air of
purity perhaps. The hair was blonde and close to white. A lot like Daniela’s.
Maybe she was a light elf?
“No…that is an ancient elf…”
I thought back on the time Adlus had approached Daniela, and I had gotten
angry. We had then had a conversation about how light elves were related to
the ancient elves. If that was true, this woman in front of us was likely an
ancient elf. After all, why would a light elf come out here and now?
‘Elf detected among the intruders in the center. Switching from attack mode
to conversation mode.’
“Huh…?”
It was the voice of a human but was also machine-like.
I had heard it before.
‘This is the Facility Number 125. Reserentrible. State your business.’
The woman in the light said. While I could hear her, my mind was thinking
of other things.
“This dungeon…facility. The structure has been altered, resulting in monsters

rising to the surface. We wish to stop it.”
‘I have currently detected the invaders in the center and the interception
mechanism has been activated. After it has been running for one-hundred and
sixty-eight hours, the facility will be reset.’
“Can you not do something about the monsters that are getting out?”
‘After investigating the matter, it appears that the management systems for
the laboratory animals have malfunctioned. It will take twelve hours to repair
them.’
The words ‘laboratory animals’ brought me back. So, those monsters were
the results of their experiments?
‘Indeed. The mixing of species was an attempt at solving food shortages.’
“So, you really are an ancient elf?”
‘Incorrect. I am an elf, but I never claimed to be ancient.’
“We are people who live a thousand years after your people. To us, you are
someone from the past.”
‘…I see. The passage of time has been confirmed. It is currently AD 1425. A
thousand years have passed since the creation of this facility.’
I wasn’t sure what ‘AD’ meant, but she was now aware of how much time
had passed.
‘Very well. I will allow you to call me an ancient elf. Your purpose here has
been confirmed. The facility will be reset. This will occur automatically in
one-hundred and sixty-eight hours. During the reset, the interior structure of
this facility will change. I advise you to leave before then.’
“I understand. We will leave immediately.”
I had things I wanted to ask. However, now was not the time. We had one-
hundred and sixty-eight hours. That was seven days. A week. We had to get
everyone out of the dungeon in the meantime.
‘The tower will sink into the ground, and none of the facility will be visible
from the surface. Furthermore, security will be tightened. All intruders will
be henceforth rejected.’
“What…?”
“Is it shutting down…?”
‘Incorrect. It will just be vacant.’
That sounded even worse…! What would happen to the town?
“But there’s nothing we can do.”
“We should prioritize helping people escape. Am I wrong?”
“…You aren’t. We should rush back to the capital. It will take many more
men to go and find everyone.”
That being said, I wasn’t sure the military would move. After all, those who
entered were responsible for their own safety. Even if you went in to save
someone.
“I’ll handle that matter.”
“You, Manager?”
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you doubting me?”
“No, not exactly…”
“I have many acquaintances in the army who are former Adventurers. It

won’t hurt to try and take advantage of that.”
If that’s what she meant, I knew people as well.
“Well, I’d like to ask you a favor then. I’m going to write a letter that I want
you to deliver. It should reach him.”
“Hmm. Very well. Leave it to me.”
The captain of the shadows. Mister Tames. Surely, he would help us.
We decided to leave the center for now. It didn’t feel right to stay there. And
I wasn’t the only one who felt like we were intruding on their sacred territory.
When we had first entered, the voice said something about a ‘communication
mode.’ That suggested that a trap would have been activated had Daniela not
been there. As for the hologram, it seemed to be coming from the stone
monument. But there was so much I didn’t know.
“First, Rindo will return to the capital. And Lemon will go with her, just in
case something happens. Do you mind?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Neither do I.”
“Good. Then wait just one moment.”
Daniela said as she stretched a hand towards me. What? I looked at the palm
of her hand, but it was empty.
“Hmm?”
“I am going to call Rachel. Lend me the key.”
“Ah, right. Yeah, I guess that would be faster.”
They would be able to return to the Empire in the blink of an eye. I took the
key out of the hollow bag. Manager and Lemon looked at it curiously, but
Daniela didn’t bother to explain. Instead, she pushed it into the air and turned
it. The space before us distorted as the familiar alley came into view.
“Woah!”
“What is this?”
“It is a tool for dimension magic. It connects to a place where an

acquaintance of ours lives. Follow me.”
Daniela and I entered. The others followed very hesitantly. I remembered

feeling like that when it was my first time. It was all very confusing.
Now that we were in, I opened the window to the side.
“It’s a Japanese style room…”
Manager muttered. Her reaction was amusing, but this was no time to laugh.
“Rachel? Are you in there?”
“Hmm? Ah, it’s just you.”
“Hey, master. I have a little favor to ask.”
“I am very busy. I cannot help you all of the time… Oh? So you’ve created a
harem, after all, have you? Haha. What an idiot you are!”
“That’s not what this is. And this is quite serious.”
“Hmph. You’re a boring one. Well, come in then. That gray elf and Japanese
woman might as well come too. Damn it. So many people all at once… No
one ever visited me when I was younger…”
Manager was surprised to be referred to as Japanese. I followed after Daniela,

who entered first. Manager and Lemon were full of caution as they made
their way through the window.
“Uh, sorry for the intrusion.”
“Excuse me…”
As the five of us sat around the table, cups were brought out. Lehaty had
come with a tray.
“Hello.”
“Hello. It has been a while.”
Lehaty said with a smile. She seemed a lot more comfortable around people
now. Perhaps life with Rachel had made her more confident. Her wolf ears
were sticking straight up now and looked cute.
“So?”
Rachel asked as she sipped her tea with an irritated expression.
“The thing is…”
And then I told her about what had happened today. The labyrinth disaster.
Ancient elves. The time limit. After I was finished, Rachel sighed and waved
her hand. Nothing happened.
“I have set a door near the Empire, so you can go through there. However, it
is a one-way door. So you’ll have to run your fastest back to Reserentrible.”
“Thank you. Miss Rachel.”
“Hmph. It’s the least I can do for someone from my old home.”
“…So, you really are from Japan then?”
“I was once. But now I am just a monster.”
“A monster…”
“Rachel is a wolf that lived for eight hundred years. She was Japanese before
she reincarnated.”
As Rachel was doing a poor job of explaining herself, I did it for her. But
perhaps it was deliberate because she seemed rather unhappy as she looked
away.
“Thank you… I’m glad to have met you. Maybe we can talk some other
time.”
“Perhaps. Now hurry up and go.”
Rachel said as she waved her hand. Manger nodded with satisfaction and then
led Lemon out of the window.
“Wa…ahhhhhh…”
“Ahhhhhhh…”
…Their screams faded into the sky. I sighed. Rachel was chuckling to
herself.
“They’ll hate you for that.”
“Hmph. As if I care. So? You still have business with me then?”
Rachel said as she looked at us. She seemed very bored.
“We do. Well, I’m not sure about it yet. But I want you to come with us.”
“How troublesome… To Reserentrible?”
“Yeah.”
I still had questions I wanted to ask the ancient elf. It related to me. But it
also related to Rachel. And Manager. And also that other guy.
And so we went out of the window in order to return to the dungeon with
Rachel. Lehaty would stay behind.
“Alright, I have to go for a short while.”
“Yes… You’ll come back as soon as you can, won’t you?”
“You get lonely too easily, Lehaty… Don’t do anything foolish while I’m
gone.”
Rachel said as she climbed out of the window. Then we walked down the
alley and returned to the dungeon. Daniela and I moved towards the door
immediately, but Rachel started to wander around. She seemed quite curious
about the place.
“Hmm…hmm. We are quite close to a dragon vein.”
“You can tell?”

“I’m sure you can too?”
“Uh… I’ve only ever sensed it once.”
“What a sad person you are.”
“Asagi. Rachel. Are we going in? We do not have much time.”
While Rachel had saved us a lot of time, we still had to hurry. Daniela and I
pushed the doors open. And then just like before, Daniela stepped into the
room first.
‘What is it now?’
The stone monument shone again and the holographic ancient elf appeared.
‘Ahh,’ Rachel muttered. Even she had never met an ancient elf before.
“I have something I want to ask.”
‘What?’
“Was it you that called me to this world?”
I could see Daniela looking at me with a worried expression. But I forced

myself to look at the ancient elf.
“Are there records of summoning people from other worlds?”
Yes, when I first heard her voice, I realized that it was the same voice I heard
in the convenience store. The voice that said, ‘Confirmation of subject who
wishes to be summoned. Unique Skill ‘Jack of all Trades and Master of
None’ granted…’
‘Correct. Ancient elves have experimented with summoning people from

other worlds.’
“…!!”
It replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

So, the magic that had summoned me, Matsumoto, and Manager were all
from ancient elves. As for Rachel…she was the only one who had been
reincarnated. Perhaps it was part of their experiment. I didn’t know.
However, there was something more important that I had to ask now.
“About these experiments…were there any experiments for sending people

back?”
‘Yes. However, they all ended in failure. Summoning can only occur in one
direction.’
“…I…see…”
The strength left my legs. My knees hit the floor. I didn’t know what to say
after that. It’s not as if I had been traveling all of this time in hopes of
returning. I had been on the brink of death when I was summoned. And so I
thought that I might as well see the world. It wasn’t something I put much
thought into when starting. Of course, Daniela’s encouragement helped.
Still, I’d be lying if I said that the hope of eventually finding a way to return
didn’t remain in me. Even if the world was filled with wonder and the person
I loved was here, it wasn’t where I was born and raised.
And so there were times when I would look back and be drawn to it.
Those were the times I wanted to go back. And take Daniela with me.
“Asagi…”
Daniela slowly put an arm on my shoulder and pulled me towards her. The
warmth of her touch helped bring me back a little.
‘Do you have any other questions?’
“Wa-wait… Where is the facility now? Where were the experiments

conducted?”
But the sense of loss was still there. And so I had to ask that question.
‘There were four main facilities. They were in centers of ancient elven cities.’
She moved her arm to the left and a square-shaped hologram appeared. Then
she moved her arm to the right, and the hologram slid towards us.
It was a world map. My eyes scanned it viciously until I found our current
location. Then I compared its position to that of the facilities. One of them
was on an island I had never heard of before. I hadn’t been to the sea yet.
There was one that was to the far south. The third was up north. The last was
close to the center of the map. The forest would have been much larger back
then. I had heard that the ancient elves lived in forests. However, the position
of the mountains did not change. The Alexia mountain ranges ran through the
continent. The facility was located slightly to the north of those mountains.
“…The hill of mist.”
It was the place I had been summoned.
“This one…is in Erdiares.”
Daniela said as she pointed at the one to the far north. Yes, Manager said she
had awoken in a town on the outskirts of that country.
“I was also born close to that place.”
Rachel said. In other words, it was all related to the experiments of the
ancient elves. No one said anything. Maybe we couldn’t. Two of us now
knew we could never return. We didn’t know what to do.
“Well, I have no reason to return, anyway.”
“Huh…?”
“Have you forgotten? I am no longer human. I am a monster. I have been a

monster for eight-hundred years. I have devoured beasts and attacked
humans. Yes, I even ate people to stay alive. I may look like a human now,
but I am still a beast by nature. It is only because I have lived so long that I
developed intellectually.
A wolf that has lived for eight-hundred years. Even if she had been a human
once, if her true nature had changed, there was no going back.
“Besides, I never held any kind of hope, to begin with. …I had other things to
think about…”
She had cut off her ties to the old world very easily. Perhaps it was something
that time did. I didn’t quite know how that felt yet.
“I…”
“You want to return?”
Daniela sat next to me and squeezed my shoulder. It was as if she were

willing me to stay.
“You would do that. Even though I am here?”
“Of course, I would never…”
“Then what is wrong?”
She asked plainly. But I had dreams of us going together.
“But, Asagi. This is the world that I was born in. You would have me
abandon it?”
“I…”
“I would not want to tell you to abandon yours. But if you cannot return, then
you should give up…no… No, that is not it…”
Daniela suddenly fell silent and shook her head with a wry laugh.
“I do not want you to spend the rest of your life searching for a means that
may not exist. The remainder of your life should be dedicated to me.”
“Daniela…”
“You can call me selfish. I do not mind. But I do not intend on releasing you.
I am sorry.”
She said as she held me tightly. Why was she always so…dashing? She felt
so strongly about it… I needed to be like that. I wanted to see things in the
same way as the person I was with.
Family and friends. It wasn’t easy to abandon all hope. However, what was
easy was living with someone you loved. Side-by-side, in sickness and in
health, we walked together. It would be an extension of what we’ve been
doing. Our roads may not be the same length, but we would still be together.
Yes, it felt like a long time ago now when I made that decision.
“Have you decided?”
“…Yeah. This is my home now. I’ll live here with Daniela.”
“Oh, how sweet and passionate. I didn’t know a user of water magic could
get so steamy!”
Rachel said mockingly. But I had the potential to use fire magic too. In any
case, I could give as good as I got.
“And you have your new life with your wife now. You can’t go back even if
you wanted to.”
“Shu-shut up!”
Rachel turned red as she fumed. Daniela and I chuckled. The ancient elf
looked a little bewildered. Still, we had our answer. The summoning was a
result of their experiments.
However, that was just for me and Rachel.
“I’m not sure how Manager and Matsumoto will take it… What should we
do?”
“Indeed… Regardless of how they take it, it would be a terrible thing to keep
the information from them. She may continue to search for a way to return.
She may continue to have hope. How do you think she will feel when she
nears the end of her life and realizes the truth? It would be better for them to
feel despair now, while there is still time to heal. And people who can help
heal it. It was the same with me. It was time and you that saved me.”
“Daniela…”
“Rindo and Yasushi seem like strong-hearted people to me. She, at least, will
get over it.”
Matsumoto was still a high school student. He might have had many friends.
It wasn’t the age to separate from your parents either. Sure, he may be
popular with girls, but that didn’t replace familial love.
“But, what if they don’t get over it?”
“Can we really be restrained by such uncertainties? They should know,

regardless of the cost. I think it is what all of you need.”
Right… It was reality, after all. They should know. It was information that
everyone who came here should know.
“I suppose you brought me here in the hopes that I could bring Yasushi as
well?”
“Sorry… But I had a feeling about this.”
“Very well. I will bring him.”
So saying, Rachel disappeared through the door in space. Being able to drag
in the Hero of the Republic was one of the perks of being a Lambrusen court
magician.
chapter 279
While we waited for Matsumoto to arrive, I asked the ancient elf questions
about the facilities.
“…I see. So these facilities…were built near dungeons with dragon veins, as
it allowed them to gather the bare minimum of mana. And the mana was used
to power the summoning experiments.”
‘Positive. However, there are only four facilities remaining that I can
identify.’
“And are these experiments being carried out by actual ancient elves?”
‘Negative. The experiments would be carried out by the independent thought

devices called ‘Nova.’ I am one myself.’
“Do you have a name?”
‘Positive. I was named Karma.’
So, she wasn’t an ancient elf, but an ‘independent thought device.’ An

amazing tool that told you everything that you wanted to know. I was starting
to wonder why it was telling me these things. You’d think they would be
classified.
‘As there is an elf present, such restrictions have been lifted.’
That seemed a little lax…
‘Furthermore, if it becomes known that you have ties with enemy forces, you
and this entire facility will be destroyed.’
And so extreme.
Just then, a door opened in the air and Rachel, Matsumoto, and Manager
walked out.
“Mister Asagi… Master Rachel brought me here. Uh, where are we?”
“And I was dragged here too, for some reason. I was still talking to someone,
so I would like to go back as soon as possible.”
“Hmph. Can’t you see that I gathered everyone together that is from Japan?”
“What? Japan?”
Matsumoto looked at Manager and Rachel.
“…Ah, this person is Japanese! And master, you too?”
“Oh, so you didn’t know?”
“You never told me! I thought Mister Asagi was the only other one…
ughhh…”
How lonely it must have been. But you haven’t felt anything yet.
“Matsumoto. Manager. Sorry for calling you like this, but there’s something I
have to tell you.”
“Did you learn something then?”
“Mister Asagi?”
“…”
This would hurt. But not as much as hiding it. I paced the room for a moment
and then told them the truth.
□ □ □ □
I felt horrible. I could have gone the rest of life without seeing Manager cry
like that.
“I…traveled all of this time…even though I felt like I was dying…even when
I had to sell myself…it was all so I could one day return…! And yet…”
I hadn’t realized how hard it would have been for her to travel alone. Or
maybe I hadn’t wanted to face it.
“Aaaah… No… No… Mom… Dad….! Aaahh…”
While he was a Hero, Matsumoto was still a kid. No matter how strong he
was physically, he was still young mentally.
“Asagi…how…how can you be so calm…? You can never go back…! To

your…family…!”
“I…I…wanted to go back too… But I made my decision…”
“…You’re a lucky one… I don’t have anything to keep me…”
“…”
I didn’t know what to say. I suppose I had been lucky in life. But…still…
“I’m sorry… But this doesn’t change anything between us.”
“Ah… I know. I was just…lashing out…yes…”
She nodded. There was nothing I could do. I could have held her and
comforted her. But knowing how she felt, and how it couldn’t be
reciprocated… It would only hurt and humiliate her in the end.
“Daniela…”
“You do not have to say anything. Go and help Yasushi.”
“…Yeah.”
I had known this would happen… I was honestly regretting it now. But this
was the only time I would be able to crush what little hope they had.
Matsumoto was staring at the floor as if he had lost his mind… No, he wasn’t
staring anything at all.
“Matsumoto.”
“…Oh… Asagi…”
He raised his head when I called him, but then it dropped back down again. I
sat down next to him and stared at the floor.
“…Would you have preferred it if I hadn’t told you?”
“I…I was so sure that I would return one day. You know, isn’t that what
always happens when you get sent to another world…?”
“Well…maybe…”
“But this…I guess it’s different…”
The reality was always harsh. Seeing things you didn’t want to see. Hearing
things you didn’t want to hear.
“I can’t ever see my family again either… I felt so hopeless when I first
realized it.”
“So…you really are just like me.”
“Yeah. Maybe a little different, but we’re in the same situation now.”
One day, we were suddenly called to this world. Without warning or a

choice. And the unfamiliar world had been full of trials for us.
But we both found someone to love…well, he found people who loved him,
anyway.
“I wanted to see my family. But I couldn’t…. It was those times that Daniela
supported me. A person I love who also loves me. Surely, there is someone
like that in your life?”
“Someone I love…who loves me…”
“Yeah.”
Matsumoto had saved many lives. There was a time when I felt like he was
getting too excited, just because he was in a different world. But it wasn’t
everyone who was able to save people and create such tight bonds. It was
only possible because he had a kind personality.
“And I decided to live for her. You’ll have to decide what to live for too.”
“Mister Asagi…”
He treated me with respect, just because I was older. But he had come here
first and was much stronger. And yet, here we were. I wanted to help him and
Manager. But I didn’t know if there was anything that I could do. All I could
do was show them their options. However, as the one who had made the
decision, I was the only one who could give them that.
“You know, living as a Hero and for those here that you love, is not a
betrayal of those back home.”
“…”
I told him that it was wrong to feel guilt over it. But maybe this was all very
presumptuous of me. Maybe it was wrong to give up. And yet, I still wanted
them to live without looking back.
□ □ □ □
After he had calmed down a little, Rachel took Matsumoto back to

Lambrusen.
“Mister Asagi… I’m going to live here with the others. I don’t know if that’s
the right decision, but I have to start from there.”
He said as he smiled weakly. His eyes were still puffy, but but there was
determination there.
He was strong after all. And he was only getting stronger. He had already
changed from just a few minutes ago. Having a strong heart was something
you needed to live. It was a hard trick for me to learn. But he was different…
maybe it was because he was a Hero.
As for Manager, she cried into Daniela until she fell asleep from exhaustion.
Neither I or Daniela could do anything. And so we just sat there. Manager
had her head on Daniela’s lap, but she opened her eyes before too long.
“Uhh…”
“You’re up.”
“…Ah…so I’m still here…”
It was as if she had hoped to wake up and find that it had all been a dream.
“Reality… Ah… Oh, well.”
“It cannot be helped?”
Daniela suggested.
“You will have to continue on. You are here. In this world.”
“…Yeah.”
“Yes.”
Manager wiped at her eyes, which were just as puffy as Matsumoto’s. Then
she grinned.
For better or worse, she was quick to adapt. That was important for survival.
It was a good thing.
It was an important trick to living.

chapter 280
So, Manager and Matsumoto, the people who came here from another world,
decided to live here. Obviously, they didn’t have any choice, but that didn’t
make it any easier. As for me, there was still something comforting about
there being others from home that were here as well.
Daniela and I hunted down monsters in the dungeon before the labyrinth
closed off. I had wanted Rachel to help us, but she apparently had important
matters to attend to. It would have been an opportunity to see how strong she
was, so it was unfortunate.
Karma said that she didn’t mind if we slept in the center room, and so we did.
‘Just call me if you need anything.’
She said before the hologram vanished into the monument-like console. It
was a magic device that the ancient elves had invented. It was like a
computer, I suppose. Well, I decided to see it that way, at least.
And then several days went by. Minotaurs, Arachnes, lamias. And golems,
goblins, kobolds, imps, and werewolves…a parade of monsters from my
childhood. I got so excited hunting them down, but the experiment lab where
the gene-splicing was taking place was eventually restored, and the monsters
stopped coming out. And so we went around and killed the remaining
monsters in each room and tunnel. We were able to gather a lot of materials
from unknown creatures.
There were a few merchants and Adventurers we were able to save as well.
But not many. There were definitely more. We heard about it on the second
day.
The military arrived after that. And as planned, they used human wave tactics
to rescue the others. Manager’s friend turned out to be pretty high in rank,
and my letter had also been useful. Or so Mister Tames later told me. While
people were responsible for their own safety, I had urged them to at least try
and help those that they could. I wasn’t sure if the Emperor himself was
notified…but the thought of being called out before him again made my
stomach turn.
In any case, we were eventually able to rescue everyone that had been
involved in the labyrinth disaster…that is, everyone that was still alive. Many
were less lucky and died during their encounters with the monsters.
It was yesterday that Daniela, I and several other military personnel

confirmed it by using Presence Detection. As this was the last day, I decided
to use it to ask Karma some final questions.
“…I see. So, this facility turned into a labyrinth in order to fight back against
the intruders…”
‘Positive. Humans invaded this facility five hundred and eighty-nine years
ago. Weather and a shift in the terrain created a fissure that allowed them to
enter. And so the facility entered defense mode. And then it happened again
recently. The facility switched to intercept mode and changed to its current
state.’
In other words, the Reserentrible labyrinth had already been fighting invaders
while in defense mode. And then more people had entered, so it was no
wonder they were attacked. But how was anyone supposed to know?
It started to get dark outside as we talked. We would have to be leaving soon.

Tomorrow, right when the day ended, this place would become flat ground
once again.
“Well, we best be leaving now. I’m glad I was able to talk to you.”
“As an elf, it has been a pleasure to meet you. Thank you.”
‘I have done nothing to earn your gratitude. While I may have the personality
of an elf, I am still a tool. This is how I was made.’
She returned bluntly. I suppose AI were just like that.
‘However…if I was allowed to have my own thoughts, I would say that I find
it regrettable that you were all summoned, yet are unable to return.’
Shocking. She was a device, but was capable of emotion… But maybe it
wasn’t that surprising. I mean, it was actually kind of cliche?
“Thank you, Karma. It might have been unfortunate at first, but my life is
great right now.”
“It is thanks to the Nova that I met Asagi.”
I would have died if I didn’t come to this world. So in a way, I was saved. It
was sad that I couldn’t meet my family again, but our hearts were still
connected.
‘I am happy to hear that. Now, go. Farewell, my descendant, and kind human
from another world.’
Karma smiled gently and waved before disappearing. Daniela and I bowed
and then left the room.
As we had Lemon’s map, and also walked through the dungeon for nearly a
week, we had the layout mostly memorized, and we were able to get out in
less than an hour. The military had set up camp in a field just a short distance
away from the town. Manager would be there too.
“Aye.”
We were the last ones to leave. I could see them waving to us from afar. They
were probably the people who used Presence Detection with us. It had been
very high-level Presence Detection, so they would have known when we
came out. We turned around and took one last look at Reserentrible as the
shadows of the night fell over it.
“…Do you think the experiments will continue?”
“They likely will. Karma only manages one of the facilities. They gather
mana from the dragon vein and send it to the main base… Unless all of them
shut down, the Nova will continue to experiment.”
So we’d have to visit all of them in order to end the ancient elven
experiments. Maybe it would be faster to destroy the main Nova, but I didn’t
know where it was. It was a secret.
“…I’d rather…there not be more people like us.”
“I feel the same. The Nova brought us together, but aside from that, they
should be destroyed.”
In the near future… We would have to journey to do just that. But we had too
little information right now.
“Oh?”
“Huh.”
As we walked towards the group of tents, the ground started to shake. It

started off small but grew larger.
“I think it’s magnitude three…”
“Ah! Ah-ah-ah…!”
It wasn’t bad at all, but Daniela had frantically dropped to the ground. I
remember seeing people do this in Japan, when they had just come to the
country and weren’t used to earthquakes. It was pretty cute. However, she
was clearly scared.
“A-Asagi! Be careful!”
“It’s fine. We’re not even inside of a building…”
There was nothing to crumbled on top of us. Well, maybe the ground could
split… No, I had Legs of the God Wolf, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
Still, I felt bad for her. And so I sat on the ground and held her. As for the
shaking, it was likely because of the town.
“Calm down, Daniela. Look over there.”
“Huh?”
Daniela continued to clutch at me as she sat up. I chuckled and pointed

towards Reserentrible. Just as she turned her head towards it, the tallest part
of the tower began to collapse. The roof, then the walls. The windows and
doors and verandas that stuck out at odd places. Even the walls that
surrounded the town. All of it turned into dust. Then the wind blew it all
away until there was nothing left. All that remained was a wasteland where
even grass did not grow. Of course, that was just for now. It would turn into a
prairie again one day. Then no one would ever know that it had once been an
ancient elven ruin.
“That was incredible…”
“Yeah. A rare sight.”
The shaking ended when the destruction subsided. Nothing was left. When I
turned around, I saw the military personnel were also watching in stunned
silence.
I had told them that this would happen, but it didn’t make it any less
shocking.
And so the matter of the labyrinth disaster of Reserentrible was resolved. We

had learned something that involved our future. I would live here with
Daniela. Who knew what Matsumoto and Manager would do…
But I didn’t think any of them would go down a self-destructive path. After
all, we still had each other. If one of us started to go down the wrong path,
the others could stop it. We could help each other. At least, I hoped we
would. Besides, Rachel’s room would make it easier to keep tabs on each
other. It would be a waste not to use it.
Though, she’d probably get very annoyed if I went in too often.

chapter 281
“…So, that was what happened.”
“I see.”
We made a report of everything that had happened. Asagi Kamiyashiro.

Twenty-two years old. A part-time worker who was loved by his neighbors.
Now working as an Adventurer in another world.
And the person I was talking to, was the man who was responsible for the
entire country. His Royal Majesty, Emperor Veldrid Pauzencia Flugelnia. He
was not the kind of person that I would usually gain an audience with. But we
had participated in the tournament due to Daniela, and I was lucky enough to
end as first-runner up, so we were able to meet him. He now knew our names
and faces.
“That place was what remained of an ancient elven laboratory. That is most
unexpected.”
“It had been invaded five-hundred and eighty-nine years ago. That’s when it
took the shape that Reserentrible was known for. I’ve written down the
details here, if you would like to take a look.”
“Thank you. You have both been very helpful. Not only did you help the
Imperial Sword Tournament become a success, but you stopped an
unprecedented disaster. That cannot go unrewarded…”
“If it is a title, I must refuse.”
“Hahaha. The state does not bind Adventurers. No, it shall be something like
the last.”
The Emperor chuckled at Daniela’s rather sharp rejection. Daniela. That’s the
Emperor you’re talking to…
Well, I would have rejected it as well. However, I didn’t want to accept any
other gift either.
“Our involvement was purely as guild members completing a quest. The only
thing we should be accepting is the reward from the guild. We cannot accept
anything from you directly, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm…you may be right about that. That being said, Asagi, you did get the
military involved. So the matter now exceeds the scope of the Adventurer’s
Guild. So would it not be normal for there to be a special reward as well? Am
I wrong?”
He looked at me smugly. The fact that he wanted to push something onto us

so much almost made me suspicious. Of course, there really wasn’t much we
could do.
“Hahaha. You suspect something, don’t you? No, there is nothing more to it.
But there is so much in the castle from previous Emperors that are now
collecting dust. But they are not items for display. They are tools. I am
thinking about making good use of all of them during my generation. The
world will be richer for it. I suppose you thought it strange that I should give
you an Emperor’s sword when you didn’t win? Well, that is how I do things
here.”
The Emperor sunk back into his chair and gracefully crossed his legs. Indeed,
I had thought it a little excessive. I had even refused it initially.
“I think you have a bright future ahead of you. We will not try and tie you
down, but I’m sure you will help us in some other way, eventually. That will
be more than enough.”
“Well, it would be a crime not to accept it after you’ve said all of that…”
“Hahaha! Your punishment can be to become a nobleman and work for this
country.”
I’d hate that. I’ll take the gift instead.

And so the Emperor called someone in. Someone I had never met before. An
elderly man with a white beard and a shrewd look. Probably a minister or
something like that.
And there was someone behind him who was dressed in a military uniform
and was carrying something. That person passed on the thing to the minister,
who then gave it to the Emperor. It seemed like a waste of time, but perhaps
it was a necessary ceremony.
“Here. This is for you, Asagi.”
“This…”
“I gave you a one-handed sword last time. This one is a two-handed sword.”
He said with a grin. I had a lot of swords already. But, uh, boys will be boys?
I was still happy to have another one.
And so I respectfully accepted it. It was sheathed, and much thinner than the
Schwarz Tempest. Though, there weren’t many greatswords that were as
wide as that sword.
“Do you mind if I take a look?”
“Of course, not.”
And so I bowed before clutching the sheath and slowly pulling the handle.
“This…has a single-sided blade.”
“Rare, isn’t it? It was also a former Emperor’s.”
Most of the swords in this world were what I would consider western. In
other words, double-edged swords. And so yes, this kind of blade did stick
out. I wondered what its roots were…maybe it had been made by someone
else who had been transported or reincarnated in the past… I was quite sure
that this was the case for Ashikirimaru. I mean, it was in the name. But
regardless, I had no knowledge of swords. After all, the only people who did
in modern Japan were either craftsmen or enthusiasts. I just thought they
looked cool.
Well, enough of that. This sword. This single-edged blade. As it was meant to
be held with both hands, the blade was over one meter long. It was heavy, but
not so heavy that I would have trouble swinging it. Probably because it was
still thin. It was maybe half of the weight of my greatsword.
The handle was wrapped in leather. But it didn’t look worn at all. What kind
of leather was it? I doubted it had been added recently.
“You noticed it? It is the skin of a wolf that once roamed the forest to the
south. It was a giant wolf that was over four meters tall but could run like the
wind. Not only that, but it is said that it had two heads.”
Two heads…
“The people that live in the south called the monster Orthros.”
No kidding. How many two-headed wolves could there be? Orthros was
supposed to be Cerberus’s younger brother. I hoped this brother wouldn’t be
in the southern forest.
“As for that blade, Orthros’s blood, bones, flesh, skin…all of it was put into a
magic stone in order to make this sword. The sword itself is called Orthros as
well.”
“Ehehe…”
I suppose the blacksmith wasn’t too creative. However, they used the blood,
flesh, and bones too… That was uh, interesting. It was uncomfortably similar
to that Assault Kobold sword. That sword came equipped with a curse. In
fact, I still had it inside of the hollow bag. This sword may have something
similar too…
“…Huh. It had two heads, but there is only one blade. You’d kind of think
the blacksmith would have at least made dual blades.”
“Aye. There was apparently another sword to go with it.”

“Apparently?”
“No one knows where it is. Like me, the previous Emperor must have given
it to someone worthy. And it’s been lost ever since.”
Well…that sounded a little ominous. Besides, people would then blame me if

this sword never saw the light again.
“Hahaha. Your face can’t lie. But don’t worry about it. This is a sword that is
meant to be used. I don’t see how it can be wasted once it is in your hands. At
least, if you really are a good man.”
“Thank you… I’ll take good care of it.”
I felt like he was shoving the responsibility onto me after all.
“Hmm. That’s good to hear. Now you, Daniela. I heard that you do not use
any other weapons but your own.”
“Yes. They were my mothers.”
“I see. I see. It’s a good thing I didn’t have any weapons in mind then.”
The Emperor nodded to the minister behind him. Then the minister accepted
something from the military man behind him, and then he handed it to the
Emperor.
“What is that?”
“This was from an auction. And so it is not something tied to the royal
family, but it is still valuable. And I believe it is perfect for you.”
There was a tray with a cloth over it, and on the cloth, was a ring that was
green in color. A ring… A ring?
“This ring is made out of wind ore. It has also been specially processed and
has magical enchantments that boost its power. This will help strengthen your
wind magic.”
I haven’t even give Daniela a ring yet!
“Thank you very much. It is a great gift. However, I cannot accept it.”
“Daniela…?”
I looked at her. She chuckled.
“He has not yet given me a ring. While Your Majesty is very generous, I
want a ring from Asagi to be my first. And so I cannot accept it.”
“Hmm… Indeed. I had assumed that matters were more official between you
two. That being said, Asagi. That is something to think about, eh? You
should not force your woman to say such a thing.”
“Yeah…I’m sorry…”
I had been thinking about giving her one eventually. But I hadn’t expected
someone to beat me to it. Especially not an Emperor. Damn it…
“Do not look so sad, Asagi. Your Majesty. We go at our own pace in that
regard. Besides, I think his modesty is one of his more appealing qualities. I
would not like to rush him in any way.”
“Oh, have I kicked the hornet’s nest? Haha, forgive me. It is none of my
business. But let me see, we must have something else then. Hmmm…”
As the magic ring would not do, the Emperor tried to think of something else
to give her. It was as if he were going through an inventory in his mind and
choosing what he thought would fit her the most.
In the meantime, I just sipped my tea and waited. However, His Majesty
continued to have a faraway look on his face. It started to feel a little
uncomfortable, since I knew he was actually very busy. Perhaps the others
felt it too, because the minister then whispered something into his ear.
“Your Majesty, might I suggest the magic tool…”
“Hmm? …Ah, yes! That would be useful in their travels. Yes, I have been
too focused on combat. You really do have the best ideas.”
“You are too kind.”
Apparently, he had decided on something. It didn’t seem to be an accessory

this time…
“Rejoice. I have thought of something most wonderful. You will be given a

special horse. Don’t worry, there will be two of them. It is just the thing. Yes,
have them brought here.”
That would mean that I got two gifts… But I suppose it was nothing to be
bothered about. After all, if Daniela was the only one with a horse, I would
have to run all of the time. But it would also be awkward if I had to give back
the sword. This was all because I had been so late in giving Daniela a ring…
it really was sad.
Still, did they really keep the horses inside of the castle? Well, maybe the
stable was nearby. But…they were going to bring them here…in this room?
As I wondered about this, the man in the military uniform opened the door.
What then came out, was made of metal. It wasn’t alive.
“Be amazed. This is a horse-shaped magic tool that was created in the age of
ancient elves. We believe that they were used in the army. They are stronger
than most horses and are very fast. As they are also equipped with saddles,
they should not be too uncomfortable to ride. But the best thing about them is
that they do not tire. They will run for as long as you wish. Well, that is, as
long as they have magic energy to run on.”
“Are you…certain? Surely mere Adventurers are not worthy of such a prized
gift…”
“I told, you don’t worry about that. I am making it a gift to you. You accept
it. That’s all there is to it.”
“I understand. Then I shall accept. Thank you.”
“Good. Now, everything is settled. That took more time than expected… I
must be going now.”
His Majesty glanced towards me and smiled. I bowed my head.
“Hahaha. Until next time then.”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you.”
And so our business at the imperial castle ended. We had only gone to make
a report, but left with gifts. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t from this world,
but I now felt like I owed him something. Gratitude and returning favors
were part of being Japanese… I mused as we left the castle.
The horses were able to be stored in my bag. It was similar to the Automata,
in that it contained a core that allowed it to move. So, it wasn’t alive.
“Impressive gifts.”
“Maybe…though, it does feel like they were forced onto us.”
“A strategic move on his part, I suppose. Well, you are likely right. We may
have to help them in the future.”
“I wonder how expensive these horses are? I’m sure there are people who use
horses as part of their job that would kill for such things.”
That made me not want to use them too much. People would see them and
word would spread. Who knew what would happen then.
“But is it not part of our job to root such people out and deal with them?”
“If he was considering that as well…this Emperor is ruthless.”
Of course, I wasn’t actually sure about any of this… Attract criminals to us

and kill them… If Daniela was right…well, perhaps it wasn’t wrong that
someone would do that for their country. Still, I felt like a puppet now. But
there was no going back. I suppose we would just have to use them where we
could. Damn it. He had even said that there was nothing to it and I shouldn’t
be suspicious. I sighed as we walked out of the gates to the castle.
chapter 282
So, while we did get some nice things, it was just bait. Now, all of the evil in
the Empire was going to be attracted to us. Huh. I’m sure the good Emperor
was feeling very happy about all of this. But we mere Adventurers were not
too grateful.
On the other hand, they were very useful tools. That was a fact. Perhaps there
was a good balance we could find. Still, it was some rather impressive
manipulation on his part…
It continued to be on my mind as I ate dinner with Daniela. Then I saw her

fork moving towards my meat.
“Knock it off.”
“Tsk…”
“Seriously…”
How greedy could a person get?
“You are still thinking about the gifts, I suppose?”
“Yeah.”
“There is no point in doing that. We have them now. And we will kill anyone
who gets in our way. And that will help bring peace.”
“Well, that’s true, but… Anyway, we should plan what to do next.”
I suggested after cutting the meat in half and putting it on Daniela’s plate.
She put the delicious-looking morsel into her mouth and chewed it slowly.
Then she swallowed and nodded.
“Thank you. So, what we will do…”

“Hmm… I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“Well, thinking of it should help with digestion.”
And so we faced each other and talked about it. As we’d be leaving the
Imperial Capital, we’d have to prepare for our journey. That meant shopping.
However, we still hadn’t decided on a date for our departure.
And so we ultimately concluded that we’d stay here for a while. Do some
quests like good Adventurers and explore the city. A little peace and quiet
would be nice.
“Alright, it is settled then.”
“Got it. Ahh, I’m tired after eating so much…”
“Hmm… It is time for bed.”
“Mmm. G’night.”
We kissed and then got into bed. I felt like I had done a little too much
thinking today…which tended to happen when meeting important people. It
wasn’t for me. I preferred to travel around at my leisure. This day was a good
reminder.
We ate breakfast in the dining hall the next morning. Now that the Imperial
Sword Tournament was behind us, it was a lot easier to find inns, and so we
were able to stay at a place that was very close to the south gate. At the same
time, it started to get colder, and the city was now covered in snow. It had
been getting colder for a while, but it had finally become winter.
The snow crunched under my feet as I walked through the streets. My breath
was white and my fingertips were cold. Even my toes were painfully chilled
in my boots. I had always been quite sensitive to the cold.
As for Daniela, she wasn’t with me today. We were acting separately. There
were times when people wanted to be by themselves. Being able to respect
each others’ time was the secret to a long relationship. I think.
“The way I see it, we both have a gauge that depletes whenever we
communicate. It depletes faster the more we see of each other. And once it
reaches zero, it’s over. We have to separate for some time in order to
replenish it. It’s a repeating process as life goes on.”
That’s why it’s better to avoid contacting people too much or trying to see
them all of the time. It’s important to know the right distance to take.
As I mused on this, a young couple in warm-looking clothes walked in my

direction from the other side of the street. I suppose their gauge was depleting
right now.
“What’s wrong with that guy…”
“He’s staring at us…”
They saw me staring vacantly at them and gave me a look of disgust. Ouch.
□ □ □ □
I was at the guild. Just thought I might take a look at the quest board since I
was strolling through the area. I hadn’t checked it since the Reserentrible
incident, so I was curious to see how things were these days.
“Hmm… I don’t see anything particularly new.”
As it was the ice snow season, there weren’t as many monsters around…
probably. Goblins were weak to the cold.
“Maybe I should do a non-hunting quest for a change…”
I might as well make some money if I had nothing to do… Oh?
“Mansion Security?”
Apparently, someone was prowling around this person’s house recently. And
the owner wanted it to be investigated. Hmm. As the tournament was over,
most of the tourists would have left already. Of course, there could be
suspicious people here as well. In fact, I had been seen as one just a moment
ago.
“So, it’s not stakeout.”
It was only for one night. Or perhaps they wanted to hire multiple people so
they wouldn’t be recognized. So anyone who was there on the day the
suspicious person appeared would be pretty lucky.
“Hmm…sounds interesting.”
What could be more fun than capturing suspicious people? It might be

dangerous, but I’d figure it out. I wasn’t being narcissistic, but I had some
confidence in myself these days. It had been a long road to getting strong
enough to feel that way.
Alright, I would do it. I grabbed the request slip and headed to the counter. I
would have to tell Daniela about it…or I could tell her when I was finished…
maybe.
“First of all, better go see this client.”
Then I would return to the inn, tell Daniela, and then go out at night to
investigate. Yes, that was fine. Good. It shouldn’t be a problem.
Or so I told myself. But for some reason, I felt a chill go up my back.

chapter 283
The Noble Race
I was currently near the entrance to the noble district, which was reached by
going down the main road from the guild in the east district. This entrance
was made of a great gate and high walls, much like the actual entrances for
the city. Imperial guards stood watch on both sides of the gate.
“Excuse me, I’d like to go inside.”
“Ah, Mister Asagi. Of course, you may.”
As I had been first-runner up in the Imperial Sword Tournament and visited

the Emperor multiple times, they knew my face. I could get in by that alone.
“Thanks.”
Though, I showed them my status card, anyway. After all, rules were rules.
And so he did look at it as well.
And then I entered. I could reach the imperial castle if I kept walking straight,
but that wasn’t why I was here today.
The client was a noblewoman. Not only that, but she was apparently of
House Carteraza. That was one of the eight Great Houses that built the
empire. I learned this while accepting the quest; apparently, each house was
ranked. House Carteraza was the fourth highest. I had my suspicions about
the client, judging by the middle name and family name, but hadn’t expected
her to be quite this important.
“Uhh, House Carteraza…”
I had accepted the quest because it had seemed interesting, but otherwise, I
preferred to keep my distance from nobles. The whole business of authority
complicated politics was not for me. Of course, that stance seemed rather
pointless, when I’d been fraternizing with the Emperor, recently. But then
again, the Emperor himself had said he had no intention of ‘binding’ us. So
that could actually help in keeping other nobles at bay. The whole thing had
bothered me at first, but I was starting to be fine with it.
After walking for some time, I reached a particularly large house that one
might expect for one of the eight Great Houses. The guild had given me a
map, which confirmed that this was the right place. As it was so large, I spent
some time gaping in amazement. Then the gatekeeper coughed.
“Oh, sorry. I’m here because of a guild request…”
“You’re the Adventurer. Please show me your status.”
“Right. Status open.”
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Race: Human
Alias: Silvergreen
LV: 91
HP: 867/867
MP: 835/835
STR: 475 VIT: 494
AGI: 958 DEX: 491
INT: 468 LUK: 39
Skills: Jack of all Trades, Master of None(-), Legs of the God Wolf(-), Eyes
of the God Wolf(-), Single-handed Sword(9/10), Shortsword(6/10),
Spear(5/10), Bow(2/10), Greatsword(7/10), Presence Detection(8/10),
Presence Block(6/10), Night Eyes(6/10)
Quests: Mansion Security
Equipment: Armor
Head – None
Torso – None
Arms – None
Legs – None
Weapons – None
None
Clothes – Wind Dragon Shirt
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“Indeed. You may enter.”
He opened the gate and I walked through. There was a long walk from the
gate to the house…
I viewed my status as I walked. The Reserentrible Labyrinth Disaster. My

level had gone up by 2 points because of it. Things had been going slow ever
since I got close to 90. Previously, every major trial had given me a good
boost. Maybe this was the ceiling for me. I doubted people with cheat skills
had the same problem…
There was no protagonist allowance for me. What I did have was Jack of all
Trades, Master of None and my own abilities. I had done well enough for
myself… But how long would that last?
With such thoughts in my head, the trip to the house didn’t seem too long.
There was another gatekeeper there. Well, maybe he was a butler.
“Are you Mister Asagi?”
“Yes.”
“Please come this way.”
He knew who I was. Perhaps the first gatekeeper had a way of contacting
him. The butler pushed the door open and led me inside. Once I was through
the giant doors, a housekeeper appeared. Or should I say, maid? She led the
way. The butler walked behind me. We walked through a long hallway that
was lined with candlesticks. The flames swayed as we moved past them. It
was very quiet. And yet, Presence Detection told me that there were a lot of
people here. We might get in trouble if we were too loud. And so I kept my
mouth shut and tried to walk quietly. Maybe this was just normal behavior in
the house of a noble.
“…”
I could hear the butler holding his breath behind me. I guess I was right.
Hehe. This wasn’t too hard after all…
And so I erased any sounds from my footsteps and walked with a smug
expression on my face. Then the maid suddenly stopped. There was a door to
her side.
“This is the room.”
She stepped back and bowed her head. Then the butler stood on the other side
and slowly opened the door. I nodded and then entered the room.
“Excuse me.”
I said as my foot went in. But there was no one there. Uh, this was
embarrassing…
“…The master will be here shortly.”
“Ah…of course. Thank you.”
The maid said from behind me. Right. This was the waiting room. They
could have told me that in advance. Embarrassment that could have easily
been avoided was somehow worse.
The door closed and I was left alone in the room. Presence Detection told me
that the maid was walking away while the butler remained in front of the
door. As for the surrounding rooms, yes, there were people inside. Being in
such a house for the first time had made me nervous, but I did think that I had
a decent ability for adapting. And now that I felt accustomed to the place, I
could perform as usual. That was when I noticed it.
“I’m being monitored.”
“Oh, you noticed then.”

“!?”
Someone entered my detection range out of nowhere. I frantically turned

around to see someone peeking at me through a crack in the door. A woman
with red hair. Elves tended to have eye-catching hair color in this world…but
this person had human ears.
“Are you the Adventurer who accepted the request?”

“Yes. I’m Asagi Kamiyashiro. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I am Camila Dee Carteraza. The one who hired you. Oh, hmm… Hehe. Is
this really a coincidence?”
“Excuse me?”
The person who opened the door and walked in was about as typical a
noblewoman as I could think of. But not necessarily in a bad way. She just
looked like a woman who was raised with a lot of money and had a good
education. She was now looking at me and laughing. So…this young
noblewoman had a Presence Block skill that outranked my Presence
Detection…?
She slowly approached and then sat down in a chair before gesturing for me
to do the same. I obeyed and sat on the opposite of the table.
“Yes, we’ve met before. A short while ago.”
“We have?”
“Yes. At the auction house.”
I didn’t remember seeing a woman with red hair like hers… It seemed like
the kind of thing that I would remember.
“Well, I was disguised. So you probably didn’t notice.”
“I see.”
That explained it. And this person had a high-level skill. The disguise would
have been very advanced as well.
“Well, this request of mine is actually related to the auction…”
“Due to buying that item of yours, I’ve been attracting some unwanted
attention.”
“What? You’re talking about…”
The item I had put up for auction was the Automata.
“Come in.”
“Yes. Excuse me.”
Miss Camila gave the order, and a different maid from before walked into the
room. No, this one wasn’t human. In fact, it was the Automata I had
unearthed in the ancient elven ruins.
“It’s moving…”
“Of course, it is. It runs on magic.”
That was true. However, I never did give it a try. I put it for sale first. That
would have been harder to do if I got attached to it. Well, I was also scared
about what would happen if it did move.
So, this was the reason for the request. I suppose it was related to me in a
way. But I still wasn’t responsible.
“Of course, it is a coincidence that you’re here. Don’t look so mortified.”
“…I’m sorry. I’m sort of dreading what you’re going to say next.”
“Hehe. It is quite simple. Thieves are trying to steal her from me. I want you
to capture or kill them.”
Kill them? How dark.
“I didn’t accept an assassination request.”
“Well, I did say, ‘or.’ It’s not like that is my preference, you know.”
Still, there was an intensity in her eyes. I had taken this request half out of
boredom, and it had taken a less than desirable turn.
Miss Camila then gave me the details. From what she said, people started
roaming the area around her house, shortly after she had bought the
Automata. And there were quite a few of them too. It was as if they were
taking turns to monitor the house. She had then determined that they were
after the Automata, and so she sent out the request.
“Seems pretty reckless to mess with one of the eight Great Houses of the
city.”
“It is not a surprise, since they are also nobles.”
“What?”
“Nobles can be thieves too. It is they who were not able to buy it that are now
roaming around my house.”
“Ah, I see…”
Yes, the bidding had been quite enthusiastic. It was a matter of thousands of
pieces of gold. The people who weren’t able to buy it would have been very
angry. And so, they were scouting about her house and planning to steal it…
“Obviously, things become complicated when dealing with other nobles…

And so I thought of a plan. I can just hire an Adventurer.”
“We’re not disposable tools, us Adventurers.”
“Oh, of course, you aren’t. We nobles see Adventurers as brilliant tools.”
“…”
I was a little taken aback, but it was just the way they saw things, I suppose.
Well, she was certainly different from the people I was used to dealing with.
It was stimulating in a way.
“Alright. I will do what I can.”
“Hehe. I’m counting on you. Here is an advance payment.”

She snapped her fingers and the Automata placed a leather pouch right next
to me. I could tell it was gold from the sound it made. It looked hefty too. But
it was probably pocket money for a noble.
“I will pay you double that amount if you catch them. If you kill them, I will
pay even more for your silence. Are we in agreement?”
“I’m not going to kill anyone. I’ll return tonight.”
“Don’t disappoint me, Silvergreen.”
I accepted the money and got to my feet. On my way out, I glanced over to
the Automata. Then the butler led me to the entrance.
Boredom and curiosity had brought me here, and the results were very
unexpected. A scheme involving one of the Great Houses. A quest relating to
the Automata.
How was I going to explain this to Daniela…

chapter 284
I left the Carteraza house and went straight towards the exit of the noble
district. The same gatekeeper was there, and we exchanged a few words
before I headed back to the east district. I was going to where the street stalls
were located. It seemed like the right place to look for Daniela…
“…So, that’s why I’m going out tonight.”
“I see.”
Finding Daniela turned out to be rather easy. And so I bought some lunch at
one of the stalls and then sat next to her so I could talk about what had
happened.
“It should be simple enough, since you have Night Eyes.”
“I guess…”
“But it is quite surprising that you should get involved with that Automata
again.”
“Seriously. But it was nice seeing it moving. I almost didn’t believe it.”
“You would have sold a faulty product if it did not move.”
I wonder if I would have gotten into trouble for that? Gotten a low rating…?
No, there was no point in thinking about that now.
We chatted about random things of no importance for a while. And then I

brought up my equipment. Perhaps I should acquire a set that was good for
stealth? Though, I did have Presence Block, and could use it pretty well. I
asked Daniela if she wanted to go to the armor shop with me, but she looked
like she was still hungry. And so we parted ways.
I would go to the armor shop and then continue the quest. Daniela said she’d
go out drinking at some bar. She said it was because it was the kind of place I
would embarrass myself in. I had nothing to say to that.
□ □ □ □
And so I went around to different stores while thinking about guarding and
hiding. As this was the imperial capital, there were many shops that sold
armor. And they were all of high in quality. And there was a lot of great
armor that wasn’t dragon. Not that I was very particular about that. I was a
little conflicted over using the majority of the advance payment from Miss
Camila, but I consoled myself with the fact that I would receive double that if
I succeeded.
Daniela was still out eating. And so I decided to return to the inn and take a
short nap in preparation for tonight. But there was one thing I had to do first.
Inspect the equipment I had purchased. And so I took out the old appraisal
glasses.
‘Shadow Lizard Belt – Belt made of Shadow Lizard leather. Absorbs sounds
that the wearer makes.’
‘Nightmare Crow Cape – Cape made of Nightmare Crow feathers. Makes the
wearer lighter.’
‘Thrust Bear Gauntlets – Gauntlets made of Thrust Bear claws. Claws are
retractable.’
‘Bloody Spider Shoes – Shoes made from Bloody Spider webs. Erases
wearer’s footsteps.’
‘Black Lamia Leather Armor – Leather Armor made from Black Lamia skin.
Slight boost in strength.’
I had bought several other items as well, but these five were what I chose to
use tonight.
The Shadow Lizard was a monster that lived in the shadows in order to hide.
And this belt would absorb sounds coming from the wearer. Things like
footsteps or the sounds of your clothes rustling. Also, the sounds of armor
and weapons clinking. But it didn’t absorb your voice. So I would have to
avoid singing while on the job. That’s just the way it was.
Nightmare Crows were mysterious monsters. They seemed to only appear in

the night sky. So, how were they hunted for their feathers? Hunters that could
use Night Eyes shot them down. The cape made the wearer’s body lighter.
Legs of the God Wolf allowed me to straight-up float, but that also drew too
much attention.
The Thrust Bear was a bear-type monster with especially deadly claws. And
these gauntlets made use of those claws. You just sent magic energy into
them and the bear claws would grow out. And it could do it silently, thanks to
the Shadow Lizard belt. A silent, deadly weapon.
Bloody Spiders were monsters that lived deep in the forest. If you ever see a
spider web that is red, you’ll know a Bloody Spider lives there. Not only are
these spiders red, but they also drink blood. They weave remarkably strong
webs as well. And so these shoes were durable like leather. Perhaps it was a
feature of the webs, but they also absorbed sound. So they were perfect for
secrecy.
Among the things I bought, these were the ones made of monster materials.
The Black Lamia armor didn’t have anything to do with stealth, but I was
curious enough to buy it. I had killed a Lamia before, but this one was a
unique one. Or at least, it seemed pretty rare. Especially since it had an
enchantment that boosted your strength. The armor was made to fit tightly
and was pretty hard in spite of being light.
I had various reasons for choosing each item, but ultimately, they all seemed
like they would help me stay hidden. It kind of seemed like over-kill for this
specific quest, but I didn’t see the harm in it. And there was another reason.
I had been relying on Daniela way too much since coming to this world.
There were too many moments where I wouldn’t have made it without her
help. It had been a very long time since I last did a quest solo. And so this
would be a good way to test myself. And using the equipment I bought on my
own was part of that.
I had been hoping for an opportunity like this, so this quest was perfect. And
so I prepared the equipment myself. With my own money. Everything I was
wearing was chosen by me.
“Now that I think of it… The last time I chose my own armor was at Chief’s.
I didn’t have money back then, and had to settle for old leather armor.”
Old armor and weapons made by the apprentice. I used them to hunt goblins
every day so I could retrieve their weapons and sell them. It had not been
easy.
“I should never forget how I felt back then.”
Remember it. I would treat this mission like it was my first.
And to do that, I needed to get some sleep. I was going to stay up all night,
after all. And so I put my equipment by the table and then sunk into my bed. I
hadn’t slept this early in a while, but it wasn’t too hard to fall asleep. I had
plenty of practice during my time on the night-shift.
□ □ □ □
I awoke to the sound of the door closing.
“Mm. Did I wake you?”
“Daniela…”
Her face looked a little red. I suppose her bar-hopping adventure had come to
an end.
“Hahhh… I better get ready.”
“I came back early, so you still have some time.”
“Oh. Right.”
I looked at the clock and saw that it was a little past seven… The sun had
gone down, but things were still lively in the city. This would continue until
at least eleven, so I had plenty of time to go to the noble district. For all I
knew, there were others hired to watch the area as well, but I hadn’t heard
anything about them. Maybe we would have a meeting upon arriving.
Otherwise, it would just be very confusing when trying to tell who was an
Adventurer and who was a potential thief. Of course, it was also possible that
I was the only one.
I mused over this while showering. My brain felt fully awake by the time I
put the armor on. As for weapons, I grabbed a short sword, just in case. The
Ashikirimaru. I had the gauntlets and could also use magic if necessary. It
just seemed like a good idea to avoid any long weapons.
Then I made a quick meal out of the food that Daniela had bought, and then
stood up from the chair.
“I better go now.”
“It is your first solo quest in a while. Be careful.”
“Yeah. I’ll try and treat it as if it’s my first.”
“Hmm. You look good in your new gear.”
“Thanks. See you later.”
Daniela raised her fist and I bumped mine against it. We would kiss when I
got back. Until then, I would have to succeed in this quest and gain
experience and some confidence.
I opened the window in our room and activated Presence Block. It was about
average in level, but my equipment enhanced the effect. And so when I
activated Legs of the God Wolf and jumped out of the window, no one
noticed me. No one but Daniela. She waved from the window as I ran
through the sky.
chapter 285
I decided to let the gatekeeper know that I was there, just in case.
“Ah, Mister Asagi. What is it? Are you going somewhere?”
There was a mixture of curiosity and suspicion as he looked at my getup.
“I’m sure you noticed it when inspecting my status card this afternoon, but
I’ve accepted a quest to help guard this mansion.”
“Yes, I did see that… I see. So this is about the strangers that have been seen
lurking around the Carteraza house.”
Apparently, rumors of it had spread within the military as well. However, it

seemed that as nothing had happened, no one was too concerned.
“The army has sent out more men and increased patrol shifts in the area,
but…”
“They’re having difficulty?”
“Aye. As you can imagine, the best men would have their hands full on more
important missions. The people they can spare are rather…”
He muttered something about training new recruits. I guess they weren’t

going to use many resources into investigating a ‘suspicious person.’
“Well, that’s why I’m here.”
“I have a feeling that with you here, Mister Asagi, we’ll see an end to this
business.”
The gatekeeper said with a laugh. I laughed too. But it was an awkward,
embarrassed laugh. I had no idea how this would go. Of course, I did want to
succeed and help Miss Camila find peace. If she thought of Adventurers as
tools, then I should at least prove how valuable we were.
“Be careful, Mister Asagi.”
“Thank you. You too.”
I bowed and walked through the gate. Once I was about ten meters away, I
activated Presence Block and Legs of the God Wolf and headed straight for
the house.
□ □ □ □
“I suppose I should tell her I’m here…”
Just let them know that I was about to start.
“Good evening. I’m here to guard the house.”
“Ahhh!?”
He was very surprised. Damn it, sometimes Presence Block worked too well.
The doorkeeper wouldn’t have noticed me until he heard my voice. So I
understood why he was scared…
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Ahh…ha…ha…hmm…*cough*…”
He was so shocked that he was coughing now. This equipment was

incredible!
“Mmm…gg…haa. It’s you, Mister Asagi. …Please go inside…”
“Thank you. Uh, I really am sorry.”
“I’m quite fine…”
He didn’t look fine. But I could imagine that everyone had been nervous for
the last few days. Who knows what was going through his mind when I
showed up. Poor guy. But I had no magic to help him, and so I just bowed
and went past him. It just took a single jump with Legs of the God Wolf to
reach the door. There was no time to walk.
The butler from this afternoon was standing there. He bowed and opened the
door, and so I stepped inside. I was then led to the same drawing-room as
before. This time, Miss Camilla was already waiting there.
“There you are. Oh, that’s a rather intense change of equipment.”
“I brought it specifically for tonight. How is it?”
“I care not at all. Now, you will be guarding alone tonight.”
There was to be no compliments from her. Daniela had been nice, at least.
“There are no other servants or Adventurers then?”
“Well, there would have been, had anyone but you accepted the request. Of
course, no normal person would accept one with the name of Carteraza
stamped on it.”
Ignorance was horrifying. It meant even most people who came from the
outside knew the eight Great Houses. As for me, I only knew of House
Quingeria and House Carteraza. The former was the house that Alenbia Ef
Quingeria was from. The noblewoman from the Imperial Sword Tournament.
“So, I shouldn’t expect to have any allies in the area.”
“Exactly. Don’t see this as purposeful sadism or worse, a show of my

confidence in you. It just seemed the most logical to me. My servants would
only get in your way.”
“You might be expecting a little too much from me.”
“An A-Rank Adventurer with an Alias who was first-runner up in the

Imperial Sword Tournament. You may be attempting to be modest, but with
such a status, it sounds more like sarcasm.”
Much of that was mere coincidence. Getting involved in a town we stopped
by helped raise my level to A. And it was that damned redhead, Bordow, who
named me Silvergreen. I had beaten Adlus because the circumstances were
favorable to me. It was not the case against Daniela. There was no end to
people who were above me.
“And so I am asking you alone. With your feet, you shouldn’t have any
trouble moving over walls, I presume?”
“Yeah.”
“Then it’s settled.”
She said. And without waiting another second, she got up and left the room.
The butler opened the door for me, and so I followed him to the entrance. It
was just as I was about to step out that he called to me.
“Good luck, Mister Asagi.”
That was all. And it was much warmer than all that talk of tools. I was
encouraged.
“Thank you. Leave it to me.”
I gave him a thumbs up and stepped outside. The cool winter air stimulated
my brain as I sucked it in. I could feel my head clear.
“…Alright then.”
I turned around and used Legs of the God Wolf to jump up onto the roof of
the mansion. Then I crouched and activated Presence Block. It was there that
I widened the range of Presence Detection and used Eyes of the God Wolf to
watch the area.
While I did have Night Eyes, I hadn’t said anything about using it. I had only
muttered in reply to Daniela. Hehe!
I was just a guy who sat there all in black. But it took an intense amount of
concentration.
I would probably need to take a break every hour.
And that was how my night of guarding began. It was almost nine o’clock.
And I would have to stack up until morning.
But damn it. It was cold… Not having my ice dragon armor made it feel even
colder. However, I was able to bear it, by just using a little dark blue magic.
The night sky was clear and you could see the moon. The garden was
particularly beautiful under the moonlight. Not that I could spend much time
looking at it. I had other things to watch.
“Let’s do this…”
I was getting used to the cold now. And so I used Eyes of the God Wolf to
scan the entire area.
□ □ □ □
And so I sat and guarded for five hours. It was now just a little past three
o’clock. About ninety percent of the mansion staff were motionless in bed.
The few who were still moving were likely maids or the butler. The
gatekeeper had also retired, and there was no one on the outskirts of the
property.
And then, a single figure entered my wide detection range. Well, it had
happened several times before. And whenever I had looked closer with Eyes
of the God Wolf, it had always been a drunken soldier or servant. They’d
sway from side to side in front of the house and then walk away. That was
all.
However, this one was clearly different. First, this one wasn’t wobbling
about. It was coming straight towards the Carteraza house. Then it seemed to
stare hard, and move away. When it returned, there were other presences as
well.
“Hah…surely this doesn’t mean a night raid…”
I muttered on top of the roof. I could see them talking with my now platinum
eyes. But unfortunately, I couldn’t hear them. And my eyes were telling me
that this wasn’t normal.
It was written all over their faces. They were going to sneak in and steal
something.
chapter 286
Battle with the Invaders
There were six men who, like me, were dressed entirely in black. Currently,
they were standing in the shadows of the house on the other side of the street
and looking this way. I could tell through Eyes of the God Wolf that they
were targeting this house, and it seemed like only a matter of time before they
put their plan into action. All other appearances at midnight up until now had
been to scout out the place.
However, I wasn’t sure if I was lucky or unlucky to have been here on the
night they decided to do it… Well, I suppose I was lucky, given it would
mean more money. Though, that depended on my ability to capture all six of
them and finish the job. As I folded my arms and considered this, the men
started to walk towards the house.
“After some simulations…”
While I watched, I used Jack of all Trades, Master of None to see how I
should move while fighting multiple opponents. Immobilize them without
killing them… I used Legs of the Gold Wolf to jump into the sky and move
over to the shadows of the building they had been hiding near. It was due to
this new gear that I was able to move to their back so easily. So, this was
what I could do while wholly relying on my equipment. I would be able to do
even more with some practice…I think.
“…”
As I’d prefer to be unrecognized, I pulled down the hood of the Nightmare

Crow cape. It was very similar to the hood on the wind dragon poncho.
Once I was ready, I silently created a sphere of water in the palm of my hand
and then stretched it out. Its shape was maintained as it traveled towards the
closest man and rapidly covered his mouth. Then I converted the energy I
was sending so that the water froze in an instant. Still, his nostrils remained
exposed so he could breathe. Then I hurriedly picked him up and jumped
away with Legs of the God Wolf.
“Mmmm! Mmm!”
“Yes, yes. Be quiet.”
And just like that, I took him to the guardhouse near the Carteraza garden. He
struggled viciously, of course, but I just splashed more water over his limbs
and froze it.
“Mm. Mmm…”
“You better stay quiet.”
Just in case, I froze the rest of his body up to his neck. Now it was time to go
onto the next guy. And so I left him and searched for the others with Eyes of
the God Wolf. Perhaps they were being cautious, as they were walking quite
slowly. It was good that they were wary of their surroundings, but pretty bad
that they hadn’t even noticed one of their numbers was missing. Amateurs.
And so I used the same method to abduct another target and then dumped
him near the guardhouse. It was just as I had successfully taken down the
third man and was about to start on the fourth. Something had changed. They
had finally realized that people had gone missing. I could see them frantically
looking around. I had simulated this scenario in my head already. I was
currently watching them from the sky.
“Where are they? Why aren’t they here…!”
“Shh! Perhaps we’ve been discovered…!”
“Damn! What’s happening!?”
They were talking pretty loudly for people who were trespassing. Where was
their sense of danger? Also, hearing their voices like this told me one thing
that was new. The person in the lead was a woman. The short hair had made
me assume otherwise… Of course, this didn’t change anything. Tie them up
and hand them over to Miss Camilla. End of the quest.
Slowly, I unleashed dark blue energy into the air, filling it with the water
attribute. Once I had control over the moisture, I changed the energy in the
ice attribute. Attribute conversion. This too was a new magic I had devised
through Jack of all Trades, Master of None while I was guarding.
“Frost Rain.”
I muttered, activating the spell. And like that, drops of rain began to fall onto
the garden. The three intruders looked up at the sudden downpour, but
Presence Block insured that they didn’t see me. While they were clearly
puzzled, they were still more interested in finding where their comrades had
gone. Regardless, their defeat was all but confirmed. They should have run
when they had the chance. After all, this was Frost Rain.
“Damn it. Where did they…huh?”
“Why-why is this rain freezing!”
“Thi-this is bad! We have to get…!”
The water froze just as it hit them. It wasn’t just cold rain. And since they
didn’t run the moment it hit, their clothes would freeze over, and they would
no longer be able to move. And then they would be caught. That being said,
doing magic on this scale without my ice dragon armor was, back-breaking
work… I was starting to feel dizzy. But I kept it up and took in deep breathes.
As I waited, the intruders started to freeze. The woman in the lead was
covering her mouth, but the other two were just screaming.
I didn’t think I could take it much longer, and so I stopped the rain and
slowly descended. The two men completely encased in ice, and only their
eyes were moving. As for their leader…I think she was, anyway…she was
closing hers. It was odd. Just as my feet touched the ground, I sensed the
stirring of magical energy. She hadn’t given up!
I unsheathed my sword in preparation. It was then that I realized what color

the energy was.
“Shit… A pyromancer…”
The red energy coursed through her body. White fumes rose into the air as
the ice rapidly began to melt. Well, this will be interesting. I thought. And
then her eyes opened and she looked straight at me.
“Now I can see you. Your skills with Presence Block are incredible.”
“Not quite. It’s all in the equipment.”
“Hmph. I won’t be fooled so easily. Who are you?”
She asked as she unsheathed a single-edged blade. I was the one who should
be asking that question.
“Why don’t you answer that first? You are a brave bandit for trying to steal
from one of the eight great houses.”
“I’m no bandit. This…is a mission!”
Her arm prepared to strike as she charged forward. I ducked and then jumped
back.
“You’ve been doing an awful job then. Are you new?”
“We are the elite!”
I spun around and blocked her upward slash with Ashikirimaru. I then tried to
push her back, but she turned it to the side. She was quick to switch from
offensive to defensive. In terms of combat at least, she was pretty decent.
“A mission to steal from someone?”

“It is my duty to obey the client!”
This time I parried her attack with my left gauntlet and then punched with my
right hand, which was gripping the shortsword. I couldn’t let my guard down
when dealing with someone who was armed. I jumped back after hitting her
in the shoulder. I wanted to find out who this person was before arresting her.
The Carteruza’s were nobles. There was no doubt they would use torture
when it came to questioning. And that was something I had a distaste for.
Daniela’s more playful bedroom antics being an entirely separate matter.
Knowing where this would all lead, being able to avoid all that and extract
the information myself would prove that I was a capable man.
“I know that you’re after the Automata. That was sold through an official
transaction. It’s not something you can take.”
“It is not for us to decide what is right and wrong!”
“It’s a bad idea! This is Carteraza. Surely they are more powerful than
whoever is backing you?”
“…! That doesn’t matter! Get out of my way!”
She growled and held her sword out as she charged. I was going to parry the
attack and move behind her, but had to jump away instead. She had suddenly
raised her sword to slash. The starlight glimmered over the blade’s tip as it
missed me by a hair’s breadth. My body felt lighter because of the cape. I
could jump pretty high even without Legs of the God Wolf. I was feeling
really good about my shopping choices…
“Tsk…”
“Give up. You can’t beat me.”
“Don’t be so sure. I’ll kill you and rescue the others. We’ll finish the
mission!”
That was some hot-blooded loyalty. Would it be very difficult to persuade

her…?
Well, in that case, I would just have to use overwhelming force. I put away
the shortsword and created an Ice Sword in my empty hand. This could be
done in an instant when I am wearing ice dragon armor. Still, it was really
just a second’s difference.
“…So, you were holding back all alone.”

“I told you to stop. If you won’t, I’ll have to make you!”
From that point, the battle was vicious. As Eyes of the God Wolf was tiring
to use, I switched to Night Eyes and could see her very clearly. And like that,
I dodged her swings, blocked, and made it known that she was no match for
me. I thought it would all be over once her sword went flying into the air. But
then, just like me, she conjured a sword made of fire and attacked. A Flame
Sword, huh? In that case, a Water Sword would be better to get rid of it. As
Daniela said, you could annihilate magic by hitting it with the same attribute
or with the same amount of energy. While ice was weaker, I could push
through if I used three times as much energy, but that was an unnecessary
gamble.
Once I had broken through her trump card, she finally fell to her knees.
“Give up. I don’t mean to kill you.”
“Your intentions…mean nothing.”
True. But I still wanted to keep my hands clean. Perhaps they had a reason
for doing this. And so I couldn’t just kill them. That’s what I was. A weak
human.
“I can negotiate for you. But you have to talk to me first.”
“…You want me to trust you?”
She looked up and stared at me. It was written all over her face.
Circumstances. Obviously, there were things I could and couldn’t do. But I
intended to do my best.
chapter 287
“…I’m a slave. Doing the filthy work is how I survive.”
“…”
That was the explanation that ‘Douva’ gave to me. However, she was using a
figure of speech here. Her father had fallen into tremendous debt, which had
then been subrogated by a noble. She was now paying in her father’s stead.
Unsurprisingly, her father had vanished. As for her mother, well, she had
died a long time ago. The only thing Douva had left was debts.
“So, that is why I take on jobs that I do not want to do. It’s the same with the
others. The noble that hires us knowingly selected people who are in debt. Do
you understand? If you want to buy us, the price will be high. And great
house or not, no one pays that kind of money without a good reason.”
Indeed. Regardless of their situation, this was trespassing and attempted

robbery. There was no reason to buy them at all.
That being said, I had promised to negotiate, so I would have to bring it up

with Miss Camila, at the very least. Still…it worried me. This could get very
unpredictable. And how should I move then? Daniela would be pretty angry
if she could see me now.
“I will talk to her first. You stay here quietly while I call someone from the
house.”
“Very well. I do not have the energy to resist now. But let me see the others.”
I nodded and took her to the guardhouse so that she could explain the
situation to them. In the meantime, I returned to the mansion and told the
butler that I needed to see Miss Camila. He didn’t seem too pleased but
nodded.
□ □ □ □
“I see. This is quite the opportunity.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, I will buy them. And then unleash them on their old master… It’s very
simple.”
“Oh…”
What a frightening mind she had…
“Of course, what this noble is doing is against the law. Nobles of the imperial
capital are not allowed to have a private army. However, that does not
include gatekeepers and bodyguards. But specially trained troops…that is
forbidden.”
“That seems difficult to enforce. A gatekeeper and a soldier could look

exactly the same.”
“I wouldn’t say that. Status cards do exist, you know?”
“Right…”
Status cards did not lie. They displayed all of your abilities.
“I will hire her and her men and send them back to this noble’s house.
Information will be stolen, and the house will be forever ruined.”
“You just said that it was illegal to hire…”
“As long as I don’t get caught. And I won’t.”
“Ahh…”
One thing was clear. These people were scary.
□ □ □ □
“So, there it is. House Carteraza will take care of you from now on. However,
you must finish this job first. This means entering the house you came from
and stealing. Any objections?”
“None. Being backed by one of the eight great houses means that we have
nothing to fear.”
Douva had lived in a rough world. She changed loyalty very easily. The
others nodded in agreement. It spoke of how bad their previous environment
must have been… I had only seen the beautiful sides of the city. There was a
lot that happened in the shadows that I had no knowledge of. And while these
were not literal slaves…there probably were real slaves here as well.
If I encountered such people later on, how would I react? I couldn’t know
until the time came, but I had no delusions about saving everyone every time.
There would be no end to it if I tried. There was only one person that I could
help. And that was Daniela.
The door to the guardhouse opened and Miss Camila entered.
“So, this is my new and brilliant army. It’s a pleasure.”
“Uh… Please forgive us for this disgraceful incident…”
“Say no more. That is of no interest to me now. There are more important

things to discuss. The war council begins now. My maid will accompany you,
and it will be carried out tonight.”
Miss Camila stepped to the side and the Automata walked into the room.
“This is…”
“I am Reticle, an Automata and exclusive maid to Camila Dee Carteraza. It’s

a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Reticle? Like the cross mark on the scope of a gun? It was something that
helped you take aim. You wouldn’t miss… Perhaps that’s what she meant
with the name. An Automata would likely be very precise. But then again,
there were no guns in this world.
Still, a name for an Automata? I suppose it was useful. What would I have
named it… No, never mind that.
“So, you’re really not going to be killing them. Have I got that right?”
“Yes, that is correct. As for you, your job is now finished. It is now a matter
between noble houses.”
“I understand. That’s the last thing I want to get more involved it.”
“That’s very wise of you. Now, here is your reward. I had promised you that
it would be doubled if you captured them. I even added a little bonus. It’s for
each one that you caught. Think of it as a show of gratitude, for helping me
acquire such useful…resources.”
“I gratefully accept.”
It didn’t sit right with me that she saw people as resources, but she would
probably treat them well enough if they succeeded. The butler handed me a
bag of gold and I made my way to the door. Just then, Douva and the others
called out to me.
“Uh, thank you. We might not have ever escaped from the shadows without
you.”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
Awkward. I just did my job. In fact, I had done it in a pretty self-indulgent

way at that… Things just happened to end on a positive note, that’s all. It all
depended on Miss Camila.
“Don’t mention it. I’m glad no one was killed. Good luck.”
“Aye. …Oh, I didn’t hear your name. Will you tell us?”
Uh… I guess I hadn’t. I mean, they were enemies…
But it would be rather embarrassing to introduce myself now. Not that that
was a good reason to refuse.
“It’s Asagi. A humble Adventurer.”
“Asagi… You’re Asagi Kamiyashiro. Everyone knows that name.”
“Haha. Surely not. Anyway, I gotta go. I’m very, very tired…”
I slung the bag of money over my shoulder and left the guardhouse. I also
activated Presence Block, just in case. There were gasps of alarm coming
from within the guardhouse. I chuckled sleepily. It couldn’t be helped. I was
no longer used to staying up all night. And so, in order to return to my usual
schedule, I used Legs of the God Wolf to return straight to the inn.
□ □ □ □
During the afternoon of the following day. Daniela had finally kicked my out
of the bed in frustration, and so I stifled a yawn and left the inn to wander on
the streets. The yawns were clearly an indication that I hadn’t had enough
sleep, but Daniela was unforgiving. Well, then. I might as well go eat, I
thought. And so I moved my shaky feet forward and opened my mouth wide.
There was no point in stifling it anyway.
“Extra! Extra! Read all about it!”
As I walked towards the dining hall, I could hear someone shouting. Some
newspaper, I guess. Now that I think about it, hadn’t Daniela been reading
something? I thought dumbly as I walked. Suddenly, a crumpled paper got
caught on my legs. I picked it up and spread it out.
“…Damn.”
It was just words. But it said that a certain noble had been stripped of all
titles. So, Miss Camila had done exactly as she had promised. She had
escaped the approaching danger. The Automata was safe and she had new
people working for her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stole her enemy’s gold
as well. And as the noble was ruined, Douva’s debts would be erased.
I folded the newspaper and entered the dining hall. It was pretty crowded, but
I was able to find an empty seat. Everyone seemed to be smiling here, and the
atmosphere was pleasant. But while we all dined in peace here, there were
people elsewhere who fought like dogs. The world was a big place. It was,
but what was unknown to you was often not as far away as you thought.
“Haaahhh…damn it, I’m sluggish…”
Danger was always present. But for now, I prioritized satiating my appetite. I
put the newspaper down and ordered some food. The waitress repeated it
energetically and then disappeared into the kitchen. I looked down and tried
to read the small articles on the paper, but it was hard to concentrate. I felt
like I was still half asleep. As I sat there, feeling light-headed, a delicious
smell entered my nostrils.
“Here’s your food!”
“That looks good…”
But for now, everything was peaceful. Now, this was a time when I could
relax and just eat my food.
chapter 288
I gave Daniela a detailed report of what had happened. And then finished the
story by flashing the newspaper article in front of her. ‘Well done,’ she said
proudly.
“It was a good job, considering you were alone. It is a difficult thing to
capture so many people alive. Besides, the fact you were able to use so much
magic without the help of your ice dragon armor, proves how much you have
grown.”
“I don’t mean to be smug, but I’m quite satisfied with what I did. I hate
pyromancers, and yet I was able to deal with her.”
“So, I suppose you will not be relying on your ice dragon armor as much,
now?”
Hmm. One did not let go of those buffs so readily. Besides, it was because of
them that I was able to use my trump card, ‘Niflheim.’ The thought of not
being able to use it in a desperate situation made me really nervous. Well, I
did also see the importance of being able to fight without relying on it.
Daniela and I talked about such things as we ate dinner. But then the
conversation of some other customers suddenly entered my ears.
“Hey, did you hear about it?”
“Aye. The stampede.”
Now that was a word that caused my ears to prick up.
“Well, no one goes to the forest near the northern Alessa mountains…”
“They say that it’s goblins. I’m sure people from Lambrusen have been sent.
It’ll probably be fine.”
There was a vast, deep forest surrounding those mountains. According to
what they were saying, it was on the Flugelnia side. As for goblins in that
area, they would be forest goblins. I remember it now. They really liked their
tree sap.
“Please excuse me. Would you mind telling us about that?”
It was rare for Daniela to approach others like this.
“Oh, uh. It’s just about how goblins have appeared in the forest along the
Alessa mountains. We know this to be true because people from the nearby
village have fled from the area.”
“Is this village to the southeast of the Alessa mountains?”
“No, it is directly north of the Imperial City. You must be talking about…
Senka Village. No, it wasn’t there.”
“I see. Sorry to disturb you. Hey, waiter. Two ales for these gentlemen here.”
“Certainly!”
Daniela bought them drinks for their trouble. It almost seemed like she was
used to this kind of thing.
“Ah, you shouldn’t have.”
“Much obliged.”
“No. Thank you for the information. I will leave you alone now.”
And with that, she returned to our table. The waiter came back quickly and
gave the men their drinks.
Hmm. The communicatively impaired Daniela…had sure grown.
“…Hmm? Ah, that face. You are surprised that I approached some
strangers?”
“Yeah. I still remember how you were like in Spiris. Though, it’s hard to
believe now.”
“Hmph. I know when things have to be done. Besides, I try to gather

information in places like this. I am not the only one who feels more talkative
when around food.”
“I’m not sure that’s something to be smug about…”
But Daniela clearly did not agree. If only the time and place didn’t matter…
Well, she was at least good at pretending to be a good listener. Maybe that
was something to be smug about…
□ □ □ □
The next day, we visited the guild in order to dig a little deeper.
Unsurprisingly, it was the talk of the guild. And so we split up and
questioned other Adventurers, sometimes buying them some food for their
trouble. In about an hour, we had all the information that we wanted.
“Uhh… So, the people that fled were from the village of Namila, which is
directly north of the Imperial Capital. I have to say, I’m relieved it wasn’t
Senka Village, as bad as that sounds… Uh, oh, and there’s a lake between the
village and this city.”
“Yes. It is called the Rivier. It is supposed to be quite big. The people had to
travel around this lake to come here. From what I understand, everyone made
it alive. The military is surprised that there were no casualties.”
The north district of the city was mostly occupied by the military. In other
words, civilians usually didn’t use the north gate. Even outsiders tended to go
around to the west or east gate. The fact that they hadn’t had caused quite a
stir. Though, that didn’t concern me, so I didn’t ask about it too much. To be
honest, the Reserentrible incident had been very tiring. That was one of the
reasons I chose to do the security quest without really know what I was
getting into.
The villagers who entered through the north gate talked to the soldier who
was guarding the gate. The military immediately prepared to defend. Defend
the city, that is. While there was no one left in the village, it was still the
home that these people were born and raised in.
But the army was only interested in protecting the city. It was their job. So,
who would protect the village? Adventurers. The villagers had put up a
request to take back the village from the goblins. And they were using all of
their money for this. Not only that, but the city was also offering to pay as
well. It was one way to support them without leaving the city.
In any case, all of this resulted in a rather lucrative quest showing up on the
board.
“‘Namila Village Liberation Front.’ That’s a pretty grand name for a quest.”
“It was the chief who wrote it. Apparently, this chief is quite young.”
That explained it. Well, I quite liked names like this.
The Namila Village Liberation Front had the ultimate goal of suppressing the
goblin stampede. And so there were requirements when it came to rank. You
had to be a Garnet at least…or Rank C. While F-Rankers often killed goblins,
it was a different matter when they came in such great numbers. Besides,
there were different kinds of goblins. Most of the encounters I had with
goblins were in Fhiraldo or on the road. But in stampedes like these, there
were likely to be goblins that used arrows or even magic. It was the result of
being raised in a special environment that caused them to grow in such a
variation.
We had prevented a kobold stampede once. Had we not done that, it would
have likely resulted in more irregular kobolds appearing. And so it was pretty
bad that this one had not been stopped beforehand.
“Alright, let us go and register.”
Daniela said as she got up from her seat. As this was categorized as a special
quest, you had to go to a special counter to register. There were quite a few
people already lined up. Everyone would be above C-Rank. These
Adventurers were all confident in their ability. Their equipment looked both
expensive and well used. As for me, I was in my normal clothes. After all, I
had just come here originally to gather information.
Still, people gave me odd glances.
“Look at that…is that guy serious?”
“This is a grave matter for those poor villagers…”
However, there were others who saw it differently.
“Well, he sure seems confident.”
“Isn’t that Asagi?”
“Ah…”
Hmm. I was just a little bit pleased at being recognized. But once I was, there
was something in their looks that suggested disappointment. What the…
“Asagi, I suppose you are not aware…”
“What?”
“There has been much talk about how you wander around the city while
poorly dressed.”
“Uh…”
Poorly!? It’s made from dragon materials!
“And sometimes you walk around without a sword…like you are some kind
of unemployed…”
“What ridiculous rumors…”
“They are not entirely wrong either.”

In this world, people did not take you seriously if you dressed roughly. But
my clothes were comfortable and practical. So why were they unacceptable?
It’s not like I was wearing a tracksuit.
“I am not sure what you were thinking. What if you were attacked?”
She wasn’t wrong. There were lots of armed people in this world who were
up to no good. I shouldn’t go out for a stroll with the same mentality as
someone going to a convenience store. I should have realized this sooner.
“Even I remain armed wherever I go.”
“True.”
“While we are both wearing dragon, having a weapon is also a way of

keeping people in check. You should always have one on you.”
“Right… I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Basically, I needed to have some heavy sword hanging on my belt at all

times, if I wanted to survive. Well, I promised myself that I would do just
that.
The odd looks decreased as we moved along in the line. And then we finally
reached the counter. I took out my status card from my pocket and put it on
the counter along with Daniela’s.
“Mister Asagi and Miss Daniela. Thank you for accepting the quest. As you
are both rubies, you more than qualify. I’ll have you registered immediately.”
“Thank you.”
Rubies were A-Rank. B-Rank was jade.
“A-Rank Adventurers will be expected to raid and annihilate. B-Rank and C-

Rank Adventurers will focus on killing the goblins who try and escape. Do
you have any questions?”
“Uhh, how many A-Rankers are there?”

“There are two. Adlus, and Rindo.”
Hohoho. Was this an Imperial Sword Tournament reunion? How very

exciting. Well, Mister Heinrich wasn’t participating. Perhaps he had gone
home? It would have been nice to see him in action.
“Do you have any other questions?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Very well then. The registration has been complete. Here are your status
cards.”
And like that, it was done. This would be my first time being part of a real
stampede.
I thought again about how many events we had been involved in since
coming here. And now, something new was about to begin. Well, perhaps it
had already started, and we were jumping in halfway. I was starting to get the
feeling that something completely unexpected was about to happen. Hmm.
Was this what it was like to be a proper protagonist?
No, it was probably just these rough clothes that made me feel that way. Still,
I was amped up for what would come. And so I told Daniela that I’d return to
the inn ahead of her so I could check my equipment. In order to overcome
what might turn into a fierce battle, I would have to be sure that my armor
was in good condition.
It was the trick to getting through such trials. And this liberation front was
something I wanted to overcome safely.
chapter 289
I pulled out my weapons and armor from the hollow bag as soon I returned to
the inn. Some clean cloth scraps as well. I soaked them with water magic and
started to wipe each piece. The Glampanzer, Schwarz Tempest,
Ashikirimaru, Cocytus Lance, Velnoir, and Orthros.
Then there was the wind dragon armor and ice dragon armor. I cleaned the
spy equipment set as well. I took my time cleaning them all. By the time I
sighed and put down the last piece, Daniela came in through the door.
“Welcome back.”
“We are to meet up with the others early in the morning before departure. So
we should sleep early tonight.”
“Got it.”
I had been so preoccupied with thoughts of my equipment, that I had

forgotten to ask about such important details. It was a good thing Daniela
could cover for me there.
She also bought some dinner, which we ate together at the table. Today, it
was fried noodles. She even got some vegetable soup, perhaps in
consideration of our health. It was pretty cheap as long as you brought your
own container, which made it popular. We chewed noisily on the noodles and
slurped the soup. This wasn’t a place where anyone cared about table
manners.
“It is nice to have vegetable soup once in a while.”
“You should have it every day. A balanced diet is necessary if you want to be
healthy. So eat your vegetables.”
“Hmph. It is just leaves. What kind of elf do you take me for.”

A 22-year-old scolding the 300-year-old about health. Regardless, health was
something that would be on the minds of many couples where there was a
large age gap. It was quite important.
□ □ □ □
The next morning. Daniela and I walked towards the north gate as light snow
fell down around us. While it was the military district, we had a reason to be
here. Leaving through the west or east gates would result in a pointless loss
of time.
As the sun had not come up yet, and due to it being the coldest of hours, there
were hardly any people walking outside. Well, aside from people like us.
Adventurers.
“Hmm… There are more than I expected.”
“How many do you think there are?”
“Ah… Maybe fifty?”
“Hmm.”
I looked around with Eyes of the God Wolf. I could see Adventurers in
winter gear moving towards the north. Of course, Daniela and I were also
wearing our capes. Mine was amazingly warm. And under it, was the wind
and ice dragon armor. I also carried the hollow bag. The weapon I had on my
belt was the Velnoir. Goblins tended to have swords of poor quality, and so I
chose this sword in the hopes of breaking them.
Though, I would also be able to take out the other weapons pretty quickly. I
had recently realized that if I put my hand behind my back as if unsheathing a
sword, I could put my hand inside the hollow back and pull out the weapon.
Of course, I wasn’t the most flexible person, and it hurt my joints a little. My
shoulder and back… It’s not because I was old. I was just stiff!
I shook the thought out of my head and continued north, where the others
waited.
“You’re late, Asagi. You’re the last one.”
“Uhhh.”
That was the first thing Manager said when I arrived. I looked around and
saw the others were already there. That was odd…
“Uh. So, where’s Lemon?”
She wasn’t anywhere near Manager. They had been so close the last time I
saw them.
“I’m leaving her here. While she has a lot of experience as a guard,
stampedes are very different. I didn’t think she would be able to keep up with
us.”
“…I see. Well, we don’t know what will happen out there.”
I left the grinning Manager and walked over to Adlus, who was standing with
his arms crossed. I hadn’t seen him in a while, so I thought I might as well
say something.
“…”
“Hey. Been a while. I guess we’ll be working together now.”
“Ah, there you are. You should know that I am the leader this time. And
don’t imagine for a moment that I will make things easy for you.”
“What?”
The first thing that came out of his mouth was how he would work me like a
dog. Apparently, he had been appointed as our leader. This was due to both
his popularity and his position within the imperial capital. But, we were
stronger…?
“You may think that, but you don’t belong here. I’ve lived in this city for
many years.”
“Well, I see your point. To be honest, I’d hate being a leader, so I consider
myself lucky.”
“Damn it… You would think that someone of your ability would have more
ambition.”
“Hehe. Well, I look forward to working with you.”
“Aye.”
Adlus sighed as he extended his fist, I bumped it with my own. He was like a
completely different person from before. Almost as if he was free from an
evil spirit. At least, I didn’t hate him now. Perhaps we’d even become
friends.
The people that were here included me, Daniela, Manager, and Adlus, who
were all A-Rank, and forty other Adventurers who were B-Rank. Some of
them would be B-Rank for the rest of their lives. Regardless, they had all
gathered here in order to take back the village and help protect the imperial
capital. When I stood by Adlus and looked at their faces, I could tell by their
expressions that they were eager to do this.
But, how many of them would survive until the end… No, it was better to
stay positive. Keep our guard up and annihilate the goblins. It didn’t matter
what they did, we would win.
“Alright, everyone is here now. Let’s go. The battle for Namila’s liberation
starts now!!”
Adlus gave the order, and the gates opened. A vast field of snow spread out
north of the city. It was up ahead, that the monsters awaited.
□ □ □ □
I didn’t hate walking in the snow-covered field. I had once lived in a town
where it snowed a lot. I knew how to distribute my weight while walking, so
I wouldn’t slip. However, it was also kind of tiring. It would only take about
20 minutes for the sweat to start showing from my underclothes. This was the
biggest reason people caught colds in snowy countries. It was the sweat from
the heat that robbed them of their body temperature.
“This is nice…”
But screw that way of walking. We had a carriage.
“Apparently, we will arrive by the lake at sundown.”
“That’s quick.”
“It is all because the military offered us snow carriages.”
Yes. We were currently in a carriage. While the ground was covered in snow,
the carriages moved. That was because these carriages didn’t have wheels,
they had skids, which I suppose meant they were sleighs. And as these were
used in the army, the skids had fire ore embedded into them, which made the
snow melt just enough to give the sleighs more speed. The horses that pulled
us were half-unicorns. They were strong and didn’t tire easily.
The sleighs had been waiting for us just outside of the gate. The military
could not leave the city. But they were more than willing to lend their sleighs
to us Adventurers. This was a massive help.
We no longer had to walk while concentrating on every inch of our feet.

Instead, we slid smoothly along the surface of the snow.
As Daniela said, we reached the lake by the time the sun started to set. From
what I could see, the lake was about 300 meters from one side to the other. It
was fairly large. On closer inspection, I could see that there were several
tributary rivers as well, and one of them seemed to lead to the village. It was
probably the water that they lived off of.
And it was this lakeside that Adlus had us set up camp. Water was an
important part of survival. So it made sense to choose this spot. I took out our
ample supply of illuminating magic tools from the hollow bag. These were
the ones I gathered after the orc battle. I carried them around for times like
these.
“Hmm, that seems like a little too much.”
“Would you like to eat in the dark?”
“I was joking. Put them here.”
I joked while putting them up in Adlus’s ten. Yes, it was better with some
light.
There was a table set up inside of the tent, and a map was laid out on it. There
was the lake and rivers. And of course, a red ‘X.’ It was Namila village.
“…Okay. Allow me to explain our strategy before we sit down to eat.”
Adlus said as he raised his head and looked around him. Currently, it was just
me, Daniela and Manager that were here. As we were different from the
others in level and rank, the guild was allowing us to plan everything. Of
course, Adlus was still the leader.
“We will go upriver and reach Namila village. Both sides of the rivers are
surrounded in hills, which will hide us from any eyes near the village. They
would have to come close and look down. But there are lots of plants to hide
in as well, which should give us ample time before we are discovered.”
Adlus traced his hand from the lake to the river and then to the village.
“How are we going to cross the river?”
“You, Asagi, are going to freeze it with ice magic. I’m not asking you to
freeze the entire thing. Just a part of the surface. Surely you can do that?”
“Uh, sure.”
Now, if he were asking me to create a dam and freeze the entire thing, I
would have frozen him on the spot. But if it was just some of the surface, it
shouldn’t be a problem.
“So, we shouldn’t have any trouble reaching the village. Once we are there, I
will use the river as a medium and activate my water magic and use it to
surround the village.”
“Really? You can do magic on that scale?”
“It’s only a wall. It won’t automatically attack monsters that approach it. All
it will do is move the water to create a thick and tall wall.”
Daniela still looked like she could hardly believe it, but Adlus chuckled and
brushed it aside. Indeed, judging by what I saw at the tournament, it probably
wasn’t that hard for him to do.
“And then we will kill the goblins within the village. I think that we shouldn’t
have any trouble with two rubies and ten jades.”
“And what will the other jades be doing?”
“They will kill the goblins that are outside of the village.”
As we were liberating the village, you would thing the goblins would all be
inside of it, but Adlus thought differently. He said that monsters that caused
stampedes had a tendency of giving birth to mutants with strangely high
intelligence. Perhaps there was one such being here, who was able to
strategize.
“Besides, our information tells us that there are lots of places, such as the
hills and shrubs, where you can hide. There will definitely be goblins there.
We need all of them to be killed.”
“I see. It will be safer to kill them all at once.”
“Indeed. Any questions?”
Daniela quickly raised her hand.
“Who will lead the attack within the village?”
“You and Asagi. Rindo will lead the team outside. I thought that you
wouldn’t have any problem with that, Rindo…”
“I don’t. And I’ll do it.”
So Daniela and I would fight the goblins in the village. Manager would be
outside. Adlus would keep the wall up. The others would kill any who
slipped passed us.
“Any more questions?”
Daniela raised her hand again.
“What?”
“I am starving. May we eat soon?”
“…”
“…Hehe.”
“Huhhh…”
Adlus didn’t know what to say. Manager chuckled. I sighed.
“Very well. You are dismissed.”
Daniela was the first out of the tent. Manager and I followed after her.
When I caught up with Daniela, both of her hands were already filled with
food. I sighed again. Naturally.
chapter 290
There were no reports from the night guards, and everything was quiet.
Daniela and I were able to sleep the whole night and rest our bodies. It was
often difficult to sleep soundly while camping, but we were surrounded by
capable Adventurers, which offered a lot of comforts.
The next morning. The time to put the plan into action. As it was the icesnow
season, the ground was frozen. But not the river. It ran into the lake and
under the ice, before running off into the other rivers. At least, we were able
to walk on the lake.
And so we packed our tents and equipment and set off for Namila Village. Of
course, there was nothing to hide as we traveled across the lake. And so had
to march while being prepared for a possible ambush. Everyone held their
weapons. Those who could used Presence Detection as we moved. Luckily,
there was no attack or even a presence close by. And it was like that, that we
reached the river.
“It’s your turn now.”
Adlus stepped to the side and moved forward. Then I created a Frost Sword
in my hand. It let out an icy ring, just like a bell as I sank half of the blade
into the water. And using the sword as a medium, I sent ice magic into the
water.
“Frostheim.”
I sent the magic energy forward, and a path that was just wide enough for a
single person to walk was created. I had used the Ice Sword as a medium
because I didn’t want to plunge hands into cold water. It turned out well.
Perhaps Adlus was recalling an unpleasant memory, because I saw him
grimace for a second. Hmm. I felt pretty good, on the other hand.
“Le-let’s go then!”
Adlus said with a cough. I grinned as I followed after him. Daniela looked a
little exasperated, but Manager smiled. Then the Jades followed us.
Just as the information suggested, the area here was covered with bushes.
Then there was a slope…hmm. I still wasn’t sure if they would see us. The
path I had made in the river was near the edge where the grass was especially
tall, so it would be hard to spot. On the other hand, the slow was so steep that
one wrong step could have someone rolling down it and splashing into the
freezing water… It was surprising that the villagers hadn’t done anything
about it. Even a fence would have made this place a lot safer.
“Namila Village is up ahead. But this area is now ruled by the goblins. So
move carefully.”
We all nodded and continued up. As the frozen ground made it easy to slip,
we had to move carefully anyway. But I hoped none of them fell as they
crossed the river. The ice could break… Not really. My magic wasn’t that
weak. But then again, I wouldn’t make any promises if it was someone with
very heavy armor.
We traveled upstream for a good thirty minutes. It was then that Presence
Detection caught the goblins.
“Adlus.”
“I know.”
Adlus was also able to use Presence Detection. He stopped and started to
think. Kill them? Or let the pass?
“…Alright. There were a few Jades with us who were skilled scouts. We’ll
have them go and see.”
Several of the Jades then raised their hands. Ultimately, three Adventurers
came forward. One man and two women.
“Our party is mostly comprised of scouts. This is the perfect job for us.”
“Very well.”
The leader seemed to be the short-haired woman who had spoken up. And so
the three of them moved through the grass and up the slop with ease. Adlus
and I sensed the goblins on the other side of the slope. There were three of
them.
The three scouts had finished climbing the slope now. I could tell that they
were crouching low and hiding. It occurred to me that I could have used Eyes
of the God Wolf as well, but it was good to let the others do their work. As
part of the group that was ahead of the others, it was our role to give them
opportunities to grow. Well, such things had been on my mind of late.
Daniela had often done the same with me.
They returned after about three minutes. According to them, the goblins were
not only armed with weapons but wore armor as well. Leather armor. Not
only that, but it seemed like they had made the armor themselves from
animals they killed. It suggested a level of skill on top of intelligence.
Clearly, there were at least some among them that were very smart.
“Should we kill them?”
“…No, we can do that later. They are likely guards, which means their
disappearance could cause a stir.”
We didn’t know how smart they were yet, but it seemed like a safe enough
bet to treat them as if we were dealing with humans. And so it would be a
problem if they vanished. It would mess up our plans if the enemy was
alerted. We had to be careful.
And so we continued to head north until we finally reached the wharf. This
wharf was an important part of village life, and was just as short distance
ahead of Namila Village. We detected goblins several times on our way here,
but they were always small groups of three. In other words, they were
sending out these armed groups to guard the village from enemies on the
outside. This was clearly abnormal. When the scouts told the rest of the party
about this, the Jades all gulped.
“Listen here. There is no point in suddenly getting cold feet. There is no other
path but complete annihilation. Do you understand?”
They nodded at Adlus’s words.
“You all know the plan, so there shouldn’t be a problem. Now, let us begin.
‘Stromdimauer.’”
He chanted. And then the river began to flood. However, the powerful magic
was able to control the flow, and the water was lifted up over the slop and
then split into two. And then in the blink of an eye, it had surrounded Namila
Village. At the same time, Daniela and I ran towards it. The other Jades
followed.
What we saw in front of was about twenty or more wooden buildings that
were surrounded by water. I could sense numerous goblin presences both
inside and outside of the buildings.
“The village is filled with goblins! I want two to come with me and two to go
with Daniela. The rest of you stick together and fight!”
I shouted the order. Two Jade women looked towards me and so I nodded.
Once I was sure they were following me, I ran behind the closest house
where I knew goblins were standing.
There was a cow that had been livestock there. But it was now lying down
with its stomach torn open. About five goblins were standing around it. They
looked surprised as they gazed at the wall of water that had been created
around them. And so I took the opportunity slash at their dumb heads with
the Velnoir. Two decapitated heads flew in the air. Then the two Jades used
their short sword and one-handed sword respectively to kill the other two. In
the meantime, I created an Ice Sword and shoved it into the heart of the last
goblin.
“You get the idea. Next!”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
We were off to a good start. Like this, we would annihilate the goblins within
the village. If we were quick enough, we might be able to go and help
Manager’s team as well. As I was still using Presence Detection, I could
sense every time a goblin’s life was snuffed out. The shock from Adlus’s
wall was making things much easier for us.
Of course, that was only in the beginning. The goblins eventually returned to
themselves and unsheathed their weapons. They also started to huddle in
groups. It would no longer be a one-sided slaughter then. While we still had
the advantage, swords would cross more than a few times before a death.
“Haah!”
I roared with every swing of my sword. Jack of all Trades, Master of None
tells me to rotate my wrists a little when I do. And like that, the Velnoir
shatters the goblin’s sword and without losing momentum, cuts into the flesh.
Blue blood sprays as the body rolls on the ground. This sword was amazing.
“Tsk…!”
“Mister Asagi!”
The voices sounded pained and desperate as I turned around. One of the
Jades was blocking to goblin sword with her one-handed sword. Next to her,
the other Jade was fending off another goblin. She wouldn’t have enough
time to help. My feet dug into the dirt, and then I dashed forward. Before my
foot touched the ground on the first step, it was enveloped in platinum wind.
Suddenly, it was as if my body lost all weight as I flew forward. Before I
landed again, the three goblins ahead of me were cut into half. I swung the
blood from my blade and checked to see if the other two were alright. They
looked a little stunned.
“W-wow…”
“So…this is Silvergreen…”
“It’s really nothing special. Let’s go. Uh…”
It was at that point I realized that I didn’t know their names.
“I-I’m Marcel!”
“Silket!”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Asagi. While this is a strange place for
introductions, let’s do our best.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
They replied eagerly. Somehow, this reminded me of what it was like when
we hired new people at the store. Well, you had to make a good impression as
their superior. Even though I didn’t look the part, I decided to go all out.
chapter 291
“Inside the house. There are two in the first room to the right. And then there
is one hiding in the house next to it.”
“Understood.”
Answered Marcel. She seemed the more energetic of the two, and
immediately moved towards the house with the goblins. Silket had a more
somber air as she followed after her. I followed in order to make sure they
wouldn’t have any trouble.
The goblins were waiting on both sides of the room’s entrance. However,
Marcel did not slowly poke her head into the room, as they must have
anticipated. Instead, she rolled through and caught them by surprise. Then
she spun around and aimed for the neck of the first goblin. She held her short
sword with the blade pointing down and swung. The first goblin’s head flew
in the air as the other looked at her with rage and fell upon her. However,
Silket was quick to act. And her one-handed sword pierced into the goblin’s
exposed back.
“Hmm. Good.”
I nodded. They were synchronized and seemed to see each other perfectly. It
was probably because they were in the same party.
As I watched them, I used Presence Detection to check on the other goblin. It

had heard the noise and was moving restlessly…I think. That’s when I saw it
poke its head out of the window to look…
“Wrong move.”
I planted an ice arrow in its forehead.
“Alright, let’s go then.”

“Yes… Uh, you’re quite intimidating to watch, Mister Asagi.”
“Though…we are in the higher ranks of Jades in the imperial city…”
“I’m just more used to it, that’s all. You should have seen me running from
forest wolves in the beginning.”
I thought back on that day in Fhiraldo. I really thought that I was going to
die…
“Surely not! But you have an alias! And a unique skill!”
“It is certainly hard to believe!”
“No, it’s true. Though, there were about fifteen wolves chasing after me.
Still, I was screaming and shouting for help as I ran.”
They didn’t seem entirely convinced. Well, I was just an ordinary civilian
back then. Compared to how I was now, it was no wonder they didn’t believe
it.
“…Anyway, let’s continue on!”
“Y-yes!”
“Yes!”
This was no time for reminiscing. We had to hurry up and wipe out the
goblins from the village.
And so I frantically ran out of the house and searched the area with Presence
Detection. Hmm…there were a lot of goblins near a group of Jades. The ones
around Daniela were in a manageable number. In that case, we should visit
the group of Jades and kill any goblins we met on the way.
The other two nodded in agreement. And we acted quickly, running towards
the group while killing anything in our path. They were close to the center of
the village. While the village was not particularly large, it wasn’t a poor one
either. These were proper houses, not shacks, and there was something like a
watchtower in the center. Maybe there had been a festival.
When we reached the tower, the situation became quite clear. They had taken
a stand in the center of the village while the goblins had swarmed around
them. But there was no changing the fact that these were goblins fighting
Jades. They prevented the circle from tightening around them as they cut the
goblins down and decreased their numbers. It seemed like they had things
under control.
However, they were still walking on a tightrope. If a mutant appeared now,

their strategy would crumble. Thankfully, I had yet to sense the presence of
one.
“Alright, let’s join them!”
“Yes!”
Of course, just because there wasn’t a mutant, didn’t mean they couldn’t use
our help. This fight should be finished as quickly as possible. Besides,
watching Marcel and Silket fight so bravely had strengthened my resolve to
ensure that everyone return to the imperial city safely.
“Haah!!”
Velnoir cut a goblin’s spear in half before viciously cutting it down. A goblin
raised its sword at my back. I spun around and kicked it into the air, then
created an ice sword in my left hand, which I used to split its head open. By
now they seemed to have realized that it would take more than one goblin to
take me down, and so multiple goblins rushed towards me at once. With Legs
of the God Wolf, I escaped to the air and landed behind them with a deadly
slash.
“Wow…”
I could hear someone saying, but I was too busy to care. While the enemy
were going down easily, I was still frantic. The reason for it was that I had
started to sense an odd presence. Something like that poison goblin. It
smelled unique.
I continued to search and looked with my eyes, but could not find it. Its
presence was so vague, that I wondered if it might be using some sort of
magic tool to hide. It was as if it were melting into the air and into the earth…
“Asagi! Below you!”
Suddenly, Daniela’s voice rang in my ears. And my reflexes launched me

into the air. And then the presence that had been barely perceptible a second
ago, became clear. And at the same time, the ground caved in.
I could feel magical energy emanating from the disturbed ground. It was
earth magic. Then the thing that I felt…
“There’s a goblin magician!”
One of the Jades shouted. Goblins were supposed to be stupid and incapable
of using magic. But there were rare goblins that were different. I had learned
about it in the guild library.
So, there was one such goblin here. It was no wonder I hadn’t been able to
sense it. It had hidden its energy until the last moment and then activated it
all at once when we didn’t expect it. It was quite the strategy. Had I not been
here, it might have worked.
However, it had failed, and the goblin magician tried to run. If it was able to
hide, it would have another chance to attack.
Of course, no one here was about to allow that to happen.
“Gaaarrrgh!”
The arrow that Daniela unleashed caught it right in the back. As if following
her lead, numerous other arrows followed. And so the goblin magician fell to
the ground like a hedgehog, having ultimately not done anything impressive
at all.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“It was nothing. …Hmm. It seems they killed all of the ones in the village.”
We scanned the area. Indeed, it did seem like the battle here was over.
Thanks to the brave contributions of everyone here, the swarm of goblins had
all been killed. I couldn’t sense any others within the village. It was just us
and the Adventurers.
“Good. Someone, go and make a report to Adlus. The rest of you, inspect
your equipment. Then we will go and kill the goblins outside of the village!”
I shouted. Daniela was busy checking her bow. Two Jades ran off in the
direction of the river. The others checked to see if their equipment was
damaged or if anyone was injured. But from what I could see, they all
seemed fine.
As for me, I took out the demon armor sword from the hollow bag and held if
in my right hand, opposite the Velnoir. There would be even more enemies
outside. And I intended on leaving Marcel and Silket with the other Jades and
going out alone.
“What about you, Daniela?”
“I will look for Rindo and help the other Jades outside. Are you going to act
as a lone wolf?”
“I wouldn’t call it that… I’m just going to scratch an itch you guys can’t
reach.”
“Hehe. How amusing. Very well.”
Daniela extended her fist and I bumped mine against it. At the same time,
Adlus deactivated his water magic, and the wall returned to the river. Now,
Namila Village had been liberated. It was time to deal with the remnants of
the goblin force.
“Alright. Everyone, follow me!”

Daniela took the lead. Now that the Jades had finished their inspections, they
followed after her.
So… I activated Legs of the God Wolf and was about to take off, when I
heard someone call to me.
“What are you going to do, Mister Asagi?”
“Hmm? Ah, I’ll be all over the place. You two should go and join Daniela.”
“You’re going alone!?”
“I’ll be fine. And if not…I can always run.”
“Really…?”
Marcel had a look that was close enough to disgust. I laughed and insisted
that I was joking.
“Anyway, Daniela and Adlus and Mana-…Rindo are here too. If it’s still
dangerous, I think we all better run.”
“I understand. But please be careful, Mister Asagi!”
“Remember, the goal is for all of us to return safely!”
“Understood!”
I felt invigorated after hearing their encouraging words. And with that, I flew
up and above Namila Village. As the two looked through the raging wind in
surprise, I headed for the outside of the village.
chapter 292
I ran up into the air with Legs of the God Wolf, and then looked down.
“Hmm. I can see a lot from here.”
The Adventurers were fighting the scattered goblins over the white fields of
snow. While it was a snowfield, it only went up to your shins. Not that it was
easy to walk in. But if it was any higher, we wouldn’t be able to walk at all.
And it was under those circumstances that they annihilated the goblins. There
were many dangers, which was why there were more people out here than
there was in the village. Adlus didn’t want to rely only on numbers and use
human wave tactics. Instead, he wanted as many smaller parties as possible.
From up above, I could see that there weren’t that many, though. Still, it was
definitely ideal to have smaller groups that stuck together. I could see that
they were sticking to his directions. And so I searched for Manager’s party.
With the help of Eyes of the God Wolf, it did not take long to find her on the
north side of the village. I made my way towards her, all the while checking
to see if there were any parties that were in danger. Everything seemed to be
going smoothly.
By the time I reached Manager, she had just finished crushing a group of
goblins.
“Manager.”
“Asagi. I thought you might arrive soon.”
I landed on the soft snow just as she sheathed her sword and looked at me.
“The wall around the village disappeared. That means you finished, right?”
“Yes. You seem to be doing well here.”
“They are only goblins, after all. While the terrain might be against us, we are
all skilled fighters. We won’t fall behind.”
She said as she turned around. The other Jades raised their swords and
laughed. They hadn’t been fighting together very long, and yet they seemed
like a good team already. But then again, Manager had always been quick to
befriend new people. She had a caring side, I suppose. She was also
perceptive. Things I was not.
“Daniela is leading the Jades who fought within the village now, and they
joined the group outside. Adlus should be moving soon as well.”
“Then we are all but done here. Are you just a messenger boy now?”
“Of course, I am. And I’ll do my best.”
I said as I patted my leg. Manager chuckled.
“Well, it’s something that only you can do. You got this.”
“Yes!”
After that, it was just a matter of killing the few remaining ones. I moved
away and started to hunt down the ones that had managed to escape the Jades.
There were goblins hiding in bushes, waiting for an opportunity to ambush
us. I tore them to shreds with my two swords and then searched for more. Or
I would join a smaller party that seemed to be struggling and helped them kill
the goblins.
When the sun started to set, the weather turned foul. The wind grew stronger,
causing a blizzard from the upturned snow. Both Adventurers and goblins
became sluggish. It rapidly robbed your body of heat. Then it started
snowing, which meant a real blizzard. I went over to Adlus and suggested
that we stop the fighting. He also realized the difficulty of carrying out the
plan to completion, and so it was decided. The other parties were staying still,
as they were afraid of getting lost in the snow. I went over to them and told
them we were retreating to Namila Village. I went around to several groups
and repeated this. However, some groups continued to fight the goblins.
By the time that everyone was in the village, the sun had already set. We
were inside one of the houses and Adlus was giving out orders.
“We will have to stay here tonight. I will offer the chief our apologizes for
using the houses without permission, so there is no need to hesitate.”
He said. While it was an emergency, entering people’s houses without

permission didn’t feel great. But it’s not like we had a choice.
After instructions were given to the scouting team, I used Eyes of the God
Wolf every now and then to watch the surrounding area. Of course, there
were actual guards on rotation, but this was a blizzard. It was hard to cover
all the areas. But I could see a lot with Eyes of the God Wolf. I had been
using it a lot today, which was quite tiring. But there was no use in preserving
that energy if we all died.
“Are you alright? Asagi?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Daniela brought me some soup. It had been in the hollow bag. Marcel and
Silket were also in the house we were borrowing. They had already been
occupying it when we came in. And since it wasn’t like there was an
unlimited number of houses, we decided to share it. Speaking of sharing, we
also gave them some of our food.
“Miss Daniela. You are so gallant on the field.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It warmed my heart to watch you.”
“I see.”
I was mostly relieved to see the three of them talking pleasantly. And well,
Daniela wasn’t the type to get too jealous or insecure. It was all fine. And
hell, I would never betray her like that.
“This is good…”
It was the same old familiar soup, but it tasted about thirty percent better after
everything we’d been through. The big chunks of meat were soft and the
vegetables practically melted in your mouth. What was particularly good,
was the potatoes. They had soaked in the flavor of the soup and were both
soft and flaky. I had always loved potatoes and could go for seconds even.
I finished my bowl quickly and asked for more. All the while, I continued to
use Presence Detection and Eyes of the God Wolf. It covered a large area
around Namila Village, and I would be able to see any intruders. I had done
this several times while we took shelter, and had detected a number of
goblins. However, they were not able to do much in this weather. They either
stayed still or seemed to wander aimlessly. Perhaps it was their lack of
intelligence that made it harder for them to find the village. Of course, as we
had killed most of the goblins, the ones I detected were pretty far away.
It was while I was doing this that I detected something that for the first time,
wasn’t a goblin.
“What the…”
It wasn’t weak. In fact, it was incredibly strong. Perhaps someone more

familiar would have recognized what it was. But for now, it was still pretty
far off.
And yet, it seemed to be coming towards the village in a straight line. It was
as if the snow had no effect on it, not even slowing it. It walked straight at a
fixed speed.
Frantically, I directed Eyes of the God Wolf towards it. The blizzard turned
everything white, and it was hard to make out. Still, I saw something.
“Is it…a goblin?”
It looked like a goblin. However, it was also quite different from the goblins
we fought today. First of all, its skin was a dark red, and the physique looked
more like an adult human. Its body was muscular, unlike the small goblins.
And it carried a giant sword as a weapon. It was quite similar in shape to my
own greatsword. It carried the sword on its shoulder as it walked towards us.
It was hard to interpret this as anything other than bad.
“Ah…”
The goblin was about to encounter one of the groups of goblins that were
stuck in the snow. I gulped and watched. They met in less than a minute. The
smaller goblins raised their arms as if expecting to be saved. As for the dark
red goblin. It showed its teeth as it laughed. Then it swung its sword. The
small goblins didn’t stand a chance. Blood soaked into the snow. The dark
red goblin leaned the sword on its shoulder again and continued its march.
“Daniela. Some pen and paper.”
Daniela looked at me with puzzlement, but when she saw that I was using
Eyes of the God Wolf, she quickly took the items out of the hollow bag and
brought them to me.
“What did you see?”
“This looks bad. There’s a goblin out there that almost looks human. It’s dark
red and headed right towards us. I saw it cut down some goblins on the way.
It looks cruel.”
“Hmm…”
“Any ideas?”
“Perhaps. Black goblins are High Goblins. Red ones are called Red Goblins.
They are special goblins that are extremely vicious, but also very rare.”
I was still watching the dark red goblin, but I could hear Daniela’s voice.
From what she told me, it seemed likely that this was an advanced version of
a Red Goblin.
“Would that make it…a High Red Goblin?”
“It is possible.”
“Alright…wait here.”
I turned off Eyes of the God Wolf off and started to draw a sketch of the
goblin I had seen. As I was no artist, the drawing sucked. But I just needed to
capture the distinct features.
“Like this.”
“That is horrible…”
“Shut up.”
“However, I think I understand. The physique seems close to a High Goblin.

Its temperament sounds like a Red Goblin. They are known to not only kill
but eat their own kind.”
“But this one didn’t eat the others?”
“Maybe it was full?”
So it already ate goblins on the way…?
This thing really was a freak. It was hard to understand. Maybe one of the
goblins had escaped and was able to send word to the nest…? But there was a
blizzard. All the other goblins had frozen and become lost. It was cold
enough to die out there. I doubted any goblins could have gotten so far.
“There is no use in wondering about it. We must tell Adlus.”
“Um… Has something happened?”
Silket asked, just as Daniela was helping me stand up. She didn’t know about
Eyes of the God Wolf. To her, it would have just looked like I had called
Daniela over with a worried expression, and now we were leaving.
“Yes. He has detected something. It may be dangerous, so you should stay

here for now. This is a matter for the Rubies.”
“I understand. Will there be enough time to alert the other Jades?”
“Yes. Can I count on you?”

If it was within the village, she should be able to move. At least, the scouts
had had no problem. Silket woke up Marcel and took her as well.
“We better go then.”
“Yeah.”
I picked up the hollow bag and walked outside. The blizzard was even
stronger than before. And yet that thing was walking through it as if it was
nothing. What kind of monster was this?
I stared at Daniela’s back as we walked, and prepared myself mentally for the
threat ahead.
chapter 293
I left the house and rushed to where Adlus was. Daniela went to go get
Manager. It was difficult walking in the raging blizzard, even if it was just a
straight line. The snow was so thick in the air that it was hard to see the house
next to you. And yet the goblin was walking towards us. It was hard to
believe.
I walked from one house to the next until I reached the one Adlus was in.
And then I knocked on the door. One of the scouts came out to greet me.
Perhaps they were having a meeting. She was a woman with short hair, and
looked very surprised when I told her about what I had just seen.
“There’s a goblin headed straight for us in this blizzard. It’s clearly no

ordinary goblin. I want to discuss it with Adlus, so us Rubies can deal with it.
Will you tell the others?”
“Tell them to stay inside!”
I added as I stepped in. I hadn’t walked more than fifty meters, and yet I was
covered in snow. I brushed it off and walked to the back. There were several
other scouts there as well.
“What is it?”
Adlus looked surprised as he began to stand up. A map was spread out on the
table in front of him. I raised a hand for him to stay.
“I think something bad is going to happen.”
“Let’s hear it.”
And so I gave him a quick report of what I had seen. And also showed him
the picture I had drawn.
“This is terrible…”
“Shut up.”
“So? You said that you saw it. How?”
It was something I kept secret, but I decided to tell Adlus. We came here
together. We were linked in a way. A common destiny, perhaps.
“With these ‘Eyes.’”
“You…”
“It’s called ‘Eyes of the God Wolf.’ It allows me to see things that are far
away, regardless of obstacles.”
“…To think that you had such a hidden skill…”
“Not so hidden now.”
“Indeed. So that’s how you had all directions covered.”
Adlus thought back on the battle during the day and nodded with satisfaction.
“But it’s really tiring to use. However, we’re in a horrible blizzard. I had to
use it if I wanted to relax enough to sleep.”
“And it is thanks to that that we are warned. Alright, let’s get everything
straight.”
Adlus looked towards the map and made a suggestion. I nodded.
“This goblin that you saw. It’s likely a High Red Goblin… A unique one.”
“A unique High Red? I thought maybe the High Red was unique…”
That was what Daniela had seemed to suggest. It had made sense to me…
“Ah, High Reds are not particularly rare. When a goblin has fought long and
hard and has been soaked in so much blood, it is able to evolve. And in this
wide world, that can happen often enough.”
“I see.”
“But as High Reds are larger threats, they are actively hunted down by
humans. Regardless, there is one big difference between High Reds and the
goblin that you described.”
“Which is?”
“High Reds don’t use greatswords.”
I gulped.
“You see, High Reds are especially vicious because of the great hunger that
they feel. They are always hungry. And so when they find their prey, they kill
and eat it immediately. There is no intelligence to be found in such creatures.
They don’t need swords. Their claws and fangs are enough.”
“So, that goblin…”
“It is a unique mutant…”
That made me think of other words.
“An abnormally evolved being…”
Perhaps Adlus had been thinking of the same thing. He nodded.
“This is bad…”
“What’s bad?”
I turned around to see two women brushing off snow from their clothes. It
was Daniela and Manager.
“Daniela. The High Red I told you about. Apparently, it’s not an ‘ordinary’
High Red.”
After that, we shared the conclusion that Adlus and I had reached. Daniela
nodded as if she agreed with us. Manager folded her arms, deep in thought.
Adlus stared at the map.
“Adlus. We do not have much time.”
“Very well.”
Daniela urged him and they began to talk. Manager also joined in, as did I.
“Asagi, where is his position now?”
“Wait a second.”
I looked at the map on the table and then activated Eyes of the God Wolf. I
saw that it was about two kilometers from the north side of the village. And
just like before, it moved steadily through the snow.
“Here.”
“Hmm… Still some distance. I would like to fight it without doing any
damage to the village.”
“Or anyone getting killed.”
“That will be difficult if it is only us. Someone will get hurt.”
“And so I have an idea.”
This was Adlus’s plan.
I would be the main one fighting. Manager would assist me. And Daniela and
Adlus would support us from a distance. Adlus would deal with the snow and
Daniela the wind. Manager would use her shadow magic to take it by surprise
when she could. I would attack it from head-on. It sounded simple, but would
be difficult to pull off.
“I will turn the snow into water and control it. Just in a small area.”
“And I will define that area. My wind magic will silence this blizzard. The
spirits will help me.”
“As for the night’s shadows, that’s my job. I will harass it with surprise
attacks. You can do a lot with shadow magic.”
“Which means I’m the meathead. I see what you’re doing.”
Everyone made use of their unique abilities while I swung a sword around.
It’s true, I had Jack of all Trades, Master of None, but no showy magic! Still,
it made one just a little bitter.
“What are you talking about? You are the most important.”
“…Meaning?”
“Listen. Adlus and I are eliminating all of your obstacles. You will be free.
Do you understand?”
“I guess…”
“And Rindo will cover everything in shadows. Understand?”
“Yeah…”
Daniela paused for a few seconds and then pointed at me.
“The light that shines in the shadows. That is what you are.”
“????”
“People are frightened of the dark. And all it takes is one ray of light to cause
them to run towards it with gratitude. You are that ray of light. You are the
hope that shines in the darkness! Do you understand?”
“Uh, um…”
Daniela was usually the quiet type, but she was raising her voice in an
attempt to rouse me.
“You are our last home in this desperate situation. We are like the world that
you shine down on.”
“W-world…?”
Her analogy was expanding. Still, I understood that she was cheering me on.
It was very clear. And so my eagerness was at an all-time high. I thought I
could do it. It didn’t matter what enemy I faced. I would crush it into the
ground. My body felt warm. Almost hot. Yes. I didn’t even need these winter
clothes anymore!
“Alright, leave it to me! I’ll kill that thing!”
“That is the spirit!”
“ARRRGGGHHH!!!”
I pulled the Velnoir out of the hollow bag and marched towards the door. The
others quickly prepared to leave as well. What was taking them so long? I’m
going on ahead!
“He is very simple-minded…”
“Well, that’s why he’s the meathead.”
“But he was always like that, you know?”

chapter 294
I thrust the Velnoir into the snow and rested my hands on the pommel and
waited. Snow started gather on top of my hood, but I was able to use the
magic within my body to control it, and brush it off. Like this, I waited for
the arrival of the mysterious goblin. Adlus and I thought it was an abnormally
evolved being. But we weren’t sure yet. We had to meet it and fight it. All of
the abnormally evolved beings I had met up until now were capable of
speech. How would it be this time?
“Asagi. Soon.”
“Yeah.”
“Alright. Everyone, move into position.”
Adlus said as he and Daniela moved away. Manager moved behind me.
The cold wind blew the wind dragon materials that made up my clothes. But
no matter how cold it was when it hit me, I didn’t move an inch. I glared up
ahead. It was now within range of Presence Detection.
Then all of a sudden, the wind stopped. The stillness was so abrupt and
unnatural. The howling of the wind was gone, and only silence remained in
my ears.
As for the snow, it turned into water once it reached a certain distance from
the ground, then it bounced away as if there was an invisible roof over my
head.
I caught myself staring up at this strange phenomenon. And when I returned

my gaze forward, I could see the dark red goblin standing in the snow. The
goblin I had seen with Eyes of the God Wolf was now looking towards us
with that bloody greatsword on its shoulder.
“What are you?”

“…”
“You killed those other goblins.”
“…”
“Did you lead this stampede?”
“…”
It stared at me. Still. Silent. Maybe it didn’t understand what I was saying. Or
was it thinking…?
“I…”
“!?”
“The queens…knight.”
A chill ran down my spine. It talked. It understood me and reacted. There was
no doubt about it now.
This was an abnormally evolved being.
“I am apparently called…the Queen’s Knight Goblin…”
“Your name?”
“Title. I have…no name.”
“I see.”
A rather clumsy conversation. Hearing, knowing… And what did I think,

now? Well, it didn’t matter.
“Ha…haha…hahaha!”
“Aha-ha-hahahahahahahahahaha!!!”
“Ahahahahahahahaha!!! …Haa…”
It roared with laughter in the most chilling way.
“I can’t. No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no. I just can’t talk like a knight!”
“…What?”
“I mean, ‘Queen’s Knight Goblin?’ Wouldn’t that make you want to talk like
a knight? Isn’t it cool?”
I understood that this thing was cruel by nature. And so that contemplative
way of talking had seemed a little odd to me. However, this was no less
confusing. It was like looking down a bottomless pit. There was now an
overwhelming tension in the air, and I couldn’t help but wrap my fingers
around the hilt of my sword.
“I mean…let’s just skip all this boring talk already. I want to kill something.
My story. Your story. Who cares about any of that stuff. Let’s kill!”
“…Right. Who needs a reason? You’re a dangerous monster. And so I’ll kill
you.”
“Yeeesss! Haha! This is going to be good!”
That being said, I did want information. But there was no time for that now.
The goblin rushed forward and raised its greatsword with one arm and swung
downward. I ducked under his arm and moved to the side and raised my
sword.
“Haha!”
“!”
The goblin laughed. However, its sword cut into the air, while mine tore into
its ribs. Blood sprayed.
“Agghhh! That hurts!!”

“Gg…!”
Still, the attack did nothing to slow him, and he threw his empty left fist at
me. I tried to bring up an ice shield to block it, but it shattered like thin glass.
And then the fist launched me painfully into the air. The last thing I wanted
to do was lose my sword, and so I gripped it tightly. Thanks to that, it gouged
out a chunk of flesh as it came free of the goblin. More blood sprayed over
the snow. Then I used Legs of the God Wolf to slide behind to the goblin’s
back, and thrust my sword into it again.
“Ahhhhh!”
However, it swung upward with a flurry of snow in my direction. And so I

had to jam on the brakes. It was strong. I did not want to get hit by any of its
attacks. I wanted this to be a one-sided fight as I looked for my chance to deal
a lethal blow. Unfortunately, I was interrupted. Well, I would have likely
been cut in half if I hadn’t stopped. That was no exaggeration, dragon armor
or not.
“Hah… That’s not very fair.”
“It was a gift.”
“Give it to me.”
“No way.”
I gathered ice magic into my hand and swung. A line of ice arrows appeared
in the air. All six of them fired. The ‘Queen’s Knight’ did not dodge them.
They pierced into his right shoulder and stomach, but he didn’t flinch.
“Look here. Why don’t we stop with these boring tricks?”
“…”
“It’s quite lame, you know?”
I tried to think. I activated Jack of all Trades, Master of None and made some
calculations.
“You know. It should be a clash of…raw power!!”
“!?”
The goblin suddenly dashed forward and then jumped. As I was in the air, it
normally wouldn’t have been able to reach me. But it didn’t just jump, it used
its momentum to swing its sword as it did a full rotation in the air. And so its
sword was able to reach me. I turned Jack of all Trades, Master of None off
and blocked the attack. However, the goblin seemed to have expected this
and quickly unleashed a kick. This too, I blocked with my leg.
“You’re not bad!”
I immediately used Legs of the God Wolf to move away and then land on the
snow before he could do a follow-up attack.
“Manager. I think I’m going to need some help here.”
“It does seem pretty strong…”
She said as she slithered out of the shadow I cast on the snow. She carried six
shadow blades between her fingers. She wasn’t holding back.
“Ohh? How amusing. And where did you come from?”
The goblin addressed her casually, but Manager didn’t respond. She wasn’t
even smiling under her face mask. Unlike during the tournament, that was all
that was covering her face now. Apparently, it helped her concentrate.
“I’ll follow your lead.”
“Understood.”
“Heeey! Don’t ignore me!”
I ran. Manager tailed me as if hiding. The goblin was enraged at being

ignored, and it raised its greatsword. Then it slammed the weapon on the
ground, causing a cloud of snow to erupt and a volley of wind blades to shoot
out. In order to dodge them, I thrust out my empty left hand for Manager to
grab. She had to dismiss her shadow blades for this, but it was the best way to
escape.
And with Legs of the God Wolf, I shot around him like a racer turning a
corner, and we slid into position behind the goblin. Manager let go of me
then and melted into the shadows. Even I couldn’t detect her. And so I was
doubtful that the abnormally evolved being could. It was still a monster.
“Where did you go!”
To keep it distracted, I attacked it from the opposite side with my sword.

With Presence Detection and Eyes of the God Wolf activated, it wouldn’t
matter how much powdered snow was in the air. I would hit my target.
“AAAGGGHH!”
It must have been caught off guard too, because Velnoir went right into its
left shoulder. This was not a shallow wound. However, it somehow did little
to slow it down. I would have to just continue my hit and run tactic. But I
couldn’t allow it to become a defensive battle. I would die for sure if that
happened. I just needed to get in an attack and then let Manager follow…
“Huh!?”
“Hahaaha!!”
I felt a chill and immediately moved into a defensive stance. The sound of
metal against metal rang in the air. The force of the attack threw me into the
air, and I broke through Daniela’s wind barrier.
“Arghh…!”
Without being able to regain my balance, my body slammed against the snow
in the raging blizzard. Thankfully, the snow acted as a cushion, and my hands
didn’t suffer from the impact after landing on them.
“Damn it…!!
Still, I managed to get up and grab my sword. But my fingers felt limp. What
the hell was happening… It always attacked right after I hit it. It was as if it
wasn’t really feeling the pain…
“…Maybe…”
What if it really didn’t…? What if it didn’t feel any pain and just reacted to
the sensations…?
“That would be too dangerous…”
It could react perfectly to every attack. There was little point in taking it by
surprise then. With those reflexes and power, even Manager’s attacks…
“Shit!!”
I used Legs of the God Wolf to rush back into the barrier. If Manager sensed
I was in danger and tried to attack…
“Manager!”
The cloud of powdered snow dissipated within the barrier as the goblin
turned to look at me. I also saw that Manager’s torso had emerged from the
shadows, and she was about to attack.
“No!”
She heard me and her arm froze in mid-swing. No, don’t stop. Hide…!
“Ah…!”
Without even turning around, the goblin kicked backward. Its foot slammed
into Manager and launched her into the air. She was pulled out of the shadow
and went flying.
Her body moved in the air in an arch and landed outside of the barrier. She
didn’t move.
“Ah…”
“Huh. How weak.”
The goblin made a point to turn and look at me and say this after seeing her
sink into the snow.
For a second, all I could see was red.
“Bastard…!”
“How scary!!”
Powdery snow swirled around me as I gathered the wind and then let it
explode all at once. I raised my speed and rushed straight past the goblin in a
second. Then I picked up Manager moved away from the barrier.
“Hah? Aren’t you going to avenge her?”
“Daniela! Adlus! Forget the barrier! Take her and retreat!”
I knew what it was like to lose yourself in anger. It was easy to forget about
everything around you. But I wasn’t going to let that happen here.
Unsurprisingly, they were quick to react. The barrier went down the moment
I raised my voice, and they quickly ran to me.
“Rindo!”
“Hmm. She is only unconscious.”
Adlus called her name while Daniela inspected her with the appraisal glasses
that she must have taken out from her hollow bracelet. So, she was alive.
Daniela touched the glasses which were now covered in snow, and without
removing them, stored them back into the bracelet.
The blizzard was as strong as ever, and I felt that the Queen’s Knight Goblin
was approaching us as I told them to retreat.
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine. No, I have to be alone. I think he has some kind of skill that
shuts out any pain. It allows him to strike back immediately after every hit.
So you have to attack him very quickly. I have to be alone for that. It won’t
matter if someone else is there.”
“You may say that, but can you really take him down?”
“…Yes.”
I had a way to attack that was faster than the goblin’s reflexes. There were
demerits to using it, but this was not the time to worry about such things. The
goblin was right over there.
“Just leave now. I’ll be back in the village before dawn.”
“…Very well. If you don’t return, we will not be able to wait for you.”
“That’s fine. Now go!”
Adlus took Manager. I looked at Daniela and nodded. She understood me

well. I knew I could depend on her. It was for her and Manager that I would
kill the goblin. She created a barrier around them as they returned to the
village. I watched them go before putting my hand back on my sword.
“You erased the blizzard and used that woman for ambushes just to try and
kill me. And now they are gone.”
“Well, that was Adlus’s plan. But it wasn’t enough. It’s a simple fact.”
“I appreciate the compliment! Hmm? And you still think you can beat me?”
“Yeah… I guess I do.”
“You guess?”
The goblin was still bleeding as he looked into my face. It was one against
one. Or not. I didn’t see myself as alone. Adlus, Daniela and Manager’s
hopes were with me.
“Now, I am going to kill you. And after that, I’ll kill your queen.”
“Eh…?”
“There is one, isn’t there? A queen goblin.”
“…”
That’s why he was the ‘Queen’s Knight,’ right? The fact that he was
suddenly tight-lipped again seemed to be evidence enough.
“I see. Yes. Well, I have all the more reason to kill you now.”
“Come and try, you monster.”
“Good. I will do just that. Playtime is over!”
It was a battlefield where you couldn’t see more than two meters ahead of
you. And so the deadly duel began.
chapter 295
God Wolf Sword Reach
“No holding back!”
“Come at me!”
I raised the wind speed as I dashed forward. A white tornado of wind erupted
behind me as I swung the Velnoir down over the Queen’s Knight Goblin. I
meant to cut into his brain and split his head open. Of course, regardless of
the lack of pain, the head was important, and so he blocked me with his
greatsword. I was at full speed and yet he was able to raise that heavy
weapon in time. That alone showed how big of a threat he was.
“You’re too slow!”
“I’m…slow…?”
High-pitched metallic rings echoed in the air as our swords clashed. I tried
raising myself into the air and holding him down from above, but the goblin
pushed me away with increased strength.
“Arrghh!!”
Balance was lost in the struggle, the forward force of Legs of the God Wolf
not only stopped me from being blown back, but I slammed into the goblin
instead.
“Tsk!”
His greatsword aimed for my neck, but I bent back as far as I could and
dodged it by a hair’s breadth before landing in the snow on my knees. Then I
counterattacked by slashing at the back of his legs with the Velnoir, but it
hardly did any damage. And so without getting up, I slid away with Legs of
the God Wolf until there was a good distance between us. At the same time, I
created Ice Arrows and fired them off towards his back. Even if he didn’t feel
pain, it should do some damage. After all, he was bleeding.
“What’s this? Why are you wandering around like that… Fly like a butterfly
and sting like a bee, is that it? Are you a little honey bee!”
“You sure like to talk!”
I moved in a circle around the goblin and waited for an opening. We were in
a blizzard. I would lose him if I moved too far away. And while I did have
Presence Detection and Eyes of the God Wolf, it was getting to a point where
they were tiring to use. Still, this was no time to take a rest.
“Then I will show you how great I am!”
“!”
It shot towards me with such strength as if to say the blizzard was nothing.
He had read me even though I was moving. I suppose my movements had
been too simple.
“AAAHHH!”
The greatsword came swinging in my path like a bat. I jumped over it. But he
didn’t stop. The sword came straight back, this time, from behind me. And so
I used Legs of the God Wolf and Jack of all Trades, Master of None to
control my posture and do a backflip without any preliminary actions. There
was an unpleasant jolt within my gut that I fought back as I swung my sword,
while still up-side-down in the air.
“Hah!”
“Too slow!”
The goblin turned his head and dodged the attack. The tip did cut near his
collar bone, but it probably meant nothing to someone who had shut off the
pain. However, that was no reason to not attack at all. I raised the speed of
Legs of the God Wolf and rammed my foot into its head, and then followed it
with another kick with the other leg.
“Do you want another one?”
“You pest!”
The greatsword rushed towards me as I raised my leg, and so I quickly

moved out of the way. It was like doing a cartwheel in the air. But Eyes of
the God Wolf kept my vision from spinning. It ignored whatever angle I was
in and I could see the goblin clearly. It was reaching out its hand towards me.
What was it going to do…?
“Eat this!”
“!?”
Magic energy gathered into his palm. It was a bright yellow color. I had
never seen it before, but Daniela had told me about it. Lightning Magic. I
stopped myself from rotating and conjured a barrier of ice. In the next instant,
a sharp flash struck the other side of the thick wall.
“Woah!”
There was a deafening crack and the barrier exploded. The shards of ice
smashed into each other, and I could feel the concentration of magic once
again as I backed away. I immediately dropped to the ground, but there was
no world where the wind was faster than lightning. And though I tried to
escape, the lightning arrow pierced me through the thigh.
“AAARGGGHH!!”
The pain was immediately followed by numbness, and I nearly dropped my

sword. Still, I managed to hold onto it, and after a short struggle, landed soft
on the wet snow.
“Uhh…huh…”
The snow and wind raged all around us. Even the blood flowing from my
shoulder and leg felt like it was about to freeze. I hadn’t been this beaten up
in a while. Hmm… The last time was probably when I fought the Loup-
garou.
“You’re giving up already?”
Before I knew it, the Queen’s Knight Goblin was standing in front of me. But
when I looked up, I could see that he was in tatters as well. Pain or not, so
much blood had been shed. The blue streaks were running down his red skin.
“If you’re done, I’ll cut you down. Same with that shadow woman. And that
smug man and the white woman. I will kill them all.”
White woman. My body shook.
“And then the Queen shall move. There is a bigger town to the south that we
will prey on. It will be our new country.”
“I won’t let you…”
My fingers wrapped around the hilt of the Velnoir.
“Oh? What can you do? Nothing. Not in that body. No, human bodies are
useless.”
“Human…?”
“I will find a country for my own…a place of security…and…”
He didn’t end the confusing line of words. Instead, he sighed.
“Ah…there is no point in telling you. You are finished now.”
“No, not yet…!”
Then the goblin raised its greatsword into the air. The blade was wide and
long, but the tip was covered in snow and I couldn’t see it. Still, I wouldn’t
give up. I was only resting.
“This…isn’t over!!”
“Die!!”
I rolled out of the way as the sword fell. Then I thrust my hands into the snow
and kicked him. As I had Legs of the God Wolf activated, the swirl of wind
tore away as his flesh like a blender, and blood splattered.
“Not good enough!”
“What?!”
It was unbelievable. Legs of the God Wolf or not, he grabbed my leg with his
hands. And just like with his leg, the skin and flesh were shredded, but he just
smiled diabolically.
“Arraaaghh!!”
Then he lifted me into the air and threw me to the ground. While it was snow,
the sheer speed and strength of it took the wind out of me as I landed on my
back.
“You’ll die this time!”
He said as his greatsword came down over me. Though my vision was
blurred, I somehow managed to bring up the Velnoir and block the attack.
“…!”
“AAHHH!! Ahahahaha!!”
He was heavy. I felt like I was being crushed by a boulder. I used both hands
and tried to keep the Velnoir up, but the sword sunk into the hand that
touched the blade, and blood began to pour.
“…Hah! Ahhh…!”
“You seem desperate to survive. Eh?”
Of course. No one wanted to die in a blizzard. I glared at the goblin as he

pressed down with his sword.
“I can’t…die… Not yet…!”
“Haha. But you will.”
The weight increased. The goblin laughed, and blood and saliva dripped from
his mouth and ran down his sword. As much as it angered me, it would be
impossible to push back. I would probably just get buried in the snow and
have my head cut off. That’s how I would die.
But I wouldn’t die. Thankfully, I had chosen the Velnoir as my weapon. Not
that my others were bad, but this sword was perfect for this situation.
After all, this was a sword breaker.
“Hahhhh!!!”
“What!?”
I forced the blade to turn so that greatsword slid into the groove, and then I
twisted. I would make use of the weight and just add a little of my own
strength. As it turned out, it was not impossible to break a greatsword in half.
“Gaaaghh!!… Damn…!!”
As the greatsword shattered in half, it shot passed the Velnoir that was
holding it up and tore into my shoulder. Still, I forced my body to curl up and
then rammed both feet into the goblin’s stomach, sending him flying. And in
the brief moment I had, I did a back roll and moved away.
“Aghh…”
While I was wearing wind dragon armor, overwhelming physical attacks

were able to pierce it. That was proof of the quality of the sword and the
strength of the goblin. It was able to defend against most attacks and weak
magic. And yet, he broke through with brute force…
I looked down and saw all of the blood that was dripping, and I gritted my
teeth. I hated pain.
“…Ahh. You broke the sword that the queen gave me.”
“It won’t be much use to you now. You should get rid of it.”
“Hah. You fool. It just means it is lighter and faster now!”
But it had half the reach. And reach was one of the main features of a
greatsword. As for fighting with swords with the same reach as a one-handed
sword, that was something I was good at.
I had bled him and broken his sword. Well, I took a few hits myself. But now
it was time to put him out of his misery.
“‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None.’”
“Eh?”
I lowered my sword and called the name of the skill that was both my lovely
partner and teacher. In my brain, the path to victory unraveled.
“Legs of the God Wolf. Eyes of the God Wolf.”
Then I activated the skills bestowed on me by Rachel, a master and

comerade. Then the platinum wind enveloped my legs and I was able to see
everything.
“What are you muttering about?”
“They are skills that are going to kill you.”
“What…?”
“And this is the last one!”
For now, I would forget the pain in my shoulder and legs. I pointed the sword
out and chanted the words.
“Kamiyashiro – Space Maneuver Sword Art…modified.”

“Kamiyashiro – God Wolf Sword Reach!!!”
Look, if you’re going to go with a chunibyo name, at least go for one that’s
shorter!
“What…!?”
But he was still a Queen’s Knight Goblin. And he managed to block the first
attack with his broken greatsword. However, this was not the sort of attack
that you could survive by just blocking once.
Eyes of the God Wolf allowed me to see the goblins every movement, Jack of
all Trades, Master of None ran calculations in my brain to find openings,
Legs of the God Wolf took me where I needed to be as quickly as possible. I
repeated this over and over in a blur. The power of the God Wolf helped
create this ultimate, deadly space. A sphere of platinum death now
surrounded the goblin.
“Tsk. Damn. Damn you!!”
He managed to block a few of my hits, just like Manager had done. He even
blocked more than her. And when I did cut him, he didn’t flinch. Also, there
was his broken greatsword. While it wasn’t much of a weapon now, it acted
as a sort of shield. I hadn’t thought about that while making calculations. It
was wide and easy to handle, which was all a shield needed to be.
“Daaaamn!”
Still, he tried to swing at me with it, and so I used Frost Spears to pin his legs
to the ground. But he didn’t stop.
“Hah-ha-haha! Is that all? Human!!!”
“…Hmm!?”
He suddenly thrust his sword as I rushed past him. While a shallow wound
appeared on the side of my stomach, I didn’t slow down. With the right
timing, his shield could turn into a weapon again. His incredibly quick
reflexes were getting in my way again… In that case, I would just have to
move even faster.
“…AAARRRRGHHH!!!”
The highest wind level was very difficult to control. Still, I had to use all of
this power that I received from Rachel if I wanted to win. Jack of all Trades,
Master of None agreed with me.
“Ha…he’s gone…”
I suppose he couldn’t see me at all now. But my attacks didn’t stop. A storm
of swords more furious than before now made mincemeat of his body. The
goblin could not block them all. It could only raise its sword and protect its
front. Its reflexes wouldn’t help it now, it did not even have the energy for a
counterattack.
But I didn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop until it was dead. I knew that I couldn’t
keep this up for longer than a few minutes. I would be retching on the ground
soon. But I would still kill him. Daniela and the city would be in danger
otherwise.
“Gaaaah!!”
I thrust an Ice Sword into its back.
“Haagghhh!”
My blade carved deeply into his legs.
“Grraaaghh!”
His back was now covered in blades of ice.
The platinum wind that raged around us was strong enough to blow away all
of the snow. I rotated in the air and used the centrifugal force to attack him in
rapid succession, slamming his body onto the frozen ground. Then I
unleashed more Ice Swords and pierced them through the gaps in his defense.
The will to kill was stronger than ever as I thrust the blades into him. The
wind and damage were causing me to cough up blood. My brain was starting
to slow down and I felt that my nose was bleeding. Still, I continued to cut…
“Ggg…uh…”
Finally, the goblin fell to its knees on the ground that was soaked in its own
blood.
chapter 296
Kill. Kill him. I thought as I tried to rise, but my knees barely lifted off the
ground before I fell down again.
“Ugh…agghhaa…!”
Red combined with the blue blood on the soiled ground. I had pushed myself
too far. Something was wrong within my body. But this guy had promised to
kill Daniela. And so I had to kill him no matter what.
But, I couldn’t even swing my sword now.
“Ha…hahaha… You better hurry if you want to kill me… I went through so
much hardship to acquire the ability to block off any pain and to regenerate…
The longer you wait, the more I will recover…”
“How…but you’re just a goblin…”
I used my sword as a cane and tried to pull myself up. But my knee was
glued to the ground.
“…Surely, you’ve noticed already?”
“…”
My hands shook.
“I…used to be human.”
Yes, there were a lot of strange things about him. Too many. While he was an
abnormally evolved being, shutting out all pain was insane. He stayed on his
feet even though I had cut him so many times. I hadn’t been able to tell while
we were fighting, because all of the blood, but his wounds had started to
close.
And he had said something about a ‘human body.’ The distinction here was
clearly very important to him.
“I realized it about two years ago…that I had become a goblin.”
“Wh-why…”
“How would I know…? But I could not go back. I was a monster… And so I
would have to live as one.”
That wasn’t true. Rachel had been reincarnated as a monster but was now
able to coexist with humans.
“I happen to know a monster. She lived long and now has the appearance of a
human…”
“There…is no guarantee that I can live long…”
“Regardless…”
“And so there is nothing I can do but take other lives…I have nothing to
give.”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what he had experienced and how
that had led him to such conclusions. It was all done, anyway. We could do
nothing but fight.
“Why do you need to kill?”
“Ah…yes. I can’t stop. I’ve killed so many. Goblins and humans. Sometimes
it was to survive, sometimes it was because I was angry. There were many
times that I hated myself over it. Haha. I pretend to be mad, but the truth is
that I never forgot what it was to be human… And yet, I’m ruled by my
instincts as a monster.”
He had a burden that only those who were reborn as monsters could
understand. Still…
“Right now, I feel more refreshed than I have in a long while…perhaps it was
because I fought so hard. My instincts have been satisfied…”
“…”
“…You. You’re from Japan, aren’t you? I knew it immediately. I have a

request…”
“…What?”
I stared.
“Kill me.”
There was something in his earnest eyes that made me look away.”
“This would be a good way for me to die. To be killed by someone from my

old home.”
“…!”
Suddenly, I wanted to leave. But I knew I would regret it if I did. He would

only give in to his instincts again and lead another stampede. This time they
would attack the Imperial Capital. In that future, Daniela could be killed. I
would hate myself for not doing the job when I had the chance.
“Don’t even think about it. Just take my head off.”
“…But…”
“If you don’t kill me now, you’ll regret it.”
Of course, I would. And so I had no other choice.
Uhh… Alright then. He said he wanted to be killed by someone from home.

And so I was the only one who could lay him to rest. There was nothing else
I could do to help him. And Daniela was more important to me than anything.
I loved her.
And so I would kill.

“I have one final question.”
“What?”
“What’s your name?”
My body was still shaking, but I used all of my strength to get up on my feet
and hold my sword ready.
“The Queen’s Knight Goblin. It’s my title. I have no name.”
“That’s not what I mean…”
“There is no name. …Not anymore.”
“…Very well.”
Legs of the God Wolf enveloped my legs as I firmly planted my feet on the
ground.
“I’ll remember you.”
“…Thank you.”
With the last of my strength, I cut down with my sword. It went through his
neck easily. I’d like to think that until the end, there was no pain.
□ □ □ □
“…So, you killed him.”
“Hm…ah, Daniela.”
“Rindo was taken safely back to the village. I came back to help…but I
suppose I was too late.”
“No…not at all. Thank you.”
“…Are you…crying?”
“Just a little…I’m fine. I really am.”
“I see… We should go back then.”
“Yeah… …Uh, wait a minute.”
“Hmm…?”
“The sword… I’m going to take it with me. As a keepsake.”
“…Very well. We will take it.”
“Thank you…thank you.”
The next morning, the blizzard had stopped completely. I had recovered
enough to move after downing a few potions the previous night. And so I
woke up Daniela and we headed to the house that Adlus was staying at.
Daniela had already relayed what I had told her, but I thought it would be
best to report directly as well.
“…And so, the Queen’s Knight Goblin is now dead.”
“Good work. Now, I wish this meant that you could continue to rest, but…”
There was a problem. The Queen Goblin. As long as it was alive, the goblins
would not stop. Apparently, it took goblins one month to give birth.
However, a Queen could do it in one week. And they didn’t just give birth to
one goblin at a time. They gave birth to many. If the goblins we killed were
just an advanced detachment, there could be many, many more. Things
would only get worse, the more that time passed.
“We have no time. Thankfully, you are the only one who was badly hurt.
We’ll reorganize and begin our march.”
Thankfully… I would have knocked him off his feet if I felt better.
“We don’t know the precise location, but the Queen’s Knight Goblin
approached us from the north, so we will travel in that direction. It is most
likely that we will encounter more goblins the farther we go.”
“Wait. Maybe I can find out where it is.”
“Hmm. Really? ‘Eyes of the God Wolf,’ was it? Yes, it might be possible.”
I had explained to Adlus about its capabilities before the fight. But he had
probably forgotten about it.
“Just give me a minute.”
“Very well.”
And so I activated Eyes of the God Wolf. …But, a sharp pain stabbed into the
back of my eyeballs.
“Ggaahh…!”
“Asagi! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine…I’m fine…”
I smiled weakly as Daniela looked into my face.
“Sorry. I think I used it too much… It’s not going to work…”
“Don’t worry about it. We will search for the nest. I, Rindo, and Daniela.
And the Jades…”
“I am sorry, but I will not be leaving Asagi. I cannot go north.”
Daniela refused to go.
“Wait, Daniela. If we don’t deal with this now, the city will…”
“That might be true, but if I do go, who will protect you now that you are
exhausted?”
“I can take care of myself…”
“No. It is my duty to protect you.”

Daniela folded her arms and stared down at me. She was not likely to change
her mind…
“…Sorry, Adlus. Daniela…”
“It’s fine. Well, it’s not fine. But I suppose we have no choice. We’ll hold the
goblins back for as long as we can until you are ready to join us. I’m sure we
can expect both of you to come?”
Of course. I just needed some rest. I would regain the use of my eyes soon. I
think. It would be easy enough to catch up with them then.
“More haste, less speed… That’s something an old Hero once said. We’ll
leave as soon as we finish breakfast.”
Adlus said as patted me on the shoulder and then left. It was just me and
Daniela here now. And Manager.
“Good work, Asagi. You must be tired.”
“Thank you… But what about you?”
“Haha. I’m feeling a lot better than you, at least. But, I definitely
underestimated that thing…I need to be more careful.”
She had been taken completely by surprise but had apparently protected
herself with shadows. And so she came out with just a light bruising. That
being said, the impact had been strong enough to knock her out of
consciousness.
“Well, it’s a mistake I’ll be learning from. See you later then.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“You too. I’ll be waiting.”
‘Take care of him,’ she said to Daniela before leaving. There had been some
Jade scouts here a moment ago as well, as they were busy making reports and
discussing things. So it was now suddenly very quiet. Of course, they were
all outside, eating around a campfire. Just being indoors made you feel like
you were in a different world sometimes.
I slowly leaned back in my chair and tried to find a comfortable position.

However, it was difficult, as my body hurt all over.
“Still, that was lucky. There was someone who could use void magic.”
“I’m not healed completely, but I do feel a lot better now.”
When Daniela had carried me back, one of the Jades had helped treat me
using Void Magic. Thanks to this, the wounds on my shoulder and thigh were
now closed. She said she wasn’t very good at it yet, but it was a great help
regardless. I thanked her and was able to rest.
Then I drank the potions we had been saving and focused on my recovery.
The damage to my boots and my shirt was especially worrisome.
“I’ll have to get it repaired again.”
“Do you have any materials left?”
“Not much. Maybe we can get more somehow…”
We had been lucky enough to be near to a wind dragon last time, but they
were still rare monsters. I might just have to wait for the materials to enter the
market. But maybe I had just enough to patch up my gear.
“Do you think I should go for metal armor instead?”
“But speed is your distinct quality. It will affect that, you know?”
Material that didn’t break would be ideal, but clearly such a thing didn’t
exist. Well, there were green wind dragons, which were above wind dragons.
But until that day came, I would have to make do with what I had. Besides,
these green dragons had such a legendary status that it was doubtful I would
ever see one in my lifetime.
“Hmm. There is much we will have to think about when we return.”
“Yeah. I’d like to fix this sword too.”
The keepsake from the Queen’s Knight Goblin. A monster who was
originally from my home. I wanted to have it fixed. I would carry it as a
reminder. No matter what, I had sworn to protect Daniela.
“But first, you must rest. Now go to sleep.”
“I will. Where’s the bed?”
“Rindo rested over there, so you can use it now.”
I opened the door that Daniela had pointed to and saw a large bed. But when I
collapsed onto it, it smelled like her to an uncomfortable degree. Well,
beggars can’t be choosers. I would rest so I could fight again. There was so
much to think about. Next time, I would try harder not to get hurt, and
prevent others from getting hurt as well…
It was with such thoughts that I closed my eyes. I felt the mattress sink as
Daniela sat next to me. That alone enveloped me in a sense of security, and I
slowly drifted off to sleep.
chapter 297
Two days passed. I was able to move decently since yesterday morning, but
Daniela insisted that I rest a while longer, just to be sure. And she would not
take no for an answer, and so I did.
However, it was thanks to that rest that I was now able to run. Yes, run.
But the problem was whether or not I could use Eyes of the God Wolf.
“Uhh…grr…”
“You cannot?”
“There’s still this piercing pain in the back of my eyes…”
Unfortunately, two days had not been enough to recover the use of that skill.
It was clear why. I had used ‘God Wolf Sword Reach’ in order to kill the
Queen’s Knight Goblin. That skill mostly relied on Jack of all Trades, Master
of None, but it also used Eyes of the God Wolf. And the entire burden was on
the brain. The pain in my optic nerves was screaming at me.
“Do not use your eyes, Asagi.”
“I wish I didn’t have to, Daniela. But if we don’t do something, the city will
be attacked.”
“Yes, but the city will not be any safer if you allow yourself to be crushed.
We may not have enough time for you to recover completely, but there is no
need to walk into the flames when you are carrying a bomb.”
“…”
That was true, of course. I couldn’t argue with her. And more than anything, I
could feel that she was worried about me. And once I knew that, I was
powerless. I raised my hands as a show of surrender.
“As long as you know.”
“Got it, partner.”
“So you must not use Eyes of the God Wolf for a while. It is useful, but also
quite dangerous. Understand?”
“Ouch!”
I got flicked in the forehead. I rubbed at the sore spot which was surely
turning red. Damn, that hurt.
□ □ □ □
We left the now completely empty village and headed straight to the north. It
was the direction that the goblins had come from. When I thinly spread out
Presence Detection in that direction, I could vaguely detect people. So we
were on the right track. But then again, it was so far away that I wasn’t sure if
what I was detecting was humans or monsters. Regardless, it didn’t matter, as
long as we caught up to them. If they were humans, good. If they were
monsters, we would kill them.
The weather was bright and warm today. It had been cloudy during the
previous two days, and snowed a few times, so I had been expecting bad
weather today as well. Even, the fields of snow where we had all fought in
and disturbed, was flat again. So it was difficult to find any traces of Adlus
and the others.
I wondered what exactly we should look for as the bright sun shone down on
us. Though, the wind itself was still cold. It was a good thing we had dressed
warmly.
“It will be easy to lose each other like this since we’re both wearing white.”
“But that is a good thing. Besides, we can use Presence Detection, so it will
not be a problem even if we are separated.”
That was true. It meant that we might be able to hide from monsters if
needed.
Though, there weren’t any monsters around us now. Just the vague signals up
north. I suppose it was because of Adlus and the others. I wanted to believe
they were killing all the monsters in their path, and leaving a safe trail for us.
Well, they had so many seasoned Adventurers with them, so goblins weren’t
going to slow them down.
“But there is no guarantee that there are no other strong monsters. Perhaps
something like the Queen’s Knight Goblin.”
“I’ll have to be on the lookout then… But I hope there aren’t others.”
“…Yes.”
I had told Daniela everything. The Queen’s Knight Goblin had been a
reincarnated human. He wasn’t able to fight his instincts, though. But he died
as a human. And so I kept his greatsword.
Daniela and I talked a lot while we rested. About the possibility of humans
reincarnating as monsters. Were there others out there? Of course, many of
these things didn’t have answers. Perhaps that drifting soul just happened to
be human, and it just happened to enter a vessel that was a monster. Either
that, or it was the Nova. The automated thought machines that the ancient
elves had left.
And then there was the biggest question. The question of whether abnormally
evolved beings were the result of monsters gaining a human soul and
evolving. When I was living in Fhiraldo, an old man called Macbel had told
me about records concerning monster research. Such books were banned, but
one of them had contained the line: ‘…I tried giving highly concentrated
mana to weak monsters, while most of them died, on rare occasions, they
would survive…’
What if that was wrong… Of course, once I started thinking like that, it
became hard to know what to believe. Regardless, it was becoming difficult
to believe it completely.
“It’s hard to believe that the monsters chosen to be studied in the Royal
Capital just happened to have human souls in them.”
“Then perhaps it is both frail monsters and monsters with human souls that
can become abnormally evolved beings.”
But there was no way for us to find out. And as I was getting tired and
starting to feel a little sick, we ended the conversation there. After that, we
pretty much decided to let the subject drop until we encountered one again…
Of course, knowing that they were once human changed the way I saw them.
So in the future, I suppose I’d have to ask, ‘Excuse me. Were you formerly a
human?’ Had Beowulf and Arthur been human once? What about the Assault
Kobold and the Loup-garou? Yes, there wasn’t any point in thinking about
that now.
Maybe we could come to an understanding in a way that didn’t involve

killing. Perhaps we could help them remember what they used to be.
But if not…well, we would have to protect our own lives.
Different thoughts moved through my mind as we walked. Then Daniela

suddenly stopped. I realized that I had been walking without paying much
attention to my surroundings, and frantically spun around. But Daniela hadn’t
pulled out her sword or her bow. I looked at her with a puzzled expression
and she chuckled.
“You have a bad habit of overthinking things, Asagi.”
“What?”
“You were lost in thought until I stopped. Were you not?”
So it was nothing. Daniela just wanted to let me know that I was doing it
again. Well, she could have just told me directly. I was a little annoyed.
“Sorry…”
“Haha. But it is not an entirely bad thing. And I like how you always think
things through.”
“Ah. Oh…”
Now I felt bad. It was impossible not to get a little red at this unexpected
treatment.
“Well, do not allow your temperature to get too high. It will hurt all the more
when it gets colder.”
“Shut up. It’s you’re fault, you know. You idiot.”
I had a mean streak when I was embarrassed. But Daniela took no notice. It
was always me who would mind.
It was partially because of such distractions that we did not catch up to Adlus
and the others during that day. We rested many times during our march
through the snow, and we were still in the middle of the snowfields by the
time the sun started to set. We had a general idea of where they were, and
Daniela knew how to navigate, so there was no chance of us getting lost.
Still, walking in the middle of the night was dangerous.
“I guess that’s it for today.”
I stopped and muttered.
“No, we should continue a little farther. I want to walk until the sun has set
completely.”
However, Daniela wanted to continue. But I didn’t think we’d reach the
forest either way….
“If we go a little farther, we might find traces of Adlus’s camp.”
“…Ah, right.”
They should have passed through here as well. And in large numbers.
I had been considering waiting until the sun sets, and then making an igloo
out of the snow. I could probably do it with ice magic as well, but I wanted to
avoid any magic depletion if possible. And I doubted I would be able to do it
all at once, anyway. After all, I was still wounded. I had to take it easy.
But perhaps Adlus and the others had done the same thing. We were just two
people. But they were many. The workload could be distributed and the
construction time would be much shorter.
“They are a large group, which means they will likely move slowly. Even if
they kept moving until it was quite late, I doubt they would have advanced
much farther than we will by nightfall. So if we keep going…”
“Right. Yes, I agree with you.”
It was hard to imagine that they would arrive in the forest in just one day…
He wouldn’t take that risk. After all, he knew we would be following after
him.
“Well, if the need arises, I will use wind magic to remove the snow. So do
not worry.”
“I’ll help you.”
I was able to use Legs of the God Wolf without a problem now. However, it
was still possible that I would start feeling pain, like with my eyes. And so I
only used it as part of my rehabilitation routine. I doubted that moving a little
snow would affect me much. Still, this need for caution was the reason I
hadn’t used Legs of the Forest Wolf for travel…
We continued to walk with occasional breaks for another two hours. Then,
just as Daniela had predicted, we discovered traces of Adlus’s camp. There
were igloos that were half-buried in snow, and we also found traces of a
bonfire after some digging.
It had been hard to find since there was two days worth of snow covering it
all. But the land was thankfully flat enough to show the differences. It would
have likely been completely hidden if we arrived a day later.
I sighed with relief. We moved away some of the snow and settled in for the
night. Adlus had been kind enough to close off the igloos so the snow
wouldn’t get inside. And so we were able to use them and rest.
The sun during the icesnow phase descended in no time. And like during the
day, there were no clouds in the night sky. It was incredibly beautiful.
chapter 298
Conquering the Snowfields
Three days had passed since our separation from Adlus and the others. We
had walked all morning and now that it was approaching midday, the forest
came into view. A sea of trees that spread out at the base of the Alexia
mountain range. The tall pine trees before us were all covered in a thick layer
of snow. It reminded me of the boreal forests in the north, but the Alexia
mountain lay on the other side. And Lambrusen was even farther on. To see a
really impressive boreal forest, you would have to go north of Lambrusen, to
Erediares. I wondered what Lambrusen was like now, as we entered the
icesnow phase.
As this forest was so big, it would take a while for use to reach the
mountains. If you walked in a straight line, it might take you two weeks to
walk to it from the Imperial Capital.
It was two days from the Imperial Capital to Namila Village. And then two
days from the village to the forest entrance. That really showed you how big
the forest was.
And somewhere within this forest, the Queen Goblin and her thrall were
hiding.
“So, this is where things become serious… Asagi. How are you feeling?”
“The effect of the potions have really kicked in. There’s no pain in my
shoulder or legs anymore.”
The parts that had been wounded were exposed from beneath my damaged
clothes, but they were completely closed now, and there was no pain.
“You seem to be doing well. …And while I did tell you to seal it, do you
think you might be able to use Eyes of the God Wolf now?”
“Hmm. Wait a second… Uhh… I better brace myself…”
The pain was nearly unbearable, but it was necessary to check. I took in a few
deep breaths and prepared. Then I activated Eyes of the God Wolf and tried
to see towards the back of the forest.
“…”
“How is it?”
“Uh…gg…ah…oh. It doesn’t hurt…?”
“Why are you asking me?”
Right. But it really didn’t. That piercing pain was gone!
“It doesn’t hurt! Ahh, what a relief… I was afraid that I’d never be able to
use it again…”
“It is probably best that you avoid overuse or looking too far away.”
“Yeah. I have to be careful.”
I had no choice during the fight. The future would have been much darker
than it was even now. The result was that while I suffered some side-effects,
no one had died.
We left the campsite immediately. There wasn’t anything to do in terms of

cleaning up. All our belonging went into the bag or bracelet. And I was
feeling better now, so I wanted to go after Adlus.
“I’m going to use the eyes a little.”
“Very well. But stop as soon as it gets uncomfortable.”
“I know.”
I didn’t like the pain, but it didn’t change the fact that it was really useful.
And it was good that I could get an idea of what my limits were.
“Alright…”
I switched my eyes like switching my attention. My eyesight blurred for a

moment, and then I had a bird’s eye view of us standing there. Yes, there was
no pain. I kept the height as I moved towards the forest. At the same time, I
had Presence Detection activated so I could move towards any signals.
“Hmm…”
“What?”
“Goblins.”
I found a group of ordinary goblins huddled together. Perhaps they had just
escaped from something. Many were injured. Blue blood dripped as they
screeched and shouted. Well, this wasn’t ‘Ears of the God Wolf,’ so I
couldn’t actually hear them. It was like watching a silent film. Only with
better picture quality.
“They’re injured…they look like slash wounds.”
“From swords?”
“Probably. I don’t how you could get cut like that while just wandering in the
forest.”
I doubted you would bleed like that if you were cut by a tree branch. Though,
if you did manage it, it would be very embarrassing…
I pushed it out of my mind and switched my vision as well. I continued

farther in that direction and saw that the snow had been disturbed. There were
visible footprints.
Whatever it was, it shouldn’t be too far. Maybe around two kilometers…
“Up ahead…uh!”
As I tried to keep going, my vision was suddenly covered by noise. At the

same time, I felt the kind of pain you might expect if a needle stabbed you in
the eyes. My body tensed and I frantically deactivated Eyes of the God Wolf.
“Are you alright?!”
The strength left my body and I fell to my knees. As I closed my eyes tightly
and pressed my palms against my face, Daniela worriedly lay a hand on my
shoulder. I smiled back weakly and told her I was fine. But she clearly didn’t
believe me.
“I was wrong to ask you. It should remain sealed.”
“No, I was so sure I could do it…”
I thought that I could keep going. My vision had suddenly turned into a
sandstorm. It was quite a shock. I wouldn’t be able to use anything like ‘God
Wolf Sword Reach.’ I wouldn’t last anywhere close to five minutes if I tried.
It wasn’t something I wanted to put to the test…
“Thanks, Daniela. Hah… Well, let’s keep moving.”
“So you know where it is?”
“I know the direction. We just need to go straight here and we should find the
footprints.”
The boots that had trudged through the snow. Considering that it had snowed,
they must be rather recent. We might be able to make it in time if we hurried.
Ah, I wished I could use Legs of the God Wolf…
“You must not use it. You will be completely hopeless if you lose the use of
your feet next.”
“…Right.”
It was the moment that I realized I’d be just your average Adventurer with
only Jack of all Trades, Master of None.
□ □ □ □
The snow crunched under our feet as we continued to walk through the
forest. The tree branches swayed as the wind blew the powdery snow into the
air. There was something mystical about the sight of the flakes of snow
catching the sunlight.
While it might have been very pretty, this was also the final resting ground
for a lot of goblins. The blue stains on the silvery snow were proof of that. I
didn’t like to think I had a hand in defiling this place.
“Phew…just a little further.”
“Aye. I can sense them with Presence Detection now.”
When we had made it to the one-kilometer point, Daniela detected the

presence of humans up ahead. As she was keeping the detection range quite
small, she was able to tell that they were humans. Still, that didn’t mean they
were Adventurers. But it was hard to believe that they could be anything else.
As we discussed this, we finally reached the spot that I had seen with Eyes of
the God Wolf. The trampled snow. I went down to my knees and inspected
them closely. Yes, they were made with boots. And they covered a pretty
wide area. We hadn’t seen any other footprints until we reached here. And on
further inspection, I saw that they were coming from the right.
“Hmm… We came straight here from Adlus’s camp, but it seems to me that
they headed east first.”
“What reason could they have had?”
“Maybe there were goblins?”
“But would he really have taken all the Jades for such a detour?”
Besides, these were just goblins. They weren’t very strong monsters. I don’t
see why he would need to have everyone go around. Well, unless it was a
particularly large group of goblins.
“Perhaps. Or maybe they found traces of something else that made them
move…”
“…Where are the people, according to Presence Detection?”
“Northeast. They are in a tight group. But they are still quite far away.”
Hmm. So maybe they had only come here to kill the goblins.
Likely, they had sensed the goblins with Presence Detection, and so Adlus
had sent some Jades here to kill them. However, the snow slowed them
down, and quite a few escaped. The Jades had no choice but to turn around
and go back. And so we ended up killing the escaped goblins instead.
That was the likely scenario. Daniela agreed, and so we changed direction
and headed northeast instead of north.
□ □ □ □
On our way northeast, we discovered a hardened path through the snow. A lot
of it was covered by snow that had likely fallen from the trees. In any case,
we had finally found their tracks.
Now we had a clear path that we only had to follow.
And so we were able to reach Adlus’s camp before the sun hid its face
completely in the west.
“Phew… We made it, somehow.”
A Jade who was on watching duties detected us with Presence Detection and
started waving. I waved back with a sigh of relief.
“We would have had to sleep outside tonight if we did not catch up with
them.”
“What a horrifying thought… Well, it was quite possible…”
They must have had people who could use ice magic, because a great wall
had been constructed between the trees, barring monsters from entering. It
was pretty well thought out… It would have been exhausting, but now they
had a nice fortress. It was strong, hardened ice, and as it had been made from
snow, the magic depletion wouldn’t have been too bad. That also meant the
area inside was cleared of snow.
A pretty ideal campsite, given the circumstances.
“It’s great to see you. I’m happy that you are well.”
“Thank you. Is anyone hurt?”
“No, we are all safe. Mister Adlus is waiting for you.”
The Jade on top of the wall of ice explained the situation to us. Good.
Nothing like the Queen’s Knight Goblin had shown up.
We entered through the gap in the wall. There were a number of igloos and
bonfires. The rising smoke suggested they were cooking. But they stretched
in thin streams through the tree branches, and I doubted they could be seen
from far away.
I waved randomly at the Jades who greeted us and then made my way to the
center of the camp, where Adlus was sitting on a tree stump with a map in his
hands. Manager was also there.
“You’re late.”
“Do you want me to stand in the hallway?”
I joked as Adlus glared at me.
“Hmph. This is no school for children.”
“Hehe. Of course.”
Then we chuckled. I had doubts at one point, but in the end, we had been able
to reunite like this safely.
“Rindo. Has anything happened?”

“No. Things have been peaceful for the most part. And you, Daniela?”
“Protecting Asagi is quite exhausting work.”
“Hey.”
Daniela must have been very relieved, as she rarely made jokes like that. …It
was a joke, right?
“I’m glad that you made it here safely. Also, you’re timing is actually
perfect.”
“It is?”
I looked at Adlus in puzzlement. His answer was most surprising. I learned

that our timing was miraculous in a way.
“The location of the Queen’s Goblin…the goblin nest. We have found it. The
entrance is a giant tree up ahead. It leads underground.”
chapter 299
After leaving Namila Village, Adlus and the others traveled north under a
clouded sky. It was the direction that the Queen’s Knight Goblin had come
from. That was the only reason, but that was all they had to go on.
Blizzards overtook them on the way, but they somehow arrived in the forest.
And when they used Presence Detection, they found several goblins. Adlus
hadn’t noticed it at that point, but their path was starting to veer to the east. It
was likely because of the blizzard. We had been lucky to have good weather
during our journey.
They advanced through the forest and exterminated several groups of goblins
that they came across. It was through doing this that they discovered the giant
tree. I didn’t know much about trees, but Daniela suggested that it was a
‘Nise Yggdra Tree.’ They derived from the Yggdrasill trees that the ancient
elves had planted, back when they ruled the world. But they no longer
existed.
However, it was said that a Hero had found a branch in the past. And it was
planted through cutting.
In any case, the goblin nest was under this great tree. Apparently, many years
of rainwater had carved away at it. The water was absorbed into the ground
and eventually created a cavern. Or so Adlus had said. And yet, the tree was
not dead. I suppose that was why the Yggdrasil tree was so special.
“I sent some of our best scouts down there. According to them, there are
countless goblins.”
“Queens can give birth to many in just a week…this will be very dangerous.”
How long had they been there underneath the Nise Yggdra tree? If it was a
year, that would be fifty-two weeks.
“Just how many children can she give birth to at once?”

“According to the guild, approximately thirty.”
“Ah…”
So, that could mean one thousand five hundred and sixty in one year? That
was crazy. And considering a number of them could have evolved… No, I
didn’t want to consider that.
“What about this? Pour oil into the hole and burn it.”
“The Nise Yggdra is an important tree. We cannot burn it down.”
Adlus said with a shake of his head.
“Besides, this is an underground nest that is filled with goblins. It is quite

likely that there are other exits. If they were to escape, the damage will only
increase.”
“Well, it will be the same if we just attack them head-on, won’t it?”
They would run from us just as they would run from a fire. They would leave
by their other exits and scatter.
“Indeed. That is the problem. We wanted someone who had overwhelming

destructive power that didn’t rely on fire.”
Adlus said as he turned to me. It was Daniela’s turn to shake her head.
“It might be possible with Asagi. But not now. His wounds are worse than I
thought. As his partner, I cannot allow it.”
“This is not the time for such concerns. Surely, you can understand? There is
a horde of monsters down there. And the stampede is already starting.”
Adlus had done some research on us before. And so he knew. We had once
prevented a stampede from occurring. This was a similar situation. Perhaps it
was much worse.
“…Alright. I’ll do it.”

“Hey, Asagi. Wait.”
“But, Daniela. There will be no point if I don’t do it now. It will be hard, but
I have no choice. You understand, don’t you?”
“…”
I could tell that she was thinking about what happened last time.
“We protected Spiris. We have no reason to act differently with the Imperial
City.”
“I understand the reason. It makes sense. But my feelings will not allow it.
Asagi, you are falling apart. I cannot allow you to be whipped any harder. I
do not want to. You are important to me.”
She held my arm and would not let go. It was as if she felt that once she did, I
would go someplace that was far away… I could sense the desperation
through her grip.
“You’re right. I’m a wreck inside. It was the price I paid for overusing my
skills. I can’t fight like I want to. However, I can still fight a little. Even if it’s
not enough, you are all with me. Adlus is reliable. Manager will be there too.
And of course, you, Daniela. And so I can fight.”
“…”
“Besides, I hate the idea of coming this far and not being able to do anything.
If there is something that only I can do, then I want to do it.”
That’s the way it has always been. That’s how I survived in this world. My
time in this world had not been that long, but it was more eventful than all the
years I lived before it.
And yet, even someone like me was capable of helping others. That was
something I learned. The day that I first killed someone, I also saved a small
girl. It was a painful experience, but the thing I felt more than anything was
joy over saving her.
“…Yes…yes, I understand. Now that I think about it, you have always acted
that way. You are not capable of ignoring someone that is in need of help. I
know that more than anyone…”
Daniela let go of my arm and smiled with resignation.
“That’s my nature…I guess. I never really thought about it until now. But
that’s just how I am.”
“Yes. It is how you are. And I would prefer it that you live as yourself,
Asagi.”
I couldn’t suppress the overwhelming emotion rising up within me. And

before I knew it, I was embracing her tightly.
“Thank you… It’s because of you that I can still fight, Daniela.”
“Asagi…”
“Daniela…”
Her arms slowly rose to my back. Then she hugged me, much tighter than I
had her. And then our lips drew towards each other. The platinum eyelashes
closed over her jade-colored eyes, and her lips and my lips…
“Well, I suppose we should hold a war council then.”
We moved away as if Adlus’s voice had torn us apart.
□ □ □ □
The meeting began two minutes later. Well, since we were outside, we were
all still standing. But there was a table made of ice in the center that the seven
of us stood around. Adlus, Manager, Daniela, me, and three scouts. Perhaps
we were his favorites.
“Now, please repeat your findings to Asagi and Daniela.”
“Understood.”
Anis, the short-haired scout leader, turned to us with a sharp expression. It
made you want to straighten your back.
“There is a large cavity near the base of the Nise Yggdra Tree. And when we
searched with Presence Detection, we sensed numerous monsters below.
Even around the tree, there were many claw marks and filth that further
confirmed that this was the goblin nest.”
Hmm. Daniela nodded.
“But did you see them?”
“Yes. We observed them both outside and inside of the nest.”
“And how was it inside?”
“It…”
Anis’s eyebrows lowered and she suddenly seemed hesitant.
“We do not have the Night Eyes skill, so we could not clearly make out what
it was like. However, we could tell that there were many goblins by using
Presence Detection. That is for certain.”
“I see… So that’s where I come in.”
I looked at Anis with Night Eyes and she looked surprised. She had a very
expressive face.
“Thankfully, I also have equipment that goes well with Presence Block, so I
should be able to find out what is happening.”
“You have many skills…”
She looked a little discouraged. I shook my head.
“But I’m a master with none of them. You can’t beat a professional. In fact, I
was hoping you could teach me a few things later.”
“If there is anything that I can help you with…”
Then she straightened her posture and did a perfect ninety-degree bow. And
so I frantically bowed my head as well.
“What are you doing…”
Adlus looked at us coldly. Anis suddenly seemed embarrassed.
“Regardless, we should expect the worst. And that is how we will plan.”
Everyone nodded and the discussion began.
It continued for some time. It soon grew dark, and food was brought to us.
And still, the talks continued. This time, I wasn’t manipulated. Many ideas
were brought forward and many rejected. We took short breaks in between,
but I couldn’t think of anything else but the plan…
In the end, one of the Jades who was taking the night watch had to tell us
rather unkindly to get some sleep.
The moon was starting to fall by the time we retired to our beds.
The next morning, we continued where we left off. Once we had thought of
and discussed everything that we could, we inspected what we had come up
with.
chapter 300
It was an incredibly cold morning, as the temperature had dropped even
further. This time, we talked around a fire instead of a table. That being said,
we had said nearly everything that there was to be said the previous night.
“Today, we will take all of the opinions that were shared last night, and
conceive a strategy based on it. Well, I have already thought of one myself.
Will you listen?”
Everyone nodded. We drank some soup brought from the Imperial City as we
listened to Adlus speak.
“The most important part of this is preventing any goblins from escaping.
And that is also the most difficult part. We talked about this a lot last night…
And we decided that Rindo’s magic would be the most effective.”
Manager was the only one who could use Dark Magic. It wasn’t the only
magic she was capable of, but it would be the most important for us now.
“Because it is all underground. When it comes to places that the sun doesn’t
shine, there is no one more fit than me.”
“Aye. You will use this shadow magic that you talked about last night. And
you will trap the goblins.”
Her Dark Magic had been discussed at length during yesterday’s meeting.
Obviously, many people had witnessed her in action during the Imperial
Sword Tournament. However, it would not have been clear what it was to
most of them. Regardless, she explained it to everyone in detail.
“If Asagi is going to fight in spite of being badly hurt, I can’t enter the fight
while also hiding my abilities.”
She had said.

“There are no books on Dark Magic. I have no way of using it other than just
trying what I can think of. It was then that I learned how to work with the
shadows. My own shadow. The shadows of others. The shadows of objects.
Where there is light, there is darkness. In other words, the darkness in the
world is my playground.”
People with cheats definitely talked on a different scale. I was a little jealous,
but I also felt like that kind of power wouldn’t suit me. I could barely control
the power I had now. If I had the power of darkness… If I did… Damn, it
would be cool…
“While darkness has no form, it still has mana. Of course, no one else knows
this, as I’m the only one who can use it. And so like this, the shadows all
around us can become my arms and legs.”
Manager waved her hand and a hand stretched out of her shadow. The
shadow hand was holding a shortsword that was also made of shadow. Now,
this was a threat. She could dominate a place like the underground goblin
nest. Hell, she should just go and do the whole thing by herself.
“However, I do have my limits. But I will have no problem sealing the exits.”
“We expect there to be several. Can you still do it?”
“If they are all connected by shadows, I should be able to keep track of them.
Yes… It will deplete a lot of energy, but for instance, I could use shadows to
see what is happening in Namila Village right now.”
She said this as if it were nothing, but it was an incredible power. It far
exceeded the range of something like Presence Detection. Of course, she did
say the energy depletion was great… Still, it was certainly something I’d
never be able to do.
“Well, that’s about it. The night during a new moon should shudder and sleep
in my presence…”
She ended with a joke and purposely dramatic expression. But I didn’t find it
very funny.
In any case, that was how she explained it to us. Though, to be honest, I
didn’t think she told us everything. She probably had some crazy trump
card… I mean, it was the power of darkness…
“Now, the problem of keeping them contained is all but resolved. Then that
just leaves…”
“Annihilation.”
“Yes.”
Daniela’s voice was always low when she just got out of bed. Adlus nodded.
“However, that does raise one new problem. Well, perhaps it was always a
problem.”
He sighed and looked at us one by one.
“We don’t have the ability to see in the dark.”
I had been about to raise a spoonful of soup to my mouth but stopped. I was
the only one here that could use Night Eyes. I shrugged.
“Yes, it’s just you, Asagi. It’s not just Night Eyes. But skills related to vision
are rare. And none of our scouts had them.”
I sipped my soup noisily as if I wasn’t listening. My breath appeared thick

and white in the air as I sighed. I finally said what he clearly wanted me to.
“…So, you want to use the magic tools that I collected?”
“Oh, you have a lot of those, do you? Well, isn’t that so very convenient.”
I snorted and looked away.
Daniela had mentioned it before when we discussed ways of seeing in the

dark.
“Now that I think of it, Asagi has a lot of magic illumination tools that he
took from an orc settlement.”
“Really?”
Adlus had become very curious, and so Daniela explained it to him. I had
wondered if they might become useful one day, and so I had taken the time to
collect them. They looked like round stones.
And I had about twenty of them. Sometimes, I would buy old containers for
them in town. Of course, when I was all done, I felt an emptiness instead of a
sense of satisfaction.
‘I finished it…’
Before I knew it, I had bought more glowing stones and would continue to
search for containers to put them in. Sometimes they would be rare oddities
or the newest model. There was also a great variety to them too. Some had
adjustable brightnesses while others were especially powerful and for
industrial use.
I suppose I had become a sort of collector of magic illumination devices.
“You…since when…”
“Heh.”
Daniela had thought I only had the initial twenty. And so she looked quite
exasperated when I laid out the others on the ground.
“How many are there?”
“There are about sixty in all.”
“My eyes…”
Anis closed her eyes when I turned on the industrial one.
“Asagi, we will talk about this later.”

“Hey, there’s nothing to talk about.”
“No, we should talk about it.”
Daniela had a look in her eyes that I had to turn away from. However, she
grabbed my jaw and turned it.
“Scary-scary-scary-close-close-close.”
“You really are so…”
“I think you made your point, Daniela.”
Adlus suggested. I wanted to praise him for a job well done.
For now, I put the Asagi Collection back into the hollow bag. Also known a
the ‘AsaColle.’ I could be an otaku too. It somehow felt really nice to be able
to boast about the things you’ve picked up. Well, there had been a scary
moment back there, but overall, I was thankful to Daniela for giving me this
opportunity.
“With this many, we can pass them out to all the Jades.”
“Eh?”
“Huh?”
Adlus was trying to be funny. Why should I have to pass out my prized
collection to some strangers? This was my one hobby. It was my collection.
While I liked showing them off to others, I wasn’t going to let them borrow
it.
“Have you been listening to me? I believe I said that we need illumination
tools to be able to fight in the dark…”
“No! These are my prized possessions! You can’t take them from me!”
Now that I think about it, he had said something about that. But this memory
only made me hold onto the hollow bag even tighter.
“Please wait here. I will settle this. Asagi, come here.”
“Surely, you understand, Daniela? Don’t you?”
“Aye. Of course, I do. Now, let us go and get some fresh air over there.”
And like that, she led me between the trees and to the walls of ice.
I’ll never forget the taste of that gut punch.
□ □ □ □
So, after some misadventures, my collection of magic tools went into the
hands of the Jades. Adlus assured me that they would be handled carefully,
but I had my doubts…
“So, that is my plan. Any objections?”
“Is there a chance you could devise a plan that doesn’t involve my magic
tools?”
“Alright, so it’s settled then. Now we will be able to surround the goblins and
annihilate them. Still, we will have to make some final adjustments, and so I
want Asagi to go inside and get a look at the place. You can take Anis with
you.”
“Very well. Guess we’ll be working together, Anis.”
“Yes!”
My resistance was immediately ignored. Now that I’d given up, I decided to
go with Anis and learn what I could about being a scout. We had to see the
actual location before finalizing the plan.
“We don’t have much time. You two must go at once. We’ll strengthen
defenses here, just in case the goblins attack us first.”
Everyone nodded at this and moved at once.

So… It was time to get back into the old black outfit.
chapter 301
We talked about matters related to scouting while making our way to the Nise
Yggdra Tree. Anis brought two other scouts with her, so we were a party of
four in all. They were all so light on their feet. From what I heard, they
mainly fought while staying hidden and using surprise attacks. We came
upon several goblins on the way, and I was able to observe them in action. I
was very impressed.
“That’s a good way to fight as well. Of course, you have to be extra careful
and prepare, but it’s less tiring in the long run, since you trade fewer blows.”
“We don’t specialize in combat, so we have no choice but to make due

through other means…”
Anis scratched her cheek awkwardly. One of the other scouts, who went by
Igeldo, continued.
“We used to work as scouts in a different party. But there were too many
meatheads, if you know what I mean. And we were eventually driven out.”
“Hmm…”
The other scout, Ulgio, nodded. Both these guys were pretty different in
personality, but Anis seemed to get along with them quite well.
“Well, a lot of people don’t care, as long they win in the end. As for me, I
want to learn as much as I can.”
“Is that why you have your own concealment set, Mister Asagi?”
“Yeah. Since I have the Presence Block skill, I thought that I might as well
have a set that would help me get the most out of it.”
“Ahhh… You sure have a lot of talents.”

“It’s no wonder they call you Silvergreen…”
I hadn’t meant to boast. Regardless, it really was Jack of all Trades, Master of
None that made it possible for me to acquire these skills.
Even as we talked, the three of them continued to put their scouting abilities
to good use. They would find footprints in the snow and use Presence
Detection to find the goblins. And they were able to hunt down their prey, all
the while leaving very few traces of their own. They watched from a short
distance away, carefully taking stock of everything before they planned. And
they would go in for the kill in a flash. It was amazing.
“It’s really hard to chase someone’s traces…
“Oh, but it’s quite easy in the snow. After all, there are very visible
footprints.”
“The grasslands are where it gets difficult. At least in forests, there are fallen
leaves and trees that can leave marks. But the enemy tends to hide in the
grass.”
“Besides, there is nothing to block the wind, so they can smell us easily…”
I see. I nodded understandingly, even though I didn’t really. Still, they talked
about everything as if it were simple to do. At least I had Jack of all Trades,
Master of None, which would allow me to practice. Observe and steal. That
was my strength.
“…Ah, is-isn’t this a footprint?”
“Yes. A boar’s footprint.”
“So it’s not a goblin…”
I was finally the first to discover something, and it was just a boar. Being a
scout was hard…
□ □ □ □
“This is the Nise Yggdra Tree.”
“It’s huge…”
My neck started to hurt really quickly. The giant tree that stood before me
was reminiscent of the sacred trees I had seen in Japan. There was no rope
tied around it, but this tree was related to the old Yggdrasill trees, which was
practically a sacred tree, so perhaps they were more similar than you’d think.
“Look over there.”
“Hmm. Ah, it’s hollowed out.”
There was a hole that looked like a vertical crack going down the trunk of the
tree. And around it, you could see that the snow was trampled and covered in
filth from the goblins. There were also many places where the tree bark had
been carved away.
Perhaps the most obvious indication of a goblin presence, was the animal
bones that were littered everywhere. The goblins in this area must have been
hunting for food. Hunting would be difficult if all you did was chase the
animal around. Perhaps they had some kind of trick.
“Hmm… There are a lot of goblins gathered underneath the tree.”
“You can tell?”
“Yeah. I’ve had a lot of practice when it comes to using Presence Detection
from above.”
Of course, it was thanks to Jack of all Trades, Master of None. Apparently,

Anis and the others weren’t too good at it yet.
There was a horde of goblins below us. Maybe not exactly one thousand and
five hundred-sixty, but still a lot. And there were more than a few advanced
types.
“Some of the presences are really strong. We’ll die in an instant if you’re not
careful.”
“…”
Ulgio flinched at the word ‘die.’
“Well, we should keep that in mind. I…I’m sure it will be fine. I’ll protect
you.”
“If it comes to that, we will be counting on you.”
They had told me that they weren’t exactly fit for combat, and so I would
have to protect them. In the back of my mind, there were definitely concerns
about my body. But, it would probably be fine as long as we weren’t caught.
“The three of you, stay on guard. I’m going to take a look inside.”
“Be careful… We went inside partway as well, and there were so many.”
I nodded at Igeldo’s warning and activated Presence Block. The clothes I was
wearing gave me a boost as well, and the effect was much stronger than
usual.
The three were quite surprised by this, but they quickly gathered themselves
and began to watch the surrounding area. I sighed in relief and headed
towards the hollow in the tree.
□ □ □ □
The entrance was incredibly disgusting, so I entered it without touching

anything. Immediately, all light vanished around me, and so I had to activate
Nighteyes. Hmm. That was much better. I could keep going now.
The hole was really just big enough for a single adult to walk through, and
then it quickly went down in a steep incline. Well, it was practically a drop.
The path was hardly flat, and it would be hard to move if you were in a hurry.
Considering that we might have to escape… It might be better to find a
different way to get in… Well, I’d leave that to Manager.
As I descended while using Legs of the God Wolf, I started to hear
something. When I perked up my ears, I heard the groaning of numerous
goblins.
“Damn it…”
It sounded like I was near a busy shopping district. That’s how many were
below me.
On the way, the ground became more soil than roots. Before I knew it, I was
off the incline and in what looked like a tunnel. The voices I had heard must
have been echoing through here.
I carefully made my way through the tunnel. Surprisingly, it did not branch
out. This was actually a relief, as there was no need to worry about ambushes.
I used Presence Detection to search the place, but there were no trap doors or
hidden goblins.
“Hmm… This is bad.”
As I spread out the range of Presence Detection, I sensed that some goblins
were coming down the tunnel. As there was just one path, we would
definitely bump into each other. I could just kill them here, but I was worried
if the others would smell the blood. It could just end up rousing the them.
“…”
“Grrr. Ggggg ggrr.”
“Grrll. Rrr.”
And so with Presence Block activated, I used Legs of the God Wolf to stick
to the ceiling and wait for them to leave. As it would be hard to stay there for
long, I thrust my sword into the ceiling and held onto it. Thankfully, goblins
were rather short creatures, and so there would be enough distance between
us. The others might be surprised when they saw them coming, but I’m sure
they would manage just fine.
I calmed my breathing and watched them come. That’s when I realized

something.
These goblins were wearing leather armor. So they were just like the goblins
that had been sent to Namila Village. However, the goblins that we had killed
in the area surrounding the tree had not been wearing armor at all.
Had they been thrown out because there were too many of them..?
It was very curious to be sure, but I couldn’t find an answer. It didn’t take too
long for the goblins to pass me and leave the cave. I suppose they would use
their claws to climb up the steep wall. Well, good luck, scouts.
Once they were completely out of sight, I dropped back down and continued
on my way. This time, I moved a little faster.
After a number of turns, and descending quite a bit, the path suddenly grew
wider. Up ahead, there was no visible ceiling. The underground nest must be
up ahead. And so I slowly approached it and peered over the edge; I gulped.
“Well, there it is…”
That Nise Yggdra Tree hadn’t been planted here for no reason. It was likely
used to hide this place. A tree of that size would be more than enough to
conceal such a place.
Well, there was one great flaw. And that was the hollow in the tree. It led me
straight to this place, after all.
“This is bad… You damned ancient elves. What have they left us…”
The underground of the Nise Yggdra Tree.
It was an abandoned city.

chapter 302
For a while, I stuck half of my face out and watched. Of course, Presence
Detection was still activated. What it told me was that this abandoned city…
Well, I had to call it that, because I didn’t know what the official name was.
In any case, it was the current home of these goblins. But they didn’t live
here in a way that humans might have. I was able to see quite a lot with Eyes
of the God Wolf.
“Uhh…over there as well…”
There were so many of them. And they were eating. Chomp-chomp. Crunch-
crunch. Splat-splat. Hands, feet, bellies, heads. They tore each other apart,
limb from limb as if moved by an insatiable appetite.
They were eating each other.
Even if they had the intelligence to go out and hunt, there were too many to
feed. Of course. There could be as many as thirty new goblins every week.
How could they continue to feed all of them? It was quite obvious that
something like this would happen.
Currently, I was only able to see as far as two kilometers around me. But that
was enough to cover everything. In other words, all of the goblins were inside
of my range. And they were eating each other.
“No… No, that’s not right…”
I used Eyes of the God Wolf to look inside a certain building. Several armed
goblins appeared to be trapping other goblins inside. The unarmed goblins
shouted behind bars, their mouths open wide. In reply, spears were thrust in
their direction.
They imprisoned their own as well.
After wondering about this for a while, I felt a chill go down my spine. I had
goosebumps.
“I see… Who would have thought of such a thing…?”
They were being imprisoned for food. They raised them until they were
grown enough to eat. And if that still wasn’t enough, they would go out and
hunt. Hunting was just to supplement their diet, it wasn’t their primary food
source. They ate goblins. Animals were a side-dish.
This city that overflowed with goblins, was a cannibalistic hell.
□ □ □ □
I continued to observe them, but then my eyes started to get tired. It was
becoming harder to focus on anything. And so I was about to turn around and
head back, when I detected a human through Presence Detection.
And so I quietly deactivated Eyes of the God Wolf, unsheathed my sword,

and spun around. After a while, a small light began to spread out. It started
illuminating the passage. Then I saw the magic light appear as the person
turned the corner. It was Anis.
“Why are you here?”
“You were taking so long…”
Now that I thought about it, it had been quite some time since I descended. It
was easy to forget the passage of time when it was so dark.
“Sorry about that. But it’s too dangerous here for carrying torches. Put it out.
We’ll return at once.”
“Understood.”
She put the magic illumination tool out and then smiled at me. I probably
looked like a nocturnal animal with my glowing eyes. She nodded and took
my hand. I did mean to take her back, but this way would take too much time.
“This will be faster.”

“Huh? Oh…”
I picked her up and used Legs of the God Wolf to rush through the passage.
As I was very cautious, it had taken a while to come down here, but it was
just a few minutes to return.
I stepped on air and jumped up the slope at the end, and then flew out of the
hollow and into the light. For a second, my vision was nothing but white.
This was because I still had Nighteyes on. I frantically turned it off and
looked around me. I quickly detected the presence of Igeldo and Ulgio.
“Mister Asagi.”
Igeldo ran up to us. I put Anis down and raised a hand in his direction. Ulgio
also started to run towards us.
“How was it inside…?”
“Awful. Let’s go back. I’ll tell you on the way.”
I answered when Ulgio asked hesitantly. And so we started back to the camp.
I needed to talk to Adlus as soon as possible so we could adjust things. This
would be a lot harder than we had thought.
□ □ □ □
There wasn’t much in the way of arguing during the third war council. There
wasn’t much of a discussion either. In fact, it was a lot of silence. Everyone
seemed to be too deep in thought to say anything.
“…I do have one question.”
Daniela was the first to speak up.
“Why do the goblins stay down there?”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing.”
If you had nothing in the fridge, leave the house. It should be the same for
humans and monsters. And yet they stayed in that underground space and ate
each other.
“I watched them for quite a while, but there was nothing that really gave me a
hint.”
“Hmm…”
That was no good. We would have to investigate further if we wanted to

know the answer.
“Asagi.”
“What?”
Now it was Adlus who spoke up.
“Did you catch sight of this queen?”
“About that…”
I had spread out Presence Detection and carefully scanned the place with
Eyes of the God Wolf, but…
“I didn’t see any goblin that would fit the description.”
“What?”
Perhaps we had made a mistake. The appearance of the Queen’s Knight

Goblin had made us assume. What if there was no queen?
That city was made by the ancient elves. No one else could have made it.
“Perhaps there is some facility down there that is still running and having
some kind of ill-effect on them?”
“Ill-effect?”
I tilted my head at Manger’s suggestion.

“Remember Reserentrible, Asagi? What happened there?”
“Reserentrible… Well, there was the dungeon…and the defense

mechanism…and Karma…Karma was managing… Ah.”
The strange monsters that were there. They were manmade.
“They were performing experiments that involved interbreeding. Now, what

if such a facility exists down there as well?”
“…Manager. Are you saying they’re experimenting on the goblins?”
“I am saying that it is a possibility.”
It was quite an idea. Indeed, the ancient elves had been conducting the
experiments in an attempt to end a food crisis. Perhaps it wasn’t such a
strange idea after all.
And if they were creating hybrid goblins… For instance, goblins with
advanced breeding abilities? Perhaps these hybrids had resulted in terribly
powerful monsters? Regardless, if they were goblins, there may not be much
a difference for Presence Detection. It was less about power and more about
their size.
“Well, I am only speculating here. We can’t be sure unless we see it. I was
just saying what was on my mind.”
“Still, it was something that I hadn’t even thought about.”
Manager shrugged at me. Was she embarrassed?
“We still don’t have enough information. If the goblins have no intention of
coming out, that gives us more time to investigate. What do the rest of you
think?”
Adlus felt that it was too dangerous to move based on what we currently
knew. The others didn’t answer. They just looked at me. Well, it was no
wonder, since I was the one that would be going.
“I have no choice, clearly.”
I answered.
□ □ □ □
It was now the fifth day of the investigation. I relied on the food in my
hollow bag as I traveled in and out of the abandoned city. I spent the nights in
the branches of the Nise Yggdra Tree. It had been a while since I last slept in
a tree.
“Hahhh…”
I hung a magic illumination tool on a branch as I made a written record of the

things I saw during the day. Once that was done, I drank some water.
It was decided that I would have as little contact with the main camp as
possible. There were several reasons for this, but the most important one was
that it could result in the goblins finding the campsite. The place was
surrounded by a wall of trees and snow, which offered a high level of
concealment.
And so it would be no good if someone like me constantly moved back and

forth. All it would take was one goblin to witness it and report to the others.
Then it would be war.
And so I sat there, watching the flapping white cloth that I tied to the
branches to protect me from the cold wind. And I thought back on what I had
learned.
First, while those goblins had been the ones to start the stampede, it seemed
like they had no intention now of attacking anywhere else. After all, there
was no Queen’s Knight Goblin. He had been the strongest monster in the
city. Now that they had lost their leader, they were more focused on their
own survival.
However, there were limits to what their home could support. There was the
problem of food, for one. The more their numbers increased, the more food
they would need.
And it was the facility that helped them.
“So, Manager was right…”
She was a smart one. She always had been. And things hadn’t changed once
she came here.
I was able to find the facility with Eyes of the God Wolf, and infiltrate it. I
had never seen anything like it before, but apparently the Queen’s Knight
Goblin had fiddled around with it until he understood the controls. There was
even a written memo.
In Japanese.
I was overwhelmed with a feeling that was hard to describe when I found it.
But it was no time to let that slow me down. I used Presence Block to the
fullest and investigated the facility.
What I found there, were goblins that had their reproductive abilities raised to
the limit. They were terrible to look at and far exceeded ordinary goblins in
size. I think they were at least three times the height of a human.
However, at least seventy percent of them were their stomachs. I nearly

vomited when I saw the moaning goblin give birth.
There were five of them in all. Perhaps they were not the same as a Queen
Goblin, but they still bred at an astonishing rate. I considered killing them all
then and there, but it was quite obvious what the starving goblins would do if
I did. It would be better to do it once we were fully prepared. And so I left the
place.
There was another thing that I noticed. There were stray goblins. A small
portion of the goblins that were born and kept for food were able to escape.
They had been able to outrun the goblins and escape to the surface. I saw this
happen myself. Well, the one I saw was eventually caught and eaten.
“Also…”
I investigated their fighting force. Aside from the normal goblins, were there
others that could mutate and turn into Queen’s Knight Goblins?
As for the result, I was not able to find any. However, there were a lot that
looked very strong. They were similar to humans in size. They had black skin
and took command of the smaller goblins.
Regardless, I didn’t feel like they were that great a threat, and so I ended the
investigation there. The bigger problem was their numbers… And I couldn’t
count them. There were a lot, that was all I could say. How would we deal
with them? That was something we’d have to discuss when I returned to the
camp tomorrow.
The plan was to attack the abandoned city on the following day. And so I had
to get an early rest. But it was hard to sleep when such thoughts ruled my
mind.
I stared at the night sky through the cracks in the sheets. The weather had
been rather good recently. Thanks to that, sleeping up in the tree wasn’t too
bad. I turned the light off and looked down. I sensed someone. Goblins were
running desperately through the snow. They weren’t wearing any armor.
“Gaagraaahh!”
“Gggaa….Graahhh!”
The one in the lead turned and shouted at the one that was lagging behind.
The goblin answered just as an arrow caught it in the shoulder. A goblin with
a bow had just come out of the hollow in the tree. Its movements were
awkward compared to Daniela. Still, it prepared a second arrow and
unleashed it. The other goblin went down.
The rest was a familiar scene. The archer goblin began to eat its prey. I could
hear it chewing from up in the tree. I grimaced and sunk into my winter
clothes.
They would all be dead come the day after tomorrow. I didn’t feel sorry for
the goblins that were eaten. Still, they wouldn’t have been eaten had they
gotten away.
This sad goblin country would be better once it ended. It was with such
thought that I forced myself to sleep.
chapter 303
The next morning, I climbed down the tree and headed for the campsite. I
could see the remains of the two goblins pass the corner of my vision as I
walked through the forest.
The journey back was uneventful. And soon, as I had entered the range of
their Presence Detection, one of the Adventurers started walking towards me.
Since I was very familiar with it, I was quick to recognize it as Daniela.
“Welcome back, Asagi.”
“Hey, Daniela.”
She ran up to me and held me tightly. I returned the embrace and gently
stroked her platinum hair.
“I am glad that you are safe.”
“Thanks. Did anything happen back here?”
“No, nothing in particular. Did you make any discoveries?”
As Daniela was just a little taller than me, she didn’t fit perfectly in my arms.
Also, I always felt a little embarrassed staring into her eyes at such a close
distance. Still, you should answer when questioned. It was one of my mottos.
“More than a few. I’ll tell you when I speak to Adlus and the others.”
“Very well. We should return then.”
She pulled away and then grabbed my hand. We hadn’t seen each other for so
long, so she seemed sweeter than usual. How cute.
□ □ □ □
The camp came into view. At this distance, the Jades could also see us with
their eyes. Several of them waved from the top of the ice walls. I waved back
with the hand that wasn’t connected to Daniela, and they jeered in reply.
Okay, so they were clearly not too tense about what was happening. That was
good. Also, I’ll remember this.
There was a gate made of logs in the wall. It had previously just been a gap
with a wall of snow in front of it for camouflage. They had made some great
improvements in my absence. Of course, this gate was also hidden behind a
wall of snow.
“Welcome back, Mister Asagi.”
“Hey, Anis.”
It was Anis and her team that opened the door and greeted us. Igeldo raised
his fist and so I bumped it. Ulgio nodded at me.
Then they guided us through the camp. Well, it was starting to look very
lived-in. There was even some laundry hanging up by one of the tents.
Apparently, they had special magic tools that helped the clothes dry without
freezing. This world was certainly full of interesting things… Of course, I
was exclusively a collector of magic illumination tools, and could not be
tempted.
“Ah, you’re back.”
“Yeah. We better have a war council. I have a lot to say to you all.”
I pushed Adlus back into the tent he had just stepped out of. And we followed
him inside. It was simple, with just a table, chairs and a bed. Manager was
sitting at the table.
“Hey. You seem to be in good shape.”
“And you. Alright, let’s begin.”
I took out my written memos and spread them on the table. Once the others
were seated, I started my report.
“…So, there it is. If it were up to me, I’d infiltrate the facility again and
exterminate the goblins used for breeding. It’s the equivalent of taking out
their food storage. What do you think?”
“Hmm… You think that will bring their number down?”
“Yeah. These guys eat each other. If you cut off their supply of new meat,
well, you know what they’ll eat next…”
I told them the plan that I had been thinking about on my way here. While
they were all clearly disgusted by what I told them, they listened to me with
serious expressions.
My plan was to attack their food source. And there were no goblins who
could keep the facility running. The Queen’s Knight Goblin was the only
person who knew how to control it.
In other words… It was the Queen’s Knight Goblin who had encouraged
them to eat each other. Perhaps it was the part of him that remained human
that allowed it. Or maybe it was just instinct. Intense hunger might be able to
move you to do such things.
“Manager will have to keep all of the entrances sealed until their numbers go
down enough.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll save my magic until then. If I dive into the shadows, I
should be able to find out how many exits there are.”
I had already told them the underground area was two kilometers in diameter.
And Manager was able to stretch her shadows all the way to Namila Village.
And so controlling the space under the tree shouldn’t be too hard. That being
said, she said that she could not use the shadows to crush each goblin one at a
time. Not only would it take too long, but such precise actions depleted a lot
of energy.
“Their numbers should go down like this, until only the strong ones are
left.The weaker ones will be the first to be eaten. And that’s when we’ll
attack.”
“Their numbers are their greatest strength, but we will turn the tables and
attack… Hmm, I see.”
Daniela muttered as she thought about it. I was always happy when she
approved of an idea I had after some lengthy consideration…
“But there is one problem.”
“Hmm?”
Adlus folded his arms and looked at me.
“Our food supplies are also limited. It’s been nearly two weeks since we left
the Imperial Capital. Everyone brought food for themselves, but there is not
much left. This waiting for the enemy to starve…it will take at least another
week… What will become of us during that time? How will we feed fifty
people?”
Now that was a surprise. I hadn’t been thinking about anything but killing the
goblins. I felt like a bloody idiot.
“Uh. Well…”
“Asagi and I have food that we can share with you, but it still would not be
enough. And the land around us has been picked clean by the goblins. I was
not able to find a single beast myself.”
“Damn it…”
I was terribly embarrassed about my smug expression a moment ago. I

slumped down into my chair. The others immediately started to argue over
the matter.
Different opinions were given and I listened silently. But they were unable to
find a solution.
“We might have to return to the city and have supplies sent to Namila
Village. And then we’d have to carry them back here.”
“But who…”
“Hmm…”
Realistically speaking, Adlus’s suggestion was the only answer. Now, it was
just a matter of who would go.
Well, there was clearly no one but me. I shouldered a lot of responsibility for
coming up with this idea. And I was also the fastest.
“I’ll do it. I’ll go back to the Imperial Capital and have some merchant
prepare supplies for us.”
“I’d be grateful…but considering the time…”
“That won’t be a problem. I can take the shortest route. Besides, if I empty
the hollow bag here, I’ll be able to fit a lot more food inside.”
Well, most of it was from street stalls, so it would have to go inside of

Daniela’s bracelet. But stuff like our tents and other equipment can be taken
out.
“Speed will be key here. If we have time to talk now, it would be better to
act.”
“Hmm… You have been doing all of the work recently. I’m sorry.”
Adlus said with a bow. I grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at me.
“It’s fine. I want to do this.”
“…Very well. It should be done at once, then.”
And so I emptied out my bag in a corner of the tent. There was our old tent
and scraps of cloth. Also, all the magic illumination tools.
“I’ll have them fill out a form when they borrow them. Also, there will be
security money.”
“That’s not unnecessary. I’m sure they’ll handle them with care.”
I would not be happy if they broke, but I suppose some damage was
inevitable if they were fighting. And so I was prepared to be magnanimous.
“But they’re important, are they not? Things should be handled properly.”
“Well, I’ll leave it to you then.”
“Aye, I will deal with it.”
Everything would be fine if I left it to Adlus.
I handed Daniela all the food, so now only my personal equipment was in the
bag. The food disappeared and went into Daniela’s bracelet as soon as she
touched it. It was impressive and never failed to bring up feelings of jealousy
in me.
“So, even if we distribute the minimum amount, it will be three days at

most.”
“I can’t believe you had so much food…”
“Just so you know, Daniela would have eaten most of it.”
“Be quiet, Asagi.”
“Oww!”
Butting into Manager and Daniela’s conversation earned me a low kick. I had
no idea why.
“Alright, I guess I better go…”
“Please be careful!”
“Yeah. There’s no danger, so I should be fine.”

I gave a reassuring thumbs up to Anis, who looked very worried. And like
that, I was about to leave the tent, when Adlus grabbed my shoulder.
“We will repay you for this. Thank you for sharing your valuable food
supplies.”
“Oh, yeah. It’s very expensive stuff, actually. I think I also deserve a bonus
for the hassle?”
“You can count on it. Travel safely.”
“Aye.”
Well, that was settled then. I stepped out of the tent and immediately used
Legs of the God Wolf to step on the air and launch myself above the trees.
Hmm. I felt pretty good so far. The weather was also nice. I could probably
reach the Imperial Capital by sundown.
Once I arrived, I would restock on our supplies. I would have to find a

trustworthy merchant to buy everything from. And in a hurry. It would be a
while before I’d be able to get a good rest… But this was important. I had to
show them what I could do. You can do this, Asagi.
A slapped my face to fire myself up. It was regrettably, kind of painful. Still,
I continued on my route, straight to the Imperial Capital.
chapter 304
A trip through the sky with Legs of the God Wolf. The Asagi Airline offered
comfort and safety and guaranteed a lack of monster encounters. But then
again, the wind on my skin was cold as hell. At least my body was covered
up, but my face bore the full brunt of it. I tried covering my face with part of
my cape, but nothing could be done for my poor eyes…
“Phew…the Mistnas Company, huh…”
I sighed and thought back on what had been said to me before my departure,
as the platinum wind blew around me.
□ □ □ □
It was after I was finished preparing and was about to activate Legs of the
God Wolf. Someone called my name. There were a lot of people who knew
my name and weren’t shy about approaching me. But this voice was familiar.
“Mister…Asagi…”
“Ah, Silket. What is it?”
It was one of the Adventurers that I had fought alongside me in Namila

Village. Marcel’s partner. The quiet one. I deactivated Legs of the God Wolf
and calmed my breathing while my hands were on my lap. Could the goblins
have attacked? My hand was about to move towards my sword, but she
quickly stopped me.
“No, it’s not that. There are no monsters. But I heard that you were going
back to the city and…”
“Yeah, that’s right… Did you want me to get something for you?”
“No… But I was hoping you could take this to the Mistnas Company.”
Silket said as she handed me a small, decorative knife and a letter.
“This looks pretty expensive…”
“It’s a knife with the Mistnas crest in it. And that letter is for my father. It
explains about the goblin stampede and has a request for supplies.”
“….Wait, is this company…”
“Yes, my family runs it.”
Huh. So this Adventurer who rose to the rank of Jade was actually the
daughter of a wealthy family.
Silket Mistnas. She then told me that she was a fourth child of a family a
nobles who owned a trading company. Her older brother and sister were
currently running it, but her father still held the most power.
“We have a store on the main road. You can’t miss it.”
“So, I just need to show them the knife and letter and they will help us?”
“Yes, definitely.”
Silket said with confidence.
“After all, I’m the youngest. They could never resist my requests!”
□ □ □ □
I recalled that conversation as I pulled the knife out of my breast pocket. It

looked like a ceremonial knife. It would be a waste to use it in combat.
“Ha-ha…achoo! …Damn!”
The cold wind had entered my clothes and I sneezed loudly, dropping the
knife in the process. I had to frantically dive down and catch it before it hit
the ground.
“It would be the worst if I dropped it in all of this snow…”
I put it away securely and then rose into the air again. I needed to focus on
getting there as quickly as possible, and so I kept my eyes ahead.
“Ah…there’s Namila Village.”
I could see all the roofs covered in snow. Visually, it seemed very peaceful.
But I used Presence Detection just as a precaution. I detected no monsters or
humans. I had been bracing myself to find bandits, but then again, this wasn’t
a place they would likely come out to.
And so I passed the village in a flash, leaving it far behind me. The next thing
I saw was the frozen lake. Lake Rivier. Our tracks were long gone, and there
was a fresh layer of snow covering it. Still, you could make out the shape of
the lake from above.
I soon passed the lake as well. After a while, the Imperial Castle came into
view. And then the rest of the city and walls.
“Phew… I should probably go to the guild first.”
Adlus had told me to make a report before I was approached by Silket. At

least, I think he did.
“Well, he must have said something that made me think I had to… Oh, well.”
Reporting, contacting, and consultation. As a member of society, these things

were important. And that’s what we Adventurers were. The guild was a
company and we were employees. It was definitely a lot wilder than in
modern Japan, but the pay was good.
□ □ □ □
I showed the gatekeeper my status card and was let inside. As I was in a
hurry, I used Legs of the God Wolf to jump over buildings and dash past the
castle and noble district in order to reach the guild. I had no time to push my
way through the crowds.
I arrived at the guild and opened the doors. As I didn’t really bother to kill
my momentum, I pretty much crashed through while making a lot of noise.
Obviously, this caused a lot of heads to turn in my direction. But this was no
time to feel self-conscious. I headed straight for the ‘Questions & Other’
counter.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you? You trying to cause a scene!?”
“Sorry, I’m in a hurry.”
“Mmmph!!”
Some big guy was trying to start something as he stormed towards me, and so
I knocked his feet out from under him. Jack of all Trades, Master of None
really helped me out during minor scuffles like this.
The fallen man moaned, perhaps having hit his head, but it wasn’t my
concern. I needed to be back on the frontlines as soon as possible.
In spite of the interruption, I was able to reach the counter safely. The guild
worker on the other side was trembling a little. I wished they’d calm down, I
wasn’t the bad guy here. And so I gently put down my status card.
“Excuse me. My name is Asagi Kamiyashiro. I’m participating in the Namila

Village liberation quest, and have returned to make a report on our progress.”
“Cer-certainly!”
The guild worker snatched the card off of the counter and scurried off to the
back.
I waited for several minutes. The guild worker returned, looking quite frantic.
“Ah, Mister Asagi. Please follow me to the drawing-room…”
“I’m really sorry, but I don’t have much time. I would like to just tell you
here.”
“Ha…! I-I must regretfully inform you that the Guild Master insists…”
“…”
Well, I guess I should have expected this. I didn’t want to waste time here,
but it was no use. This would definitely become troublesome.
Oh, well. I forgot to hide the annoyance from showing on my face, and the
guild worker looked more intimidated than ever. I suddenly felt a little bad.
“Very well.”
“Thank you! Well, I must…”
“Could you take me to the room?”
“O-oh…yes…”
The joy of being released was so evident on the guild worker’s face, but it
went away in an instant. I wasn’t going to be the only person to be
inconvenienced today. Well, at least until we reached the room.
chapter 305
I thanked the guild worker once we reached the room and she returned to her
counter. I would have to do the rest alone.
I knocked three times and then a voice rang on the other side. The Guild
Master of the grand guild. Vellefrost headquarters. I was surprised to hear a
woman’s voice.
“Come in.”
“Thank you. I’m an Adventurer. Asagi Kamiyashiro.”
“Yes, yes. I’m Laika. The Guild Master of the Imperial Capital. A dark elf, as
you can see. It’s nice to meet you.”
Behind the door, the Guild Master reclined on a leather sofa. As dark elves
were rare, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Eve.
“Is something wrong?”
“Uh… Oh, I came here to make a report of the stampede. If I may?”
“Yes, let’s hear it.”
She gestured for me to sit, and so I sat down on the same sofa and gave a
brisk account of what had transpired. Of course, I left the Queen’s Knight
Goblin’s identity out of it.
“…It was probably by coincidence. But goblins with extreme breeding

abilities were born. And that led to them using the newborns for food.”
“I see.”
“And so we decided to kill the goblins used for breeding as a way of cutting
off their food supply. However, we also have a limited supply of food. As I
was the fastest on foot, I was sent back to the city to restock.”
“Hmm… Where are you going to buy these supplies from?”
“One of the Adventurers with us has a family that owns a trading company.
So I’m thinking of buying through them.”
I would be heading to the Mistnas Company as soon as I was done here. I

told her this as well.
“I see. How very strange all of this is. In that case, we will also support this
effort. To be honest, I thought sending a group of Jades would be more than
enough to stop a goblin stampede. You see, the standards for Adventurers are
higher in this city… But as things have turned out to be worse than I thought,
it’s only right that we act.”
It was true that their standards were high in terms of combat. Though, I
remember watching the B Rank preliminary fights during the tournament and
being rather…unimpressed… However, the current expedition did teach me
that there were quite a few people that were on the same level as that spear-
wielder, Bandi Ree. And that was more than strong enough for a Jade.
However, the enemy had been stronger than expected. There were an
abnormally evolved being and the remains of an ancient elven city. But we
had surprises on our side too, I suppose. Adlus, Manager, me, and Daniela
had joined. The fact that that’s what it took to even the playing field really
demonstrated the danger of this stampede.
“The guild will cover the supplies. I will write a check.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I underestimated these goblins. In a way, it was my fault, and so

you can consider this a compensation for that error. However…you must
annihilate them completely.”
She said with an intense stare. I gulped.
“I understand. We won’t let a single one escape.”

“Good.”
Laika stood up and walked to her desk, where she pulled out a sheet from a
drawer and scribbled a figure on it. I couldn’t see how much…
When she was done, she sat back down on the sofa.
“This should be enough for fifty people. You can return any leftover money
at the counter.”
“Thank you. …Huh?”
I said as I accepted the check. ‘100 Gold’ it read.
“This is too much. What exactly do you think I’m going to buy?”
“Food, obviously. But also weapons, armor, and whatever camping supplies
you require. Things you will need later on, perhaps. Use your imagination.”
“I didn’t intend to…”
“They must be annihilated no matter what.”
“…”
There was nothing I could say to that. Preparing your own food and
equipment were basic parts of being an Adventurer. It was with this mindset
that I always carefully prepared before a quest. I didn’t like to rely on others.
However, this was an emergency. Something unpredictable had happened.

This seemed like the time to shut up and accept any help we could get…
“There’s no need to hesitate. Offering this support is well within my authority

as Guild Master.”
“…I understand.”
I would accept it then. Besides, we Adventurers were employees of a guild.

And so we had to obey the orders of our superiors.
“Well, I must be going now.”
“Be careful, Asagi. And send the others my regards.”
“Yes.”
I stood up, bowed, and left the drawing-room behind me. I would have to use
this money wisely…
□ □ □ □
My eyes met the guild worker’s as I returned to the entrance hall. She still
looked scared, and so I nodded reassuringly. Hmm. It seemed to work.
As for the guy who got in my way, it seemed like someone had explained
things to him while I was away, and so he was staying quiet now. I was
thankful for that…I didn’t need to waste more time here. That being, there
was something I needed to say, and so I walked up to him. He shuddered
visibly.
“Sorry about earlier. I was in a hurry and had to react like that.”
“…I was wrong as well… Be careful.”
He looked a lot like a child who was sulking, but I was touched by the
concern.
“Thanks. Don’t worry, we’ll protect the city.”
I said as I patted him on the shoulder. And then I started to make adjustments
to the plan in my head as I stepped out of the doors to the guild.
First, I would go to the Mistnas Company to buy supplies. Apparently, they

delt with food as well. And while that was being prepared, I could go out and
buy weapons and armor. I wasn’t really sure what weapons or armor sizes to
get, so I’d just get stuff that was good for all sizes maybe. One-handed
swords, shields, and arrows. Armor would be tricky, but I’d figure something
out.
That would give the company enough time to prepare. Then I could put
everything into the hollow bag, rest one night, and return in the morning.
Yes. It was a good plan. I could get everything we needed without making
them wait too long. It seemed like it would go well.
□ □ □ □
Well, that was what I had thought, but the world wasn’t so kind.
“Hey, don’t move! That’s dangerous!”
“W-whaa!?”
A boy was swinging his sword wildly while a goblin looked frantic. As they
were both swinging their swords, I was unable to get close. Tragically, the
goblin seemed like it was the more experienced of the two.
“Ah!?”
There was a high-pitched metal ring, and the sword flew out of the boy’s
hand and fell into the snow. The goblin’s face twisted in triumph as it raised
its sword for a final attack.
“Ahhh!!”
But this was good news for me. It was easier to deal with one sword flailing
in the air. In a flash, I moved between the fallen child and the goblin. And
just like that, my blade separated its head from its body.
“Hah…”
In spite of it just being one goblin, I felt very tired. Damn it. A God Wolf’s
thrall should be tougher than that.
“Go home. You’re too green for this.”
“No! I want to protect the village too!”
“…”
This happened as soon as I left the city. Could anything be more annoying? It
was ridiculous.
□ □ □ □
“Yes, as you say.”
“Thank you. Alright, I’ll be back in the evening.”
“Certainly. We will be waiting.”
I had to repress a sigh as I finished negotiating and walked out of the store. It
wasn’t something I could ever get used to doing. And it wasn’t even that
serious. After all, I had the letter from Silket and the all-powerful check from
the Guild Master. Still, business was business. It wasn’t for me.
I had gone straight to the store after leaving the guild. It didn’t take long for
me to see the ‘Mistnas Company’ sign. You couldn’t miss it. The
unexpectedly large size of the building was one of the reasons that I was
uncomfortable. It was as least twice the size of the other stores in the area.
As for the interior, it was pretty but also simple in taste. Perhaps it would be
described as refined. Regardless, I always felt out of place at such
establishments.
Thankfully, they were very kind when I approached them. I showed the letter
and was taken to the back so I could meet the owner, Marcera Silket.
I told them that Silket was safe and gave a brief report of what had happened.
And then made the request for supplies. This would have all taken a lot more
time without the recommendation.
I was thankful for Silket and the Guild Master. Things went smoothly and
concluded without any trouble.
I used the check from the Guild Master to pay and put the rest back into the
hollow bag. Mister Marcera looked worried about Silket’s safety at first, but I
assured him that she was fine. Besides, she was in good company.
“…Hah. That was tiring… I think I’ll get a bite to eat first.”
I felt bad for those on the frontlines, but I was hungry. And so I found a place
to stop by and eat. As it had been a very long time, the meat pie and chili
soup were especially delicious.
After that, I had to go buy weapons and armor. The blacksmith district was
just down the street from the food district. I scanned the different stores as the
sounds of banging metal rang in my ears. The first store I went to looked
suspicious in terms of quality, and so I turned around and walked right out. I
ended up having to go in quite a few places and pick out stuff that seemed
good.
“That should be enough…”
I looked at my memo to be sure that I had bought enough. It was. Swords,

shields, and arrows.
There was a large variety of arrows. Some had ore stones inside the
arrowheads. Ones with the fire attribute would burn your enemies and ones
with the water attribute would push them back. Ice would freeze them and
earth would turn the arrow into a stone spear. Thunder would paralyze and
wind gave a boost in speed.
I bought a lot of these arrows and stuffed them into the bag. The archers
should be happy, at least. Though, I didn’t see any arrows with the dimension
attribute.
When all of the shopping was finished, I looked at the check that the Guild
Master had given me. There were only ten pieces of gold left. Perhaps I had
gone a little too crazy with those arrows… While I was free to spend it, I
probably should have been a little more careful. And so it was with a feeling
of slight regret that I returned to the Mistnas Company.
Wooden crates were stacked up to form a mountain near the entrance. They
all bore the Mistnas brand and had their contents written on them. The first
one I checked was…meat.
“Thanks to this hollow bag you told us about, we were able to gather a lot of
food without worrying about it going bad.”
Someone said as I looked at the boxes. I turned around to see Mister Marcera
standing there, and so I bowed my head in gratitude.
“Thank you. Now we’ll have a lot less to worry about when we fight.”
“Think nothing of it. You Adventurers are doing your best for the Empire.”
Mister Marcera said with a laugh.
This was everything that I had ordered. There were ten of the wooden boxes
in all. Most of it was food. Though, there was one box that contained small
items and tools.
I quickly got to work, storing them in the hollow bag. I just needed to open
the bag and carry the box over it, and they would get sucked into it. As for
getting them out, I might have to turn it upside down.
Everything fitted in easily. I put in the last one and then carried the bag on
my back. Mister Marcera watched the whole process and sighed.
“Aah… That really is an impressive bag.”
“It was given to me by a friend and is priceless to me. So I’m not going to
sell it.”
“Hahaha. I am not that ungrateful. However, I am just a little jealous.”
Well…maybe priceless was an exaggeration. Regardless, it was no wonder

that a merchant would drool over it.
“Well, I better go then. Thank you for everything.”
“No, no. Please look after my daughter.”
We shook hands before separating. Ah, this really was an eventful day… I
was terribly tired. This was one night where I needed to sleep at an inn. In
fact, we still had our room, so I could just go back there. I felt bad about the
others on the frontline, but it couldn’t be helped. Sometimes, people just
needed to get a good sleep. I wanted a hot bath and a warm bed. It would be
good for my morale and would result in improved performance. Yes, it was
something that had to be done…
I told myself this as I bathed, ate dinner at the dining hall, and went to bed.
Somehow, I managed to sleep in until it was quite late, and I had to get ready
and rush out of the city in a near panic.
“Damn it… It’s all your fault, you warm blanket…!”
I still hadn’t calmed down as I dashed through the sky with Legs of the God
Wolf. While I wasn’t going at full speed, my steps were long. It was just as I
was nearing the Rivier lake that I saw someone below me. I slammed on the
breaks and looked down with Eyes of the God Wolf.
I saw a boy and a goblin.
The boy was swinging his sword wildly while a goblin watched and licked
his chops. Well, it seemed like the boy was only moments away from being
killed and eaten. That wasn’t something I could ignore, and so I changed
direction and unsheathed the Velnoir. That’s when the goblin hit the sword
out of the boy’s hand.
“Damn it…!”
I raised my speed and descended while swinging the dark blade down like a
bat. It cut through the goblin, head to crotch. The old chief from Fhiraldo
would be furious if he saw me using a sword like this. Such thoughts were in
my mind as I stood up and a cloud of powdered snow rose into the air. As for
the boy, he seemed okay. But Legs of the God Wolf had blown him back a
little.
I unleashed the wind and blew away the snow that was in the air. And then
we faced each other on the clear field.
“Don’t you know that it’s dangerous here? Go back to the city.”
While he looked surprised by my sudden appearance, he didn’t back down.
“No! I have to protect the village too!”
And so that was how I met the kid. His name was Felz.
□ □ □ □
He was from Namila Village. But he was still very young. Not even an
Adventurer. And yet somehow, he had picked up a sword and traveled all of
the way here from the Imperial Capital. I didn’t know what route he had
taken, but I couldn’t just leave him here. Sleeping in meant I had already
wasted a lot of time, and I could only use Legs of the God Wolf for so long.
However, I couldn’t take him with me either.
Well then, since he was from the village, maybe I should just drop him off
there. I thought, as no better idea had occurred to me. He could hide in one of
the houses for now, and then we might send a Jade or two to escort him back
to the village later. I could make up for them during the battle. Yes. That
would work.
“Agh! It’s so cold!”
And so I took the boy who had no sense of danger and flew off towards the
village.
□ □ □ □
On the way, Felz insisted that he would fight against the goblins who
attacked his village. And so I allowed him to fight a goblin just once. Of
course, I had Presence Detection activated as well as Legs of the God Wolf,
just in case. Basically, if he wasn’t going to listen, he could learn the hard
way. A mere boy could not take down a goblin.
“I told you this would happen. If you haven’t done it before, you’re not going
to be able to do it now. Everything takes practice. That’s the important trick
to living.”
“Grrr…”
He did not look convinced as I carried him under my arm. However, he was
used to flying in the sky now, and so he just hung limply and glared at the
snow.
“Got it? You better. Now stay quiet in the village. I’m going to send some
nice Adventurers to come and get you.”
“…Send a pretty lady.”
“Shut up.”
chapter 306
I landed a short distance away from the entrance of the village. Then I put
Felz down onto the snowy ground and raised my index finger to my mouth.
He looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Huh? What?”
“You bloody idiot…”
I frantically covered his mouth and we hid behind some bushes that were
covered in snow.
“Wa-aah!”
“Be quiet…! There are goblins…”
“!?”
I finally managed to calm him down. Yes, goblins had entered the village. No
one had remained here to protect it. Still, I hadn’t detected any in the area on
my way to the Imperial Capital, so I thought it would be fine. But now there
were more than a few goblins in the area surrounding the village.
That being said, I could still take care of them in a few minutes. However,
Felz was here as well. I couldn’t exactly carry him and fight. That’s why I
had wanted to put him down here and go in to fight alone…
“I’m going to go take care of this. You stay right here. Got it?”
“I can protect the village…”
“Felz?”
His eyes were fixed on the village up ahead. Something was strange…
“I can do it!”
“Hey, wait!”
Before I knew it, he had suddenly run ahead He unsheathed his sword as he
ran, and I could see that he was unstable. I frantically used Legs of the God
Wolf to launch myself into the air and come up to him from behind. Then I
tackled him into the snow. He struggled wildly in the snow, and so I threw
the Snow Arachne cape over him. I pulled down my own hood and ducked
low.
I could tell through using Presence Detection that the goblins had noticed us.
There were about ten in all. Still, things could get bad if they managed to
surround us.
They were now close enough to see, and so I slowly raised my head. There
was a goblin holding a sword, a goblin holding an axe, and a goblin holding a
bow. They were all wearing armor, but aside from the first three, the others
were wielding thick tree branches or other makeshift weapons. They looked
pretty pathetic, and judging by their armor, they appeared to have come from
the abandoned city. They must have gone through one of the other exits then.
Adlus’s men would have known if they had come out of the tree hollow.
“Hey, Felz. What are you trying to do…?”
I whispered to him. He was still trying to make a run for it.
“You can’t even swing a sword properly. You’ll just die if you charge into
them. I understand that you want to protect your village, but to do that, you
need power. Understand?”
“Ggg… But, I’m my father’s…I’m the chief’s son… So it’s my duty…”
Now that was a surprise. Felz was the chief’s son.
“He died protecting the villagers… Now my brother is protecting them in the
Imperial Capital. That’s why I have to go and protect the village…”
The chief had been quite young. I see. So he was Felz’s older brother.
“I’m very sorry about your father. There are some things that you can’t do
anything about.”
“…”
“And if there are people around you who are offering help during such times,
you should accept it. Do you understand?”
“My father…there was no one to help him. Everyone was desperate. My

brother…we’re all helping each other now. And the military is helping us.”
“Exactly. Now, what about you? Who will help you?”
He slowly raised his head. There were tears in his eyes.
“Help me… Mister Asagi…!”
Before the tears fell, I wiped them away and turned them into ice. He looked
at me in surprise, and I smiled.
“Wait here. I’ll clean this up in a minute.”
The goblins had lost interest and were turning away. Perfect. And so I got up
and covered Felz with the Snow Arachne cape.
Then I ran. Once I was sure that there was enough distance between me and
Felz, I activated Legs of the God Wolf. Then I stepped on air with my
stretched out left foot and boosted the speed of the wind while charging into
the group of goblins.
“Ggggaggg!?”
“Giggggi!!”
The Velnoir slammed into the archer, severing him in half. Then I pulled
back and caught the closest goblin’s sword with the sword breaker.
“Gggaaa!!”
The axe-wielder swung down at me, and so I pulled back, dodging the attack
and then kicked him dead with a foot that was boosted by Legs of the God
Wolf. At the same time, platinum wind blades were launched into the air and
shredded up the group of goblins.
Without pausing for a second, I turned back to the goblin whose sword I had
broken, and took off his head.
It was a good thing I had prioritized those who were armed. The goblins that
were cut by the wind blades were now moaning on the ground. I walked
forward and killed them one by one.
And when the last one was finally pierced by my sword, I sighed in relief.
“Phew…”
I wiped the blood off of the blade and sheathed it before turning to Felz with
a hand wave. Something white started to move. I knew what it was, because
it was mine. Still, the camouflaging was pretty impressive… It was like the
cape was made of snow.
“Thank you, Mister Asagi.”
“Don’t mention it. Cold isn’t it? Let’s go to the chief’s house.”
As we walked to the village, I told Felz that we had used the houses during
the last time we were there. It was a blizzard, so we had no choice… Adlus
said they would compensate them for it later.
“It’s because of all of you that our village is safe. No one would dare
complain about that.”
“All the same. We’re grateful for it.”
We soon arrived at the chief’s house. The door was frozen shut and covered
in snow, so I had to push it away with my foot.
When I opened it, I saw that it was the same as how we left it. A lot of things
had been used, but we cleaned up after ourselves, and no one had gotten in
since.
“…Huhh…uuu…”
Felz took one step in and started to sob. Perhaps this place had reawakened
memories of his father’s death. This kind of thing always made me feel
awkward.
“…”
Not sure of what to do, I tried patting him on the head. This was because it
was what I would have wanted when I was in pain.
Then Felz clutched my leg and started to howl loudly. I really didn’t know
what to do. All I could to do was pat him gently.
□ □ □ □
Once Felz had calmed down, we moved to the table where Adlus had studied
his map, and we sat down facing each other. Then I took out two containers
of soup from the hollow bag, that I had bought yesterday.
“Here. Drink this. It’ll warm you up.”
“Thank you…”
He accepted the soup with a sniffle and slowly brought it to his mouth.
“…I know things are really hard for you now, and I almost feel wrong for
saying this, but I have to go. My comrades are camped near the home of the
goblins.”
“…Yes.”
“I have to return to them. This is so we can kill all of the goblins that attacked
this village. If we don’t do it now, the Imperial City might be in danger next.
Do you understand?”
“I understand. And I’ll be fine on my own.”
He nodded courageously. But he wouldn’t be alone.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m going to send some Adventurers to come and protect
this place.”
“But don’t you need them?”
“I’ll make up for their absence. Don’t worry. After all, I’m an A-Rank
Adventurer!”
“I see! That’s amazing!”
He finally understood my greatness. Asagi is pleased.
“I thought you were just the errand boy for the real fighters!”
“Uh, did you not see me laying waste to all those goblins?”
“I didn’t see that.”
“…”
He hadn’t witnessed my heroics. Boy, your life was not even close to being
complete.
“I didn’t know that people could fly when they reached A-Rank.”
“That’s because I’m the only person who can do it. But the others are really
strong as well.”
“So you’re a big deal then, Mister Asagi.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying.”

It was a ridiculous conversation, but it seemed to cheer him up, which was a
relief. So, humans really did tend to think negatively when they were hungry.
I was almost always hungry when in a bad mood, and food always made me
feel better. Wasn’t Daniela living proof? She was an optimistic person, right?
“It’s possible that goblins might return here again. So I need you to stay here
and hide. I’ll have the Adventurers use a signal. When you hear a whistle,
you open the door.”
“A whistle. Got it!”
“Alright, good kid.”
I said as I tousled his hair. Before leaving, I took out a few meat skewers for
him to eat, and then put on my cape again.
“Alright, stay low and keep quiet. And lock all of the doors when I’m gone.”
“Okay… I’m a little scared, but it’s my house. I’ll protect it.”
“Good. See you later then.”
I was still worried, but the sooner I left, the sooner the Jades would get here. I
made sure that he had locked the doors, and hurried on my way.
When I had first looked down and saw Felz there, I was annoyed at what I
was about to get involved in, but I was glad that I helped him. Of course, I
never even considered leaving him. But I wasn’t thrilled about it. Save him
quickly and move on. That was all I had been thinking…
“Protect the village, huh…”
He was young, but had a clear vision of what he had to do. Even if it was too
big a burden for him currently. What had I been doing at that age? What had I
been thinking? Would I have faced a creature that threatened my life?
“Nope… No way in hell.”
Even when I was young, I knew what it meant to die. And would have done
anything to avoid it. I was still like that in a way. But I was able to acquire
the power to stand up against enemies. That’s why I was able to fight now.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t even be here. I was scared of just getting injured.
Once I was alone, I started to compare my past with that boy. And when I
did, I found that he was better in every way.
I could not help but respect the little guy.
□ □ □ □
I could finally see the campsite. Well, with the help of Eyes of the God Wolf,
anyway. They were either guarding the area or organizing their tools. But one
figure was looking in my direction. Of course, it was Daniela. Maybe I
should wave.
“Welcome back, Asagi.”
“I’m back! Ah, that was damn tiring.”
Everyone gathered around me as I landed by the entrance. Marcel and Silket

were there too. And so I gestured for them to come closer.
“It’s good to have you back, Mister Asagi.”
“Welcome back.”
“Hey. Things were certainly easier, thanks to you, Silket. Oh, and your father
was really worried about you.”
She looked very happy when I said this. She was really close to her father.
“I’m quite fond of Mister Marcera as well. We even have similar names.”
“Now that you mention it… Well, whatever. I have a favor to ask you two.”
I wanted to ask them to take care of Felz. And when I told them about what
had happened, they readily accepted.
“The quest is about protecting the village, after all. Leave it to us.”
“The three of us will be waiting in the village for your safe return.”
“Thank you. Well, I’ll have to go and ask Adlus about it, but I’m sure it will
be fine. I just want you to hurry. Also, there’s a signal. You have to whistle
when you reach the chief’s house. Then Felz will open the door.”
“Understood!”
“I understand!”
They replied energetically and then returned to their tents, probably to grab
their bags. In the meantime, I was going to tell the guards that the two would
be leaving, but there was no one on top of the wall. Hadn’t Daniela been
there?
“Ah, yes. It is my watch.”
“Then you should watch! You shouldn’t be standing here!”
“You want me to stand over there when you have only just returned? You
must really hate me now.”
What…no…but it was an important job…
“Hey, you. I believe it is nearly time for you to take my place?”
Daniela said as she grabbed a random Jade. Of course, she had a threatening
attitude that suggested she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“No…we just traded a minute…”
“I see. So you will take my place. Thank you.”
“…Yes.”
What a tyrant. Daniela was scary…

□ □ □ □
I arrived at Adlus’s tent. Daniela was next to me. I secretly apologized to the
guy that was forced to take her place.
I pushed open the closed flap and entered the warm tent. My eyes wandered
around, searching for the source. There was something in the center that
looked like a stove. A silver cylinder. There was a glass window in it and
behind that was a shining red light. I suppose it was magic.
Then my eyes met Adlus, who was seated on a chair.
“That was quick.”
“Who do you think I am?”
He chuckled at my arrogant reply. We had started off on the wrong foot, but
it was nice that we could make light of it now.
“So? Surely you didn’t just rush back empty-handed?”
“Now you’re just being stupid. I’ll unpack in a minute. Go and call the
others.”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
Anis, who seemed to have suddenly become Adlus’s aide, answered and
followed after him. I also turned on my heels and exited the tent. I regretted
having to leave that warmth, but there was a job to do. Daniela regretted it
even more than me, and I had to pull her out myself.
By the time we reached the center of the campsite, everyone had gathered in
a circle. Now, for the long away feast. Daniela would create a wind barrier
and we could enjoy a nice old barbecue.
chapter 307
The sounds of roasting meat. Lively talk and laughter.
It was not what you might expect to hear on the frontlines. Well, the reason
for all of it was me, I suppose.
Adlus had all of the Adventurers gather around and we shared the supplies.
Today was special, and Adlus declared that we’d have a barbecue. Some of
the boxes had wine in them, and so we enjoyed ourselves as the guards who
were on watch duty glared angrily.
Daniela’s barrier also meant that the smell did not leak from the area. The
unlucky few who were excluded from the party had to stand on the wall and
kick the snow.
“Sorry that you have to stay out here in time like this.”
“Mister Asagi… No, it’s part of the job.”
“Well, don’t get too sulky. Eat this. I cooked it myself.”
“…It looks pretty good.”
“It doesn’t look good, it is good.”
I went around like the good and considerate host that I was. And before I
knew it, the sun had set. It had been a while since we had been able to get
drunk. Those who could, went and collapsed in their tents, while others took
turns guarding the walls. As for me, I activated Legs of the God Wolf and
headed off to Namila Village. I couldn’t help but be worried. And so I
decided to check up on them and then come straight back.
□ □ □ □
I had regained most of my strength. Maybe I wasn’t back completely, but as

long as I maintained a normal speed, I could fly for a long time without really
getting tired. And so it didn’t take me too long to reach Namila Village.
The chief’s house was a little towards the back of the main square. I could
see a dim light pouring from the windows. It was likely candles.
When I got closer to the house, I saw footprints on the snow. They came from
the forest and went around the house once before going inside. Marcel and
Silket. There were also soft voices and laughter coming from inside. They
seemed to be getting on well.
And so I let out a whistle. The voices suddenly stopped and the door opened
slowly.
“Good evening. I came to check up on you.”
“Mister Asagi!”
It was Silket who opened the door. Marcel was right behind her and holding a
sword.
When I peeked in, Felz was sitting behind a chair and wrapped in a blanket.
“Oh, it’s Mister Asagi.”
“Hey. I hope you were behaving yourself.”
“Yes!”
I tapped my shoes on the ground, shaking off the snow, before stepping
inside. Marcel let out a sigh of relief as she sheathed her weapon.
“You gave me a fright!”
“Sorry. I kind of did come without a warning.”
“Exactly. But I suppose you were concerned about us. Thank you.”
Silket said with a smile.

“Well, I feel indebted to you. See?”
“Oh…!”
“That looks delicious!”
I opened the hollow bag and took out the grilled meat, vegetables and fish. Of
course, they were from tonight’s barbecue. I had brought some with me to
show my appreciation to them.
“This is from the stuff your father prepared. I cooked it myself. There’s a lot,
so eat up.”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
Felz and Marcel jumped on the meat. Silket looked a little started.
“Uh, thank you. You really didn’t have to…”
“It’s fine. Like I said, it’s thanks to you. I’ll be watching outside, so you can
take it easy and enjoy the food.”
“Thank you. I suppose I will.”
I nodded and Silket headed to the table. After seeing her go, I went to the
door and stepped outside. It was a clear, cloudless sky. There wasn’t even
any wind. Just a comfortable chill.
It was on such nights that goblins might lurk in the shadows. They might
gather into a gang and attack this village once again. They would kill
everyone. No. I wouldn’t let such a thing happen. Never.
“Phew…”
I sighed and then concentrated, spreading out Presence Detection. Like a

crape, it spread out thin and wide.
Through the snowy fields and the forests.
As I was spreading it out so thin, I could not differentiate monsters from

animals or people. I only knew if something was there.
“Hmm…”
I inhaled the cold air through my nostrils. It did wonders for waking up your
brain.
“…I guess that’s it.”
After searching for a while, I was unable to find anything suspicious. At least
for now, there was nothing in this area. That was a great relief.
On such a cold night, the animals were all in their holes and the goblins were
far away. Any that might be on the surface had been killed by the
Adventurers…
Besides, things were looking bad in the abandoned city. I doubted they’d be
sending goblins out during this time.
“Mister Asagi?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“We finished eating all the food… Is something wrong?”
I hadn’t even noticed Silket opening the door. She was now looking at me
with a curious expression.
“No, it’s nothing. There’s nothing around here. So it should be fine for a
while, don’t worry.”
“You’re sure doing a lot for us.”
“It’s really nothing. I should be thanking you.”
I chuckled. And it was true.

“Oh, here’s some more food. I’ll leave it for you. Take good care of him.”
“Of course. It pains me that we can’t be out with the others during the battle.
But rest assured that we will be fine.”
“Yes, I’m counting on you. Well, good night.”
I left a box with them and returned to the frontline. I was thinking about
returning to the abandoned city tomorrow. I wanted to end this battle soon…
In fact, if I could launch an ambush, I would do it right away.
For Felz, and the village, and the citizens of the city. And even for the
Queen’s Knight Goblin who died.
I wanted to end the goblin stampede.

chapter 308
That night, we prepared a last supper. Me and Manager and even Daniela. A
few Jades who knew how to cook helped us as well.
And once everyone carried their bowls of food, Adlus stood up. We all knew
what he was going to say, but we fell silent and listened to the report all the
same.
“I’m sure you’ve all heard the news. Tomorrow, we will attack the
abandoned city. The number of goblin scouts who roam the outside perimeter
is dwindling. We can assume that things are worsening for them in the city.”
Steam rose in the air, as well as the appetizing scent of spices. I could feel it,
and so could Daniela.
“It’s not the best thing to bring up around such a splendid meal, but these
goblins have continued to eat each other. This means their numbers are
declining. That should make things easier for us. But don’t let your guard
down. This is a place where the light won’t reach. There will be many
obstacles underground. Even your comrades might be an obstacle. And so we
must select who will go down there, and who will not.”
Damn, this was getting very long… Daniela was already disassociating. Her
eyes were fixed on the meat in front of her.
“First, is Asagi. This plan works because of his presence. Next, is Rindo. Her
magic shows its true worth in the darkness. And then we have Daniela. Her
magic is in a league of its own. You three will be leading the group that I
select. Of course, if things get too dangerous the rest will fight…”
Adlus began to announce the names of the Jades who would be going. With
every name he called, the colder our dinner became.
“Daniela, not yet.”

“I cannot wait…”
“He’s almost finished…”
“I might die before then…”
Her face was getting closer to the meat. She seemed like she would starve to
death at any moment now.
“…It is these twenty that will be descending into the abandoned city. The rest
will stay on the surface in order to take out the goblins who try to escape.
Obviously we will try our best to avoid them from getting out, but this is a
necessary precaution. You may not have a lot to do, but I ask that you stay
vigilant.”
As Daniela approached her limit, I scanned the scene. The others were also
fixed on their food.
“…I’m sorry to have to speak for so long, but this is all very important. If
you would continue to lend me your ears…”
At that, the Jades all raised their heads. I looked up at him as well. Not
Daniela, though.
Adlus looked at all of us and sighed.
“I am truly sorry that the food you made for us is getting cold… Well, I’ve
told you the most important part. If you have any questions, you can ask me
later. Now, let’s eat.”
“Finally!”
Daniela practically shouted as she picked up her knife. The Jades also nodded
and began to eat.
Adlus sighed again and sat down. But no one was paying any attention to
him.
Giving a speech before a meal was the worst thing a person could do. What
did he expect?
Still, this was a group of brilliant Adventurers, and everyone knew what their
role was. A few did walk up to Adlus later with their questions. There was
something comforting about being in such good company. Such were my
thoughts as I picked up my bag and headed off to Namila Village.
□ □ □ □
I whistled and the door opened.
“Mister Asagi. Good evening.”
“Hey, Silket. Are the others inside?”
“Yes. We’re having dinner.”
“Ah, so I was too late then.”
“Hmm?”
The chief’s house in Namila Village. It was here that Silket and Marcel were
staying as they protected the chief’s son, Felz. I had brought food for them,
but due to the feast, I was a little late in arriving. As I was one of the people
that would be leading a team, I couldn’t slip out too early.
“Oh, it’s Mister Asagi.”
“Asagi!”
The two looked at me as they stuffed what looked like noodles into their
mouths. Felz had sauce all over his face.
“We’re going to launch the attack tomorrow, so we had a special meal. I

brought some for you guys, but it looks like I was late.”
“I can still eat more!”
“Me too!”
“I could eat a little…”
They were clearly just being polite… This was embarrassing.
I put down my bag and took out the food and put it on the table. Felz looked
at it with shining eyes, which made me a little happy. Though Marcel had a
similar look as well.
While it was a little awkward, they ended up eating everything that I had
brought. What made me especially happy, was that they really liked the soup
that I had made. It was simple but also something I put a lot of effort into,
and so it was nice to see that they appreciated it.
And in spite of the fact that I had already eaten, I found myself nibbling as
well. It was a pleasant atmosphere, like a family dining around a table. Felz
would tell us amusing stories about the village while Marcel would make
strange jokes and Silket would make good ones. It was really nice.
“Ahhh…I’m stuffed…”
“I’m glad that you liked it. And you guys ate everything too.”
“Well, it was all so delicious that I couldn’t stop.”
All four of us had eaten well. Felz must have gotten drowsy after eating so
much because he quickly went off to bed. It was just us Adventurers now.
“So, we’ll be invading the nest tomorrow.”
“I thought you would.”
“It was written all over your face.”
I see… I scratched my cheek and laughed.
“Still, I want you to continue to stay here with Felz. Is that alright?”
“Of course! It’s true that I wish I could join the others, but I understand we
have an important mission as well.”
“Yes. This is the Namila Liberation Frontline. Protecting this place is part of
the job.”
“Thank you. Well, I should go then.”
I got to my feet and Marcel and Silket followed. They were going to see me
off. That was nice. I was like their old superior that they were fond of.
I opened the door and stepped out into the cold night air.
“Woah. It’s so cold!”
“It really is…”
“If only you could stay inside…”
We chuckled.
“Well, we’ll all come back to see you when the battle is over.”
“I understand. We’ll keep this place safe until then.”
“As much as we can, anyway.”
“Thank you. Good luck.”
I said as a tousled Marcel’s hair and patted Silket on the head.
“You were nicer to Silket!”
“You reminded me a little of a dog, and Silket reminded me of a cat. So that

might have affected me.”
“You’re terrible!”
She said and then laughed. I almost regretted leaving, but I needed to rest up
for tomorrow.
“Well, gotta go!”

“Goodbye!”
“See you later!”
I activated Legs of the God Wolf and rose into the air. The platinum and jade
wind pushed me up and launched me back towards the frontline as the two
watched.
It was for them and Felz, and the villagers that fled to the Imperial Capital.
And really, for the Imperial Capital as well, that we had to succeed in
tomorrow’s mission. It was with this thought in my mind, that I headed for
the forest.
chapter 309
The next morning .
The Nise Yggdra tree .
In front of the hollow .
We Adventurers stood quietly .
“I have no talent for speeches . Last night was proof enough of that .
However, you are not a group that needs to be roused . Your morale is high
enough . ”
Adlus stood in front of us and spoke quietly as his hands rested on his sword .
“Our enemy is right below us . A swarm of goblins . They are the remnants .
”
As for the plan, Manager would use her shadows to find every entrance, and
then the Adventurers would block them off .
At first, Manager was going to block them all with her shadow magic, but
considering the burden to her and that it would affect her ability to fight, she
ultimately suggested against it . She would not be able to use any other magic
if she had to contrate on blocking all of the exits .
“We will break into the nest of the starving goblins . But you must all be
careful . While we mean to be their annihilators, one wrong step can turn you
into their food . ”
If all of the exits were blocked from the outside, it would mean that all of the
Adventurers could be used in the assault against the abandoned city .
Manager could move freely . The plan had been changed after she had
discussed with us the way her magic worked .
“Alright, let’s go . There are no orders . Just advance quietly and quickly .
And then we hit the nest . ”
Everyone nodded and turned on their notably beautiful magic illumination

tools that hung on their belts . Hmm . Just the thought of them walking
through the shadows made me glad that I had let the Adventurers borrow
them . My collection deserved to be displayed like that .
Without another word, the silent march began .
□ □ □ □
The passage through the tree would have been pitch black without the magic
lamps . But it was now bright enough to make out the dirt on the floor and
walls . You could tell that goblins had passed through here numerous times .
We continued without saying a word . Like the last time, we walked down
the slope and went deeper in until we came out into a much wider passage .
As I was in the lead, I raised my hand for the others to stop . It was here that I
used Nighteyes and Presence Detection to see what was happening .
“Hmm…”
“See anything?’
Daniela whispered as she held her bow .
“It seems like they’re all gathering in the center…”
“And what is in the center?”
I tried to think back on the last time I had infiltrated the place . To be honest,
all of the buildings looked very similar, and it wasn’t as if I checked all of
them . I really didn’t know .
“I don’t know… I’ll have to go . ”
“I see . Well, Rindo should use her magic first . ”

“That’s true . ”
I wasn’t able to use Nighteyes and Eyes of the God Wolf at the same time, so
I would have to actually go there to find out . I decided to do it after Manager
used her magic detection and the Jades finished blocking off the exits .
“Shadow Step . ”
Black magical energy went towards her feet, and then Manager stepped into
the shadow that she made with the magic tool . Then the shadow began to
spread out . It was as if it was eating all the shadows in the area, even
climbing up the walls and the ceiling . It ran up buildings, covering them,
stretching far . Manager had said that this magic was where everything
started . And it made sense when you looked at it . Not only that, but she used
the shadows to make a wall around us . Now the goblins wouldn’t be able to
see us or the lights of the magic lamps .
Once everything was covered in darkness, her second magic activated .
“Shadow Read . ”
This was her version of detection magic . It allowed her to get a detailed
reading of the entire area that she had covered in shadows . She had said that
the shadows of the night were her field, and this was proof of it .
“Hmm . Hmm . I see . There are four exists including this one . ”
“Alright . Rindo, take your team of Jades and go and block off these exits .
Once you return, the battle will begin . ”
“Wait a minute . Two of them are heading towards us . ”
Daniela stopped them as they started to walk . She nocked an arrow and
unleashed it instantly . With a speed that the eye could not follow, she fired
two arrows in succession . A short distance away, there were the sounds of
bodies falling to the ground .
“…Alright . You can go now . ”
“Go . ”
Daniela observed that it was safe, and Adlus gave the signal . And so
Manager and her team advanced silently and disappeared into the darkness .
We waited cautiously for a while until Manager and the others finally
returned . From the looks of them, they had had to fight a few times . There
were bloodstains on their clothes and weapons .
“We had a few close calls, but the job is done . All the exits are sealed . Earth
magic is quiet useful, huh?”
“I’m honored that you think so…”
A quiet-looking man said with a hint of embarrassment as Manager turned to

look at him . I rolled my eyes and looked back at Manager .
“So, you had to fight?”
“Twice . It seemed like the goblins were going out to hunt . ”
They really were desperate for food then . There weren’t as many as there
were before . And we hadn’t seen any walking outside . From what I could
tell with Presence Detection, they were still gathered towards the center .
“Alright then . It’s time . ”
The Namila Village Liberation Front . The final phase was about to begin .
And I was to be the advance guard .
I rushed through what was once the main street of the city . The Adventurers
were split into teams of two, and one by one, they came out onto the street .
“Goblins up ahead!”
I had Presence Detection spread out . Whenever I detected them, I raised my

voice as a warning . Then Daniela ran and unleashed her arrows .
“Rindo, to the left!”
Adlus detected a goblin coming out from the shadow of a building . Manager
threw a shadow sword, splitting its head open .
Some of the Adventurers had disappeared down the alleys, and I could hear
them fighting as I ran . After a while, I reached the place that would be the
center of the city . More than half of the goblins were congregated here .
When I turned around, there were only about ten Jades behind me, aside from
the three Rubies . The others had all scattered out .
“Ha…ha… Alright, let’s go . ”
Adlus caught his breath and looked up .
In front of us, stood the largest building in this city…a tower .
It wasn’t just a building that was taller than the rest . It was in the actual
shape of a tower . No one knew why such a structure was underground .
However, the top of the building nearly reached the ceiling . In fact, it joined
the tangle of roots of the Nise Yggdra Tree, which kept it from falling . If
anything, it was probably more secure than ever .
And I could sense that it was packed with goblins, top to bottom .
“I guess I didn’t notice it because I never looked up…”
I said as I looked up at it . I was too concentrated on not stepping on any

bones or twigs while staying out of sight . And so it had escaped my notice .
“How about using fire magic to create an explosion that will tear the building
down?”
“The others might get caught in it . ”
Adlus rejected Daniela’s suggestion .
“Shadow Step would be difficult here . ”
Manager said with a chuckle .
The Jades were holding their weapons and looked like they were eager to go
in .
Well, that was a good sign . I slapped my face to fire myself up and then
unsheathed my trusty blade, the Glampanzer .
And like that, we stepped foot into the tower where the goblins were
devouring each other .
chapter 310
The Top of the Tower
A tower was just a building that was very long vertically. I looked up and
considered using Legs of the God Wolf to reach the top, but then thought
better of it. The only thing I would reach like that was the ceiling. It was as if
each floor was just a small resting place between the flights of steps.
“We’ll split up on every floor and annihilate them.”
Adlus said. We nodded and started to climb the steps. Thankfully, they were
rather wide, about the breadth of three people. But it wouldn’t be too
comfortable if three people ran up at the same time. After all, we were
carrying swords, shields, and bows. And so we went up in pairs of two.
“Hah…ha…damn. This is tiring…!”
“Stop it. You sound pathetic!”
Why were stairs so exhausting? Daniela had no time for my complaints, but
that didn’t help me at all.
“I’m done… Sorry, Daniela…”
“Hey, you…”
“…Phew… Ahh…damn it…”
You see, I had a little trick called Legs of the God Wolf. The platinum and
jade wind carried me up and I glided smoothly up the stairs.
“Asagi! You cheater!”
“Let’s just say it’s my right, okay?”

“This is not easy for me either!”
Oh, so light elves also didn’t like stairs. Duly noted.
Our idiotic banter always helped calm my nerves. And I soon saw the end of
the staircase.
This floor was rather brightly lit. The other Adventurers caught up quickly
and spread out.
The scene before us was hellish. It was a large, circular floor that was
overflowing with blood. Limbs and heads were scattered everywhere. And
there, were the dark goblins, holding the pieces and looking at us with dull
eyes.
“High Goblins!”
One of the Adventurers shouted. It was as if that sound pushed them into
motion. The High Goblins shouted their battle cry and charged towards us.
There was something very human-like about the way they unsheathed the
swords at their waist.
“Spread out!”
We spread out into the pairs that had been decided on previously, and then
got to work. The High Goblins swung their swords with a familiarity that
seemed to startle some of the Jades. Daniela and I did what we could to help
them as we rushed through the floor as a mobile unit.
High Goblins or not, it was them versus all of us, and so the battle didn’t last
long. Some of the Adventurers immediately got to work, cutting off the left
hands, which were proof of the hunt.
I watched them while calling out to see if anyone was injured. Then I heard
the echoes of footsteps. More were coming down the stairs.
These were also High Goblins. They had heard the noise downstairs and had
come to look.
If we didn’t do something, all the goblins on the upper floors might come
down at once. We wouldn’t have a second to breathe. Daniela and I might be
able to manage it, but it was too heavy a burden for the Jades.
“Charge! It will only be chaos if we allow them to call the others!”
You could kill and kill and feel like you would never see the end. That would
be bad for morale. Adlus was wary of this and gave the order. The fight
recommenced.
I took the lead. Manager used her shadows and followed. Daniela shot them
down with her bow. We were able to break through the stairs. However,
when we reached the next floor, we were greeted by another group of High
Goblins.
“Alright, you two go on ahead. Leave this to me.”
Manager said as tendrils of shadow stretched out from her. She had already
activated Shadow Step. Her shadow covered the floor and captured the High
Goblins. Then the Jades ran up and took off their heads.
However, she wasn’t able to freeze all of them. And some were able to
escape her grasp. They raised their swords and attacked. Manager met them
with shadow swords.
Like that, Daniela, Adlus, and I ran through them and climbed up the stairs to
the third floor.
There were no more stairs after that.
It sat like a king on of a great throne. The arrogance shown in its posture
suggested it was something above a High Goblin.
This one wasn’t black. It had red skin.
“A High Red Goblin…”
What we had initially assumed the Queen’s Knight Goblin was. He had also
been dark red, but had evolved differently. As for this goblin in front of us, it
was a unique being.
“So, I guess this one would have been the leader if the other wasn’t around.”
“Well then, crushing this one might solve our problem.”
What we had been fearing, was now that the Queen’s Knight Goblins was
gone, the goblins were living without any leader at all. They would be very
unpredictable then. They would be more desperate to survive.
The situation would be a little different if there were a leader. If this was a
somewhat unified colony, then the loss of the head would create confusion. I
still wasn’t sure how intelligent these monsters were, but it would surely
make things easier for us.
“Alright, Daniela and I will support. Asagi, you get him.”
“Got it.”
The fight on the top floor began. With the demon armor sword in hand, I used
Legs of the God Wolf to leap over the crowd of High Goblins and closed in
on the High Red Goblin all at once.
“Haah!!”
There was no point in a drawn-out fight. I swung down in order to cut off his
head and end the fight quickly. However, he dodged the attack with a speed
that I had not predicted.
“Ghaghagahagahh!”
The High Red Goblin’s face twisted as it laughed. Was this the first time a
monster had laughed at me? It was rare to see such expressiveness. …Maybe
it’s because it was unique.
I used Legs of the God Wolf to swerve around him and swung at his back.
However, this time his claws intercepted my attack. Damn it. How strong
were they?
Just swinging my sword around wasn’t going to cut it. I had to take it by
surprise, somehow. Perhaps this guy had been the leader before the Queen’s
Knight Goblin showed up. It had a strength that suggested it.
“Grraagghh!!”
“Tsk…!”
I tried to jump back after my attack was blocked, but he launched a counter-
attack before I could. I hadn’t struggled like this in a while. I managed to
block them but could not find an opening to attack.
“You’re…persistent…!”
“Ggg…!?”
Dark blue energy coursed through the floor, and the ice magic, ‘Icicle
Inverse’ caught him by surprise. The spears of ice shot out of the ground and
pierced his feet. I see. While his claws were incredibly tough, his skin could
be broken. I couldn’t help but grin.
“Grrrr…!”
Perhaps it saw my change of expression. The High Red Goblin ground its
teeth with rage. I provoked it without trying to. That wasn’t like me.
However, I was also terribly angry after having so many attacks blocked by
his claws. I was likely to die of stress if I didn’t lash out here.
“Now, let’s get things started!”
“Grrraaaghh!!”
I activated Jack of all Trades, Master of None, and ran the images through
my brain, quickly rehearsing what I was about to do. Hmm. Hmm. Alright. It
was certainly doable. Yes, I would do it.
“Frost Sword x 3!”

Three of the familiar ice swords appeared around me. They floated in the air
and followed my movements. The High Red Goblin seemed wary of these
swords that I didn’t need to touch. However, that wasn’t going to help him. I
would not allow him to block my next attack.
“Eat this!”
The demon armor sword clanged against his claws, at the same time, the first
floating ice sword attacked.
“Grraagh!?”
The blade slid beautifully into his ribs. Vibrant blood sprayed into the air and
fell to the floor.
This was the way to kill this goblin. When fighting a veteran, I had no choice
but to use surprise attacks.
“Haaahhh!!”
The High Red Goblin slowed down noticeably. And so I moved to his back
again and swung down. My blade aimed for his neck. However, the goblin
was desperate. And it tried with all its might to move out of the way. But the
second ice sword wouldn’t let it.
“Grraagh!”
The goblin moved as if to roll forward, but one of its legs got pinned to the
ground by the icy blade. Now, it’s movements were completely sealed. It
then tried to use its arms to raise itself, but it could do nothing else.
“You’re finished…!”
I grabbed the last ice sword and pointed it at the High Red Goblin’s throat. It
must have given up because it no longer struggled. It had once been so
desperate to survive. We all were. And that’s why we fought and it had come
to this.
And so, with the two swords in my hands, I severed the High Red Goblin’s
head.
chapter 311
What Shakes The Tower
As expected, the monsters were distressed when the High Red Goblin was
killed. And we had an easier job of taking down the High Goblins after that.
Though, that was only true for the third floor. The others were still fighting
on the lower floors.
“Alright, let’s go and help them.”
I turned my ice swords into mist and then turned to Adlus and Daniela. They
really hadn’t been wasting any time. As I had been struggling against the
High Red, they had cleaned up the room… I needed more experience against
large groups of enemies as well.
“The number of High Goblins beneath us should be quite low. It will

probably end very soon.”
“Yes, the Jades were quite excited to finally get some action. It may be better
not to interfere.”
Daniela and Adlus suggested, but I didn’t think this was time to let our
guards down. And in any case, the other Jades who scattered around the city
would probably be gathering near the tower by now. So we had to go down
and meet them.
“Well, we should return anyway.”
“Indeed… Hm?!”
“What is it? Daniela?”
“Presence Detection! Something incredible…!”
At this, I frantically spread the range of Presence Detection. And then I

detected something ridiculously large within the abandoned city. It wasn’t
something that was just hiding up until now. It had appeared out of nowhere.
Besides, I had infiltrated this place before, and there hadn’t been any monster
like this.
“…This is bad. It is heading towards us.”
“But why…? Is there a reason for it to head to the center of the city?”
“I do not know. But we must escape. We will all die if this tower collapses!”
They moved quickly. Adlus and Daniela dashed down the steps to inform the
other Adventurers and order them to escape. As for me, I used Eyes of the
God Wolf to get a better idea of what the thing was.
“…Woah… What the hell…!”
I couldn’t help but mutter, but there was no one to hear me.
The thing that I was able to see now. It was an unbelievable monster.
Its color was a pale green, much like a goblin. However, its physique was
completely different. To put it simply, it was a giant centipede. Its bulging
muscles were connected like beads, and from each mass, were thick arms…
no, legs. And the head of this rediculous body was a fleshy mass with
multiple eyes and mouths.
This monstrous creature was thrashing about, causing buildings to fall, as it

made its way towards the tower.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
I needed to get out of here. That wasn’t an enemy we could fight.
Frantically, I switched the eyes off and slid down the stairs with Legs of the
God Wolf. They were already retreating on the second floor, and I saw
Daniela’s back, just as I reached it. And so I turned Legs of the God Wolf off
so I could run next to her as we went down the stairs.
“Daniela, we’re dead.”
“Not me.”
“That’s not what…well, maybe. That’s not the point!”
“Asagi. Stop panicking. It is in these moments that you must remain calm.”
How could I be calm! I held back the urge to shout this and took in a deep
breath. Of course, that made things worse, since we were dashing down some
steps.
“A monster I’ve never seen before is headed towards this tower. It’s huge.”
“Is it really a monster?”
“I think so. Well, I’m not an expert.”
If anything, it might be better to call it some kind of ancient, living weapon.
“Well, if it is alive, then it can be killed.”
“I didn’t think there were people in this world who actually say such things.”
I could not understand where her confidence was coming from. I had been so
overwhelmed by its sheer size. However, once I started to calm down a little,
it seemed less impossible. Indeed. If it was alive, then it could be killed. Of
course, that didn’t mean we were fit for the job…
“It is now visible from the tower. It might actually be more dangerous to
leave.”
“But Daniela, it can’t possibly be safer in here. There’s no way that it won’t
collapse. We’ll be crushed.”
“Well, perhaps we can wait in a spot that will allow us to escape right as that
happens.”
Hmm. Maybe… There was a monster outside. The tower collapsing might
give us cover to escape.
That’s when it happened. A scream rose from the stairs up ahead. I paused
and used Eyes of the God Wolf to see what was happening. Some of the
Jades were looking out of a window and pointing with looks of horror. They
must be looking at the monster. Its appearance had been worthy of such a
reaction…
“Damn it. Fear is contagious.”
Daniela was quick to see the danger in this development.
“I better go and make them calm down.”
“Aye. You go on ahead.”
I would have to and tell Adlus. Though, I’m sure he would understand
without me saying anything.
“Be careful.”
“Yeah.”
I activated Legs of the God Wolf and jumped over the heads of the
Adventurers and landed on the second floor. People looked up to see what
was happening, but I ignored them and continued to slide down.
Adlus was shaking the shoulders of one of the Jades. He was quick to see
what was happening…
“Adlus.”
“We saw it. But was it?”
“As if I’d know. The point is that it’ll be dangerous outside as well.”
“I intend to wait for it to stop after hitting the tower. That’s when we’ll let the
Jades escape. As for the rest of us, we stay here and fight it.”
“Of course.”
The frightened Jades watched this conversation with disbelief.
“Yo-you can’t seriously mean to fight that thing… There is no way you can
kill it!”
“If it’s alive, then it can die. We just need to take it from…”
“That thing is bigger than a wyvern! It’s impossible! Ah, it’s no use. Even if
we run now, it will be too late!”
The monster was surprisingly fast, and it was only a matter of time before it
reached us. The Adventurers saw this and fell to their knees.
“We’ll beat it. Just you watch.”
I pulled out my greatsword from the hollow bag and pointed it at the monster.
And then I sent dark blue magic energy into it, causing the blade to turn into
water and extend out and break through the wall. The monster had been about
to smash against it, but instead, it was pierced by the water blade. It let out a
shrill scream.
“See, it can be hurt. We just need to continue until it’s dead. We can win!”
The Jades looked up at me as I shouted. Perhaps they had heard that I

struggled against the Queen’s Knight Goblin. And yet, here I was, doing
damage to this great monster.
“Look at how many of us were in the Imperial Sword Tournament. This is no

trial that we cannot overcome.”
Adlus continued. Daniela chuckled at this. That seemed to calm them a little.
“It’s coming again!”
Manager shouted. And we all tensed up again. But they were all determined
now. I was sure that they would live up to our expectations.
There was now a big gap in the wall made by the water blade. The monster
was curled back, with its back arched. It was probably going to spring back
and ram its head into the tower.
“…Prepare ready for impact!”
Adlus stabbed his sword into the ground and crouched. I did the same and put
my arm around his shoulder. That would help keep us stable. Adlus noticed
this and put his arm on me as well.
A few seconds passed, and the charging monster’s head rammed heavily into
the tower. There was a thunderous boom and the ground and building shook.
“W-wha!”
“Ahhh!”
I could hear people screaming, but it was so faint. The sounds of the tower
shaking were much too loud. I gritted my teeth and quickly pulled my hood
over my head to protect it from the dust and debris that was falling from the
ceiling.
It hadn’t even been ten seconds, but it seemed like it had lasted for much
longer. When it ended, everything became dead silent. I used Eyes of the God
Wolf to check on the monster. Apparently, it had been ramming its head on
the third floor. It now had its head inside. It appeared to have stopped now.
Well, this was our chance. We could not let it go to waste.
“Now! Run!!”
I shouted. The Jades quickly got to their feet and dashed out. Thankfully, the
shaking had not scared them so much that they couldn’t move. They ran
straight, down the steps and out through the exit on the first floor. While it
would be intimidating to be so close to the monster, once they were past it,
they were free to run through the abandoned city.
We retreated as well. Once the tower was empty, we could hear the sound of
it creaking as cracks began to appear. They grew larger, and more sand and
dust filled the air. Soon rocks started to fall.
“It’ll all come down soon.”
I nodded at Adlus’s words. It would probably fall as soon as it pulled its head
out. However, if we feared that and ran from the scene, we would lose our
best chance.
“Attack its legs!”
First, it was mobility. This thing was faster than it looked. And that was
likely affected by the number of legs it had.
We couldn’t do anything unless we could keep it in one place. Its movement

would allow it to escape the water blade. It might even chase after the other
Adventurers. And so we targeted the legs. Pin them down or slice them off.
Everyone would use their own methods.
“Hyaah!!”
I shouted as I swung my blade. As they were so thick, I wasn’t able to cut the
leg off in one hit. However, a giant tear appeared in its flesh. As blood
sprayed from the wound, I hit again and again. Finally, the rest of the leg
gave way, and I succeeded in removing it entirely.
“The muscles are just like a goblin! It’s not too hard!”
I shouted and pulled back for another swing. But then the monster went wild.
Still, there seemed to be a bit of a lag when it came to feeling pain. For a
second, I had wondered if it didn’t feel any at all.
“Fall back!”
Adlus shouted as he unleashed his water magic. We all immediately backed

away. Some people tripped, but quickly got up and escaped.
The monster was screeching as it thrashed around and its legs stomped the
ground. It was like an earthquake. However, its head remained firmly inside
of the tower. Was it stuck?
While this seemed like a perfect opportunity, it was moving too much, and
we could not get any closer.
“Leave it to me! Haa!”
Adlus used his favorite little trick, auto guard, in order to protect the
Adventurers. This magic had been a pain in the ass for me, but it was a huge
comfort for us now. It meant we could fight without worrying.
And I was starting to feel very hopeful. If its head really was stuck up there,
maybe I could attack the head and…
“It’s worth trying…!”
I held the greatsword on my shoulder and then activated Legs of the God
Wolf.
“Asagi!?”
“This is my chance! I’m going to kill it.”
“No. It is too dangerous!”
Daniela tried to stop me, but I felt that killing it here would surely be the way
to minimize casualties.
And so I ignored her protest and shot up to the roof. Then I imbued the sword
with dark blue energy, turning the blade to water, as I approached the
monster’s head.
“Eat this! Kamiyashiro… Huh!?”
Just as I raised the blade into the air, the cluster of eyes moved in my
direction.
In an instant, its centipede-like body came shooting towards me from behind.

I had been about to unleash ‘Swiftest Wind Flash’ onto its head but quickly
changed its course to the body instead.
“Damn…!!”
I twisted awkwardly as the water blade shot forward and cut diagonally into
the body. The surface of the monster fell away easily to the water blade, and
blood gushed out like a fountain. The monster wailed madly.
“GGGGGGUUUUUIIIEEEEEEEEGHH!!!”
It sounded like the screams of many people were layered into one. It made
your skin crawl and your ears shake. Perhaps it had taken so much damage
now, that it was reacting faster to attacks than earlier. It thrashed wildly.
Eventually, its head was freed from the tower. We had cut nearly half of its
legs off at that point, but somehow, it was even crazier and more dangerous
than before.
“Shit..!!”
I landed near the others, as they moved away from the monster. My
greatsword dragged on the ground as I ran.
“I would have had it if the attack landed. I was so close.”
“How very disappointing…”
It was the perfect opportunity, and I had messed up. It hurt. It was a lack of
experience. With so many eyes, I should have expected it to be able to see me
coming. Especially since I was also someone who had the ability to use other
‘eyes.’
“Still, you did deal a lot of damage. If you can attack it like that again, you
may be able to kill it.”
“Sorry…”
“You can be sorry later. Right now, we have to kill that thing. Isn’t that
right?”
Adlus said. I nodded. Yes… Right. Killing that thing would be one way to
make up for my mistake!
“Alright, I’ll do it! We’ll all do it together!”
“That’s the spirit!”
Daniela and the other Adventurers raised their voices in answer. My grip
tightened around my sword. Regardless of the result, it was still damaged.
We could kill it. As long as we could regain the advantage.
It had to be done. I wasn’t about to die down here to such a monster. It was
time we taught it to fear humans.
chapter 312
Monster Hunt
The city outskirts.
We had moved to the walls and immediately prepared to fight.
“Trying anything too complex will only result in failure. We have to stop it
from moving. That’s all.”
Adlus unsheathed his sword and glared in the direction where the ground was
shaking.
“We will do everything we can to stop it. And then Asagi will deal the final
blow. You can do that, can’t you?”
“Yeah. I won’t miss it again. We have nowhere to run, after all.”
We had moved away from the buildings, as we wanted to avoid getting

crushed when they came toppling down. But now cavern walls were at our
backs. And there was no exit near to us. This was to avoid having the
entrance collapse and end up sealing us inside.
In other words, we were trapped. This was where we had to fight. It was the
final stage.
The shaking grew stronger and louder. But it was definitely slower now
compared to when it had first charged. The wounds and severed legs had
done their job.
“I can see it!”
One Adventurer cried just as its head appeared from between two buildings.
Its numerous eyes were looking straight at us.
What was it? Its purpose. Why had it appeared?
I had so many questions, but I suppose they would have to wait until it was
dead. It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing you could capture alive.
“Still… Monster-monster-monster. It doesn’t sound right. How about giving

it a name? Scolopendra Goblin!”
Hmm, Adlus. What a dork.
“It is too long, annoying, and more importantly, nobody cares. It is clearly
not a goblin. It is just a monster.”
Daniela said rather savagely. Adlus must have been proud of what he had
come up with, because he looked at Daniela with a blank expression. Daniela
ignored him and gathered jade energy into her hands. Wind magic.
“Now, it is time to fight.”
She nocked an arrow, drew, and then fired it along with a boost of magic. Her
arrow traveled faster than any of the other arrows that were unleashed by the
Adventurers at the same time. And it went straight into the monster’s head.
“GGGGRRRRRGGRRRGG!!!”
Once again, it sounded like numerous voices combined into one. I held back
the urge to cover my ears and waited for my opportunity.
“Now!”
Adlus shouted, and a second volley of arrows and magic attacks were
unleashed. Half of the Adventurers that were with us were rear guards. And
their firepower was a sight to behold.
The arrows pierced into the monster one after another. The magic bullets tore
out its flesh, carving away its body.
Like this, as countless projectiles filled the air, the advance guard did not
have a lot to do. I wasn’t going to get caught in that even if it was an order.
That being said, I couldn’t exactly run away either. And so I waited. My
sword was unsheathed and in my hand, but I wasn’t really doing anything. I
suppose it was just my way of making it known that I was just as enthusiastic
as the others who were actually doing something.
However, battles were always unpredictable. And we weren’t bored for long.
“Hmm. Goblins are coming.”
Manager muttered. This information that she gained from Shadow Read
spread out immediately. Those of us in the advance guard all shouted to each
other and waved our swords, welcoming the enemy.
Still, we had assumed that all the goblins were dead. But now they seemed to
pour out of the shadows of a building. They swung their rusty weapons as if
to defend the giant monster. We of the advance guard met them, easily
striking the weapons out of the hands of the goblins and cutting them down.
Even as the giant monster was targeted by the rain of arrows and magic, it
continued to move towards us. Its numerous eyes were now unrecognizable
after the damage from the explosions of fire, thunder, wind, and earth magic.
“Haaahhh…what chaos…”
The giant monster. The ear-shattering noise of magic attacks. The goblins
that crawled out like cockroaches. And the Adventurers who disposed of
them.
And yet, there was hope of victory in all of that.
It could no longer see after all the ranged attacks had taken out its eyes. It
crushed goblins with its feet as it moved, and the weapons on the ground
carved its body up even more. It was getting slower by the second. Now that
it was being attacked by all sides, surely it would have no energy to do
anything else.
I took out Schwartz Tempest and waited. And while I waited, I activated Jack
of all Trades, Master of None, and simulated my next attack. I had done this
many times before. But I was going to rely on my old master anyway. It was
my strength. I was both safer and more confident this way.
I was able to believe that there was no way that I wouldn’t defeat it.
“Alright…!”
I muttered quietly and activated Legs of the God Wolf. Then I raised the
speed until the sounds of the wind were high-frequency.
I started it off in a crouch while holding a greatsword, which was not ideal, as
I looked up at Daniela who was still unleashing arrows. Daniela noticed and
then nodded at me. I nodded back.
‘Ready, steady, go.’ I thought to myself. And started. My first step caused the
ground to crack under my foot, and then I leapt into the air. By my third step,
I was already in front of the monster.
“Kamiyashiro Style – Water Blade Azure Fusion!”
The greatsword with the watery blue blade. It was incredibly sharp and fast
as it thrust forward. Furthermore, the magic energy in the blade expanded,
causing an explosion that did more damage than a mere thrust.
Like this, I shot through the tunnel I had created through the monster. What
was left, was a monster with a hole in its head. Immediately after, the magic
attacks that had been unleashed before I shot forward, reached the monster.
The Adventurers were to attack it and seal the use of its eyes and legs. And
then an attack that was so fast it wouldn’t be able to do anything even if it
saw me.
That was Adlus’s plan. Well, he knew how to make the most of our talents.
Ultimately, we had been able to take the monster down. It was a fight I
couldn’t have won alone, and a fight they couldn’t have won without me. It
was a fight that made us believe we could take on any monster as long as we
worked together.
□ □ □ □
The Jades all returned to the surface. Manager led the group back through the
passages and out the hollow of the Nise Yggdra tree. They were probably
back at the campsite by now.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes, we’ll be fine. You take care of the others.”
“…Very well. But if something happens, run.”
Adlus said. And then he too disappeared down the dark passage.
Now it was just Daniela and me in the underground city. Why? Well, we had
not found out anything about the monster. Well, I did have an idea. The place
that it had appeared. It had come from the direction of the facility that the
Queen’s Knight Goblin had discovered.
Someone had done something that resulted in its creation. That was the only
explanation. However, we couldn’t be completely sure. And so Daniela and I
decided to go and check.
Silence had fallen over the city. The monster was dead and the goblins had
been annihilated. So, who had created the monster? It was bugging me.
“Well, that thing destroyed so much.”
“Cultural heritage, huh?”
We walked through the abandoned city. I knew that this was no time for
sightseeing, however, it was hard to relax, and I kept looking around
excitedly. This wasn’t the kind of thing you could see every day. I wanted to
burn these images into my brain.
We arrived at the tower. Now it was just a straight line to the facility. But as
the monster had destroyed buildings in its wake, it was a little difficult to
walk.
“Woah.”
“Asagi. Be careful.”
“I’m fine. I’m fine.”
The occasional brick tried to trip me, but we continued on our way.
It finally came into view. However, the building was in ruins, thanks to the
monster. It did not even retain its original shape. Regardless, we had to make
sure that all of the equipment was completely destroyed. The thought of
something like that monster being born again was unbearable.
“I cannot detect any monsters…”
Daniela muttered as she used Presence Detection. I agreed, and so we pushed

away the rubble and moved inside.
It was a mess. The equipment had all been in the basement, and there had
been a room further on where the goblins were kept for breeding. If that was
where the monster had been born, it was no wonder the ceiling was broken
and both the basement and first floor were filled with rubble.
“None of this looks salvageable to me.”
“Still, we should make sure of it.”
There was something that looked like a control panel that had been crushed
when the building collapsed. I wasn’t sure if the floor was part of the
machinery, but it was made of something like glass, which was also cracked.
We tried pressing buttons but there was no reaction. When pulling out the
panels of the floor, the only thing we saw was torn cables and wires. I didn’t
see how anyone could repair this stuff, unless an ancient elf suddenly popped
out and did all of the work.
“…Hmmm. It should be fine. We should go.”
I got off of the floor and brushed the dust off of my clothes and stretched my
back.
“…Ahh… Daniela. Let’s go.”
I called. There was no answer.
“…Daniela?”
Worried, I walked over to the spot that I had last seen her. It was a dangerous
area, where brick walls leaned over, ready to topple. Daniela was standing in
the shadows. It was too dark to see her face.
“Daniela.”
“…Asagi. Look.”
“Huh?”
When she turned to look at me, I saw that her expression was serious. Maybe
tense. She was pointing at a small hatch on the floor. It was round and just
large enough for one person to go through. It looked exactly like the one I
had found when I discovered the Automata.
“I saw the same thing in the ancient elven ruin. You know, where I found the
Automata and the appraisal glasses.”
“So it is related to them.”
“This…we can’t just ignore it.”
“But it might be dangerous.”
That was true. Even the first time, I had been so excited and hadn’t
considered the possibility of traps. And this place had a facility that had been
working until recently. It could definitely be dangerous.
“But we’ll always be worried if we don’t check it. We have to be sure…”
“…That is true. It will be hard to sleep knowing that we may not have dealt
with the root of all this trouble.”
Daniela sighed and then lay a hand on the handle.
This was a ruin that was hundreds of years old. What would be waiting for us
on the other side?
It creaked loudly as she turned the handle. And started to wonder.
What would we find?
Or who…
There was no way to calm my fears. Still, I looked into the depths of the
opened hatch.
chapter 313
On the other side of the hatch, there was a passage that looked very similar to
the one I had gone down before. There black walls made of an unknown
material, and glowing lines that ran along the sides. It was as if these lights
were leading us deeper down.
We saw no doors along the way. There was a part of me that hoped we would
find something, an Automata or items, and so I was a little disappointed. We
had discovered a ruin, surely they could have left us something…those stingy
old elves.
“…Hmm.”
Daniela was walking ahead of me, but she suddenly stopped. I looked over
her shoulder to see what it was. The passage had curved a little to the side,
and there was a door. A door without any handles. It made me think of an
automatic door.
“It is different here.”
“That’s a door, right?”
“A door? But it has no handles.”
“…Well, it’s one of those doors that open automatically, I think.”
“Such doors exist…?”
Sometimes, I wondered just how close the great age of magic was to modern-
day Japan.
They were advanced enough that something like this didn’t really surprise
me. Though, it was quite different for Daniela.
“Well, let’s go inside then.”

“I hope there is nothing dangerous…”
We were surrounded by the unknown. Though this was my second time being
in a place like this, so I wasn’t as cautious as I might have been. But Daniela
seemed very tense. I wasn’t sure if she was being needlessly paranoid, or I
had my guard down. Still, we could balance each other out. And so I stepped
in front of her and approached the door.
“Unless I’m wrong…ah.”
“Oh!?”
“See. It opened.”
It was an automatic door after all. The only thing it was missing was a bell
ring and a ‘welcome.’ That being said, it wasn’t every day that I got to see an
expression of surprise on Daniela’s face.
In fact, she still looked hesitant, and so I gave her back a push forward.
“Wait, Asagi. Do not push me!”
“Now-now-now.”
“You idiot! I am in no mood for this!”
But Daniela was oddly adorable when she was like this, and I couldn’t help
but tease her.
There was a wide room on the other side. But there wasn’t anything there.
Just another similar door on the opposite side of the room. Maybe this was
like an antechamber.
“Well, nothing is happening. Let’s go.”
“Ahh…haa… You… I will remember this…”
“Sorry. I will stop fooling around.”

“Good…”
I felt just a little bad.
We went through the next door and came out into another plain hallway.
There were an odd amount of turns as we continued down if for half an hour.
Then we reached another door.
“…”
“I won’t do anything. See? After you.”
“Hmph…”
Damn, she was scary… Daniela glared at me and then turned back to the door
and stepped forward. There was the hiss of air and then the door opened up
into another room.
However, this time there was something in the center.
“Ah, that…!”
“Daniela, you go in first. We don’t know what will happen if I do.”
“Very well…!”
It was clearly some kind of ancient elf machine. It looked like the one that we
saw in the underground of Reserentrible. In that case, it would be better for
Daniela to enter first, as she was a descendant of the ancient elves.
Daniela gulped and slowly entered the room. I had Legs of the God Wolf
activated, in case we needed to make a quick escape, and watched her from
behind.
Then the lines along the floor and walls all gathered to the terminal in the
middle of the room. The gathered light shone blindingly as a voice echoed in
the room.
‘This is Estarosta. Facility 68. State your business.’

A woman with short, platinum hair appeared within the light and looked
down at us. I had been expecting something like this, but it was still a
surprise when it happened.
‘If you do not have a legitimate reason…’
“We-we do!”
I interrupted it hurriedly, before it prepared to drive us out. The Estarosta

machine looked over to me.
“Monsters have been making use of this facility. We came to stop them and
to investigate.”
‘This is not some trading city where monsters can easily enter. Your tale
defies belief.’
“One thousand years have passed since the age you were created. There are
no pure elves like you anymore.”
Daniela said. And the holograph looked away from us and fell silent. She was
probably making calculations, much like Karma had done in Reserentrible.
‘…I see. According to the report from facility 215…’
“Facility 215…”
“Reserentrible? I think it was.”
So, Karma had made a report of the events to someone. I didn’t know how or
where the report had gone.
‘According to the database… You are the foreigner, Asagi Kamiyashiro. And
you are Daniela Villesilf. The descendant. Your names have been confirmed.’
“What?”
‘Welcome to Estarosta. Please accept our humble hospitality.”

The sudden show of kindness was confusing. We were now confirmed and
welcome.
‘There have been reports about you two in Karma’s database. We have
confirmed that you are not hostile forces, so do not worry.’
“Oh, uh. Umm, thanks.”
‘No, thank you.’
This machine was more polite than I was.
‘Your sudden arrival was most surprising, but it makes sense given who you
are. Now, would you please tell me the rest?’
The Karma of Estarosta asked, and so we told it everything that had

happened. The goblin stampede. The abnormally evolved being that had led
it. The facility and the mutated monster. And that we had destroyed it.
At the same time, we asked it how much it knew about us.
‘Karma have a unique network that makes use of the dragon vein. There is a
database built off of this network where information is shared and stored.
Both your names were saved in it as data. And your purpose as well.’
“…So, uh. You don’t consider that to be a hostile act?”
‘As for the destruction of Nova, there is nothing that we can do about it. We
would not resist. We are just machines that have been installed in different
cities. And we are isolated from the Nova body.’
“Isolated? But how can a terminal function without the main machine?”
‘There appears to be something wrong with the Nova body. We were cut off
from it and reconnection is impossible. However, the data was not destroyed,
and the Karma Network is secure. We Karma can still communicate with
each other.’
I see… They were like children who talked to each other but never contacted
their parents. And as they had no orders from their parent, they didn’t attack.
They also couldn’t help us. On top of that, Daniela’s presence meant they
would reveal their data.
Something like that…
“I do not understand this at all…”
“I’ll break it down for you later.”
“Fine. I leave it to you.”
It wasn’t complicated… It was just that the words used by the more
developed culture of the ancient elves were similar to what I knew. Well, it
was also possible that they were influenced by people who were transported
in the past.
“Thank you. This information will be a great help.”
‘It was no problem at all. Going forward, the Nova will not be hostile
towards you. But we will not be allies either. You can think of us terminals
for information.’
That was rather sad. But it was still helpful.
“What will you do now?”
‘This place will be made uninvadable. We do not want to allow monsters to

use it again and inconvenience the people of this age.’
“So, just like in Reserentrible… We won’t see you again.”
‘The Karma Network is connected. As long as this star does not die, you two
will not be forgotten. This is not goodbye.’
I wasn’t so sure about that… In any case, I suppose being able to converse
didn’t mean you had emotions.
‘Lastly, I will disclose to you the data concerning the Nova.’

“Huh?”
“Hmm…”
That was something. Even Daniela seemed surprised.
‘This had been debated among us ever since your data was registered. It was
one week ago that a conclusion was reached. We have decided to show you
the way to the Nova.’
“I thought you weren’t allowed to help us?”
Daniela said what I was thinking.
‘Some might see it that way. However, as we are not aiding you directly, we
do not see it as support. Besides, it is your decision if you wish to go down
that path or not.’
“I’m not sure that logic really follows?”
‘We have been in operation for many years. We can advance, but we can also
deteriorate. And the way we think can sometimes be subject to change.’
The Karma said with a wink. Daniela muttered something about this being
nonsense. But I chuckled a little. This seemed like a rather cliche
development for an AI. The Karma in Reserentrible had also said something
about personal emotions, but ended up showing concern for us. This Karma
was a little easier to talk to, though. Maybe AI were just like that.
“Thank you. Will you tell us now?”
‘Yes. Right here.’
The Estarosta Karma slid her finger through the air and a map was displayed.
There were four red points on the map. Erediares, the west island, the south
forest, and the Hill of Mist.
‘Eres is Facility 1 and is in the north. Kimon is Facility 2 and is in the west.
Ulbesartus is the third and is located in the south. Use the ‘keys’ that are
protected in these three facilities, and you will be able to enter Mistmaria,
Facility 0. And there you will meet the Nova.’
Pretty ‘game-like,’ huh. But I suppose it made sense, given how important
they were. This was the culture that existed during the great age of magic. It
wouldn’t be anything easy. On the other hand…it all felt kind of analog.
Perhaps it was ultimately more reliable than anything digital.
“Do we have to collect the keys in a certain order?”
‘No. As long as you have all three in the end.’
“Understood. Thank you for the information.”
‘We are grateful that you dealt with the consequences of our mistakes. The
underground city of Estarosta will be isolated completely after three hours
have passed. Please begin to depart.’
They would not allow anyone else to invade this place. Ultimately, we had
closed off two ancient elven ruins. In a way, that meant historical buildings
and cultural heritage being lost forever. I couldn’t help but feel bad about
that.
“Will these places ever be opened again?”
‘Yes. If a time comes that peace is assured, then the lock will be deactivated.
Perhaps we will work with humans again soon.’
That was a relief. I probably wouldn’t be alive when that happened. But
Daniela might be. And the idea of the world being a better place during such
a time made me happy.
“Alright, let us go.”
“Right. Well, Estarosta Karma. Thank you for everything. Goodbye.”
I waved before following Daniela out of the door. The hologram in the center
of the light waved at us as we left.
‘Goodbye. Man from another world. And you who are one of our
descendants. May you have a happy future.’
The lights faded and Karma disappeared.
We had to leave.
Silence fell over the now empty room. There was nothing to disturb the air.
Just one plain machine in the center. It made me wonder how many years
would pass before a human stepped in again. While we would no doubt speak
with other Karma’s, it was still kind of sad.
I looked back one last time into the empty room.
“Thank you.”
If we did meet again, maybe we could talk about other worlds. It was with
such thoughts in my head that I followed after Daniela.
chapter 314
To Namila Village
I thought about what we would do next as we walked down the hallway.
First, we had to get rid of the Nova. This was to prevent anyone else from
being summoned to this world.
The Estarosta Karma had told us that the Nova was located at the Hill of
Mist. This was incredibly valuable information.
However, there were a number of problems regarding the method of getting

rid of it. Perhaps we could just destroy it by force, but this thing was affected
by the dragon vein and other worlds. Who knew what could happen.
We weren’t exactly the right people to deal with that kind of thing. And so I
wasn’t sure what we should do.
“Asagi. We should hurry. Three hours is not as long as you might think.”
“Right. And we don’t know what could happen on the way.”
Daniela’s voice brought me back to the present. Surely we wouldn’t be

attacked on the way? We had killed everyone. There was no one left. Still, it
would be best to leave as quickly as possible.
□ □ □ □
We went out of the hatch and left the destroyed facility behind us and
continued through Estarosta. The roads were wrecked, the buildings
collapsed, and the tower was in a pitiful condition. On top of that, there were
goblin corpses all over the place.
“So, this is the end of a once-great city. It’s kind of sad.”

“It became a nest for monsters. Sooner or later, it would have led to fighting.”
That was true.
Still, I couldn’t help but take in the sights. I was careful not to trip over
anything as we walked over the remains of a house and turned a corner.
That’s when the corpse of the monster came into view. Knowing that this
creature was also some kind of goblin made me shudder. The technology that
the ancient elves had could also be terrifying. I suppose it all depended on
how you used it…
“It really is dead, right…?”
“Aye. It is fine.”
Daniela had taken out her appraisal glasses from her hollow bracelet. She
took her time inspecting the thing.
“Does it have a name?”
“No. It just says ‘Unknown.’ Perhaps it is a new species. Though, I do hope it

is the only one of its kind.”
“Of course.”
The thought of it breeding was horrifying.
“Still, you did a great job blowing its head off. What a devilish mind you
have.”
“Watching Adlus made me think about the possibilities of water magic.”
He was able to control it so freely. And so it really made me wonder. You

should be able to do anything. Besides, I had Jack of all Trades, Master of
None.
“Hmm. Do you think we should take some materials with us?”
“Well, it was still originally a goblin… I do not think it is worth the trouble.”
“Right.”
I still had other things to put back into the hollow bag anyway. Alright, we
should just hurry on back. I miss the sun so much.
□ □ □ □
“Woah…it’s so bright…”
Being bathed in light like this brought me back to that time that we left the
kobold mines. Though, we had stayed down there for nearly two weeks, and
so it had been really harsh on my eyes. It wasn’t nearly as bad this time.
In just a short while, we would not be able to enter the hollow in the tree
again. I would have to tell the others about it. It would be a disaster if
someone accidentally went back in. Of course, when leaving, I used Presence
Detection to make sure there weren’t any surviving monsters or Adventurers
who had been left behind. Well, there really was no need to worry about that.
Manager had detection magic as well.
“Let’s go then…”
“Aye.”
I called to Daniela, who had been staring up at the Nise Yggdra tree. I looked
dazedly at Daniela’s back as we walked, the snow crunching under our feet.
And suddenly, I started to think about the time we first met.
I had been going through a lot back then.
She was the woman with platinum blonde hair who covered her face with a
mask. I remember being quite surprised by it. And I soon learned of her
ravenous appetite. We had dinner together in the park, and then we were
attacked by Adventurers. I remember panicking when that happened, though
it did bring us closer. Of course, that didn’t mean I was grateful to them in
any way.
Months had now passed. I suppose once this snow melted and it got warmer
again, it would mean that we’d gone through all the seasons. A full year since
I came here. It would be our first anniversary.
“…”
There was one thing that I had been thinking about. Ever since I killed that
wind dragon that had appeared near the imperial capital. The old man who
butchered it had given me some fangs and scales. I had wanted to make a pair
of necklaces that we could wear.
In fact, the necklaces themselves were already made. I had asked a young
jeweler who ran a street stall to make them. And they turned out pretty well.
But there was never a good time to give it to her. The Imperial Sword
Tournament started, and then there was the incident in Reserentrible. And
that led to the goblin stampede. Of course, there were moments of rest in
between all of that, but I wasn’t such an extrovert that I could just go up to
her and say, ‘here, take this’ out of the blue.
“Still… No matter how many times I have experienced it, this season is so
cold.”
“We had a cold season in my world too. But it’s pretty bad here as well.”
I looked at her profile as her white breath dissipated in the wind. Her cheeks
were a little flushed. They looked warm.
“What? Is there something on my face?”
Daniela said this without turning to me, so I didn’t have time to avert my
eyes.
“Uh, it’s nothing. I just thought you looked pretty.”
“Fool. Save it for when we are back in the city.”
She said as her cheeks reddened even further and she lunged at me with her
shoulder. She always brought the pain when she was embarrassed.
“We’re back.”
“Finally.”
“Welcome back.”
We said to Adlus and Manager, who seemed to have finished preparing to

leave. As they were a group of seasoned Adventurers, they were very quick.
Most of the tents and tables had been packed up. The only thing that was left
was our tent and belongings. As it was clear that it was in the way, I kept the
talk short and started to clean up. But then again, all that meant was stuffing
everything, from the table, magic tools, and other supplies into my bag. The
magic lights had been returned to me and were neatly lined up on the floor.
Yes, they were all there. And not a single one had been broken. Good. Good.
“I know that it’s important that you pack your things, but how about a
report?”
“Oh, right.”
As nothing had really gone wrong, I had been more focused on getting our
stuff out of the way.
And so I told Adlus what had happened as I put our things away.
“…Well, what a coincidence, huh? These ancient elves have really amazing
technology.”
“So, that means another similar stampede could occur again… We’ll have to
keep that in mind.”
“But light elves are able to access the ancient elf terminals, so I’m sure you’ll
be fine.”
“No, that might not be much help.”
“Huh?”
I stopped what I was doing and turned to look at Adlus. Wasn’t he a light elf?
“There have been many tribes of elves after the ancient elves. And there is
more to it than just color. We light elves are not all the same.”
“I see. Is that like how Daniela’s name is Villesilf, and yours is Brasilf?”
“Aye. We are different. Perhaps Daniela is able to access it because her race
and family just happen to be related to the ancient elf bloodline.”
“…Ah.”
That reminded me of something Daniela had said about her past. Her
deceased mother had been a shrine maiden, I think… I didn’t know any
details, but perhaps that was related to all of this.
“Did you just think of something?”
“Sorta. I’ll have to talk to Daniela about it. But you might be right, Adlus. It
would probably best that you don’t go around raiding ancient ruins.”
“I see. Well, it’s not exactly a common occurrence…”
You never knew what you would find. These ancient elven ruins were filled
with mystery. However, I felt that the Karma would always help us in their
own way. That was a nice thought.
Stop the Nova. We would think about the rest later.
Well, there was one thing that I had already decided.
No matter what. No matter the outcome. I would stay with Daniela until I
died. Yes. That was one thing that would not change.
“Alright, I’m done.”
“You should take this tent down then. I’ll help you.”
“Thanks.”
□ □ □ □
We departed as soon as we finished packing up everything. We intended to
spend the night in the houses of Namila Village. I wanted to tell Felz, Marcel,
and Silket what had happened. The village was now safe again.
We traveled through the silver world that was the forest. There were no
monsters or animals now. And then we reached Namila Village just as the
sun started to set. Adlus was walking in the lead, but he raised his hand for us
to stop.
“We will rest here for tonight, and then head back to the imperial capital
immediately. But remember to clean up before you leave.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
“Got it.”
They answered, and everyone scattered throughout the village. I was thinking
about going too, but then I remembered that I had to see Felz in the chief’s
house.
“Daniela, I’m going to go with Adlus for a short while.”
“Very well. I will go on ahead.”
I waved at her and we separated. Everywhere, the snow which had probably
been undisturbed just a minute ago, was now trampled by the Adventurers. I
walked through it as I headed to the largest house. As it was getting dark, I
activated Night Eyes. I saw that Adlus, his scouts, and Manager were in front
of me.
“Hey, wait up!”
“Hm? Ah, Asagi. What is it?”
“I thought you should know, but we have guests.”
“Ah, you did say something about that before…”

Well, I hadn’t actually told him. But perhaps someone else had made a
report.
It wasn’t really a secret.
The sounds of snow crunching under our feet could be heard. But perhaps our
voices were louder. Silket slowly opened the door and peered out at us. I was
the first to see her and so I waved. She looked relieved as she came out to
greet us. There was a short sword in her hand.
I might have been stabbed had I just walked up to the door and opened it…
□ □ □ □
“So, that’s what happened…”
“It’s a miracle that none of you died…”
Silket and Marcel said after Adlus and I had finished telling them what
happened. But there was something in their expressions that seemed like they
were full of regret. They had really wanted to be a part of it after all.
“The stampede is finished. The village is safe. And that is thanks to you two.
The village and the boy seem quite well.”
Adlus said with a surprisingly warm expression.
It was a peaceful time. I felt this strongly as I watched the steam rise from the
cup of tea that Silket prepared. Everything had finished, everything had been
resolved. The only thing left to do was to return to the city. I felt like I had
just taken a hot bath. A warm, comfortable kind of tiredness spread from my
fingertips to the rest of my body.
“Hmm…Asagi. You cannot sleep here. Hold yourself together a little

longer.”
“Ahh…I didn’t realize I was falling asleep.”
I rubbed my eyes and stretched my arms. I even yawned. As an Adventurer, it

was important to not let your guard down so soon after a victory. It was one
of the important tricks of survival. But I had a tendency of forgetting.
“Ah, it’s no use. I’m going to sleep…”
“You’re hopeless…”
“Hehe. It’s been a while since his last night shift. Of course, he is tired.”
“Good night, Mister Asagi.”
“Good night.”
Adlus was exasperated. Manager chuckled. Marcel and Silket were more
polite.
“Good night. See you tomorrow then.”
“We’ll be leaving at sunrise. You better be awake by then.”
“I know… Haaaahhhh…”
“I’m worried…”
I wasn’t the kind of human being that someone like Adlus should worry
about. After all, I had never been late for work.
“We’ll go later.”
“Please leave some beds for us.”
“Mmm…”
I had forgotten that Marcel and Silket slept in the same house as us. I tried to
think back on that night, but my brain wasn’t operating as it should. Had
there been that many beds…? I couldn’t even remember where they had
slept. Maybe I never knew.
I felt the chill of the snow on my skin as I walked to the house we would be
staying at. It was then that I went to the bedroom and discovered that there
was only one bed. And so I decided to let the girls share it.
chapter 315
I woke up on the floor and then stretched my sore body. Then I took out my
face washing tools from the hollow bag, which I had been using as a pillow,
and then went outside. I washed my face with water I made with magic, and
then brushed my teeth before returning to the house to chew on some bread.
We’d be returning to the imperial capital today. Thankfully, the weather was
quite nice.
“We can finally go back…”
I muttered. It had been a long battle. Perhaps on the same scale as the battle
against the orcs. That had really worn me out mentally… Was Arthur doing
well? I still needed to return the holy sword, so it would be nice if we could
meet him again.
“Ah, you are already up.”
“Yeah. Morning.”
It was quite rare for Daniela to be up this early. I thought she would be the
last one to get out of bed, but perhaps she was only like that when it was just
us. In spite of just getting out of bed, she looked wide awake.
After that, a less awake looking Marcel and a normal looking Silket came out
of their room and we had breakfast. I had already eaten earlier. But that didn’t
stop me.
After having a pleasant meal around the table, it was time to clean up. As we
didn’t have the tools with us, we had to use what was in the house. We swept
the floor and wiped the tables and made the bed. By the time we were done
and had picked up our belongings, a voice rang from outside.
“Heeey! We’ll be leaving soon!”
“Got it!”
I answered to the Jade who had been sent to call everyone. I made sure that
we hadn’t forgotten anything, and then we stepped out of the house.
Then we headed to the main square. The others had already gathered
together. We had fought a lot, but everyone was alive. It was the result of
good teamwork and obeying the orders of a solid leader. This wouldn’t have
happened if it was every man for himself. They would have had trouble just
building the campsite at the frontline. So we were pretty lucky to have the
members that we had.
“Oh, are you late? Silvergreeen.”
“It’s common courtesy to clean up after yourselves!”
“Woah!”
I lightly kicked the snow with my Legs of the God Wolf enhanced foot.
Needless to say, Adlus was covered in snow by the time I stepped into the
line. Adlus spit out the snow that got into his mouth and then coughed as a
way of bringing back a more serious atmosphere.
“Mm, so. You’re all here now. We will now begin our journey back to the
city. But the quest doesn’t end until we reach the guild. So keep your guard
up.”
Everyone answered and then the march began. Felz was with us. The
villagers back in the city were probably worried to death over him…
It could have just been me, but everyone seemed light on their feet as they
walked. They were almost cheerful. Of course, they still remained cautious.
They were Adventurers after all. As for me, all I was thinking about was a
warm bath and eating lots of good food…
We didn’t encounter any trouble on the road. It was peace itself. When I
asked about it, I was told that monsters rarely appeared in this area, to begin
with. Even more so because it was the icesnow season. The Adventurer I had
asked was born in the imperial capital.
“A stampede like this has never happened before.”
“Hmm…it must have been quite a shock then.”
“Exactly. The guild was frantic as it tried to gather a team together.”
Well, I guess it was something that was difficult to be prepared for… An

attack involving an abnormally evolved being and ancient elves. We’d all be
happy if it was a once every hundred years kind of deal.
“Makes you really appreciate the times of peace…”
“Yeah. Ah, you can see the city now.”
“Ohh. I feel like I’m coming back home.”
“Well, you are…”
And like that, we finished the mission and returned to the imperial capital. I
had fought and made new friends. I would have to try to use this experience
so that I could continue to survive…
The Namila villagers who were now protected by the city were being housed
at the military lodging facility that Daniela and I had stayed at previously. We
were told this by a soldier who came out to greet us at the gate. So, we just
had to return Felz to them and this whole business would be over.
“Don’t do anything dangerous like that again. The villagers have enough to
worry about.”
“I know. Miss Marcel and Silket already told me that.”

“Good. Then I have nothing left to say to you.”
We had stayed in the north district long enough to get through by just having
our faces recognized. And so we entered and went straight to the military
lodging facility. We met a few acquaintances on the way and so I waved.
Whenever this happened, Felz would look at me with an expression of awe,
which was quite embarrassing.
However, it was the person we were the most acquainted with that ran up to
us.
“Ah, Mister Asagi!”
“Miss Licoris. It’s been a while.”
It was Licoris Ladiaray, the woman who had guided us through the north
district. Was she guiding someone else today?
“I hadn’t seen you in so long, I assumed you had traveled off already…”
“No, we were just on a quest to deal with a stampede in the north. We

succeeded and have only just returned.”
“I see…oh!”
“What is it?”
Miss Licoris suddenly stopped her nodding and shouted loudly, much to my
surprise. Well, Daniela more than me.
“Someone has gone missing. It’s the chief’s second son. Mister Asagi, you
wouldn’t have happened to see him?”
“Uh…”
I glanced over to Felz. He had gone pale. Perhaps the words ‘gone missing’
carried more weight than he was expecting.
“Could it be…is that him?”
“Yeah. I saved him when he was being attacked by a goblin outside of the
city. He said he had left because he wanted to protect the town.”
“Thank heavens…he is safe. Oh, so you must be on your way to return him to
his guardian?”
“Yes. Or should I leave him with the military?”

“No, there shouldn’t be a problem if you do it. People recognize you here and
I can report to them for you. That is, if you don’t mind?”
I nodded willingly. That had been my original intention anyway. Make sure
Felz got back safely.
“Well, I must be going now. Thank you, Mister Asagi.”
“Yes. Be careful.”
Miss Licoris fell into her always perfect salute and then went running off
towards the castle. Things should settle down now. We just had to finish
delivering Felz.
“Hello, Mister Hipericam.”
“…Hmm? Oh, it’s you, Mister Asagi. What is it? Did you get kicked out of
your inn?”
The man who looked up to greet us was in charge of this lodging facility. He
always looked drowsy.
“No, that’s not it. We came to deliver this boy. He’s from Namila village.”
“Ahh. The one that was reported missing… Well, well. If you only knew how
they were searching so desperately for him.”
Yes, I had heard something. I guess everyone knew about it now… And it
was no wonder…
“Well, I will make a report about him being found then. You should take him
back to his guardian now.”
“Ah, Miss Licoris said she was going to do that.”
“Her… Well, she’s certainly an active one, isn’t she? Hmm. Oh, you’ll be
wanting to go to room 316. I believe it’s the same room you and Miss
Daniela used when you were staying with us.”
The memories. It was a good room.
We left Hipericam and I held Felz’s hand as we went up the stairs. A few
other people recognized us and we greeted them. As for Felz…he was
starting to look very nervous.
“What’s wrong?”
“…I’ll probably get in trouble.”
“No, you definitely will get in trouble…”
He had left the city in the middle of a stampede. Crying wasn’t going to get
him out of it.
“…Mister Asagi, you can talk on my behalf.”
“Don’t be stupid. You started this. You’ll never become an adult if you can’t
deal with the consequences of your actions.”
“Buuuuuu…”
To his credit, he continued to climb the stairs without running away. Even
Daniela seemed a little impressed as she nodded approvingly.
“Besides, I think he’ll also be very happy.”
“Huh?”
“His father died, but his little brother has returned alive. How could he not be
happy?”
“…”
Daniela had lost both of her parents… Perhaps she understood how Felz’s
brother felt.
“Go and face his anger, and then accept his embrace. And everything will be
solved.”
“…Fine. I don’t mind if I’m scolded. I’ll say that I’m sorry and tell him that
it’s all over!”
“Yes, that’s good.”
“I can go by myself from here. Thank you for bringing me.”
He hadn’t been scolded yet, but Felz had the determined expression of a man.
He would be fine.
“Go and face him then. We’ll be waiting downstairs.”
“Yes. See you later!”
The room was just up ahead now. I handed the key to Felz and he walked
towards the door without hesitation. We watched him disappear into the room
and then left.
It went without saying, but the sounds of angry shouting and crying could be
heard immediately.
chapter 316
We waited with our backs to the wall near the entrance of the first floor. After
a while, a young man came down the stairs with Felz. He seemed calm
enough, but Felz’s cheek looked a little red.
“Hey, Felz. How was it?”
“Mister Asagi… I was scolded, but I feel better now!”
“Hmm. Don’t let the experience go to waste.”
I said a little teasingly. The man looked a little surprised at first, and then
realization settled in.
“Are you the person who saved Felz…?”
“Yeah. Sorry for not introducing myself. I’m an Adventurer. The name’s
Asagi. I found Felz when he was being attacked by a goblin. It was a close
call, but he came out unhurt. Well, that is until now…”
I said as I created a block of ice for him to cool off his cheek.
“Then I owe you my thanks. Both for Namila village and for helping Felz.
I’m currently the acting chief. My name is Aifis. Uh, and you…”
“Daniela. A pleasure.”
Daniela said curtly as she tousled Felz’s hair.
Her unsocial side was as healthy as ever.
After that short introduction, we decided to sit down together and talk. That’s
when Daniela declared that this could be accomplished while we ate. And so
we somehow found ourselves at ‘Meat, Meat, Meat, Meat.’
“Now, should we begin?”
“Damn it! What part of having a relaxed conversation involves cooking so

much meat?”
“You can talk and relax as it cooks, can you not?”
“That depends on the heat!”
“I tend to use a low flame.”
“That’s news to me!”
Daniela was not one to budge when it came to meat. And we hadn’t been in
the city for a while. It should have been no surprise that Daniela would want
to come here. It was my fault for not seeing it in advance…no, it actually
wasn’t.
“Ah, please calm down. We are also very fond of meat.”
“That’s not the problem… Oh, whatever. I get it. We might as well all eat as
much as we can then!”
“Yes!”
Felz’s cheek looked better, thanks to the ice, and he now thrust his hands into
the air cheerfully. Aifis also looked like he couldn’t wait to dig in. I guess
they really were brothers.
“See?”
Daniela looked so smug that had it been Rex sitting their instead, I would
have punched him.
□ □ □ □
The meat sizzled as the fumes rose into the air. I just knew my clothes would
smell of meat for a while. In the meantime, Aifis, Daniela, and I all reached
for our wine, while Felz held his fruit water. And we had a good time.
“Bah, that quest name was really something!”
“What? I thought it was pretty good! The Namila Village Liberation

Frontline! But nothing is more impressive than you all, who made it actually
happen!”
“Ahaha!”
We clinked our cups together for no reason at all once again. The wine
spilled from our wooden mugs and fell on the grill where it evaporated.
“Hey, Asagi! Do not spill that on top of the meat!”
“I’m flambéing! It adds flavor!”
“Do not use words that I cannot understand!”
Even when she was drunk, Daniela’s fixation over the meat did not weaken.
As for Felz, he was eating the meat greedily next to me.
“Is it good?”
“Mmg…mgg…”
“Yes, yes. Just shut up and eat if you’re a man! Here, have some more!”
I patted him on the head as he nodded and stuffed more meat into his mouth.
Everyone seemed to have forgotten our purpose for coming here. Or how this
even happened. It was all just about eating and drinking now. This
unexpected celebration of the end of the stampede was a good way of
averting my eyes from reality.
I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking at. I wasn’t even sure where I was as
my eyes drifted around. Then someone suddenly shook my body and my
vision shifted.
“Mmm…”
“Mister Asagi. Wake up. This place is going to close.”

“Ahh…I must have fallen asleep…”
When I looked around, I saw what might have been two dead bodies.
Felz had escaped this fate as he had only drunk fruit water.
“Get up, Daniela. We gotta go.”
Daniela was hunched over the table with her arms spread out. I shook her
violently and she twitched before slowly raising her head.
“Aifis, you too…”
“Mm…ggg…”
Aifis was leaning back heavily into his chair and showed no signs waking up
no matter how much I shook him. Even his head was bobbing back and forth.
What the hell?
“Damn it…I suppose I’ll have to carry him. Felz and Daniela. I hope you can
walk normally.”
“My head hurts…”
Daniela muttered. She sounded like a ghost with a grudge. Alcohol never
really stayed in my body for long, so I was fine. But Daniela never failed to
get a hangover.
As it was us who brought them here, I paid for the meal. I even added an
extra tip, since we inconvenienced them by staying right up until closing
time. But then again, Daniela was their loyal customer, so they hardly
sneered at us when we left them.
“It’s all dark outside…”
“Asagi…water…”
“Here you go.”

I poured some water into a cup made of ice. It was all the fruits of my magic.
Daniela drained the cup in a single gulp and then started to nibble on the ice.
She probably wanted to cool down after all that drinking.
“You sure can do anything, Mister Asagi.”
“That’s not true. I can only do what I can do.”
“Hmm…”
Felz muttered as if he had no idea what I meant. And so I took his hand and
we walked towards the north district.
We arrived at the lodging facility and I continued to carry Aifis to his room.
“Well, in spite of everything, my mission is complete. I heard you’ll be

returning to the village tomorrow. So you should get some rest.”
“Yes. So, is this goodbye, Mister Asagi and Miss Daniela?”
“I guess it is…”
This was rather abrupt. Felz looked disappointed.
“I’m sure you’ll do well. Listen to your brother and grow strong. You will
have to help protect the village from now on.”
“Yes…I know.”
“But do not get too stressed out over it either. Just do what you can.”
“Thank you, Miss Daniela. I’ll do my best!”
Felz hugged Daniela tightly. Daniela patted him on the head with a tender
expression. I watched them fondly. In no way was I irked by his nerve!
“Alright, I better go to bed. See you later, Mister Asagi. Miss Daniela. Thank
you for saving our village!”
“Yeah, I’m glad we were able to help. Good night.”
“Goodnight, goodbye!”
He waved at us and then shut the door. Well, that was likely the last time
we’d see him. Aifis as well. There was probably something important that we
could have talked about, but who wanted to be bothered by serious talk when
there was meat on the table? Eating meat had brought us all closer together.
That was just the way it was.
We had survived. Wasn’t that enough? Maybe there were some injured on the
way, but the results were good enough to celebrate. It’s not like it was
possible to live without getting hurt once in a while.
A lot had happened, and it had been tough. But it wasn’t all bad, and even the
bad stuff added to my experience. If something similar ever happened again,
I would be better equipped to deal with it.
“Let’s go.”
“Aye.”
Daniela had been standing straight when Felz was around, but she now
slouched and looked tired.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi?”
“I’ll carry you to the inn.”
“Oh… What kind of trick do we have here? Well, if you insist.”
“You don’t have to be so snooty.”
“I like to tease you.”
I squatted down in front of her and felt her warm body against my back. She
was the perfect weight. Which was something I could not say in regards to
Aifis. Daniela had a softness to her, and she also smelled better. Well, she
mostly smelled of drink now, but there was also a sweetness there, which I
liked to think was something shared by light elves.
“Asagi.”
“Eh?”
“I suppose we will also be leaving soon. We received directions to the Nova,

after all.”
“Yeah…”
I was expecting her to bring that up. But we had stayed here for so long, that
it made me sad to have to leave.
Of course, staying wasn’t an option either. We would prepare, say goodbye

and then go on our next journey. That was the way we did things.
The night in the imperial capital was still lively. And it was among all the
cheerful noise and drinking, that we made our way back to our room.
chapter 317
The villagers returned on the following day. After I watched them leave
through the north gate while using Legs of the God Wolf, we made our way
to the Adventurers Guild in order to collect our reward for suppressing the
stampede.
We were awarded three hundred pieces of gold. Not bad. Besides, we still
had money from the Imperial Sword Tournament and for selling the
Automata. Of course, you could never have too much money. I wasn’t
exactly a spendthrift or anything, but I cared a lot about quality when making
important purchases.
We weren’t called in by the Guild Master or anything, and we finished our

business there rather quickly. It was probably because Adlus had made the
reports and taken care of everything the day before. Which was no surprise,
since he was the leader. And so we were able to take things easy.
“Well, I guess we should split the money and then prepare for our next
journey.”
“Leave the food to me.”
“That’s the last thing I’d want to leave to you. But I’ll make an exception
since you seem so passionate about it.”
Leaving it to Daniela meant street food and no variety… That being said, I
wanted to buy the other traveling tools. A new journey should have new
equipment. It’s every guy’s dream.
“Very well. We can meet up at ‘Meat, Meat, Meat, Meat’ in the evening.’”
“I think we’ve had enough meat. I’ll see you at the inn. I’ll find a place to eat
from there.”
“Haahh… If you insist.”

Daniela sighed and then disappeared into the city. The sorrow expressed in
her back and the droop of her shoulders put most tired salarymen to shame.
“Over some meat… Oh, well. I better go too.”
□ □ □ □
Items. Magic tools. Items. Items. I went to pretty much every store that
wasn’t a food store in my search to find something good. I left the fourth
store and stretched my limbs.
“…Ahhh. I haven’t found anything good yet. Now that I think about it, we
have pretty good stuff already, so maybe my standards have been raised…”
We had an established ‘style’ now, and I was quite particular about our tools.
I suppose I was like a veteran now. It took a lot of experience to get to this
point, but since we were almost always on the move, maybe it had happened
earlier for us.
“We have tents, we have magic tools for making fires, plates, cups, spoons,
forks. We don’t have foldable chairs, so we just sit on a cloth over the
ground…”
I recalled all of the items we had as I muttered to myself and walked down
the streets.
“We have pots for cooking and I made a table. …Maybe I could make
chairs?”
“Mister Asagi!”
“Hmm?”
I had just been about to play ‘Chair-making for Dummies’ with Jack of all
Trades, Master of None, when someone called to me. When I looked up, I
saw Lemon standing in front of me.
“Oh, it’s you.”

“Well, that’s rather rude. Didn’t you miss your junior Adventurer, Lemon
Frost?”
“Were you always like this…?”
Lemon was a gray elf and had recently become Manager’s partner. She
hadn’t been allowed to participate in the goblin mission, and so she had
stayed in the city.
“It’s been a while. How are you?”
“Oh, I was so very lonely!”
She pretended to cry and then tried to throw her arms around me, and so I
held her head back with my hand.
“That’s not very nice of you.”
“Well, I don’t want the girlfriend to get angry.”
“Oh, she wouldn’t.”
Well…that was probably true. Daniela was rather fond of Lemon.
“Haa…alright.”
“Hmm, rough, but an improvement!”
She said as I patted her on the head and released her.
After that, we ended up having lunch together. Apparently, it was a place

Lemon had discovered while she explored the city. It was a bakery with a
really relaxed atmosphere.
We had freshly baked bread and some delicious soup. It was my kind of
place.
“I really liked that chestnut bread.”

“Oh, I like that one too. It’s amazing if you spread some Berulu syrup on it!”
“Ah, Berulu syrup. That stuff is pretty good.”
Hell, even forest goblins loved it. I still had suspicions about it being
addictive.
After that, Lemon came shopping with me. Though, there was still not much
to actually buy. And we mostly just browsed around. This made us a less than
popular pair in the city.
“By the way, how’s Manager?”
“She’s been sleeping since yesterday. No amount of shaking and prodding

will get her up. And so I had no choice but to come out here. And that’s when
I saw you.”
“I see. Well, she worked really hard, so you should let her rest.”
“It must have really been something. Rumors have been spreading throughout
the city.”
Something about absurd numbers of goblins and huge monsters. The Jades
must have been telling people as they celebrated. It’s not like any of it was a
secret, and I didn’t really care if people knew. It didn’t matter. No one could
return to Estarosta now.
“I heard that you did a lot as well, Mister Asagi.”
“You could say that. I’m exhausted.”
“And yet here you are, shopping like it hasn’t affected you at all. Oh, you
haven’t actually bought anything…”
“Uh… Well, we are planning on leaving soon.”
Lemon looked surprised when I said this.
“Really? So soon!?”
“Soon? We’ve been here for a while… And we have a destination.”
“I see… That’s too bad.”
“It’s not like this is goodbye forever. I’ll be sure to come and meet you again
before you’re really old.”
“And how long do you intend on living, Mister Asagi?”
Hahaha. I’ll live until I die. Hopefully, that will be at a very old age. Perhaps
while sleeping on Daniela’s lap.
Lemon teased me over these sentimental thoughts, and before I knew it, the
sun was starting to set. I would have to return to the inn soon and meet
Daniela.
“Hey, do you want to come too?”
I told her that I had to go and meet Daniela, but she was welcome to have
dinner with us. However, Lemon shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I think Miss Rindo will be waking up soon. And so I should
return to the inn.”
“I see. Yeah, I wouldn’t leave her alone.”
“Yes. But the four of us should definitely have dinner together at least once
before you leave.”
I was happy that she made that suggestion. I wanted to say goodbye to
Manager before we left.
She was one of the few acquaintances I had that was from my home. It was
sad that we had to leave, but we had things we needed to do…
“Alright, we’ll come and visit you before then.”
“Good. See you later!”

“Later.”
I waved as Lemon disappeared into the crowds of people. And then I headed
for the inn where Daniela would be waiting.
□ □ □ □
The sun was now below the walls that surrounded the city, and shadows
began to fall. As if to battle the darkness, lights began to appear all over the
streets just as I arrived at the inn.
“Daniela…ah, there she is. She’s really staring…”
She was looking straight at me with her hands on her hips. Like that, no one
would want to walk past her… She was staring daggers at me. The meaning
was clear.
She was hungry.
“Sorry, sorry. I know I’m late.”
“Very late. I am not sure I have the energy to take a single step.”
“Liar. Come on, let’s go.”
I pulled her by the hand. Sure enough, she was capable of walking just fine.
And so we walked through the city at night, hand in hand. Seeing the unique
way the streets became crowded at night felt oddly nostalgic. Perhaps it was
because we had spent so many nights in the forest. We had also spent many
nights here. It didn’t help that I knew we would be leaving it soon.
However, this sort of melancholy for every stop was part of the charm of
traveling. It was to find places that you wanted to return to, that one traveled
at all.
“So, what is this place we are going to?”
“A bakery. …Oh, don’t look at me like that.”

It was almost surprising how disgusted she looked. I’d never seen that
expression before…
“But…who goes to a bakery at night…”
“It’s good. I promise.”
“Hahh… Well, you do have good instincts.”
In spite of her misgivings, Daniela tagged along. That was why I loved her.
And like that, we arrived at the place I had come to with Lemon. You could
smell the freshly baked bread from outside.
“Smells good, no?”
“Well, only because it is freshly baked…”
She was not ready to give up her meatatarian tendencies just yet. That was
fine. I would open her eyes to the joys of evening bread.
□ □ □ □
“Uhhh…I cannot eat any more…”
“Why do you always eat so much…”
Daniela had underestimated the possibilities of this place and was defeated
after her first bite. The first thing she had eaten was similar to French bread. I
also adored an ajillo of mushrooms and bacon. Well, it was something close
to ajillo, anyway. I didn’t have the most refined taste buds, but it seemed
similar enough.
In any case, this combination was enough to help Daniela calm down. As for
me, I had some melted cheese with my bread. I told her that it was my
favorite way of eating bread, which resulted in her eating all of it. Then she
ordered some beef soup to go with her bread. Once she was feeling better and
less on the brink of starvation, she ordered some Pot-au-feu, and at the very
end, she got some French Toast as dessert.
And that led to where we were now.
“Hmm. It was more filling than I expected…”
“It soaks up all the fluids. But at least it digests quickly.”
“I see… So you can eat a lot of it then…”
“You’re hopeless…”
Daniela leaned on my shoulder as we made our way back to the inn. Then I
helped her down onto the bed and lay beside her. I had missed beds so much.
And so it didn’t take us long to be whisked away to the world of dreams.
chapter 318
The next morning, we ate breakfast at the inn and then returned to our room
in order to decide what we would do next.
“I have bought more than enough food. But perhaps some bread could be
added to our stock.”
“Alright, we’ll go back in the afternoon and see if they do takeouts.”
Like that, our meeting started off with talks related to her appetite.
“We have three destinations. The forest that is south of here. The island to the
west. And the country to the north. Once that is done, we can head to the final
destination, the misty hills.”
Daniela said as she pointed at the map on the table with her pointer. When
did she buy that?
“…Uh, just a moment Daniela. Would you do me a favor?”
“What?”
“This really doesn’t mean anything, but could you put the appraisal glasses
on?”
“…? Well, why not?”
I loved Daniela, because she would listen to my meaningless requests.
“Hmm. Hmm. Yes, it looks really good on you!”
“I have not seen you smile so broadly in a long time. Well, at least you still
look cute.”
It was the final form of Master Daniela.

“Now, to continue. We should decide the order in which we take them on.”
“Hmm… I have a question, Master Daniela.”
“What is it, young Asagi?”
I raised my hand and Daniela thrust the pointer at me.
“About the Alexia mountain ranges, is there a different route we could take to
avoid Alessa?”
“There is. If you have the strength, you could just go over the mountain.
Before Alessa was built, people had to pass the mountain by using a very old
route.”
“An old route… And where is it?”
“Towards the west and south of Alessa. There are actually a number of them
if you look hard enough. So it should not be a problem.”
I see… In that case, we could go to the south forest first, and to the west
island before crossing the mountains to the north.
I suggested this to Daniela. She slapped the pointer into her hand and
considered it.
“Hmm, I am not too sure, considering the season. It will be cold for quite a
while, but I would not want to be near the forest once the snow starts to
melt.”
“From what I understand, the animal-type monsters hibernate during the

winter. And they will come out of their nests once the snow melts. And the
forest is full of such nests.”
So that was why there were no animals. Animals hibernated in the winter.
Any animals who hadn’t gone into hibernation were quickly hunted down by
the goblins.
“We did not do much searching when we were in the northern forest either.”
“Now that I think about it… I was just using a lot of Presence Detection.”
“If we go to the south now, it is unlikely that we will reach it before the snow
melts, unless we are very lucky.”
“I see. So we should avoid going there until the next icesnow season?”
I didn’t like the idea of waiting for a whole year.
“That too is a ridiculous idea… However, we should prioritize safety. Unless

you want to brave the danger and go through the sea of trees?”
“I think we should.”
“Well, I thought you would… And you are probably right. It will be
dangerous, but we should be able to handle it.”
“We should just get it all over with quickly. South, west, north. In that order.”
It was decided then. We continued to plan our journey after that. We would
leave through the west gate of the city and go back down the road we had
come. Our first destination would be the trading city of Usk. The town where
Bacon lived.
There, we would hire a boat and go downriver to the south. This would make
things a lot easier for us. And from the next port, we would enter the forest,
find the facility, and achieve our goal. After that, we would continue on to the
west. We would try to find another boat or I’d use Legs of the God Wolf to
cross the sea and reach the island. I had a feeling we’d have an easier time
finding the facility there, then we would in the forest.
Once all that was finished, we would cross the Alexia mountain range. We
could also go by sea, but that would mean returning to the port to hire a boat.
It would also be unwise to use Legs of the God Wolf at that point.
After that, we would continue to go up north on foot. We just needed to reach
this Erediares country, the rest should be easy. After all, we’d have a
populated area to make our base.
Once we had visited all the locations and accepted the key from the Karma,
who would no doubt have heard about what we were doing, we would go
down south to the misty hills. Though, I had no idea how an ancient elven
facility could be hidden there… But we’d just have to go and search for it.
“Phew… I suppose that’s it.”
“The rest will have to be decided once we arrive.”
I had it all written down in a book that I stored away in my bag. Then I
stretched my aching limbs while moving around the room. The clock showed
that it was about midday. We had been talking all morning, but the passage of
time seemed unusually fast. I suppose it showed how focused we were.
“I’m getting hungry.”
“Aye. We should go to that place, just as we planned.”
“Yeah. Just as we planned.”
Everything was according to plan.
□ □ □ □
And so we returned and filled our bellies once again. The bread really was
delicious. Not only that, but they were quite accomodating with our request
for a takeout. Our constant harping about how delicious the food was got the
attention of the baker. We elaborated and then made the request, which was
promptly granted. It was all according to plan. Well, not really.
“I am stuffed…”
“You sure ate a lot today…”
“It is near impossible to eat modestly with this food.”

“I hear you.”
It was as if your hands had a will of their own. The bread and soup were a
particularly strong combination.
After that, we went around browsing, also known as being a nuisance, in

different stores. It was mostly just to walk around and aid our digestion. As I
had done enough of this yesterday with Lemon, I was sure to browse
different stores this time.
“By the way…”
“Hmm?”
“What about that weapon?”
“Ahh…”
Daniela was talking about the Queen’s Knight Goblin sword. That huge,
plain greatsword. He had said something about a queen giving it to him, but
there had been no goblin queen in Estarosta. So I didn’t really know where it
actually came from.
I had broken it with my Velnoir. Still, I had decided to keep it in order to

remember him.
“I don’t think I will have it fixed. I’m keeping it as a reminder.”
“I see… If that is what you intend, then I have nothing to say about it.”
“Yeah.”
I killed him. And I didn’t think I was wrong in any way. But I didn’t think I
should forget it.
It wasn’t the first time I killed a human. I had done it the first time to save
Marie Elle. And then I did it many times after that. My emotions never died,
and I often felt like vomiting after I did it. But I could control myself now. I
wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good thing.
Regardless, I would have to continue doing it.
“I think I want to keep that sword as it is. Like it will prevent me from being
able to kill without feeling anything.”
“…I doubt you would become like that, Asagi. I would know.”
“Thanks, Daniela.”
I squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. There was overwhelming
affection in her touch, and I was so happy that I laughed out loud.
□ □ □ □
I had thought about doing more shopping, but Daniela quickly reminded me
that we had already finished preparing for the journey. It was true. I think that
somewhere deep inside, I didn’t really want to leave. But I realized it now.
“That’s too bad…”
“Yes… But we cannot stay here forever. We have to move on. And we do not
have much time.”
The snow would melt in a month and the warmer season would come.
“…Alright. I guess I should say my goodbyes then.”
“I will go with you.”
“Sorry. I know you don’t care about that.”
“It is fine. We meet, say farewell, and one day, reunite. Has it not always
been that way?”
I nodded silently. It had happened many times already. That being said, there
had not been a whole lot of reunions yet. But perhaps those were waiting for
us in our future.
chapter 319
Farewell, Vellefrost
As I liked to act quickly after making a decision, we soon found ourselves at

the imperial castle, Revance Reve. It seemed fitting to make this our first visit
on our route to say farewell to everyone.
“Uh, hmm.”
“Ah, Asagi!”
“Ohh!?”
We had come to the gate, and it was just as I was considering the best way to
proceed. It wasn’t like I could just walk up to the gatekeeper and demand to
see ‘the captain of their intelligence division.’ A voice suddenly called from
behind me and I nearly jumped out of my shoes.
“What? What’s this? Maybe you need some more training!”
“Look, anyone would jump if someone shouted at them from behind like
that!”
“Hahaha!”
Mister Tames laughed boisterously. We had met him in the guardhouse of

Nicora. He had helped us during our battle against Eve, the leader of a group
of bandits.
“I heard that you’d be leaving soon. How very polite of you to come and
meet me first.”
“We only just talked about it recently. And yet you already know…”
“Don’t underestimate my agents!”

He said with a laugh. He seemed to like doing that. His job apparently kept
him quite busy, and it was too bad we hadn’t seen much of him.
We had only seen him once in the city. I had given Manager a letter to deliver
during the whole Reserentrible incident. It had gone to one of her military
friends, and Mister Tames had helped so that they could send men to
Reserentrible as quickly as possible. I was very grateful when he told me
about it later.
“You’ve got to stop helping us so much…”
“Bah, it was nothing. I prefer it this way. Ah, that’s right. There’s someone
else that wants to see you.”
“Who?”
Mister Tames looked upwards. When I looked up too, someone fell off from
the castle gate.
“W-woah…”
“Why are you so surprised? Asagi Kamiyashiro…”
I had tried to catch the person before they landed, but the person drifted
lightly to the ground as if they didn’t weigh a thing. I immediately sensed
wind magic. They must have used it to kill their momentum.
“…Huh? You? Aren’t you…”
“Hehe. You owe me a lot for what you are now. Ain’t that right?”
She said with a smug expression. She was the agent who had given us the
imperial military priority pass. It was true that we had a place to sleep, thanks
to her.
“Thank you for that. It was a great help.”
“I only did what I should have.”

After that, she didn’t even introduce herself. She just said, ‘I’m busy. Have a
good journey.’ And then she jumped away somewhere. I only felt the power
of the wind for a brief second. Daniela watched and I heard her mutter
‘Ohh…’ to herself, so I would probably catch her practicing it later on.
“Don’t hesitate to return if you need to. There will always be a place for you
in this city.”
“Yes…thank you. I’ll be sure to come and meet you if we do.”
“Aye!”
He slapped me on the shoulder. I felt his ardor, but couldn’t help but feel it
was unnecessarily strong.
When I looked up after grimacing, Mister Tames was nowhere to be seen. He

had disappeared, and I hadn’t even felt the presence of magic for a second.
“Crazy…”
“I also was not able to see him leave.”
“Well, that’s the captain of spies for you… Alright, let’s go then.”
The Emperor would likely receive a report from Mister Tames very soon. We
owed him a lot as well, but he wasn’t the kind of person you could just show
up at their doorstep one day.
While it had been the fruits of our efforts, we had received a lot of stuff. And
so I bowed my head towards the castle as a show of gratitude.
□ □ □ □
“Oh, I haven’t seen you since yesterday.”
“Did something happen?”
We had come up to the north district to say goodbye to Mister Hipericam.

But Miss Licoris happened to be there as well.
“We’ll be leaving the city soon, so we thought we should say goodbye.”
“We would have, of course, visited you after that.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Definitely. You did help us a lot as well, Miss Licoris.”
“I see… So, you’ll be leaving. People talk about you two wherever you go. It
will seem lonely when there are no more new stories.”
“Indeed. It’s one of the most popular subjects of late.”
“Uh, really?”
I didn’t know that…
“I did. After all, people would approach me all of the time.”
“Oh, so I’m the unpopular one.”
“Ahh…perhaps it is because of your horrifying face?”
“My what!?”
But didn’t I have a very calm expression!?
This revelation led to us asking about what other false rumors had been
plaguing the city recently. As we talked, more military personnel started to
come in. Mister Hipericam had to leave the conversation a couple of times,
and didn’t seem too happy about it.
“While it fills me with great remorse, we better be leaving soon.”
“Sorry to have taken so much time.”
“Oh, it’s no problem at all. I’m glad that we were able to help you two!”
“Yes, here are your keys… Oh, yes. I too am glad to have met you. Though, I
must admit that I prefer peace and quiet.”
“Ehehe… Thanks. We’ll be sure to drop by if we’re ever in the city again.”
The people kept coming in, and so we quickly waved to Miss Licoris and
Mister Hipericam.
“If you do, you should stay here. You can have your old room even.”
“I might not be able to give you another tour, but be sure to say hello.”
“Thank you.”
“Goodbye.”
Some of the soldiers overheard our conversation and offered words of

farewell as we left. Even though we had no idea who they were, they knew
us. As we couldn’t ignore them, we shook their hands and patted them on the
back.
I felt a little tired when we stepped back out into the open air. But I also felt
good. I felt satisfied. I mean, it seemed like I was pretty popular after all. Was
that conceited?
The sun was already starting to set, and the curtain of night was falling over
the imperial city. The sounds of the city and the magic lights seemed like a
messenger telling us that it was much too early to go to bed.
“So, let us go to the next one.”
“Sorry for dragging you along, Daniela.”
“Do not worry. I see the importance of it. I have interacted with more people
now that I travel with you. And I even enjoy it.”
She had been alone for so long. There was now a faraway look in her eyes, as
if she was staring at her past self.
“Of course, I also know more about the sadness of leaving friends. It is not as
if I never talked with people before, but I now regret the times I left towns
without saying a word. Perhaps there were people who wanted to meet me
before I left.”
“…I’m sure there were.”
That could have happened with us. Maybe we wouldn’t have become quite as
close. We would have had dinner together one time and then Daniela would
just disappear somewhere. I would have been sad. And even though I would
have known that I’d never see her again, I would probably find myself
searching for her face in crowds.
A proper goodbye offered people closer. It let them move on. And it led to
the joy of a reunion. You would be remembered.
‘Ah, now that I think about it, what is he doing these days?’ Being
remembered like that was enough reason for people to live.
“That’s why it’s important to me.”
“I feel the same way now. We are the same.”
Hearing that made me happy. I really was too easy.
□ □ □ □
And so we walked through the city streets until we reached the Solitude store,
just before closing.
“Welcome. Unfortunately, we’re just about to…huh?”
“Good evening Miss Amarilith.”
“Ah, it’s Asagi. I had assumed that you already left.”
We had actually already said goodbye to her before leaving to Reserentrible.

Back then, I had assumed we’d never meet again.
“Well, a lot’s happened. And we were still in the city.”

“Ahh, is it related to Namila village?”
“That’s exactly it. But now that that’s solved, we’ll be leaving for good.”
“I see…”
She had also been a great help to us. All the fighting we did in the city and
being able to brave the cold outside of it. It was because of her. And I had
bought a lot of clothes.
“Well, there’s no need to do the whole song and dance again. Be safe.”
“Uh, not the best way to close things… But, see you.”
She offered her hand and I shook it. And then Daniela shook it as well.
“Thank you. I will take good care of the clothes.”
“You should wear such things more often, young lady.”
“Perhaps… But I am a little too old to be referred to as a ‘young lady.’”
“A little…?”
Well, I wasn’t sure about that.
“Mmgphh.”
I felt an elbow jab me in the ribs. On both sides.
“Watch your mouth, foolish bastard.”
“She’s right, Asagi. She’s still a young lady no matter how old she is.”
“Ggg…I’ll be careful…”
Always a young lady… I repeated this revelation in my mind as I held my

ribs and walked out of the store.
That was our last stop for the day. It just wasn’t possible to do everything in a
single day. That was unprecedented. But we enjoyed talking to everyone, at
least.
“Tomorrow, we’ll say goodbye to Adlus and then get a bite to eat with
Manager and Lemon. Then we’ll leave.”
“Yes. But we must have dinner now.”
“Got it.”
It was back to the bakery. The baker was quite moved that we were
impressed enough to return the very next day. But we soon disappointed him
by informing him that it was for the last time.
That was nice to know. We told him about how much it pained us to leave,
and he insisted on baking us something special for the road. And so we
promised to come back in the morning.
It was these kind of small things that really made our travels memorable.
□ □ □ □
The next morning, just as the sun started to rise above the walls of the city,
Daniela and I stood in front of the bakery.
As we were leaving today, we had already checked out of the inn. They were
quite sad to see us go, as had held the same room for quite a long time. I
thought that we would try to get that room again if we ever returned. But it
would definitely have to be when there wasn’t a tournament going on.
And so we got out early in the morning. Of course, we hadn’t eaten breakfast
yet. There wasn’t a lot of time, and Daniela was in a rush to get out.
We could already smell the freshly baked bread while we were outside, and it
was maddening to our empty stomachs.
“I cannot take it any longer. I am going inside.”

“Wait, you dumb bastard.”
Daniela’s eyes looked like those of a ravenous wolf, and she wiped away the
saliva that dripped from her mouth.
“But, Asagi!”
“They’re going to give us a lot very soon. We just have to wait patiently for
the store to open.”
“Grr…it is torture…”
She really could be quite disappointing when food entered the picture…
Perhaps our stupid conversation had been a little too loud. We heard a bell
ring. It was the bell that was fixed above the door. When I looked up, I saw
the baker smiling at us.
“Ah, I thought I heard some cheerful voices out here. It’s you two.”
“Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning. Daniela just couldn’t wait to
come back and forced me out of bed early.”
“His bread is quite good. In fact, you are the rude one for sleeping with
disinterest.”
Daniela said innocently as she folded her arms.
“Haha! Well, hearing such compliments make me feel that it was worth the
effort. Now, come. I also prepared you some breakfast.”
“You really shouldn’t have…”
“It’s nothing. I doubt I’ll ever see another young elf who enjoys my bread as
much as you do, Miss Daniela. …Oh, well, perhaps you are older than me.”
“There is no need to dwell on that. I have a deep respect for those who can
cook with skill. Age has nothing to do with it.”
If only some of that respect could be directed towards me… Or was this a
subtle critique of my cooking?
“Hah! I’m glad to hear it. Now, enough talk. The food will start to get cold.”
As soon as he opened the door, the smell of bread became so much stronger. I
was nearly knocked off my feet.
“Now, here’s the bread that I promised. You should put it in that mysterious
bag of yours.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
I accepted the bag that was full of bread and stuffed it into the hollow bag.
While it was quite rude, considering he was just giving it to us, I was pretty
distracted by the food on the table.
Freshly baked bread, fluffy scrambled eggs, and some crunchy bacon. There
was also soup that looked like clam chowder.
“I didn’t expect to see any seafood here.”
“Ah, it sometimes shows up in the market. So you two are lucky. Now, eat
up.”
“Thank you!”
No words were needed after that. We were too distracted to do anything but
eat. Everything on the table was delicious.
The plates were scraped clean in no time. Daniela had that dissatisfied look
on her face, but she didn’t complain, as she knew we would be eating with
Manager soon enough.
However, she had still greatly enjoyed the food. It was easily one of the best
breakfasts we’d had here.
“Thank you for that wonderful meal.”

“It was delicious.”
“Aye, you seemed to have enjoyed it. That makes me very quite happy.”
It could have been a last supper and I wouldn’t have complained.
I looked outside and saw that the sun had risen, and the streets were starting
to fill up. Things would stay the same even though we were gone. This store
would start to get crowded soon as well.
It was time to go.
“We’ll be sure to come back if we’re ever in the city again.”
“I see no reason why not. Please stay alive until then.”
“Uh, thank you… I feel like I can still improve in many ways.”
As we stood up and shook his hand, people started to come in. They were
probably regulars, as they immediately sat down. Maybe it was their favorite
spot.
“Well, see you.”
“Good luck.”
“Aye, I’ll pray that you have a good journey. Be careful.”
And with that, we left the store. It was nice and bright outside. It even felt
warmer than usual…
I turned around to look at the sign one last time.
“Guite’s Bakery. …We’ll be back.”
And we’ll eat until we are full. It was with that promise in my heart that we
headed for the noble district.
□ □ □ □
Adlus lived somewhere in the southwest of the noble district. The house was
made of white materials and the citizens of the city called it the ‘White
House.’ This pure-white structure was inhabited by the light elves.
Of course, due to Adlus’s belief in the superiority of light elves, this house
did not have the best reputation among some people. However, he had
softened a little once the tournament was finished, and it seemed like that was
changing.
And it was at this house that we showed up without an appointment.
“Hey, Adlus. You’re in there, aren’t you? Get the hell out.”
“Hey. You surely have nothing important to do. Stop wasting our time.”
There was a bell on the door that had a magic stone in it that allowed it to act
as an intercom of sorts. And so our voices would be heard from within the
house.
“Hurry up!”
“We will not wait a minute longer.”
“You obnoxious pair! Don’t move!”
Came the screech. And then there was silence.
“I feel so important now that I can call on a noble without sending word
ahead.”
“Well, it should not be a problem with this man.”
“Yeah…oh.”
The grand, white gate opened and Adlus came sliding out. He was literally
sliding on water that he had created with magic. If he didn’t stop, we’d be
soaked.
“Asagi.”
“I know.”
I gathered blue mana towards my hand and created a screen of water in front
of us like some kind of fountain. And then I changed it to a darker blue,
freezing the wall in an instant. The reason I had started from water, was
because I knew it would annoy him. Hahah. Yup. He looked angry.
“What must you bother me so early in the day…?”
“Good morning. We’re going to leave the city today. See ya.”
“Goodbye.”
“Hey, wait.”
I waved at him as I started to turn around, but he stopped us. What now…
“Now, don’t look at me like that. You are leaving? Well, would it have hurt
you so much to tell me sooner?”
“Well, we were pretty busy with preparations. So, uh, sorry?”
“Hmph… Well, better late than never, I suppose. However, I will not let you
off that easily. Come and have some tea.”
I expected as much. Now, had he demanded to have one last duel, I would
have activated Legs of the God Wolf and been out of there before he could
finish his sentence.
The interior of the house was also white. It gave me a headache. It messed
with your depth perception, which made stairs pretty dangerous. They said
that black was a manly color, but both black and white were no good in my
opinion.
We continued to walk down a white hallway and went through a white door
and into a white dining room.
“Bring three cups of hot tea.”
“Yes, Master Adlus.”
We had passed several maids on the way here. They were all light elves as
well.
The cook in the dining hall was also an elf.
“You really have no one but light elves here?”
“They are elves who live on this continent. The longer you live, the more
wounds you have to show for it. I offer them protection. It has started to
attract others.”
So, I guess this scene around us was the result of all that.
“And if you die, Daniela is more than welcome to live here.”
“Buzz off.”
“I will take care of myself.”
“We’ll see how long that lasts.”
We both ground our teeth and glared at him. But Adlus looked unperturbed.
I had to be careful…
“Here is your tea.”
“Thank you.”
The cups were placed on the white table without making a sound. The maid
gave me a menacing look before she left.
It was clearly his fault!
“Hmm…it is good.”
“It’s hot…”
“It’s an original herb tea that’s created from herbs grown in my own gardens.
It’s the first thing that I taste every morning.”
Adlus had a very elegant way of holding his tea cup. I tried my best not to
look like an idiot while I held mine. Yes, it was pretty good…
For a while, nothing happened outside of the tilting of cups in our hands. It
was just as I was going to ask for a second cup, that Adlus opened his mouth.
“I am grateful to you two.”
“Eh?”
“I believe that my philanthropic efforts had led me to think too highly of

myself. And it took meeting you two to remind me of what I was. Yes, you
two. I made a fool of myself to many during the tournament. But it turned out
to be quite educational for me.”
He said all of this with the most serious expression. Yes, our first meeting
had been terrible. Then we fought and made peace. And then we fought side
by side in Namila village. I saw him as a comrade now, but I also found it
awkward to reply when he talked like this.
“Adlus…”
“Excuse me, is there more tea?”
“…”
“…”
Hey, I wasn’t the best at reading the room either, but even I knew that this
was one of those moments.
“Daniela… It’s quite rare for Adlus to open his heart like this, you know? It’s
like he’s getting very introspective now that we are leaving. Don’t you feel
sorry for the guy? Look, he just seems very embarrassed due to your ill-timed
interruption…”
“Wait. You have clearly done worse just now. See? Adlus is now shaking
with anger.”
“No, Adlus shakes like that when he is sad. You see, he’s usually a very
proud guy, and yet he pushed that all aside in order to bare his true feelings to
us. I was about to thank him for it and everything would have concluded
happily. But you ruined the atmosphere, Daniela.”
“I do not agree. You are the one who destroyed it, Asagi. I have lived longer
and have more experience than you. I can read the air. I knew very well that
Adlus had become filled with emotion and was about to speak. It was evident
with the very first word that poured from his mouth. I knew this was going to
be a lengthy confession. And so I wanted to ask for more tea, so that I would
not have to interrupt him in the middle of his story. After all, would it not
have been severely awkward if I did it when he was nearing the climax of his
revelation?”
“I suppose you have a good point there… Daniela, you’re really smart.”
“You agree? Then Asagi, you would be wise to follow my lead and ask for
another cup of tea as well.”
“That’s true. Alright.”
“More tea!”
“GET OUUUUUUUUUUTTTTT!!!!!”
□ □ □ □
In spite of that outburst, we did get our second cups of tea.
“Well, I think you learned to just be yourself.”
“Indeed. It is not like you to put on airs in that way. You are the proud and
arrogant Adlus. And you are still a comrade.”
“Uh, no. I might have been a little more honest than usual, but I had no
intention of coming off…oh, never mind. Yes, perhaps I was acting a little
strange. But it’s been a long time since I’ve met people as strong as you…and
so I feel a little regret at the thought of your departure.”
Adlus stared at his cup that he had placed on the table. His voice was quiet as
he watched the surface of the herb tea. His face was calm and quite different
from the red-faced man who was blowing a fuse a moment ago. As I was
more than capable of reading the room, I watched and kept quiet.
“Do come back. Because I don’t intend on leaving this city. You will always
be welcome.”
“And yet you tried to kick us out a second ago.”
Said the completely unperceptive Daniela. I elbowed her.
“We have no idea when it will be, but we’ll return. We like the city just as
you do.”
“Of course. This is a very comfortable place. And there are many light
elves…”
A place with lots of people like Daniela. Perhaps that gave her a sense of
comfort too.
Every place was special to me. In my old world, life had been boring. But
here, everything was special, not just the places, but also the people.
“I will pray that you have a safe journey. And don’t hesitate to ask for help if
you need it. We will always be on your side.”
As we left the white house, I recalled Adlus’s last words.
It really had been a horrible first impression. We had been flinging death
threats at each other. Things only got worse after that. And then came the
tournament. But things changed dramatically after that. The battle had
resulted in a degree of respect and acceptance, and then there was the
stampede.
“He’s an okay guy.”
“His words are not great, but his actions make up for it. Someone who was
bad to the core would not be able to do the same.”
“Seriously.”
And hey, we had put on a good show during the tournament, right? And we
were victorious at Namila village as well. Our time in the imperial capital
would not have been as interesting without him.
“Still, his sudden turn back there was quite awkward to see.”
“Yeah. Well, thankfully, it’s about time to go and meet Manager. We can get
something to eat.”
“Yes.”
And so we headed to our final destination in order to meet Manager and

Lemon.
Meat, Meat, Meat, Meat.
□ □ □ □
That being said, we’ve really come here a lot.
“You’re late.”
“That’s not like you, Asagi.”
“Sorry. The road was really crowded.”
There were more people now then there was during the morning. The street
in front of this restaurant was especially busy.
“Alright, since we’re all here, let’s go inside.”

“Ah, could you wait a minute? There’s actually one more person…”
“Hm?”
Manager stopped Daniela just as she put her hand on the door. She looked
puzzled. Had we invited someone else?
“I can see by your expression that you don’t remember.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, there he is!”
Lemon said, and I turned around to see someone with reddish-brown hair.
The face underneath it looked all kinds of disgruntled.
“Oh…”
“What do you mean, ‘oh’? Eh!”
“Uhhh… Well, um. Hey, it’s nice to see you, Rex.”
I hadn’t seen him since Reserentrible.
“And you said that we’d meet again in the capital!”
“Yes, I did say that…”
“I was waiting, you know!?”
“I’m sorry!!”
I bowed, but it didn’t save me from getting bashed.
“Damn it, you bastard! You’ll have to pay for the meal now!”
“Sure thing! I’ll pay for everyone.”
“Alright, let’s go eat some meat!”

It was supposed to be a farewell party for Manager and Lemon. But it turned
into something closer to an Asagi Apology party…
□ □ □ □
As the sounds of sizzling meat filled the air, Daniela and the others ate
happily. My mood wasn’t quite as joyful. I felt left out in a way.
“Haaa… And I was so looking forward to seeing you again, Asagi…”
Rex said as he drained his first cup.
“Hey, I was happy to see you too. And it was really unexpected.”
“Hmm…”
“Honest.”
“But you were in no hurry to see me again?”
“Uh…”
Hold it. It doesn’t matter if he’s acting like an obnoxious girlfriend. He’s not
exactly wrong.
“I think you have made your point, Rex.”
“But, Daniela…”
Even as she flipped the pieces of meat on the grill with a serious face,
Daniela took the time to come to my aid.
“Do you know that an Automata was sold at the auction house?”
“Aye, there were rumors of it all over the city. People have been wondering
where it was found and who bought it.”
“I cannot tell you who bought it, but it was Asagi who sold it.”
“What!? Is that true!!”
Rex shouted as he slapped the table.
“Where did you find such a rare item!”
“It was in some old ruin that’s north of Replant.”
“Liar! There is nothing there! It’s just a tourist attraction!”
“It’s underground. I flipped over some rubble by a giant pillar and found the
entrance. It led underground and I found the thing.”
“Seriously…?”
He must have gone there too. It was because he knew of the place that he
looked so disappointed.
“By the way, there was another one, so you can pick it up if you go.”
“There is!?”
“Though, there are no more reactor cores. I sold them all in the auction.”
“You did…”
His emotions were going up and down like crazy. Was he going to be alright?
“Who cares about any of that?”
“I do…”
“The point I was trying to make was that the Automata led to a certain
conflict. In other words, we had no time at all to rest after the events in
Reserentrible. And even after the matter was solved, there was the stampede.
Between the dungeon and now, we have hardly had any time to rest.”
“I see…”
End of explanation. Daniela immediately started filling her cheeks with meat.
“Still, it was my decision to get involved in all of these incidents. So I’ll take
the blame. Sorry.”
“Bah, it’s nothing. Besides, if we’re being honest, I knew you had gone to
Namlia village. Everyone was talking about Adlus, Light Wind, and
Silvergreen going.”
Rex threw some meat into his mouth and washed it down with his ale.
“Well, at least I caught you before you left. So it was all good in the end.”
“I guess…”
“Didn’t I say it was? Now, stop sulking and eat! You’re the one paying for it,
after all!”
“…Uh, alright. We’ll eat all the meat in this place!”
“Hey, Asagi. Do not take my portion!”
□ □ □ □
As Rex and Daniela had started a war over the best pieces of meat, I decided
to move next to Manager in order to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
“I still can’t believe that you’re leaving.”
“Sorry. I know it took you a long time to finally catch me.”
“It’s fine. In fact, I’m glad you’re leaving.”
She said with a grin, but her disappointment was still evident. She had told
me that she traveled all the way here from the north in order to find me.
Thinking about that nearly made me hesitate, but of course, she wouldn’t
allow it.
“…By the way, why were you two and Rex…”

“We were at the same inn. We even had dinner together a number of times.”
“I see. That’s an interesting coincidence…”
So that’s why she had brought him here. He had probably been loudly
complaining about me not coming to see him.
“Yes, I brought him all the way here to see you. I hope you’re grateful?”
“Thanks…”
“Hahaha!”
She seemed happy. It was probably the wine.
“Still…we will miss you.”
“I’m sure we’ll be back eventually… But won’t you also travel again?”
“Yes… Lemon and I have been talking about going out together. It would be
nice. Have you decided?”
Manager tilted her wine glass in Lemon’s direction. Lemon placed some meat
onto Manager’s plate and answered without pausing to think.
“I’ll go with you. It should be so much more interesting.”
“Well, there you have it. We will be leaving soon as well.”
“Right… Well, if you ever happen to see us, let us know.”
“Of course, we will. You’re the only one here that I’ve known for a long
time. I don’t need to feel any more lonely than I already do.”
“…Yeah.”
Both of us were not from this world. And that would never change no matter
how far we went. Cultures, values, views… And there were things you only
learned in the place that you were born.
“Now, enough of that sappy stuff. Lemon, Asagi is paying tonight, so you
best take advantage of his generosity. Don’t put everything on my plate. Eat
up.”
“Uh… But I’ve been cooking it for you, Rindo.”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to cook some for you.”
Such good friends…
“I’m going to go get some air.”
“We’ll be ordering more meat, just so you know.”
“Yeah, order as much as you want.”
I stood up and handed some coins to the waiter in advance. It was more than
enough. And then I opened the door and stepped outside.
It was still not quite midday. And yet Manager and Rex were drinking. Well,
it was a special day…I think.
The town was lively today as well. It always was, and I never tired of seeing
it. I felt like I was really settling into the scenery. Of course, I would
probably still stick out if I walked around in it.
“Hah…”
I couldn’t help but sigh as I looked up at the clear blue sky. The milky cloud
rose into the air and dispersed.
I leaned against the wall and slid down until I was in a sitting position. After
a while, I heard the door creaking. When I turned to look, I saw Manager
standing next to me.
“Aren’t you busy making more orders?”
“Lemon and Daniela have that covered.”

“That’s good to know.”
They were elves, so perhaps they needed to eat more to live longer. I just
wished she took more vegetables as well.
Manager seemed like she didn’t have any reason for being out here. She just
sat down silently.
“Sitting here like this really takes me back to that time.”
“Back… What time was that?”
“You know, the next morning after the typhoon.”
“…Ah.”
Now I remembered.
I had been on the night shift when a giant typhoon attacked Honshu. I had
gone to the convenience store, like I always did. Only the rain was horrible
from the moment I left the house. Still, there was a high-school student who
worked there part-time who was waiting for me. So I couldn’t exactly cancel.
As there was no avoiding getting wet, I just put my shirt, pants, and socks
into a plastic bag and rode my bicycle while holding an umbrella in one hand.
I remember peddling desperately and then rolling into the store and pushing
out the highschool student. And that was the start of my night shift.
I was very familiar with the job. Most of the necessary work could be
finished in two hours. When I looked up at the clock, it had just reached
midnight.
“Alright. I can take it easy now. After all, no one’s going to come here at
night when there’s a typhoon out there. Hehe.”
So, I could expect to be able to just sit in the office and look at my phone the
whole time. Thank you, Mister Typhoon! It was as I was leaning back in my
chair with a smirk on my face, that divine punishment came down upon me.
A black out.
“…It really was terrible.”
“Seriously. I was just about to go to sleep when I hear your frantic voice on
the phone. And then I had to go to the store.”
“But, I really wouldn’t have been able to do anything if you didn’t come.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
Nothing worked in the store. Not the cash registers or the refrigerators. As we
wouldn’t be able to do anything if customers came in, I quickly put a sign on
the door to show that we were closed.
“In the end, we had to stay there and watch the store until morning.”
“Liar. Manager, you went right to sleep.”
“I did? I don’t remember that.”
You don’t remember because you were sleeping.”
I remember her telling me to wake her up in the morning. I thought it was

rather heartless of her, since I had called her there for help, but she was
quickly fast asleep and would not wake up.
“But I do remember one thing. The next morning. The sky was so
beautiful…”
After the typhoon had passed, it was as if the clouds and all the dust had been
blown away cleanly. And the bright sunlight shone down from a pure blue
sky. Me and Manager looked up from the parking lot and stood there
speechless…
“It was just like how the sky is now.”
“The air is so clean here… It really reminds me of those days.”

“…Do you still want to go back?”
“If it was possible, yes. But I’ve already decided to live here. Well, if that
ever happens…maybe I’ll visit the old store.”
“Haha. That will never happen…”
Manager sighed. I suppose it was the end…of our talk. She was telling me to
stop asking questions. And so, even though I had opened my mouth, I didn’t
say anything.
“There will be a pile of cooked meat right about now.”
“Have you rested enough, Manager?”
“Yeah. I should eat as much as I can.”
“Alright, let’s go back then…”
I got back on my feet and went inside the store. But when I turned around,
she was still looking up at the sky.
□ □ □ □
We were nearing the end of our little barbecue party. It was time to leave.
When I looked around, I saw that Rex was quite drunk and red in the face.
Manager looked like she had eaten a lot and was satisfied. Lemon must have
had some of Rex’s drink, because she looked tipsy. Daniela was still eating.
“We should go soon…”
“What? I am still cooking here.”
“It’s nearly midday. We won’t reach Yukka if we don’t leave soon.”
“Hmph… Very well, just let me finish these ones.”
Yukka was far away. I think it was around four days. So I intended on using
Legs of the God Wolf at some point along the way. And by that, I meant we
would be skipping the giant tree with all of the blood apes. I did not want to
camp anywhere close to it.
Once the last piece of meat was cooked and eaten, we picked up our things
and left the restaurant.
“My, to have paid everything in advance. You’ve really grown, Asagi.”
“It was just a whim.”
She slapped me on the back. I couldn’t tell her it was something I had read in
a magazine during my night shift…
“I wonder how much growth you’ll show next time we meet?”
“Haha. Oh, I’m sure I’ll be the strongest man in the world.”
“You already are.”
Lemon said with a laugh. Her legs seemed very unstable. However, Daniela
was stronger. I still had a long way to go.
“I’m going to try, anyway. Good luck, Lemon. You too, Manager.”
“Yeah, and you. Daniela as well. I look forward to meeting you both again.”
“Aye, Rindo. Goodbye, Lemon.”
“Yes. Please be safe, Daniela and Asagi!”
Manager and Lemon waved. Rex looked like he had eaten too much, but he
raised his hand shakily.
“You…”
“Don’t say anything…I’m going to hurl…”
“Well, good luck. And drink some water.”

“Ahhhh…sorry…goodbye…”
I handed Rex a handmade cup of ice water. This might not have been the
neatest way to say goodbye, but at least everyone had really enjoyed the
meal. I was happy about that. Even though I wished some had drank a little
less.
“Well. All of you, see you again!”
“Be safe!”
I adjusted my bag and turned back and waved. The three of them stood
together and waved back. Lemon smiled. Manager looked a little sad. Rex
looked sick. I turned back to get one last glimpse of them several times, but
they were quickly swallowed up by the crowd. I suddenly stopped.
“Asagi.”
“…I know. Let’s go.”
I looked back and saw that Daniela was standing in front of me with her hand
extended. I held it and we walked, side by side.
Hunting the wind dragon. The Imperial Sword Tournament. Reuniting with
Manager. The Auction. Dungeon exploration. The truth. Guarding the
mansion. Stampede.
A lot had happened here. But today, we were setting out to our next
adventure.
chapter 320
To Yukka
We left through the west gate of the Imperial Capital and ran as if to shake
off the emotion that clung to us. Well, I was the one who was doing the
running. I carried Daniela while being boosted by Legs of the God Wolf. The
platinum and jade wind carried us as if we didn’t weigh anything at all.
“Firsts stop, Yukka. Right?”
“Yes. We will stay there for one night and then move on to Arkaroid. Then
we go through the swamp and to Usk.”
“Yukka should be a lot more lively now that the matter of the Loup-Garou
has been taken care of.”
“Do you want to explore?”
“Time is precious, but there are a few people that we know.”
After everything was said and done, there were people there that had helped
us. It would be rude to ignore them when passing through.
“Perhaps we could have dinner with them.”
“If there’s time.”
I wouldn’t mind enjoying the night like that either.
I had completely healed from the wounds I received during the stampede, and
since Legs of the God Wolf was working well, we passed the giant tree in no
time. The attack of the blood apes during the night had traumatized me a
little, and I couldn’t help but we wary when we came close to it. Though, it
had been somewhat of a massacre, and perhaps there were not many of them
left. But even if we didn’t see any, I had no intention of resting anywhere
near it.
After we passed the great tree, there wasn’t much to see for a long stretch.
The forest was still far away, and we could see the sun getting closer to it.
And so we decided to search for a place to rest.
“I hope there’s a good spot around here…”
“It does not really matter.”
“Well, I suppose you’re right. We have the barrier tools, after all.”
Those barrier tools had the thunderstones inside of them, and so anyone who
came close to them would be electrocuted. Thanks to them, we didn’t have to
be as careful when choosing a place to camp. Still, all my prior experience
ensured that I had a habit of searching.
I used Presence Detection to do a quick scan of the area from above, but as
there was nothing to find, we landed on the ground and then set up the
barrier. You just needed to place the four devices so that they made a square
and then add mana while pushing a switch. Then they would be activated.
After that, it would just continue to run off of the mana in the air. When it
was time to leave, you just pushed the switch again to deactivate it. But if you
forgot to turn it off, your punishment would be electrocution.
“Finished.”
I returned to the center where our belongings were. Daniela had used wind
magic in order to blow away all of the snow and expose the ground
underneath. And so I took some firewood out of the hollow bag and lit it with
a magic ignition tool. Yes, you couldn’t have a campsite without a bonfire.
The snow itself wasn’t that deep. Just around ten centimeters. And it wasn’t
frozen solid either, so things were quite easy for us.
After her work was done, Daniela wasted no time in taking out some meat
skewers from her bracelet and sitting down for a break. Seeing her relaxing
like that put a smile on my face.
She looked at me with annoyance. And then I started to set up the tent. This
one used a single pole and was quite popular with campers. You just pulled
the tarp over the pole that was in the center and pulled the edges to the
ground and nailed them. There was something about these tents that really
matched a bonfire, visually. And better atmosphere improved your dining
experience as well.
I hammered the last peg into the ground and pulled the tarp to make sure that
it was secure. I nodded. There was no need to worry about it collapsing
during the night. As it was still very cold outside, it would have been nice to
have a stove, but we didn’t have one. Adlus had had one in his tent during the
stampede. We should have bought one too. It was too bad that I always
seemed to remember these things when it was too late.
“Alright, let us eat.”
“You’re already eating.”
“This is just a snack. It hardly counts.”
“Right…”
That didn’t make any sense. And so I ignored her and started to cook some
dinner.
We both rubbed our full stomachs and sipped our tea.
“It’s still pretty warm, considering we’re in the snow.”
“It is thanks to these clothes…and this jade wind dragon cape.”
“I haven’t heard that one in a minute.”
I chuckled at her smug expression. It had been a while since it was just the
two of us camping out like this. And it was very comforting.
Now, we just had to sleep. The barrier tools were doing their job and
Presence Detection told me that there were no monsters in the area. It really
was true that the icesnow phase meant that monsters were less active. It made
traveling easier. Well, if you ignored the snow. I guess it depended on what
bothered you more. As for me, I preferred the cold to the heat, so it wasn’t so
bad.
“I’ll take the first watch then. It’s been a while, after all.”
“No, I will do it. You can rest, Asagi.”
“Thanks.”
I decided to take her up on the offer. Hmm. I suddenly felt very sleepy. If I
let this chance go, the drowsiness would probably escape me for the rest of
the night. It would be best to go straight to bed.
“Alright, wake me up when you get tired…good night.”
“Aye, good night, Asagi.”
I waved at Daniela, who was poking the firewood with a stick. And then I
entered the tent. There was a thick blanket on the ground that I fell onto and
then I tightened my winter clothes around me. Somehow, it felt as if we
hadn’t left the empire yet.
I still felt warm and cozy… Hmm… I was too tired to think about that now.
And there was no need to, anyway.
“I have no idea what I’m talking about…I’m so tired…”
I mumbled to myself as I closed my eyelids and fell asleep.
□ □ □ □
I slept a lot more soundly than I had been expecting. And so it was with
bleary eyes that I got out of bed after Daniela woke me, and I started my
watch.
“It’s so quiet that it’s disturbing.”

Not even the wind made a sound. There was something about it that was
horribly eerie. Still, I suppose it was also a sign of peace. Once we reached
the forest, we would probably hear the cries of strange birds and the roars of
wild animals.
I looked up dazedly at the night sky. The sky was so dense with stars that I
could never do anything but sigh when I gazed at them. It was so beautiful
and unreal, that I doubted there was any place on earth that allowed you to
see the stars in such a way.
And in the midst of the stars, were the three moons that gently shone down. It
was so different from the sunlight. They were soft and mysterious as they
created blue shadows over the snow. Only the light of the fire could
overwrite those shadows.
“This is at least number two on my list of sights I wish I could see with
Daniela…”
Number one was a sunset… Sunsets were my favorite. Once we reached the
west island, I hoped we could sit together and watch as the sun descended
into the sea.
The next morning, Daniela came out of the tent without oversleeping, and I
quickly revived her with some breakfast. When we were ready, I activated
Legs of the God Wolf and we continued on our way to Yukka. We took
several breaks as we went, so it wasn’t hard, but it did take some time. It was
near sundown when we arrived in Yukka.
“I think it took us about four days to travel to the imperial capital from
Yukka… And yet it only took us a day and a half to return. Your skill really
is useful, Asagi.”
“Well, I got it from Rachel.”
“Still.”
We managed to slide in through the east gates just before they were closed.
We then moved through the town, just as people were preparing for dinner. It
did not take us long to find a certain light green building. It was the inn we
had stayed at last time. It had been on the expensive side, but we were able to
afford it. Besides, it was only for one night.
We entered the inn, side by side. Last time, I had been horribly dirty and was
nearly thrown out. However, Daniela would have none of that, and then
related a number of embarrassing stories about me in order to somehow
prove that I was a ‘famous Adventurer.’ It was the worst.
“So, will things go smoothly this time?”
“Don’t you dare share any stories about me like you did before.”
“Well, that depends on how they greet us.”
She looked like she had every intention of revealing things. Damn it…
As we walked to the counter, the clerk noticed us and flashed a smile. But,
what kind of smile was it?
chapter 321
Night in Yukka
As for the results, we were able to get a room. I wasn’t filthy this time, and
our reputations had improved tremendously.
“Mister Asagi and Miss Daniela. I’m so glad to see you both again…!”
The reception was kind of uncomfortable actually.
As for our room…we opted to go for a normal one, instead of the most
luxurious room in the inn. We were only going to stay for one night, after all.
Not that they didn’t try to push the luxurious suite onto us, but I was firm in
my refusal.
“….So, I guess we should go out then.”
“Yes, I am hungry.”
Daniela had already changed her clothes and was hurrying me along. Even as
she pushed me, I got changed and picked up just my bag as we headed out of
the room.
As it was dinner time, there seemed to be a lot of other people going out into
town. They must have been looking forward to it too, as they were all
smiling.
“Perhaps this is all because the Loup-garou was defeated.”
“I don’t know… But I hope so.”
“After a monster like that was killed? I see no reason why they would not
celebrate.”
It had been a tough fight… Terrible, really. I still had scars from those
wounds. As my finger started to trace the line on my left cheek, Daniela
peered into my face.
“It is a scar of honor.”
“Hmm. I suppose.”
“Mine has faded a little….”
“Ah, wait!”
I stopped Daniela before she pulled her shirt open any further.
“What?”
“People will see you!”
“That is nothing to me.”
“It should be. I think so.”
“I have no idea what you are saying.”
Daniela gave me an odd look. Perhaps it was something only I could

understand. But that was the way things were.
The last time we were in Yukka, we spent most of our time in the inn. We
didn’t really go and eat out if I remembered correctly. Still, it had been an
eventful stay. There was the brawl at the guild, I had bought a spear, and then
I befriended Lehaty. However, the thing that remained in my memory the
most was the Loup-garou.
“Do you think we should check out the guild?”
“Why not? We might meet an old friend.”
It just felt right to go to all the familiar spots first. And so we went down the
familiar road and headed to the guild.
□ □ □ □
I pushed open the door and stepped inside. As it was evening, there were
quite a lot of people here. A lot of Adventurers sat at the bar with mugs in
hand.
“Are bars mandatory facilities for guilds?”
“It seems likely.”
I listened to all the lively sounds as we wandered around the entrance hall.
But before I knew it, I was standing in front of the quest board. Was I a
workaholic now?
“…I have no idea why I’m looking at this.”
“Well, I suppose it is important in a way. It will give you a feel for what is
happening around here.”
Perhaps it was especially important for people like her. Solitary wanderers.
People who didn’t stay in any one town. Seeing the hunt requests and other
quests gave you an idea of the town’s atmosphere.
After doing a quick scan, I saw that most of them were for monster hunting.
However, they were mainly things like goblins, forest wolves, and kobolds.
“Do you think it’s also related to the Loup-garou?”
“I suppose there are a lot of open territories now that the big monster is gone.
They are all coming out of their holes. …And big monsters like this one will
come out to get them.”
Daniela said as she pointed at a request. It read: Paralyze Viper Hunting

Request.
“Paralyze Viper? I don’t think I’ve heard of that one.”
“It is supposed to be a monster…that lives south of the imperial capital. I

have heard stories.”
“Hmm.”
So that meant there was a chance we could bump into it. It might not be a bad
idea to just hunt it down while we were here…
“If we kill all of the strong monsters around this town, how will the
Adventurers who are based here grow?”
“I guess… You know, I never really thought about it until the stampede. I’ll
be more careful from now on when accepting quests.”
“That is good.”
It was part of our job to help the junior Adventurers. Something like that.
“Hah! You’ve not been gone that long and you’re already acting so grand!”
“Eh?”
Someone kicked me from behind. Another brawl? I thought with annoyance

as I turned around. But the person who was there was one of the Yukka guild
workers. Nanaya.
“Ah, it’s been a while.”
“A while? No it hasn’t! Are you famous now?”
Now she was grinding into my stomach with her elbow. It wasn’t exactly
painless.
“I heard all about it! The Imperial Sword Tournament! You two sure caused a
ruckus!”
“No, we didn’t…”
“Hello, Nanaya. Have you been well?”
Daniela came in to save me.

“Oh, hello! I’m always well!”
“How wonderful.”
There was some small talk after that. Has anything happened recently?
What’s the latest trend? Stuff like that. Oh, and then we asked about what
happened after the Loup-garou. Word that the black wolf was no more spread
throughout the land in the blink of an eye and people started to visit the town
again. And so stores were doing very well these days.
It was the same at the guild. Many people had signed up recently. Yes, it had
seemed like there were more young people there. Before, there was no point
in joining in this town, as you wouldn’t be able to go to the forest.
“Ah, by the way… How long are you two staying this time?”
“Oh, just for tonight.”
“What?”
“We will be leaving tomorrow.”
“What!”
I didn’t know why she was so surprised… However, we had a good reason to
be in a rush this time. I wished that we could take things easy, but there was
no helping it.
“Sorry. Oh, right. Daniela and I were just about to go get some dinner. Do
you want to come too?”
“Uhh. Definitely!”
“Good. Now, where can we go…”
“Asagi. Asagi.”
“Hmm? What, Daniela?”

“That bar over there has been emitting the most appetizing smell for a while.
I am about to go mad.”
Daniela said as she pointed to the guild bar. Well, she wasn’t wrong.
“But, uh. Wouldn’t you prefer to go to a nice place?”
“Asagi, guild bars are not as bad as you might think. Besides, food that is
loved by commoners is always good.”
Ah, I understood what she meant. I liked eating at cheap franchises as much
as anyone else… Oh, I could really use a beef bowl right about now!
“Then it is settled. Is that fine with you, Miss Nanaya?”
“Yes! I’m actually quite fond of this place!”
And so the three of us crossed the entrance hall and entered the bar area. The
voices grew even louder. Yes, very loud. Fun.
I scanned the area, but only the counter had empty seats. The tables were all
filled with Adventurers. And so we moved to the counter. Me, Daniela, and
Nanaya. And then we ordered.
“I’ll have some fruit wine and whatever that is that I can smell right now.”
“I will have the same.”
“And I’ll have some ale and the same food they ordered!”
“Nanaya. How unusual for you to sit and eat with Adventurers. Alright, just
wait one moment!”
The bartender quickly poured us our drinks first.
“To the town reopening. Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
The glasses clinked, and we drank. Ahh. The taste of fruit was great!
“Mmmgg…mggg… Ahhh!”
I wiped my mouth and turned to the side. Miss Nanaya had finished her drink
in one go.
“Uh, are you alright?”
“I’m fine! Bartender! Another!”
“Aye!”
He didn’t stop her. And another glass was slammed onto the counter as if it
had been prepared in advance. Miss Nanaya immediately reached out for it
and she drained it in one gulp.
“Should we stop her…”
“She should be fine. And if the worst happens, I will be happy to shove the
responsibility onto the bartender.”
“You’re heartless…”
Besides, her getting drunk was bad news for my safety.
“By the way, where’s the Guild Master? I mean, he can drink, right?”
“Ah, Mister Kiralika is quite busy. You know, due to that monster that has
appeared in the forest.”
“The Paralyze Viper? Is it that strong?”
“As the name suggests, it has a very dangerous paralysis attack. And there are
not many people here who have gear with paralysis resistance.”
I didn’t have any either. My equipment was chosen to help maximize my

attacks. Monsters with paralysis attacks were rare. So it couldn’t really be
helped.
“More merchants visit us now that the Loup-garou is gone. But we still have
shortages of certain supplies.”
“I guess word hasn’t spread far enough yet. This is pretty bad timing.”
“That’s exactly it! It would be such a relief if some Adventurers with aliases
hunted them down, don’t you agree?”
She said as she glanced towards me. I wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Well, I’m sure it will be fine. After all, if it comes to it, Mister Kiralika said
he would go himself.”
“That’s a relief then. Wasn’t he called ‘Flamethunder’? He can use fire and
thunder magic. Crazy.”
A high-power thunder arrow and fire magic that affected a wide area. Putting
those two together was a lethal combination.
“Thunder magic is scary.”
“So is fire magic.”
“Mister Kiralika is a real threat in combat!”
Well, I wouldn’t want to provoke him then. Let him do his job.
“Here’s your food!”
“Ah, finally.”
“I nearly died of starvation.”
“It looks so good!”
The plates that were set in front of us were meat dishes. They were seasoned
with a variety of spices, which really went to show how Yukka was thriving.
After all in spite of what he said, they were able to serve stuff like this.
“Let’s eat.”
“Mgg…mgg…”
“You’re so fast, Miss Daniela!”
By the time I first touched my fork and knife, Daniela was already chewing a
piece of meat. She must have been really hungry…
I looked at her with a little exasperation. Of course, it wasn’t as if she would

care. And so I focused on my own plate.
“Mgg…hmm…!”
The herbs, spices and juices filled my mouth. The more I chewed, the more it
flowed mercilessly over my tongue.
“Mggg…mgg…”
I washed it down with the fruit wine in order to refresh my mouth. But my
tongue still wanted more meat. It was addictive. And so I alternated between
the meat and the wine until the plate was scraped clean.
“Ahhh… Damn, that was good…”
“Bartender. I will have another plate.”
“I want more ale!”
“Uh, I’ll take more wine and meat too!”
“Aye!”
We chatted lightly during the dinner, but it really wasn’t necessary. What
more did you need when you had meat? Meat was life. Eat up!
Before I knew it, Daniela and I were groaning as we sat back in our chairs.
Miss Nanaya had gotten in drunk enough to wander off and pester the other
Adventurers. It was hell on earth…
“Uh…is it just me…or have we been eating way too much recently…?”
“Yes…perhaps the liberation frontlines have ruined us for good…”
“Mister Asaaagi! If you’re tired, you can always sleep with me!”
Miss Nanaya held a glass in her hand as she approached. I was not in the
mood for this. Damn it. Give me a break…
chapter 322
Food, Bath, and Daniela
Our dinner continued pleasantly after that. Everything Daniela ordered

looked great, and I would often follow her lead. And of course, there was a
lot of drinking. A lot. We were soon stuffed.
As it had been a while since Miss Nanaya had last seen us, she drank a lot too
and was in high spirits. Though, it did mean that my back hurt a lot.
However, our time was limited. It was nearly midnight. I glanced towards
Daniela with a look that suggested that we should leave soon. Daniela shook
her head.
“Why?”
“I have not eaten enough.”
“How much do you intend on eating…”
The ravenous elf would eat to her limits once again. She wasn’t even close to
being finished yet.
“Well, Miss Nanaya seems like she’s finished…”
“Hmm…”
“Mm…ehehehe…huh…Asagi…there are two of you…”
She was clearly very drunk. Her eyes weren’t focused and she could barely
stand.
Why did she have to drink so much…
“Her clothes are looking loose. Asagi, turn the other way.”
“Yeah. Yeah.”
She was sprawled on the counter like a limp fish. The other Adventurers
turned to look at us. These guys…
“…”
“…”
I glared back and they looked away. The Adventurers who had caused the
brawl incident were not here. But clearly these people knew who we were.
The names Silvergreen and Lightwind would not be forgotten so easily.
“…Alright. Now, we will leave her to Kiralika and go.”
“I’ll go call him then.”
I didn’t really care for the Guild Master, who was a peach-haired elven youth,
but we couldn’t just leave Miss Nanaya here. Besides, we always intended on
making him deal with her.
I put the money on the counter that would pay for all three of us, and then I
left the bar and called to one of the guild workers at the closest counter.
“Excuse me. Is the Guild Master around?”
“Uh, yes… He is working.”
“Well, Miss Nanaya is a bit too drunk for us to be able to deal with, so we
kind of need his help.”
“Very well. I will let him know. …Hah…damn her…”
The guild worker grumbled on the way to the Guild Master’s office. I
suppose this happened often…
After a while, I could see a pink head moving behind the counter. Perhaps he
had had a lot of work, because he looked quite tired as he headed towards the
bar. He…she? Sometimes I wasn’t sure. But his appearance was the same as
before. I waved in his direction.
“Sorry to disturb you at a time like this.”
“I see… Ha… You know, she is quite brilliant at her job, but in other
aspects…”
“I get you.”
“Hmm… Still, it’s been a while since I last saw you! How have you been?”
Where had the tired Guild Master gone? He had suddenly transformed.
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine. I mean, I’m sure you’ve heard everything already?”
“I sure have! I’m glad that I gave you those recommendations! You two
solved the Loup-garou problem and then earned the top positions in the
tournament. It’s really helped the reputation of this guild! I’m so grateful!”
“It’s nothing.”
“Stiff as always, eh…? Oh, by the way, how long will you be staying? You
see, there’s a quest I’d like you to take on…”
“We’re leaving tomorrow.”
“What!? You can’t be serious!”
Damn, he was annoying! It was the Paralyze Viper, wasn’t it! Not on your
life!
“What’s this now… I was so looking forward to you two getting rid of this
headache… Ahhh… Well, I suppose it can’t be helped… Oh, right. Nanaya.
She must be punished.”
In spite of the cute face, he had an evil grin. Well, he was a Guild Master,
after all. Still, he often just looked like an evil, young girl.
When Kiralika entered the bar, the other Adventurers immediately looked
tense. But he ignored them. While he seemed cheerful enough, I doubted he
was in the mood for any further complications. He looked like he just wanted
to take Nanaya and leave…
“Hello, Daniela.”
“Aye. I leave the rest to you.”
Daniela had been holding Nanaya under her arm, but she now handed her to
the small Guild Master. Kiralika seemed unsure at first, and initially
attempted to drag her, before giving up.
“I cannot. You must carry her to the room.”
“This is why I hate children…”
“What? As Guild Master, I have the authority to…”
“Tsk… Very well. Asagi, you go on ahead.”
Daniela clicked her tongue and did not bother to hide her annoyance. And
with that, she headed towards the Guild Master’s room without waiting for
my reply.
“He-hey, wait a minute. Uh, good luck, Asagi. Pay me a visit when you’re
next in town!”
“Yeah..”
He waved goodbye. Well, it wouldn’t happen for many years… I thought.

And I could only hope he would have matured a little by then.
□ □ □ □
I walked out of the guild into the night air and waited for Daniela. It got cold
really quickly, and so I had to pull up the collar of my snow Arachne cape
and cover my neck.
The cold wind felt nice after the warmth of all the alcohol, but I didn’t want
to get chilled to the bone either. I wanted to take a hot bath once we got back,
but then again, I also wanted to go straight to bed. I guess I could take a quick
shower and then go to sleep…
It was as I was making such plans for the rest of my night, that the door
opened and Daniela stepped out.
“Sorry. You should not have waited for me.”
“It’s damn cold out here…”
“Yes, yes. We should hurry then.”
“Yeah…”
No one should stay out on a night like this…
Both of us wore white winter clothes as we walked side by side down the
streets of Yukka. It started to snow on the way, which was a little romantic.
Of course, thoughts of having to trudge through the snow tomorrow blew all
such sentiments away.
I bathed as soon as we got back to the inn. It was great that even the more
affordable rooms had baths! It meant we didn’t have to wander around with a
change of clothes.
“Phew…ah…I’m so tired.”
“Move over.”
“Arghhh…bbb…”
Daniela invaded the tub and nearly drowned me.
“You could have waited!”
“And you could have taken less time.”
“Tsk…”
She was right. I had definitely been in it for too long by her standards. But we
had talked about who would go first…
“In the first place, I do not see why we need to take turns. If we are lovers,
then it hardly matters.”
“I guess… But you know, it’s been a while since I last saw you naked. You
got me all flustered.”
“How childish of you. Now, moved back more.”
Daniela said as she allowed herself to sink into the water. Asagi was not
strong enough to fight her, and so he obediently retreated to the back. Damn,
he was powerless.
“Ahhhh…how relaxing…”
“I don’t feel so relaxed.”
“Well, maybe you should get out and we can let off some steam?”
“We have to go to sleep… What are you going to do if we can’t get up

tomorrow?”
“Hmph. Maybe you are not so weak after all, eh? Seeing as you can reject
such an invitation.”
Daniela said with a sulky expression and a purposeful heave of her chest. I
quickly looked up at the ceiling.
“Is there something up there that you fancy more?”
“I’m getting out! Screw you!”
“Ah, hey!”
Red-faced, I left Daniela and got out of the tub. There was no way I could
stay there. I needed to get some sleep!
I didn’t care what she said. I swore this in my heart as I got changed. Then I
collapsed into the bed and pulled the blankets up to my head. The cold sheets
felt nice under my warm body.
“Damn that man…”
Daniela grumbled to herself in the bathtub, but there was no one to hear her.
In the meantime, sleepiness descended over me. By the time I could hear
vague, wet footsteps approaching me, I was just a breath away from falling
asleep.
chapter 323
Late Riser Dash
“Shit!!”
I frantically jumped out of bed and nearly tore the curtains off their hooks as I
opened them to reveal the blindingly bright sun. And to think that I had
meant to get up before sunrise so that I could wash up and leisurely
prepare…
“Daniela! Get up! We’re late!”
“Mmm…”
I shook her shoulders but she would not open her eyes. If anything, there was
something gloomy about her.
We hadn’t slept as early as I had wanted to. But not for a lack of trying. I had
been about to fall asleep before she rudely interrupted me.
“Daniela! Hurry up!”
“I am still tired…”
“Argh!”
I tore away the blankets. This had always been the most effective of the
wake-up attacks my mother used to inflict upon me. Once they were gone,
you had no choice. Her eyes remained shut as she searched for the covers, but
they were not within reach. I had won.
“Or not…”
“Damn…”
Daniela was completely naked.
“Uh, you don’t have much choice now.”
“Mmm…gaah…”
She had gotten quite angry when I had done this before. But so much had
changed since then…
When I thought about it like that, the sight became deeply moving in a way.
Daniela moaned like some kind of zombie for a while, and so I started to
pack, thinking that she’d get up eventually. But being the bastard that she
was, she went straight back to sleep, blanket or no blanket. And so I opened
the window in retaliation. While the sun was out, the wind was still cold. The
temperature in the room dropped at once, and Daniela finally got up.
“…”
“Morning.”
“…I did not think you would go so far…”
“I gave you ample warning. Now hurry up and pack.”
“Ahhh… My head hurts from a lack of sleep…”
“You reap what you sow, dumbass.”
Hey, I was tired too. But we had no choice…
□ □ □ □
We were just barely able to check out on time.
“Sorry that we’re late.”
“No, no. Thank you for staying with us. We hope to see you again soon,
Mister Asagi.”
Well, it would be hard to use a different inn since they remembered our
names and everything. But at least it was a good place.
The sun was now high in the sky and the air had warmed up a little.
However, the wind was still chilly and our faces felt very cold once we
stepped out of the warm building. All the people who were walking outside
had their collars up as protection from the cold.
We followed their sample, ensuring that our precious body heat would not
escape. It would have been nice to have a scarf, but those would be hard to
use when you were wearing these cape-like things.
“So…how about breakfast?”
“We’re still in a hurry, unless you forgot.”
“Haa… Very well. We will have to eat as we walk.”
The town next to Yukka was the swamp town of Arkaroid. And it was about
one day on foot after leaving the west gate. After that, we would travel farther
west to the trading city of Usk, which was also a day on foot.
“In other words, I could reach Usk in one day.”
“How convenient.”
“I use what I have. You should keep that in mind.”
“Alright then. If you insist, I will allow you to make things easy for me.”
Once we were out of the west gate, I picked up Daniela and enveloped my
legs in platinum and green wind. To Daniela, I was just a very fast, safe, and
convenient ride.
We left Yukka and traveled in a straight line. Only we were in the sky.
“Arkaroid is a day away on foot. How many minutes will it be for you?”
“Uh… I think I can reach it by midday if I go really fast.”

Probably two or three hours. After all, there were no obstacles or red lights in
my way. And no speed limits or monsters either. It wouldn’t take anything
close to a day.
“We can take a break in Arkaroid. We’ll have lunch and then leave right
after. That way, we should reach Usk in the evening.”
“Yes, very convenient.”
“Stop saying that.”
It made me feel like a bus.
Usk was the town where Lemon came from. The swamp town… There
hadn’t been much of interest there. It had rained really badly, and we were
saved by a merchant called Mister Tanjelin. We first met Lemon when trying
to enter the town.
And it was in the inn that she recommended to us that I met Lehaty. So, while
we hadn’t done much sightseeing, we had met a decent number of people.
And since the weather was better now, I had high hopes of checking out any
notable landmarks.
We chatted about inconsequential things as I dashed through the air for the
next two hours. And then Arkaroid came into view. It was the first time I saw
the town under a clear sky. And so I was surprised by how beautiful a lot of
the buildings were. They had yellow roofs and were quite charming.
If this were during the spring, the swampland around the town would have
been sparkling. There would be flowers around the water and it would have
been the embodiment of serenity.
However, it was tragically the icesnow phase. Everything was covered in

snow. It was very unfortunate.
“Alright, it’s almost time to descend and walk.”
“Very well. There is a road down there.”

From up above, I could see a single line going through the snow. It led
straight towards Arkaroid.
I landed carefully so as not to create a small blizzard, and then gently let
Daniela down. We adjusted our disheveled winter clothes and started to walk
down the road.
The snow felt much more overwhelming when you were at ground level. It
was packed a lot higher than I had expected… But the surface seemed to be
frozen. It was as if it had melted and then frozen repeatedly. Either that or
someone had poured water over it. It looked slippery.
As we continued to trudge down the road, my body started to grow warm. I

was even sweating under my clothes.
“Phew…finally. Finally.”
I managed to walk all of the way there without tripping. The Arkaroid
entrance was right in front of us now. It was a great gate made out of wood.
“Hello?”
There was no gatekeeper. Perhaps because it was too cold. I suppose they
could do that because there were no monsters about during this time of the
year. Part of me thought that a gatekeeper should be present regardless, but I
suppose Arkaroid was a lot kinder to its employees than some companies I
could think of.
“Mmm…ah, sorry. Did you want to come in?”
“Yes. Me and her.”
A small door opened to the side and a guard came out while rubbing his
hands together. He then accepted our status cards.
“Just wait here. It won’t be a minute.”
“Alright.”
He ran back through the door as if he couldn’t bear the cold for a second
longer. He was the spitting image of an old man coming out of his house to
fetch the newspaper in the morning.
The old man came out again after a minute. This time he was wearing a very
warm-looking coat. He then took out our status cards from his giant pocket
and handed them back to us.
“Alright, you can come in through this door.”
“You mean you’re not going to open the huge gates for us?”
He was pointing at the small side door he had come out of.
“I can’t feel my hands. But you’re welcome to wait out here until I get them
warmed up again?”
“Thank you so much for letting us use your door.”
“That’s alright. Now, welcome to Arkaroid.”
I sighed and thanked him. Then Daniela and I walked through the door.
There was a small room inside. It had a table with some documents and a
machine that read the status cards. That was it. Oh, and a very small stove…
that looked like it would barely warm your toes.
And on the other side of this small room, was another door. Arkaroid would
be right behind it. Finally. But would they have good food…? That was the
important question.
chapter 324
Swampland Town Pasta
Arkaroid was not that large, yet somehow we were having trouble deciding
on a place to eat. Whenever we looked through the windows of any
restaurants, we saw that people were mostly eating noodles. Maybe that’s
what this place was known for.
“We are quite close to Usk, after all. And there are many merchants who go
to the capital. Since they would have no lack of ingredients, it is no surprise
that they can make such things. Besides, there is a lot of water here. Have
you noticed the wells?”
Daniela rattled on. Right… Yes, it did make sense. I didn’t know much about
noodles, but there had been a great variety of it in the trading city.
“The fish here must be great as well. But perhaps not so much during this
season.”
“Hmm… Fish. That would have been quite nice.”
“The beauty of eating is how you enjoy what happens to be in season.”
“Beauty of eating?”
Usually, whatever happened to be in front of her was what she ate without
much consideration. However, she glared at me before I could reply. I
gulped. In any case, there would be no fish today.
Still, there were a lot of places to choose form. Of course, most of them
seemed to serve noodles. But there was no doubt a great variety of styles.
So, perhaps the first thing to consider was if we wanted them in soup or not.
“There is one place that intrigues me. We should go there.”

“I don’t really care. You can choose.”
“Alright. It is this way.”
Daniela nodded happily as she took the lead.
She glided gracefully through the throngs, and I had trouble keeping up. It
almost felt like some kind of training. Every time she would move, someone
would pop up out of nowhere and I’d frantically have to dodge them. And
every time that happened, we’d separate and I would have to catch up. Hmm.
Challenging.
“Daniela. Could you slow down?”
“Mm? …Ah, sorry. My hunger makes me want to rush.”
“Let’s go together.”
“Aye.”
I came up beside her and held her hand. She was stronger and tougher than
me. Daniela was a true veteran Adventurer. But her hand was thin and soft. I
guess she really was just a lady.
The place that Daniela wanted to go to was one of the first places we had
passed by. And it also offered noodles. Well, it was pasta.
“Welcome!”
We kicked off the snow from our shoes and took our capes off before
opening the door and stepping inside. An elderly man with a white beard
greeted us cheerfully.
“Excuse me, do you have seats for two?”
“Sit anywhere you like!”
We nodded and looked around. It was practically full. But on the other hand,
many of the plates on the tables were empty, and a lot of the customers were
just enjoying their after-meal conversations.
I found a table in the far back that was unoccupied and had two seats.
“Daniela.”
“Hm? Ah, I see. Thank goodness.”
I elbowed here as she had also been looking around. She was visibly relieved,
as this had been her idea. All over some food… I couldn’t help but chuckle.
We made our way passed the other tables and arrived at our seats. Perhaps it
was because we had been walking for so long, I suddenly felt very tired when
I sank into my chair. I also felt famished.
There was a menu on top of the table with a bunch of names for the dishes. I
suppose this was what was in season. There actually were some fish items,
but I was in full pasta mode by this time.
“So…”
We both looked at the menu together. Hmm. There was a lot on there, but
most of the ingredients were unfamiliar to me. Of course, there were a few
that I did recognize, and those looked like a safe bet.
“Alright, I’ve decided.”
“Hmm… Which did you choose, Asagi?”
“This.”
I pointed at the tomato pasta. Safety first.
“Not bad…”
“Which are you considering?”
“It must be either the ‘Winter Vegetables and Pepper Pasta’ and the ‘Alexia
Mushroom and Olive Pasta.’”
Well…those did sound pretty good. I’ve never had Alexia mushrooms
before.
“Do they grow in the mountains then?”
“Aye. They are hard as rocks. And so you must crush them with hammers
and boil them until they soften. They are delicious.”
A rock-like mushroom that grows in rocky mountains. They would probably

be difficult to find. Perhaps they were a rare delicacy then.
“Indeed, they are quite rare. …Alight, I will choose it. Since we are here.”
“Good. It’s settled. Waiter!”
I waved my hand and shouted until the waiter came out. Perhaps they were
on break. Two cups were gently placed on the table.”
“I’ll have the Tomato and Dana Cream Pasta. And she’ll have the Alexia
Mushroom and Olive Pasta.”
“Certainly.”
Phew. I said it without stuttering. The waiting jotted everything down and
then retreated to the kitchen. I suddenly felt quite thirsty, and so I drank the
water that was on the table.
“Dana milk…the livestock in that village must be doing well.”
“Aye, how nostalgic.”
Dana milk was from a place called Dana Village, that we had visited once.
Their primary income came from their livestock. But they had been plagued
by a lesser wyvern that attacked them. We just happened to be passing
through. And the unlucky wyvern was killed by Daniela and me and also an
Adventurer who lived there who went by the name Yis.
“I hope Mido and Marco are doing well.”
“I’m sure they are. Since there is no wyvern anymore.”
“And Marco is strong. Yeah, they must fine.”
As we talked about those old times, the waiter appeared in the corner of my
vision. He was carrying plates in both hands as he threaded his way through
the tables.
“Here it comes.”
“Mm…”
Daniela’s eyes lit up and she sat straight.
“Here it is. Your Alexia Mushroom and Olive Pasta.”
“Mine.”
“Enjoy.”
The pasta that was placed in front of Daniela had large, brown mushrooms
inside. But there was also a variety of other kinds inside as well.
“And here is the Tomato and Dana Cream Pasta.”
“Thank you.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
I looked down at the plate. It was a pale red. More of a pastel color than meat
sauce or Neapolitan. It was because of the Dana milk that was mixed into it.
There were shredded vegetables on top that looked quite nice.
“Let’s eat.”
“Yes.”
I picked up my fork and rotated it, careful to get plenty of vegetables and
sauce in the process. Then I brought it to my mouth. There was a mild
tartness that went well with the firm texture of the pasta. And then the
vegetables added a fresh crunch and sweetness.
“It’s delicious…”
“So is mine. Clearly I was right in choosing this place.”
“Let me have a bite.”
“Then you must give me two bites, Asagi.”
“That’s not exactly a fair exchange. One bite.”
“Hmph…very well.”
Daniela pushed her plate across the table and so I did the same.
So, this huge chunk was an Alexia mushroom, eh? Yes, it did look kind of
hard. I tried stabbing it with the fork and was surprised. It wasn’t hard at all.
It was was just spongy. Well, it was a delicacy, after all.
The rich mushrooms were a very good match for the mild and refreshing
olive oil sauce. I wrapped some of the pasta around my fork and stabbed a
piece of mushroom before bringing it to my mouth. My teeth tore through the
spongy texture of the mushrooms and my mouth filled with the sweet juices.
The taste was quite strong, but it was a good combination with the olive oil
sauce. And it was really enjoyable to eat. An interesting dish, to say the least.
“It’s great…”
“Your pasta is not bad either…”
“He-hey. That’s clearly a second bite. I’ve been watching you.”
“Tsk…”
You couldn’t let your guard down with her. I was about to be pasta-less.
We traded plates again and I was finally able to eat my safely recovered
pasta. We both became so concentrated on our food that we didn’t talk
anymore.
Before I knew it, the plate was empty. Daniela had also finished and was
drinking her water.
“That was great… I underestimated Arkaroid.”
“I guess being close to Usk is a huge advantage.”
It was a trading city after all… They had everything you could want. Well,
hopefully, that meant we would be able to get a boat to take us downriver.
It would have been nice to end the meal with drink and some idle talk, but we
had wasted enough time trying to find the place. Ah… I had so wanted to
order some coffee and relax there with Daniela.
“…Phew. Well, let’s go then.”
“We were able to eat, so I have no regrets.”
Yes, I was reenergized. And with that, we went through the Arkaroid west
gate and headed to Usk. Our next destination was not so far away.
chapter 325
Arriving in Usk
Interestingly, bird-type monsters were quite rare. This was because there
were not many large birds that lived on flatlands. And smaller birds usually
did not turn into monsters. In general, it was just the larger creatures that
changed.
So in other words, running through the sky meant that I was rarely attacked.
Though, it would probably be more likely if I was near highlands, the sea, or
the mountains. That is, unless some stray wyvern popped out of nowhere…
And so we looked at the open sky as we rushed through the air. I could
occasionally see Grass Wolves and goblins below, but there was no reason to
pay them any mind.
We arrived in the trading city of Usk before sundown.
□ □ □ □
Usk was a town where all of the buildings were made with white bricks. It
was like some kind of European seaside town that I’ve never been to… That
was how I felt. Of course, it was just an illusion.
“We are finally here. Not that it took too long.”
“I may be faster than a carriage, but my damn legs…”
I massaged my sore thighs and calves. After all, I was essentially running the
whole time. So it was no wonder that my legs were sore. I was able to do this
thanks to the status boosts, but the old me would have collapsed.
“First, we must find an inn.”
“We should go shopping too.”

It was a trading city. There would be so much to buy. And so we decided to
go to the inn. We already knew which one. It was the Babbling Brook, which
we had stayed at before. It was run by a beautiful innkeeper called Karamus.
The woman that Bacon was in love with.
“However, there is something you must do when first entering a city. Isn’t
there?”
“That’s true… Huh?”
I had agreed and then realized that it wasn’t Daniela who was talking. Tap.
Tap. I felt something on my shoulder and I turned around.
“Ohh, it’s you. Bacon.”
“I told you, it’s Yacon!”
Bacon hadn’t changed at all, and he grabbed my shoulders with an angry

expression.
“Ouch.”
“How long will it take you to remember it… Damn you. Oh. So, why are you
here?”
And so Daniela and I took out our status cards and explained it to him.
“We want a boat. So we can go downriver.”
“A boat, huh… Well, this town is overflowing with things. So, I’m sure you
will find one.”
“Do you have any recommendations for places to go?”
Bacon handed the status cards to a guard who was behind him. Then he
folded his arms and thought about it.
“It can be a small one. And we’re willing to pay a decent amount for it.”
“Hmm… In that case, ah… Yes, I know where.”
Apparently, he had a store in mind. That was a good sign!
“I’ll take you to it.”
“Ah!”
“However, it must be tomorrow.”
“Ah…”
Well, I suppose it was to be expected. The sun was coming down. And we
wanted to go to the inn as well.
“We’re planning on staying at the Babbling Brook. You can come and meet
us in the morning.”
“Aren’t you supposed to say that you’ll come and meet me at the
guardhouse…? Ah, well. Fine then. It’s peaceful and I’m bored.”
Yes, yes. Peace was good.
Besides, Bacon was enamored with Miss Karamus. I wonder what happened
after that?
“So, how are you and Miss Karamus doing?”
As I was thinking about it, Daniela suddenly brought it up.
“Heheh…”
“Wh-what does that mean…!?”
“It was just yesterday. She rejected me again.”
“…”
Well, that was no surprise.

And so this time we had no recommendation -also known as a love letter-
from Bacon. But we arrived at the Babbling Brook all the same. As we stood
in front of the building, we could hear the babbling of the brook coming from
behind. It was such a relaxing sound.
I would have liked to have listened to it longer, but we had to check-in. And
so we entered the open door. And like that, we stepped into a very familiar
entrance hall that was made entirely of wood. It felt nostalgic and I almost
got emotional.
“Ah.”
I heard a voice from the counter. When I looked towards it, I saw her. The
owner of this inn. Miss Karamus.
“Hello, Miss Karamus.”
“My, my. It really has been a while. Mister Asagi. Miss Daniela.”
“We were hoping that we could stay here again. Will that be alright?”
Daniela said. And that was quite unusual. Well, it was someone that we
already knew. This was her time to shine. And so I decided to stay quiet.
“We do have rooms that are open. We don’t get many people during this
season.”
“Then we’ll take a single room. As for how long…”
Daniela glanced at me. Oh, we hadn’t decided on that yet. Hmm. Thanks to
Bacon, it seemed that we would be able to find a boat very quickly. Other
then that, there was some shopping to do…
“Maybe about three days…”
“Oh… Can you not stay here longer?”
It was clearly not a business concern. It seemed that she really wanted to see
more of us. However, we were in a rush. We couldn’t stay too long.
“Sorry. We really wish that we could…”
“Hehehe. I really shouldn’t have asked. In any case, that is three days…
Yes.”
She jotted it down in her record book and then took out a key from a shelf
near the wall.
“Please use this room. Room 116. It’s in the far back.”
“Thank you very much. I’m happy that we can stay here.”
“While it will be a short stay, thank you for having us.”
“Yes. Please enjoy your stay here.”
Miss Karamus said with a sweet smile. In spite of appearances, this was the
person who enjoyed turning Bacon down repeatedly. She had a sadistic
streak. One must be careful around her.
“Oh? Is there something wrong, Mister Asagi?”
“Not at all!”
□ □ □ □
We arrived at the room that was at the end of the hall. This inn was two
stories and was very long. That meant we were very far from the entrance.
But on the other hand, it was a lot quieter.
I opened the door and was once again met with a feeling of calm familiarity.
Though it was also a different atmosphere from the room we got last time. It
was a room where you lived on the floor.
“How interesting…”
Daniela looked curiously at everything as she entered the room. I

immediately went over to one of the chairs and sat in it.
“Ahh…it’s great. Floor chairs.”
“A chair without legs. How very strange.”
“Daniela. Come on and sit down.”
“Hmm…”
She copied me and slowly settled in the other chair. Of course, outside, we
sat on rocks or sheets laid out on the ground. But otherwise, it was rare to sit
so near to the floor like we were now. Because of this, Daniela seemed to feel
a little awkward about it…
“…It is not bad.”
“Right! They had chairs like this where I came from. They’re really
comfortable.”
“When sitting like this on the ground, my back tends to curve and I become
tired. But as this has a backrest, it is much better. And my legs feel very
relaxed.”
Well, I was pretty sure that normal chairs were better from a health
perspective, but I still had a fondness for these chairs.
Aside from the chairs, there was a low table in the center of the room. When I
looked around, I saw that the bed was also at a pretty low height. There was
even a side table that had its legs cut short. It was kind of cute.
The lights in the room were soft and warm, which went well with everything
else. And since the sun was just coming down, the overall atmosphere was
magical. When I closed my eyelids, all I could see was orange.
“Hey, Asagi. It is too early to fall asleep.”
“Hmm…aahh. I’m just tired, I guess…so sleepy…”
“But we have not eaten yet!”

“My desire to sleep is winning this one…Daniela, you go and eat…”
“As if I could do that without you…”
The fatigue was coming in hard, and I just wanted to fall asleep. However, if
Daniela was going to say such things to me…
I got back to my feet and pulled out a new pair of clothes from the hollow
bag. Daniela was happy to see my new-found enthusiasm, and she also got
dressed.
After we were finished changing, we went out into the town. The vast sky
was a mixture of orange and deep blue. Below it, the city lights started to
flicker on, and a warm glow seeped from the windows of the buildings.
And so, side by side, we stepped onto the illuminated, paved streets and
began to follow the appetizing smells.
chapter 326
Long-Awaited Fish Dish
“Today is the day that we eat fish.”
Daniela said with startling determination. And with that, she boldly started to
ask passersby if they could recommend any places that served especially
great fish. This alone proved how serious she was.
“To think that my communicatively-impaired girl would one day talk to

complete…”
“Mock me anymore and I will get angry.”
Daniela said with an exasperated look. Oh, but I really was surprised. And I
was also very aware that she would get angry. But that didn’t stop me.
“…I know what you are thinking, and I do feel bad about it. Yes, I am always
just standing behind you and letting you do everything.”
“Yeah, you’re like a gangster boss.”
“Do not try me, fool. And at a time when I am doing my very best…”
I had never really been bothered by it. As I had worked in customer service
before, it wasn’t too hard for me to deal with strangers. It was because I had
the mask of a clerk. Putting on an act was nothing. But well…I had been
pretty shy before that…yeah. I can remember having that feeling about
wanting to change. It was easy to forget, once you were passed it…
“Sorry. Alright, let’s go find a place together.”
“Ah, the last person said there was a good place near the main road. I want to
look there first.”
“Right!”
Daniela looked adorable when she smiled happily. These were the times she
looked especially good…
Seeing her trying meant that I had one more thing that I liked about her now.
Did she have any limits? Damn it.
We walked down the rather large street until we reached the incredibly loud
main road. The crowds of people all wore different kinds of clothing and
ranged from merchants to Adventurers. The only common trait was that they
were all wearing warm clothes. We were no exception, as we were wearing
our white winter clothes. They were really warm and functional. I could just
where a normal long-sleeved shirt and pants underneath.
We went out and started to head north, against the current of people. And
then we entered the alley where this place was supposed to be.
“Are you sure? I don’t know if this looks safe…”
“What are you on about? Mister First-runner up.”
“That’s different.”
“You might say that, but you have always managed just fine.”
“Is that what you think? I nearly wet myself every time.”
“I could have lived without having heard that.”
Our banter was getting dumber all the time. But we soon passed through the
alley and came out into a quieter and narrower street. When I looked around
me, I saw that there were not too many people here, but there were signs up
on the buildings. I suppose every place had hidden establishments that only
residents knew about.
“So… Where is this place?”
“Uh…I think it is this way.”

Daniela turned to the right and started to walk, and so I followed after her.
However, she looked like a lost child the way her eyes moved around. And so
I looked around while I waited. And then Daniela raised her voice.
“Ah! There. There it is!”
Daniela pointed at the building excitedly. It was cute.
“Stop looking at me. It is right over there! See!”
“Where…”
She was pointing at a white brick building that looked like any other in the
town. There was a sign up in the front. And there was a hole next to a
window where a thin stream of smoke was coming out. We walked to it side
by side and were greeted by the wonderful smell of grilled fish. Yes, it stirred
one’s appetite…
“Yes, it is the right place.”
Daniela said with a nod as she stared at the sign. This was the place she had
found after all her hard work, questioning those people. Of course, it will pay
off.
“Let’s go in then.”
“Wait. I will go first.”
This wasn’t because she was impatiently hungry. It meant that she wanted to
deal with the owner as well. I understood it immediately.
And since I was now the proud guardian who looked on with joy at Daniela’s
growth, I gestured for her to go in first. Her expression turned quite serious
and she stepped through the door.
“Welcome.”
“Excuse me, do you have any tables available? There are two of us.”
“Aye, right over there. Please have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
Huh. Not even an awkward pause or a stutter… Impressive.
“What are you doing? Hurry up.”
“Uh, yeah…”
But now that I thought about it, while Daniela had been alone for a long time,
she had been traveling non-stop… So it’s not like she hadn’t interacted with
anyone at all. So, perhaps she was just returning to her old form. In other
words, she could do anything if she needed to.
“I’m relieved.”
“Shut up and sit down.”
Daniela tapped the table impatiently. And so I hurriedly settled into my seat.
A menu was spread out on the table. There were not that many items on it.
“Hmm…let me see…”
“I have already decided.”
“That was quick. Which one?”
“This.”
Daniela pointed at something called ‘River Fish Meuniere.’
“Huh. That does sound good…”
“You could order the same thing?”
“No, that would be a waste.”

This was the kind of place where you would want to order different things
and then share them.
After giving it some thought, I chose the ‘Rapidfish Cream Stew.’ It had
fantasy world ingredients in it.
“I have heard that the Rapidfish is quite good.”
“It sounds like a monster.”
As far as I was aware, I hadn’t ever eaten a monster.
“They say that they swim incredibly fast, and fly out of the water just like an
arrow. And so some people mistook them for monsters. Hence the name.”
“So they thought they were being attacked…interesting.”
We would be going downstream by boat. And if we were attacked…we

would have no shortage of food!
“Alright, we should order then. …Are you fine with that?”
Daniela turned around in her chair and called for the waiter. It was as if it
were the most natural thing in the world for her…
“Aye. We will have the River Fish Meuniere and the Rapidfish Cream Stew.”
“…Alright. Please wait just a short while.”
The waiter scribbly on a pad and then returned to the kitchen. So, he was a
chef and a waiter. It must be difficult to handle everything by yourself. I had
been alone in the store as well, so I assumed that I knew a little about how
that might be like. And so I cheered him on in my heart. Now, go make us
some good food!
We chatted about nothing in particular until our food arrived. Daniela talked
about different places she had eaten at, what places had sold terrible armor.
But I never got bored while listening to stories about her solo adventures.
“…And so this is what I said. ‘Get lost if you wish to live. You do not have
long before I obliterate you all.’”
“I see.”
“And then they fled with their tails between their legs. Do you understand?”
“I do. I do. Those are the times that you’re the most impressive.”
“Aye, it is so. …Ah, and here is the food.”
Hehe. Daniela looked quite smug as her ears twitched. She had detected the
presence of the waiter behind her. I cleared the table by pushing the menu to
the side.
“Here you go. The Rapidfish Cream Stew.”
“That would be mine.”
“Here. And this is the River Fish Meuniere.”
“Thank you.”
“Enjoy!’
We thanked him and picked up our knives and forks. I looked at my

Rapidfish curiously. It was red under the white cream. Like salmon perhaps.
“Let’s eat.”
I stabbed it with my fork and cut off a piece with my knife.
“Hmm…it’s good…!”
The soft flesh fell apart the moment that it entered your mouth. But there was
still plenty of texture when you chewed. It was cooked just right. And the
sweetness of the cream was a perfect fit for the savory fish.
“Asking people for advice really pays off, eh?”
“Though searching can be rewarding too.”
Asking the people of the town was your safest bet. But I hadn’t really
expected Daniela to be the one to prove it here.
“Yours looks good too.”
“This is a trading town after all… They seem to use a lot of spices and butter.
It is delicious.”
“Yes, very delicious…”
I wanted to taste it even more now.
“Give me some.”
“No.”
“You can have some of mine.”
“I suppose you can have a little.”
Unless I made that offer, she was would never nod her head in agreement.
That was the kind of person she was.
I quickly cut off a piece of my Rapidfish and stabbed it with my fork. Then I
carried it over to Daniela’s mouth.
“Here.”
“Ah…mmm…hmm… Yours is not bad.”
“Right? Now give me some.”
“Ahh. …Very well.”
“Mmm…woah…that’s amazing…”
Salt, pepper, and butter. It was simple, but a deadly combination…!
This was something that I’d like to make myself.
We fed each other a few more times and gushed about the food. Eventually,
the waiter stopped by.
He looked a little uncomfortable.
“Ahh…I am happy to hear that you’re enjoying the food, but…”
“It really is great. I want to eat more.”
“Yeah. I kind of want to know the recipe for this.”
“Uh, yes…thank you, but…”
“…?”
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and then seemed to come to a
decision.
“I’m sorry. But if you two could just save it for when you get a room
together…”
“…”
“…”
Oh, were there other customers here? I slowly looked around and saw
nothing but awkward glances and embarrassed chuckles.
“Oh… Sorry.”
“The brilliance of the dish blinded me to my surroundings. Forgive me.”
“Not at all. As long as you understand.”
The waiter sighed with relief and returned to the kitchen.

Of course, we had no desire to make any additional orders after that.
We quickly paid what we owed and rushed out the door.
“Well, we can come back another day.”
“Indeed. It was too good to be a one-time affair.”
We made the promise in our hearts. The sounds of the night were the same in
any town. People walking to and fro as they talked. There was a gentle
warmth to it. Just like the lights. Nostalgic.
Like rootless trees with nowhere to go, Daniela and I drifted through the
crowds and slowly made our way back to the Babbling Brook. Tomorrow, we
get our boat!
chapter 327
With Bacon
The next morning, I woke up to see the gentle sunlight pouring through the
window.
“Hmm…aaahhh…”
I stretched my limbs and tried to shake off the last residues of sleepiness. And
with that, I got off from the low bed and headed to the bathroom, where I
washed my face. It was just as I was walking out while trying to tame my bed
hair, that I bumped into Daniela.
“Woah. You surprised me. Morning.”
“Good morning, Asagi. …Haaa…”
She was still sleepy. She usually looked so sharp, but her face in the morning
was quite the opposite.
I moved out of the way, leaving her a clear path to the sink. In the meantime,
I got changed and prepared to go out.
Daniela finished washing up but was still sleepy. Still, while her movements
were sluggish, she was able to get dressed.
“I think Bacon should be arriving soon…”
Just then, we heard a knock on the door.
“Looks like he’s here.”
“I will go.”
Daniela stopped as I was getting up, and she jogged to the door instead.
“Bacon?”
“Ah, yes. It’s me.”
“Wait one moment.”
Ah, yes. He said. I called him Bacon because his reactions amused me, and it
was hard to stop once you got going. But his real name was Yacon. Not only
that, but he was a captain. But you wouldn’t know it by the way he talked to
Daniela. But I could understand that. Yes.
Such thoughts were in my head as I chuckled and put on my bag.
“Morning, Asagi. And you, Miss Daniela. Shall we go then?”
“Yes. Thank you for helping us.”
“Uh, yes.”
Bacon seemed quite surprised by Daniela’s politeness. She had been trying
her hardest since yesterday.
“Ah, hey. There is no point in you walking on ahead if you do not know the
way!”
“Roads are made after I’ve walked.”
“Uh. What?”
I was so proud and happy for Daniela, but also felt a little embarrassed about
it, and ended up saying something nonsensical. What was this strange
feeling? Hmm. I didn’t understand it. But it was different from love?
“…Uh, I don’t know. I discarded all my emotions.”

“Are you alright? Did you hit your head?”
Bacon asked me worriedly as he started touching my head.
“Ah, hey. Stop that. I just got done fixing my hair!”
“Woah, it’s like a bird.”
“Asagi. That is quite embarrassing.”
“Tsk…!”
That’s why I spent so much time on it… Damn you, Bacon!
□ □ □ □
Once we left the inn, Daniela suggested we get breakfast first, and so Bacon
took us to the place that he always ate at. It was there that I ate a plate of
bacon and eggs, while giving him a knowing look.
“Look at this crispy bacon…!”
“Eating bread with such a soft yolk is just too delicious…!”
“Could you two just shut up…”
The best way to eat things is only discovered after thorough research. And we
didn’t mind putting in the work.
Once we were full, Bacon led us through the town. As this was a trading
town, it was bustling even in the early morning. We saw carts being drawn
that were filled with mountains of sacks.
There were merchants who compared their goods with the lists they held in
their hands. And there were also Adventurers with swords hanging from their
belts.
Guards to escort people to this town and guards to escort people out. There
was a great need for Adventurers here. And so if you were good, there would
be no lack of work for you.
We watched such sights from the corner of our eyes as we followed after
Bacon. And we soon reached the great river. Nicora was on the other side of
it.
“Now that I think about it, I do not know what this river is called.”
“Neither do I.”
“What? You don’t know? It’s the Great Ritune River. It flows from the
Alexia mountain ranges to the depth of the southern forests.”
The Great Ritune River, huh… Well, it certainly was huge.
“It goes that far?”
“Aye. Everyone in Usk knows to avoid going too far downstream. There are
no more towns past here. And the south is full of danger.”
“I see…that’s good to know.”
That forest was one of our destinations. We had been thinking about going
down the river and then heading south, but if the river could take us to the far
depths of the forest, then that would make things much easier.
“Asagi. Are you thinking about going to the forest?”
“Yeah. Didn’t I tell you?”
“You didn’t. And that forest is incredibly dangerous.”
“I know that. And I’d like to think that I’m prepared. But regardless, we have
to go.”
It was already decided. We would go to the forest, then the west island and
then to the north. No one could say anything to make us change our minds.
“…Well, perhaps if anyone would make it through fine, it would be you.

Especially if Miss Daniela is there.”
“Daniela’s worth a hundred Adventurers.”
“I do not care to be overvalued.”
I jabbed Bacon in the ribs as he slapped me on the back. Daniela chuckled

with exasperation.
“Well, it seems that we have arrived.”
“Here…”
Bacon pointed at a store that had a sign that read: ‘Lontos’s Boats.’ So it was
owned by a certain Lontos then.
“Hey, Old Lontos. It’s me, Yakon.”
“Ah, you came. So, you must be the one who wants the boat?”
“Yes, my name is Asagi. And this is…”
“Daniela. It is a pleasure.”
Daniela said with a bow.
“Hm. I’m Lontos. Nice to meet you both.”
I shook the wrinkled, old hand that was offered. While he was quite old, he
had a firm grip. A craftsman’s hand.
Mister Lontos shook Daniela’s hand and then went back into his store while
urging us to follow.
“Well, this is as far as I go.”
“Thanks. You were a great help.”
“It’s nothing. This is also part of my job.”

We shook Bacon’s hand as well.
“We’ll be leaving Usk tomorrow. You should come and see us off.”
“I know. Later then.”
“Aye, later.”
And with that, he returned towards the town. I could see that passersby were
waving and smiling at him. He sure was popular… I liked him myself. He
was very open and easy to talk to. I liked people like that…
Now, we couldn’t keep Mister Lontos waiting. And so we stepped into the
store.
chapter 328
A Terrible Day
After saying goodbye to Bacon, we entered Mister Lontos’s store. It was big
but rather dimly lit.
“Woah…”
And in the center of the floor, was a boat that appeared to be in the middle of
construction. This wasn’t so much a store, but a shipyard. And like the sign
suggested, Mister Lontos built and sold the ships here all by himself.
“I can see that you’re impressed, but I can’t sell you this one. It was ordered.”
“I’ve never seen a boat being made before.”
“Ah. And would I be correct in assuming you’ve never piloted one either?”
“Uh, yeah. But I think I could do it if someone taught me…”
“Haha. It’s not something you can learn overnight.”
Well, I happened to have this thing called ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of
None.’ It helped me with the basics. The rest was up to practice.
“Don’t worry. I have boats that should be easy enough for the likes of you.
Come have a look. Technology these days…it’s quite impressive what they
can do with magic tools.”
I see. So even boats used them now. A long time had passed since the age of
ancient elves. But perhaps some of that technology was coming back. Who
knows.
And so we followed after Mister Lontos. After moving through his workshop,
we went outside the back where the river was running.
“Woah!”
“There are so many…”
Numerous boats lined the riverbank. There were boats that were about the
size you would use for bass fishing. Some were monohulls and others
multihulls. Some had sails like yachts even. I was surprised by the variety.
“All of my boats use magic tools. No one wants to row these days. Of course,
I think that rowing has its own charm, but that doesn’t mean they’ll sell.”
While he seemed like a passionate craftsman, he was also willing to adapt to

recent trends. Maybe it was because he made boats. You don’t fight the tide.
…Wait, no. Boats do go against the current too.
“All of them have magic tools that use wind ore. Now, let me explain to you
how they work.”
□ □ □ □
For the next three hours, we underwent Mister Lontos’s ‘Piloting Boats for
Dummies! -Magic Boats-’ course.
“…But like I said, it took a long time for this final form to be complete. Are
you still following?”
“Yes.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“You said ‘still.’ Does that mean you’re not finished yet?”
“Why, of course! I have only just briefed you on the history of the magic
tools used in the boats. The next part of this story is how they were adopted
by the rest of the world…”
“Uh, excuse me. But we really don’t have that much time…”
“WHAT!? Do you not realize that this is the most important part!”
“You must spare us the details…we’re in a hurry…”
It took some convincing after that to persuade Mister Lontos to skip his
history lesson and teach us to pilot the boat. By then, it was past midday. It
ended up taking two hours to teach us, which meant the whole thing went on
for five hours… Daniela looked like she was about to die of starvation.
“Thank you. I think we’re good now. We know everything.”
“Thank you very much. There really is nothing more that you can teach us.
Nothing at all.”
“That’s good to know. Still, aren’t you two forgetting something?”
“…?”
Mister Lontos said as he tilted his head. Daniela and I also had question
marks popping up over our heads.
“You haven’t chosen a boat yet.”
“…Oh.”
So much for being in a rush. After that, he briefed us on each individual boat,
their history, the pros and cons, and other personal opinions he had. It was a
lot. It was too much. I was starting to really hate boats. And the thought of
the upcoming boat ride was enough to throw me into the pits of despair.
Jack of all Trades, Master of None insured that I learned everything about
piloting each boat. And for the first time ever, I was annoyed by it.
In any case, it was pretty simple. You could activate the magic tool by
sending magic energy into the wind ore. There was an intake port above it
that sucked in the air, which it unleashed through the exhaust ports that were
under the water. That was it. And yet this guy managed to stretch it out until
we lost the whole day. Needless to say, it was a lot of miscellaneous facts.
While I was grateful that Bacon went out of his way to help us, the
neverending parade of useless knowledge was quite questionable. I ended up
having to slam a sizable sum onto the desk in order to get him to shut up.
And then we quickly put the boat away in the hollow bag and left.
Of course, it wasn’t a cheap purchase at all. And I had been expecting it.
Still…five-hundred gold and eighty silver… Well, at least it came with the
latest magic technology. But I felt like my perception of money was starting
to get messed up recently. Damn it. This is what happens when you suddenly
acquire a lot of money. This former part-timer can’t handle it…
“What are you doing, Asagi?”
“…Look, it’s not that I don’t like you. But I just need to be alone for the rest
of the day.”
“And I do not exactly hate you either. And I wish I could just leave you
alone. But sleeping on the floor is not good for your health.”
“…Right.”
Jack of all Trades, Master of None had been on full blast for hours today, and
it gave me a headache. And since the floor was so wonderfully cool, I had
ended up lying on it and became quite immobile after that. However, Daniela
was right. It would be best for me to go to bed…
“Haa… What a day.”
“And to think that the plan had initially included some shopping at the
market.”
“I don’t see how it could have been any worse…”
It had resulted in us talking to Miss Karamus and extending our stay by

another day. We would have to shop for supplies tomorrow and depart the
next day. I told a passing guard to relay the news to Bacon. Damn it.
And it was with tired bodies that we returned to the inn and were barely in
time for dinner. But I didn’t have much of an appetite by then. It was the
same with Daniela, which came as quite a shock to her. I could still hear her
muttering in disbelief.
Still, we managed to eat just enough to replenish our energy. It was then that
the drowsiness assaulted us. But I couldn’t allow myself to sleep until I’d
taken a bath first.
“Obbgghgr…!!”
I frantically got out of the water before I drowned. Daniela must have been
worried because she rushed to see what was happening. However, she was
also taken by fatigue, and she just gave me a cool, almost dead look and then
closed the door again. I could immediately tell that she hadn’t been all that
worried. But you know…the love of her life was lying weakly on the ground
without any clothes on. A little concern would have been nice.
Regardless, such things contributed to my current state. This had not been an
enjoyable day at all…
“I’m so tired… But I’m sure things will be better tomorrow. Daniela…”
“Perhaps… I will try…mmgg…”
When I saw the side of her face as she fell asleep, I immediately wanted to
follow her. And while thoughts of tomorrow still drifted in my head, I didn’t
fight back. It was like sinking into a deep pit of mud.
Chapter 329
After getting a good night’s rest, Daniela and I were able to go to the market
that we hadn’t been able to the previous day. While I had been exhausted and
had a headache before going to bed, I felt fully refreshed after sleeping.
Perhaps it was because I was still young.
The Usk market spread out along the river. Boats carried goods to the narrow
wharf, and they went straight to the storage houses.
Of course, guards stood by as the goods came in, and there were inspections
to ensure that no illegal items were included. Things like dangerous
medicines and poisons. In fact, possession of the Chain Ore that Daniela had
was also restricted.
Long ago, many people had been bound by the power that the ore held, and
terrible things had been done by bad people.
Of course, Daniela would not use it in that way. Luckily, we had been able to
acquire new materials after killing a wind dragon, and so she had new
equipment. So those gauntlets were wasting away in storage. We couldn’t
exactly sell them, after all.
In any case, the market proved to be very crowded when we arrived.

Merchants shouted the prices of their wares at the top of their lungs while
customers haggled over prices. At a glance, you might wonder if a brawl was
about to break out. But no one actually seemed to be phased. It was clear that
this was just an everyday sight.
“So, where shall we begin?”

“First, I want spices, so I can cook the best meals for you.”
“I once heard that the best spice is an empty stomach.”
“Perhaps you’re willing to skip your next meal then?”
“Haha. You are very amusing, Asagi.”
Daniela said as she jabbed me. But her eyes weren’t smiling. Hey, you started
it!
We moved through the tight crowds and checked out a few of the stores that
caught our interest. There were stores that sold and measured spices in
wooden boxes in order to avoid the wind. I also bought some dried seeds and
nuts that were ungrounded. They were sold with a pestle and mortar as a set.
These people were good at making you buy additional things. I was clearly
still bad with money.
Almost everything we saw and bought was due to my hobby. But we had
plenty of time left.
“I guess we could get some breakfast now.”

Daniela turned around. Apparently, there was a place that had caught her
interest. There were street stalls that sold food here as well. Perhaps Daniela
had only come with me because she was targeting them.
And so I followed after her. An appetizing scent was accompanied by the

sizzling of meat. I had started to feel tired from all the walking, and my body
wanted it.
“I will have two of these.”

“Thank you!”
I looked over Daniela’s shoulder and saw that it was some kind of fried
noodle dish. It had meat and vegetables inside and looked amazing. The
smell of spices in the air informed me that it would be hot.
“That will be forty coppers.”

“Here you are.”
“Hmm…yes, perfect. Thank you!”
Counting forty coins just for that. The currency was one thing that was a little
annoying about this world. I suppose the Heroes that came here in the past
were unable to make paper money the standard.
“Here you go, Asagi.”
“Thanks. Where should we eat?”
“These kinds of things should be eaten in the area.”
“You have a good point.”
There was something to be said about the atmosphere of the place. It could
greatly enhance to taste of the food you were eating.
In fact, the fried noodles turned out to be very good. We would definitely
have to buy more for the road. And yes, it was spicy as hell.
□ □ □ □
After finishing our breakfast, we decided to part ways and raid the stores on
our own.
“Let me know if you find anything good.”

“Aye. And let me know if you find any promising food.”
“Uh, sure.”
It was important to have some alone time every once in a while.
And so I held my skewer of what was some kind of rice cake with sweet
sauce, which I would definitely be telling Daniela about, and wandered
around.
“You! Isn’t that from my store!!”

“Shut your mouth! What gave you that idea, eh?!”
I bumped into people that were arguing angrily. From what I could see, there
was a man who looked like an Adventurer, and he was holding what was
presumably a product from the store. Shoplifting. Manager had told me a few
stories about shoplifters.
As the convenience store was near the train station, and not exactly the safest
neighborhood, we fell victim every once in a while.
One night when I arrived for my shift, one of the other part-timers told me
that someone had been shoplifting. I asked Manager about it, and she then
showed us the security camera footage.
What I saw on the display was an old man carrying a magazine as he ran out
of the store so fast that I could barely see what was happening.
And then Manager jumped over the counter and chased after him at full
speed.
Damn, that’s a terrible idea. I had thought, but three minutes later, she had
him by the collar as she dragged him back inside of the store.
“You caught up? And you dragged him back with one hand?”
“I’ve been training.”
She said with a laugh. But I knew that it was something I wouldn’t have been
able to do. In fact, it was something part-timers shouldn’t even attempt.
But nevermind that.
“I’m the only one who sells such swords here! The other merchants all know
this! That’s proof enough!”
The old man was a weapons merchant then. When I thought of morning
markets, I tended to imagine vegetables and fish. But in this world, they sold
weapons as well. And these were apparently imported. Perhaps he had seen
the rare weapons as he walked by…and then swiped one.
“Shut up… Is your name written on it? Is it?”
The man unsheathed the sword and raised it so that it caught the light.
“Bastard. There is no name on that blade…”
The man glared at the storekeeper.
“Ah.”
This was no good at all. I immediately activated Legs of the God Wolf.
“I don’t see it anywhere!!”
“Huh…!?”
The sunlight reflected on the blade as it slashed downward. However, my Ice

Sword caught it in mid-swing. A high-pitched ring echoed in the air. And
then silence fell over the scene.
“Mmmm…ggmm…”
“…Eh?”
“Mmm…mm…ggg… Ahh. You. The hell are you doing?”
I had forgotten that I was still eating. Still, I was calm enough to chew quietly
and swallow without becoming frantic.
“…And who are you! What hole did you crawl out of!?”
“Just an Adventurer that was passing through. You know, you’re making us
look bad. So I had to interfere.”
“Shut up! You’re clearly a wretched peasant, judging by the way you’re
dressed!”
“Wretched?”
Indeed, I had dressed quite simply today, as we would just be walking

through the market. But these were still made from dragon materials! I
happened to like simple and minimalist designs. How dare this bastard call
them wretched!
“Alright, you succeeded in making me angry. I suppose I’ll have to take you
to Bacon’s now.’
“What the hell are you talking about…huh?”
As he had stooped so low as to insult my clothes, I used my free hand to bind

the man with ice magic. It was the same technique that I used at the
noblewoman’s mansion.
The ice spread instantly, and while the man frantically tried to escape, I was
also using the Ice Sword to freeze him from his arms as well.
“Sto-stop…!”
“Maybe next time you’ll think twice before commenting on someone’s
fashion.”
He might have been guilty over shoplifting or whatever as well. But that was
just secondary to me. His other sin was more unforgivable.
Now he was covered from neck to toe. And while he screamed angrily for me
to free him, that didn’t last long. The cold did wonders for sapping away his
energy. Well, he wouldn’t die from it. So I would just call Bacon and have
him taken away.
“Hey, old man. Your sword.”

“…Oh, uh, ah, thank you. That was impressive…”
“Yeah.”
I wasn’t going to be modest anymore. This was the age where I would see my
own worth. No one liked a protagonist who was modest and thick-headed.
Not that I was a protagonist or anything.
As the old man gave me a brief rundown of what had happened, Bacon and
some other guards pushed their way through the crowds and came towards
us. They even brought a cart. How thoughtful. I caught Bacon’s eyes and
then waved at him. He nodded seriously. Clearly he was in work mode.
“They told me some Adventurer was causing a scene and then got iced.”
“Well, as you can see…”
I pointed at the blue-lipped man.
“I’m going to have to hear everything so that I can write a report. It’s part of
my job, you see. Still, what a surprise this is…”
Bacon sighed with exasperation. He had heard about the ruckus and had
come prepared. But seeing the frozen Adventurer had left him in shock.
“Well, see ya. I’ve got more browsing to do.”

“You better stay out of any further trouble, Asagi.”
“That old man would have been in real trouble if I hadn’t been around.”
“And for that, I thank you. …But, the warning was me speaking as a friend.
You should leave such work to us.”
I had just started to walk back into the crowd, but I paused when I heard this.
“…Alright. Next time, I’ll use overwhelming force to annihilate him.”

“That’s not what I meant, you idiot! Damn you… Are you really leaving
tomorrow?”
“Yeah. We’ll call you. And thanks.”
“Likewise.”
We shook hands. …Yes, I’m glad that no one was hurt.

What a relief.
While I had been interrupted, it was time to return to exploring the market. I
needed more material to report to Daniela later on.
…That being said, those swords that the old man was selling really were
something. Though, I had seen them before…
“Katanas…how nostalgic.”
Chapter 330
White Blade – Tenko
“Hmm-hmm…hmm…hmm…”
I was in a rather good mood.
“Hehe…”
After all, I had received a sword from the store.
I had gone off in order to explore the market after the incident, but as I
quickly reached the edge, I had to turn around and walk back. That’s when
the old man called out to me.
“Hey, you.”
“Ah, hey.”
“Thank you for intervening. You saved me.”
Who knew what that Adventurer was up to? But you had to be insane to
attack someone with so many people watching.
The merchant kept me there for a while with some idle chatter. But my real
interest was with the swords.
“Haha. Do they interest you so much?”

“Yeah, sorta. I happen to have a similar one, you see.”
I said as I took out the Ashikirimaru.
“Ahhh…a kodachi. That is quite rare indeed.”

“I bought it at a weapon store a while ago. The owner had bought it from
some other place.”
“Hmmm… So, you’re interested in katanas then. Well, seeing as I have yet to
repay you for what you did…”
Oh? Was this going where I thought it was…?
“Alright. You can take your pick of what you see here!”
“Do you mean it!?”
“Aye. I’d be a sorry man if I didn’t repay my debt here. I’ll even throw in a
sheath!”
“Thank you!”
Awesome! Helping people really did pay off.
And so I took out the appraisal glasses from my bag and started to inspect the
weapons carefully.
After picking up each one and taking my time inspecting them, I chose the
‘White Blade – Tenko.’ It had a white hilt and blade. Only the handguard was
gold. White and gold had such a feeling of luxury in my head. Which was a
nice thing to feel after so recently having my appearance insulted.
The blade itself was seventy centimeters. It was average. It was slightly
curved, which meant it was best used for cutting.
‘White Blade – Tenko: A blade made from materials of an abnormally

evolved being known as a White Tenko.’
The appraisal glasses displayed this text. To be honest, I had no eyes for the
other blades once I saw that. Why was something like this sold in a morning
market…? It seemed like the rarest of blades. A monster blade.
However, the idea of it being from the materials of an abnormally evolved

being was also frightening. There was that time I had a cursed Assault
Kobold sword, after all… Well, that was a monster I had killed myself, so
maybe that was the reason.
And so I ultimately decided to accept the weapon from the old man. He
looked just a little disappointed over my selection. Perhaps he had not
expected it.
Well, that was too bad for him.
“…Yeah, so that’s how I got this. Cool, huh?”

“More importantly, what did you get for me?”
“…”
I filled Daniela in on what had happened after we reunited, but apparently,

she was more interested in what food I had got her. And so I silently pulled
out the rice cakes from my bag.
“Ohoho. I see… Thank you. Mm…hmm… It’s stretchy… And sweet.”

“That’s good. So, what do you think? It’s called White Blade – Tenko. Isn’t it
beautiful?”
“Mmmggg…yes. I feel a strength from it. An abnormally evolved being,
right? I hope that it is not cursed.”
In spite of everything, she had been listening after all. Yes, the curse was the
one thing I was worried about.
“I want to find out, so come with me after you finish that.”

“Aye. If the time should come, I will cut off your arm.”
“Well, as long as its a clean cut.”
Still, I would prefer to not lose it. It wouldn’t be the same having just one
hand on Daniela’s chest.
□ □ □ □
When Daniela was finished eating, we went to the outskirts of the town
where there were no people nearby. The area here was all snow and rocks.
But as it wasn’t too far from the Ritune River, we could still hear the rushing
of the water.
“This place should be fine.”
Daniela said as she unsheathed her rapier.
“Alright, let us begin.”

“Nah, now I’m scared.”
This woman was actually going to cut me.

“Well, it is better safe than sorry, is it not?”
“Can’t we think about that when the time comes?”
“Very well…”
Just don’t cut off my arm for real. There will probably be other ways to deal
with it. In fact, it was likely that nothing would happen at all.
And so I pulled the katana out from the leather sheath.
It was the one that the old man gave me. Instead of putting it through your
obi, you attached it to a belt, like all swords in this world. I had a kind of
‘sub-belt’ that came out of the main one and adjusted the position of the
sheath.
“…Okay.”
The white blade glimmered in front of me. Apparently, the blade of the sword
was made of the tail bone of the monster. The White Tenko. A strong bone
would surely result in a strong, sharp blade.
I held the hilt tightly and slowly sent a current of magic energy into it.
“Ha…!”
“…”
Daniela held her blade up and slowly moved closer. Don’t move. I said with
my eyes.
I continued to do this for some time, but no miasma seeped out as it had
during that time with the Assault Kobold. So, was this a success?
“…Hmm. It seems fine to me.”

“Looks like it. Alright. Now put that thing away, Daniela.”
“I was doing it for your sake, you know?”
“You can’t cut off my arm and say you did it for me!”
I wouldn’t appreciate it at all!
“However, nothing seems to have changed. Well, perhaps the blade is

glowing a little…”
I tried swinging it without much thought. That’s when it happened. A blade
of light that was in the shape of a crescent moon shot out and split a nearby
boulder in half.
“…”
“…”
Huh. A ranged attack…
“If I could attack people from far away like this…won’t I be invincible?”
“If you want to be a god of destroying nature, perhaps.”
“I guess…”
A flying attack sounded cool on paper. But it was true that it was quite
limiting in terms of where I could use it. But well, at least it wasn’t cursed
and the blade itself was of good quality. So I might as well use it. I just won’t
fill it with magic too often.
□ □ □ □
We entered a random dining hall after returning to the town. It was just
midday.
“I’ll have the same thing.”

“Certainly.”
We finished ordering and I drank some water and sighed.
“So, what did you buy in the market, Daniela?”

“Some very fresh meat and some street food. There were some unusual magic
trinkets I also purchased.”
“Magic tools?”
Maybe she had acquired a rare import just as I had.
“What kind?”
“A magic tool that uses wind and fire ore. It creates a warm current. Also, I
got another tool that uses wind and water ore. It can be used to humidify the
air.”
“Ah…”
She bought a heater and a humidifier. I didn’t know they had such things
here. But a humidifier was good. They should have them in every inn.
“Did you get anything besides those rice cakes and the sword?”
“A lot of spices. But I think I just went in a bad direction.”
“Well, you are quite abysmal at finding things.”
“I’m what?”
That wasn’t true!

I was about to thoroughly debunk the accusation when our food arrived. It
was some kind of meat dish that Daniela ordered. There was clearly a lot of
herbs involved. Daniela had recently decided to always have bread with her
meat. And I was no different.
Meat was good. It made one happy. Your joy increased every time you
chewed, and by the time it reached your stomach, you were willing to give it
the best possible score. And so I had long forgotten what Daniela had said to
me after the first bite.
“So, I suppose all of our shopping is finished then.”

“Hmm…perhaps it is… Could we have forgotten anything?”
Daniela asked as she sipped on some fruit wine. I thought about it as I dipped
a piece of bread into the meat juices and brought it to my mouth and then
licked my fingers like a filthy animal. I didn’t think we had anything left.
“Well, I suppose we can go back for the day then.”

“Yes, we just need to prepare for our journey tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
As I had finished eating, I paid for our food and we left the restaurant. There
was something refreshing and purifying about the way your body cooled off
when you were outside. As we walked, Daniela moved beside me and put her
arm in mine.
“…”
“What?”
“Uh, nothing.”
‘This is embarrassing,’ I said with my eyes. But Daniela pretended not to see
it. Instead, she held my arm tighter and urged me to keep walking.
Well, there was nothing to do then. We took several detours so that we could
walk long enough to help with digestion, and it ended up turning into a date.
Chapter 331
The next day. It was finally time for our departure.
“I’m sad that you are leaving us so soon.”

“Thank you. We feel the same.”
This was our second time leaving Miss Karamus. But we were not likely to
return for a long while.
“I hope you don’t think I’m just saying this for business purposes, but I hope
you that if you are ever in town again…”
“I can’t imagine staying anywhere else. Isn’t that right?”
“Aye. There is no better inn in this town. We will stay here whether you like
it or not.”
Daniela said with a dashing smile as she shook Karamus’s hand.
“Yes. I will be waiting…!”
A wonderful sight. She really was too good for the likes of Bacon. She
should be with someone like Daniela… What? Wait, what am I talking
about?
“Well, we must go now. …Asagi?”

“Uh, yeah. Let’s go. Goodbye, Miss Karamus.”
“Farewell.”
“Mister Asagi. Miss Daniela. Good luck. And please take care of
yourselves.”
We said goodbye to Miss Karamus and exited the Babbling Brook. That’s
when we saw that Bacon was waiting for us outside in his civilian clothes.
“Hey.”
“Ah.”
He had both of his hands in his jacket pockets and seemed rather gruff. There
was a guard standing next to him.
“I thought we should get this over with first. Hand over your status cards.”
“Ah, right. …Here.”
“Alright. Let’s go then.”
Bacon passed the cards to the guard, who then ran off in the direction of the
guardhouse. That was very nice of him…
“Oh, wait. We need to go see Mister Lontos.”

“Eh? That’ll lose you a lot of time, don’t you know?”
Bacon said with a look of annoyance. I stared at him for a moment and then
smiled.
“I knew it. You sent us there on purpose!”

“Uh, not at all…!”
“Good. Daniela, let’s drop Bacon off there.”
“I think that is a fine idea, Asagi. I am sure that Bacon would be most
interested to learn about the history of boats. Yes, his inquisitiveness is
written all over his face. I read it just now.”
“No! NO! I’ll tell Old Lontos later. But there is no need to visit him today!”
Bacon was visibly upset. And yet this man had no qualms about sending us
there to be sacrificed.
“Uh, well… He may be a talker, but his boats really are great. No, he truly is
quite popular, you believe me, don’t you?”
“I suppose so… Well, nevermind. So, you’ll tell him for us?”
“I said I would.”
“Good. Then let’s go to the Ritune river.”
“Asagi and I decided to have our breakfast in the boat. So we should hurry.”
Daniela’s motives were questionable, but she was right about us being in a
hurry. I wanted to finish our business in the forest before the end of the snow
season. And so while it would have been nice to spend more time in town, we
hurried on towards the river.
I turned back once and looked up at the Babbling Brook. A place we had
stayed at twice. The inn with the comforting sounds of water. I would be very
happy to return to it one day.
“Asagi, hurry.”
Bacon called after me, and so I ran towards them after shaking off the feeling
of regret.
□ □ □ □
We went through the morning market, which was as busy as usual, and then
arrived at the Ritune river. I felt the cold, damp wind on my face and hands
as I pulled out the boat from the hollow bag.
“Oomph…ah!”
Splash! I jumped into the boat and grabbed the rope that came with it, and
used Legs of the God Wolf to return to the riverbank so I could tie it up to the
dock.
“Now that I think about, you flew like that when you first crossed the
river…”
“Yeah, that was a while ago…”
“I thought you were some kind of freak…”
Wow. Rude.
After that, we joked around for a while and waited awkwardly. Eventually,
we sat down on the ground and stared dumbly at the water. As this was a
trading town, there were all kinds of boats docked here. I gazed at them until
the guard finally came running and handed us our status cards.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here you are. You’re free to go now.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I put them in my pocket and then turned to the river.

“…Well, I guess we have to leave now. We’ll miss you.”
“Indeed… We may both be old men by the next time we meet.”
Bacon and I appeared to be a similar age. So we’d probably age similarly as

well.
“Hmm, I’m sure you’ll bald before me.”

“Dumb bastard. In my family, we end up with beautiful white hair.”
“Ah, so you’ll be the first to break with tradition. A true revolutionary.”
“Damn you! I’m not going bald!”
Daniela ignored our stupid conversation and jumped into the boat and
prepared to leave. Or maybe she just didn’t want to get in the way of our
manly farewell. I’m sure she’d make sure I did plenty of work later.
She was quite quick too. Clearly, she had learned well from Mister Lontos.
The boat was ready to go in no time.
“Asagi.”
Daniela called, and so I stood up.
“…Well, gotta go now.”

“Aye. Don’t get sick out there. It will likely be a rough ride.”
“Uh, noted.”
I put one foot into the boat and turned around.
“You take care too!”

“That’s the one thing I’m good at! Don’t worry about me!”
Bacon said as he took a hand out of his pocket and gave me a thumbs up.
I untied the rope and kicked us away from the dock. The boat moved slowly
away from Usk and drifted down the river. Bacon immediately put his hands
back into his pockets and shivered as he watched us leave.
That’s when Daniela sent magic into the engine. The boat suddenly picked up
speed as we were propelled forward.
“Woah…”
I frantically grabbed the side of the boat so I didn’t fall. Then I turned back
and saw that Bacon was still standing there and watching us leave. Damn it.
He was normally so light-hearted and rude, but…
“Hahhh…”
As I watched him, Daniela came out of the cabin. She saw the grim look on
my face and tilted her head to the side.
“Are you crying? Asagi?”

“Of course, not… Uhh… But I suddenly feel quite old…”
I didn’t know what to do about the slight pain at the back of my nose, but
before long, Bacon was completely out of sight.
Now, it was off to the sea of trees. The ancient elven ruins that lay in its
depths. And like that, our journey to find the key to the Nova had begun.
Chapter 332
A Boat, an Encounter and The Sea of Trees
Several hours had now passed since our departure from Usk. We…well, I
decided to put that behind me and enjoy the boat ride. Neither of us got sick.
Perhaps all those rocky carriages had prepared us. I had high resistance to the
swaying of vehicles things now.
“So, Asagi. We will have to travel by boat for a while. Do you think we
should spend the nights on land?”
“I think so. It will be unbearable to stay on this boat the entire time. Also, can
you imagine waking up and not having a clue where you are?”
“I see. Well, I would not have minded staying on the boat.”
Hmm. Really? I felt like if I didn’t have regular breaks, I would be like,
‘woah, the ground is moving’ when I finally did get off. It was a terrible
thought. Especially if there were monsters around.
“Besides, we could use the barrier tools at night. So there is nothing to worry
about when we sleep.”
“Well, I still think someone should stay up so we don’t lose track of where
we are.”
“And this is a sea of trees…a forest. If it comes to it, you can spend the night
in the trees, since you are so good at that.”
“Right.”
You couldn’t go wrong with living in a tree.
As for this journey…it was expected to last for several days. And so we made
some simple plans about how we would live and then it was time for
breakfast. Daniela turned off the engine so we could just move along with the
current. Then we set out a small table and chairs. As there was less wind
pushing against us now, we could put plates on the table without them
blowing away.
Some piping hot bread was then served on the plates, along with soup and
salad.
“Now, this is what I wanted to see.”
Daniela smiled happily and sat down. All of this food was from the bakery. I
always ended up just staring at Daniela when she looked this delighted about
something.
“What are you doing? Let us eat.”

“Uh, yeah.”
I tore off a piece of the hot bread and put it in my mouth. The fragrance and
sweetness shot up my nose. It increased with every bite, and it was gone
before I knew it.
After that, I drank the soup with a spoon and enjoyed the complex taste of it
before moving on to the salad of fresh and crunchy vegetables.
“It’s damn good…”

“There is not enough of it. But I suppose it cannot be helped.”
And the view was great. The platinum blankets of snow could be seen on the
riverbanks. Even the forest, with its varying sizes of trees, was also covered
in white.
It was definitely quite cold. But I somehow didn’t care. I used to chuckle
when seeing couples eating on terraces during the winter. But I understood it
now. Their hearts were warm.
With such beautiful scenery and enjoyable food before us, we talked until our
plates were scraped clean.
□ □ □ □
Our journey by boat continued.
“Ahh…”
“Did you catch anything?”
“No…it’s no use.”
I had decided to try and fish, but it wasn’t working out.
The rod was something I had bought on our way back from our last date. It
was just an ordinary fishing rod with a line and a hook. I had a lure attached
to it as well. That was all you needed to catch fish. If you were in the right
place, anyway.
However, it wasn’t working now. Maybe it was too cold. Besides, the boat
was moving and the line didn’t have much length. I really should have
thought about it more before buying it.
“Nope. This isn’t going to catch anything.”

“Fishing requires patience. Perhaps it is not for you.”
“What?”
But then I considered it for a moment and started to think that she was right. I
was the kind of person that would prefer to fish in a fishing pond.
And so I put away the rod and lay on my back. The weather was great today.
The sun’s rays shone down on us, and it was even a little warm if you were
wearing your winter clothes. And so I opened it at the front, in order to cool
off a little.
“Haa…”
Warm light and cold wind. It was a comforting combination.
“You will catch a cold.”

“Mmm…”
I muttered vaguely as I closed it up again. My body had cooled off just

enough anyway. It was best to keep what warmth was left.
“Still, seems rather peaceful here…”

“Clearly it was a good thing we came during this season.”
If we had come during a warmer time, perhaps there would be monsters

jumping out of the water. And there would be worse things in the forest.
But nothing of the sort had happened to us since we started. It had been a
while since the river had become narrower and the trees appeared on both
sides. And still, there was nothing.
It was the fourth day. And so I was starting to get quite bored with being on
the boat.
□ □ □ □
We tied the boat close to the bank and set up our campsite after clearing the
area. It was now the sixth night, and we were quite accustomed to this
routine.
“…Hm?”
“What?”
“Something is here.”
I had been carrying an armful of pots and pans, and so I quietly put them on
the ground and increased the range of Presence Detection. And then, I
detected something in the forest.
“…A…human?”
“It seems to be the case. However, this would a very odd place to encounter a
human.”
There was no town that was south of Usk. So there should not have been any
people here. And while it could be an Adventurer, it was hard to imagine why
they would travel downriver by boat, a journey that would take six days.
“…Maybe they just live here?”

“I have never heard of… People who live hidden in the forest… No, what
if…”
“Daniela?”
She suddenly became quiet as if deep in thought. Her eyes were fixed on the
dark forest. As if following her lead, I activated Night Eyes and stared into
the dark. Whoever it was, they were behind many trees and bushes. There
were also piles of snow everywhere and plenty of places to hide.
“Yes, now that I think of it. There are old stories of people who live hidden in
the woods.”
“Who?”
Daniela whispered softly as she cautiously nocked an arrow to her bow.
“Beastkin.”
“Beastkin… You mean like Lehaty?”
“Aye. Beastkin who are persecuted by humans. Perhaps it is them.”
Perhaps they had noticed our presence and had come to see. Hmm. I wasn’t
sure if attempting to contact them was the best course of action to take. But
we had to somehow show them that we weren’t hostile.
“…If they want to hurt us, there are ways. Maybe arrows or rocks. In any
case, the barrier should keep us safe.”
“Right. I’ll go and set it up then.”
I would take my sword belt just in case. They might attack without saying
anything. And so I grabbed White Blade – Tenko from the hollow bag and
attached it to my belt.
Quietly, I moved through the forest. These tools connected to each other to
create a lightning barrier. They would not work properly with large obstacles
in between them. And so I had to be careful when placing them.
I walked slowly while spreading Presence Detection. It was hard to not focus
on what was ahead, but I couldn’t just move forward when placing the barrier
tools on the ground.
It required a lot of concentration, but I eventually found a good spot. It

wasn’t necessary to create a square, but I wanted as big a protected area as
possible.
It was just as I was about to place one on the ground. A pile of snow fell
heavily off a tree branch and hit the ground.
“Eee…”
And it was accompanied by a quiet shriek.
“A-a monster…?”
The rude question came next.
“Uh, no. I’m human.”

“Eeee…! Human…!”
Apparently, that was worse.
“Heeeelp!”
“Hey, wait!”
I clearly caught the figure running with its hands in the air. It looked like a
child, but there was something different about the shape of its head. When I
looked with Night Eyes, I could see that there were ears on top.
“Aaaahhhh!”
“Hey. Hey! Wait!”
From what I could tell, it was a beastkin. As soon as this registered, I

stretched out my hand and was about to chase after it. That’s when an arrow
shot past me.
“Ahhh!”
It was Daniela. I nearly shouted in surprise, but the beastkin child beat me to
it.
More snow had fallen from a tree and it was now completely buried.
“…Well, I did not want it to get away.”
Daniela said as she hooked her bow onto her shoulder. I was speechless.
“You’re kidding…”
She had purposely hit the tree so that the snow would fall on the child,
preventing it from running.
The sudden appearance of a beastkin child. It was scared that I was a

monster, and then even more scared when it found out the truth. And then
Daniela’s masterful shot without hesitation. Well…she really nearly took my
hand right off…
It was a lot to happen in a few seconds.
“Now, we should help it before it freezes to death.”
Daniela said with a cool expression as she walked towards the pile of snow. I
was still trying to process everything, but there was one thing that was clear
to me.
“You’re one to talk!”

Chapter 333
An Adult and Two Children
Daniela dragged the child out of the snow by the one ankle that protruded
from the snow. Then she carried the little prisoner under her arm as she
walked back to our camp. She did all of this without saying a word.
“…Ah, I’m supposed to set up the barrier.”
I had been dumbfounded by all that had happened, but then remembered what
it was that I was supposed to be doing. And so I quickly returned to work.
Once I was finished setting the other three devices in place, I activated them
and made sure they were working properly.
“…Good.”
I could feel the flow of magic. Thunder magic. It was a golden yellow color.
Then I did another scan of the area with Presence Detection and Eyes of the
God Wolf. But it seemed that the child really was alone… Hey, I knew what
that felt like.
I returned to the camp to see a bonfire blazing in the center. It was easy for us
since we had an ignition tool and lots of firewood we had stocked up on.
Otherwise, it would have been hard to secure firewood out here where
everything was covered in snow and ice. But we could fit plenty of it in the
hollow bag.
The beastkin child was lying asleep on top of a thick blanket that was placed
close to the fire.
“Welcome back.”
“Hey.”
Daniela stopped poking the fire with a tree branch and looked up at me.
“Its clothes were wet, so I thought to make a fire so that they could dry.”
Daniela said as she glanced at the child.
“Well, it was your fault from what I saw…”

“And how else should I had prevented an escape?”
“I could have used Legs of the God Wolf?”
I just needed a second more to get ready.
“But you looked indecisive. And this one looked faster than you would
expect.”
“Well, I’ll admit that it caught me by surprise…”
The kid was fast, to be sure. And the forest was dense and thick with
treacherous snow. And yet he…her? Was running through it as if it was
nothing.
“So, I am clearly blameless.”

“Hmm… I don’t know if I agree with you wholeheartedly, but the results are
decent enough.”
Nothing bad had happened, at least. Yes, my hand could have been
obliterated, but that didn’t happen.
I looked at the beastkin child again. It had pointed, triangular ears on its head.
They were cat-like, I suppose… I wasn’t sure. No visible tail. Well, maybe it
was hidden underneath all of the winter clothes.
“Still, why is a child out here in the forest and all alone?”
“Lost, I assume. Perhaps the parents or others from their settlement will be
arriving soon…”
I spread out Presence Detection upon hearing Daniela’s speculation. But

there was still nothing to detect. The sun was coming down already. Perhaps
they wouldn’t start to search until tomorrow morning…
“For now, I think we should just let the child sleep by the fire and wait until
morning.”
“Right. Well, might as well eat then…”
I took out a low table and some street food from the hollow bag.
I just wasn’t in the mood to cook up a whole meal.
We then chose what we wanted and started to eat. This boat journey had been
our first in a while, and so I had become over-excited the first few days and
did a lot of cooking. But I definitely felt different now. Perhaps it was
because we were closer to the deep forest.
We ate in silence for a while until we were full. And since there was nothing
to do, I stared into the fire.
“Uh…uhhh…”
The sleeping child suddenly rolled over and slowly opened its eyes.
“Where…”
“You’re awake then?”
“Good morning…”
How very polite. But it probably didn’t understand what was happening. The
child rubbed at its eyes and looked around.
“…Ah.”
Now it understood.
“Alright now. It’s time for a little talk.”

“Huh!?”
“Yes. Let’s start with an introduction. I’m Asagi. This is Daniela.”
I said while raising my hands to show that we meant no harm. Daniela was
still looking at the fire.
“Uh…I’m Mishka…please don’t kill me…”

“Since you asked nicely, we agree not to kill you. We’re very good people
after all.”
“Th-thank you…”
Yes, this was going well.
“Uncle Asagi…”
“Eh?”
“Bro…brother. You’re not going to hurt me…?
“Of course, not. We’re just people who happened to be passing by.”
Mishka was nice enough to not insinuate that I was old. It had nothing to do
with applying any pressure.
She seemed relieved at this, and let out a long sigh.
“Are you hungry?”

“Uh, no, I’m…”
But her stomach betrayed her. She looked embarrassed.
“I don’t know if you’ll like this, but you can try it if you want.”
I took out several items from the hollow bag. Mishka’s eye seemed to shine
as she looked at them.
“Ca-can…I eat this?”

“Sure. There’s plenty more.”
“Thank you!”
She must have been very hungry, as she held the skewer with both hands as
she ate. Yes. Children should eat a lot so they can grow tall. It was common
sense.
Daniela on the other hand, could probably refrain a little.
“Hmm. I seem to have some unoccupied space in my stomach now.”

“You sure are quick. But no, this is for her.”
“Hmph… So you are sweet to other girls.”
“Don’t say it like that. Besides, aren’t you the oldest, most mature one here?”
“Hey, who is the one that needs to choose their words here!”
A ridiculous argument erupted after Daniela attempted to eat some of the
food I had laid out. Daniela was much older than me, but she underwent a
change when food was involved. I liked that about her, but there were times
when she went too far.
Just then, I heard someone chuckling to the side. Of course, it was Mishka.
“Hehehe…oh, I’m sorry…”

“No, there’s no need to apologize. In fact, you can laugh all you want. She
deserves it.”
“Hey, Asagi. How can you say such a thing? I was just going to eat some
meat as I was getting hungry.”
“There are more important things to deal with! Have some self-control!”
Daniela didn’t budge, and so the stupid exchange continued. This time,
Mishka opened her mouth wide and laughed. After that, neither of us felt like
continuing.
“Ahahaha! Ha… You are both so childish.”

“You got half of that right. It’s just her that’s childish.”
“I am an adult, Mishka.”
“Hehe. You are both like children.”
She stated flatly. Daniela and I looked at each other in surprise. Then we
chuckled.
“Well… It’s also important to have a young heart.”

“Indeed. Those who forget what it is like to be a child are not truly grown
up.”
We said, desperately trying to vindicate ourselves after being laughed at by a

child.
…In any case, there was no suspicion or fear left. So that was good.
We just needed to find out why she was here… But I suppose we could wait
until all of the hot food was gone.
Thank you so much for the recent donation! This has been a really rough
month financially and so it is greatly appreciated!
Chapter 334
Mishka’s Story
Perhaps she had been famished because all of the food on the table was gone
in no time.
I even brought out some more meat so Daniela could have some too. And that
was also finished in the blink of an eye.
“Thanks for the food…!”

“I’m glad you liked it… Now, do you mind if we ask you a few questions?”
“?”
Mishka tilted her head to the side in puzzlement.
“Why is a small child like you wandering in the depths of the sea of trees? I
get that it’s the icesnow phase and all. But there are other dangers besides
monsters, you know?”
Hidden pits. The subzero temperature. Snow that suddenly falls from above.
Getting lost. You might even enter a monster’s nest without realizing it. Also,
there were bad people out there.
So, what was so important out here that such dangers had to be braved?
“Uh…yes, I…”
And then she told us about herself.
She was from a settlement not too far from where we were. And in this
settlement, there was not quite a lot…but a decent number of beastkin living
there.
“And they are like you? Uh…cats?”

“Yes, cats.”
“Most of them are cats?”
“Yes. It is a settlement comprised of cat beastkin.”
Mishka had lived there with her mother, father, and younger sister.
Life had been comfortable enough at first, but one day, her mother became
gravely ill. It was an illness that was rare within the settlement, but it had a
high fatality rate. The chief of the settlement advised that drinking a tea made
of a certain flower that only grew in the forest during the icesnow phase
would heal her.
However, the sea of trees was a dangerous place. And it wasn’t like there
were no monsters at all. And yet Mishka urged her father to let her go.
Unsurprisingly, he allowed no such thing. And so Mishka was forced to stay
and take care of her mother.
“…My father goes out to the forest every day in search of it. However, he has
been unsuccessful so far… That’s why I came out here… I wanted to find it
for my parents…”
“And then you got lost.”
“…Yes.”
Her father would go out to the dangerous woods every day while her mother
was threatened by an illness. It must have filled her with dread. And so she
had wanted to help them. It was very moving. A family that loved each other.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
She answered, but then smiled as if nothing more needed to be said. Still, I
opened my mouth.
“Let’s find this flower.”

“What…!”
Mishka’s ears pointed up as she looked at us with surprise.
“I thought you would say that.”

“Do you mind?”
“I was going to say it if you did not.”
We were in a hurry. There was no time to get sidetracked. But we couldn’t

just ignore a troubled person who was right in front of us.
It was self-satisfaction, to be sure. We couldn’t save everyone, anyway.

However, I wanted to do what I could.
“So, it’s settled. We will help you find this flower… Unless you’d rather we
don’t?”
“Th-thank you…! Thank you so much!”
Mishka’s eyes filled with tears as she bowed. Daniela petted her soft hair and
ears. I was going to do it too, but Daniela glared at me. Sometimes a
gentleman must keep a distance.
□ □ □ □
As it was already quite late, we decided to start our search in the morning.
And so we sent Mishka off to go rest in the tent.
“You can rest too, Daniela.”

“Really? Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Daniela was the only one who could send magic into the engine to power the
wind ore. While she did rest as much as possible, it was still tiring work, and
so I wanted to do my part at night.
And so I added some firewood to keep the bonfire burning and used Eyes of
the God Wolf to scan the area. I wondered if I couldn’t find this flower she
was searching for.
“I believe she said it was called…an Ijilis.”
It was a red flower, which should make it stand out in all of this snow. Even
though it was night time and I had nothing but moonlight.
I occasionally deactivated the skill and returned to tending the fire and using
Presence Detection to secure the area while searching with Eyes of the God
Wolf.
“…Hmm. Maybe on the other side of the river.”
I was going deeper into the forest but decided to check the opposite side for a
change.
“Hmmm…the forest is exactly the same over here.”
The trees were just as dense. And as there were no monsters and animals to
be seen, there was something mystical about it. The snow looked blue under
the light of the moon. It was hard to not just admire the view, but I kept
moving.
On the way, I started to think about the time after my fight with the Queens
Knight Goblin. I hadn’t been able to see too far back then.
But what about now?
“I don’t feel…too much of a burden.
I guess I was fully recovered now. Back then, I couldn’t go farther than a
kilometer and could only use it for a short amount of time. But I had been
avoiding using it ever since. It looked like that rest paid off.
And so I continued to look deeper. However, I could not find this Ijilis flower
anywhere. Perhaps this was also the wrong direction.
“I could go deeper…but first…”
I had been looking for too long. I needed to check on the fire and scan the
surrounding area again. That was important as well.
And so I deactivated the skill and raised my head.
A man was standing there with a raised hatchet.
“Arrrgghhh!!!”
It was all so sudden that I could barely think. But as soon as I heard his voice,
I grabbed Light Blade off of the ground and used Legs of the Forest Wolf to
jump back. The chair I had been sitting on was smashed to pieces.
“My chair!”
“You bastard…!!”
He was mad with rage as if he had some personal score to settle. I quietly
unsheathed the sword and observed the intruder.
He had a large hatchet in his hand. His body was big and muscular. But there
was smoke rising from him as if he was singed. Did he force his way through
the barrier? Maybe the sounds of the bonfire and the river had erased it…that
was careless of me.
And then I looked up at his face. I didn’t recognize him. It was handsome,
but very bearded and exuded a wildness.
“Hmm…are you a beastkin?”

“…”
Yes, his ears were on top of his head. And they looked like cat ears, just like
Mishka. …Could that mean…?
“Are you a friend of Mishka?”

“…I can smell her from here. And you know who she is. So, you were the
one who captured her after all!!”
“No, you’re making a mistake. If anything, we…”
“I’ve heard enough!!”
The man jumped forward with all of the agility of a cat. I blocked the hatchet
with White Blade, but the man’s limbs were like a lion’s and the force they
exerted was not easy to resist.
“Grrr…”
“If you don’t tell me where she is, maybe losing an arm will make you more
compliant…”
“But she’s right over…”
“Die…!!”
Okay, he was not being very consistent, much less rational. There wasn’t
much you could do with people like this.
If he would only listen…
“Father!”
Just then, a voice rang through the night air like the song of an angel. It was
Mishka. Apparently, our fight had woken them up.
When I turned to look, I saw that Daniela was standing there with her bow.
…Also…father?
“Mi-Mishka!”
“Father! Stop this! He didn’t do anything!”
His eyes widened as if he were staring at a ghost. I didn’t miss the opening
and swung White Blade. The hatchet was torn from his hands and went flying
into the air. Daniela then unleashed an arrow that pushed it away even further
into the trees.
“Gaa…”
He glared at me. It was as if he was struggling between believing his

daughter and a long-held hatred towards humans. I suppose it would be better
for me to bend.
“Well, I suppose we should talk first?”
And so I sheathed White Blade and offered my hand to him.

Chapter 335
The Cat Settlement
“Forgive me!”
Mishka’s father bowed his head so low I thought his ears might touch the
ground.
“If you were not such a skilled fighter, I’d have easily killed you in one
strike… And so I nearly killed the person who saved my daughter.”
“Well, I’m not going to say it couldn’t have been avoided… But let’s leave it
at that.”
I was quite lucky. If I hadn’t stopped using Eyes of the God Wolf when I did,
I might have died. Considering that, I couldn’t use Eyes of the God Wolf so
light-heartedly anymore.
“Indeed… But you must understand that to us beastkin, humans are terrible
creatures. Everyone thinks so. But perhaps I’m the last person who should be
saying such things. I will try to keep an open mind in the future.”
“That would be great. But there definitely are humans out there who are up to
no good. So maybe don’t be too open-minded either.”
“Aye, I will be careful.”
I had nothing more to say. Regardless of what I felt, I was ultimately

unharmed.
“Perhaps you will allow me to make it up to you? Would you come and visit
our settlement?”
“Your settlement?”
Aye, he said. He then told us about the beastkin settlement that was deep in
the forest. It was in the direction that I had been trying to look. Had I kept
going, I might have found it…
“Perhaps this can be the first step for beastkin and humans to come closer
together.”
Said Daniela.
“That may be. What do you say?”

“I want to go.”
“Then we should accept their hospitality.”
We nodded to each other and Mishka’s father laughed happily. Mishka had
been watching this scene cautiously up until now, but she too finally laughed.
“…That’s right. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Mishka’s father, Ash.”

“I am Asagi. And this is…”
“Daniela. It is a pleasure.”
“Likewise. And in spite of first impressions, I hope we can get to know each
other.”
And like that, we were invited to the cat beastkin settlement.
While I was looking forward to tomorrow, it was quite late, and so it was
decided that Ash and Mishka would rest in the tent. Daniela and I would
prepare a different one.
“I will take the watch now.”

“Thanks.”
“I will not let any beastmen through, so have no fear.”
“…Got it.”
It was my fault, I admit. And so I swore to do better next time as I lay down
in the tent and immediately fell asleep.
□ □ □ □
The next morning, we headed towards the settlement with Ash as our guide.
It was supposed to be a little far from here, but it wouldn’t take very long if
we went by boat. That just proved how impressive Mishka was to come out
all of the way here. Beastkin were tough.
Ash stood in the front of the boat and gave directions as Daniela controlled
the engine. By the time that we docked the boat by the river bank, the sun had
fully risen.
“It’s a short walk from here.”

“Got it.”
“It’s really not far at all so… What just happened?”
“Huh?”
I turned around just as I had finished storing the boat in my bag. He looked
stunned and then frowned as he saw me sling the bag over my shoulders.
“A bag that can store a boat…”

“Oh… Yeah, it’s a special bag.”
“I can see that. Otherwise, the human world would be considerably madder
than I thought.”
He got that right.
He continued to ask about the bag on the way there. And then I ended up
talking about Rachel and Lehaty. Though his face didn’t move much, Ash
reacted with a range of emotions from surprise to joy at what I told him.
“…I see. While she is not of the same tribe as us, it is good to know that she
has found happiness. Still, it surprises me Asagi, that you have beastkin
friends. Including one who is a God Wolf.”
“Well, it’s just Lehaty, really. I’ve never been to any settlements before. As
for Rachel… Well, it was just a coincidence.”
That back alley… I had just happened to enter it. But then again, I had a
feeling that I would have met Rachel in some other place eventually. That’s
just how things worked.
“…We’re almost there. I’ll go on ahead and explain things to the others. You
wait here for a moment.”
“Got it.”
Ash nodded and then ran on top of the snow as if he were running on the
ground. I had no idea how his feet weren’t sinking into the ground. Was that
some kind of special ability that they had…?
“Father has the Snow Cat’s protection.”

“Snow Cat?”
Mishka must have been very relieved to reunite with her father. She was
much more talkative now as she stood with us and watched her father run.
“Yes. It’s a monster that looks like a large white cat. But to us beastkin cats,
it’s more of a deity.”
“Huh…”
A monster’s protection. That could only mean one thing.
“Asagi.”
“Yes.”
Daniela must have been thinking the same thing, as she gave me a sharp look.
It must be somewhere in this sea of trees. An abnormally evolved being that
was friendly with the beastkin.
It was as I pondered over this that Ash returned. His feet were as light as ever
as he walked on the snow.
“Sorry that it took so long. I had to talk to the chief. You are now welcome.”
“That’s a relief. Well, let’s go then.”
The settlement was right in front of us now. I could see it up close with Eyes
of the God Wolf. There were structures made of trees and grass that had been
weaved into domes. It made me think of nomadic tribes.
I deactivated it then. I didn’t want to ruin too much of the surprise.
“Ash. Is there anything we should know before entering. Anything we must

not do in front of the others?”
I wanted to avoid doing anything that would be rude.

“That’s very kind of you to ask. However, do not worry. We are a free folk.
But if I had to say something…”
“Yeah?”
Ash suddenly chuckled.
“Well, our ears and tails are sensitive. It would be best if you don’t touch
them without permission.”
“Ahaha… Yes, of course.”
Ash must have been a little embarrassed. He scratched his cheek awkwardly
as we walked. We soon started to see houses appear through the trees.
“Here we are. Our settlement, Cath Palug.”
The trees parted in front of us and we came out into a vast clearing that was
covered in snow. Numerous houses had been built here, and from them, we
could see the curious stares of the beastkin.
There were three in particular who were walking right towards us. The one in
the center was quite elderly, but the other two were young. The elderly one
had a long flowing beard and white fur. The ears looked like those of a lion,
which gave him an imposing air.
The old man stopped in front of us and looked at me up and down before
offering his hand.
“Welcome, human visitor. I am Leonardo, chief of this settlement.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, chief. I am Asagi Kamiyashiro, from the
Adventurer’s Guild.”
“And I am Daniela Villsilf. Asagi and I form a party together.”
Apparently, the beastkin here liked to shake hands. When I squeezed back, he
smiled at me. Then he moved to Daniela.
“Ah, I see that you are an elf.”

“A light elf, yes. Is that unusual in these parts?”
“Not really. After all, there is an ancient elven ruin not too far from here.”
Daniela and I froze when he said this. We were looking for it, but we didn’t
know the exact location. All we knew was that it was in this forest, according
to the map that the Karma showed to us.
“…Hmm. I take it that is your destination then.”

“We have important business there.”
“I see. Well, there’s no point in discussing it here. You can come to my house
for now. Out here, people will tire their eyes out from staring at you.”
Said Mister Leonardo as he turned around. The beastkin who had been
looking all turned away. Daniela and I chuckled at this.
The abnormally evolved being, the location of the ruins, and the red flower.
We had come out here in order to find the key and ended up encountering
some beastkin.
What would happen next… I couldn’t imagine. But I suppose there was
nothing to do but go with the flow…
“What are you doing, Asagi? Hurry up.”

Daniela called. And so I ran after them.

Chapter 336
To Reach the Ruins
I walked behind Daniela as we made our way to the settlement. Unlike all of
the towns we had seen up until now, the houses were all built in random
locations, and weaving through them felt like a very unique experience.
It was like some kind of foreign frontier town… That was how familiar I had
become with the other cities and towns of this world. And so I felt a little
restless.
The was a settlement without restaurants and smithies. It had only what the
beastkin needed to survive. And in the far back of this settlement, stood the
house of the chief. It was larger than the others and was more intricate in
design.
When we got closer, the two younger escorts ran forward and stationed
themselves on both sides of the entrance.
“Thank you.”
The chief said to them. And then he turned to us.
“Now, come in. It’s much warmer inside.”

“Thank you.”
We bowed and then passed the thick cloth that hung over the entrance.
It was surprisingly spacious inside. A bed and shelves were against the wall
and there was a table in the center. The entire floor was covered in a carpet.
Hmm. I guess we were supposed to take our shoes off here.
“Ah, I would be much obliged if you took your shoes off. It’s hard to clean
the carpets.”
I was going to anyway, but Daniela had had no such inclination. As her foot
hovered inches above the carpet, she began to take off her boot. Our eyes
met.
“I was just about to take them off.”

“Sure you were.”
I replied to her awkward excuse. I then took off my own boots and placed
them neatly in the corner before stepping onto the carpet. It seemed like there
were multiple layers of them, and I almost felt like I was walking on a soft
mattress.
Chief Leonardo took off his shoes with practiced speed and he and Ash
quickly settled into some chairs. We followed their lead and sat down as well.
“Allow me to thank you first. You saved one of the children of our
settlement. I am grateful.”
“Once again, I’m sorry for attacking you by mistake. I really am.”
They bowed so low that I thought they would hit their heads on the table, and
so I frantically stopped them.
“No, we probably should have tried to return her to you as soon as we found
her. We are partially to blame.”
“Stop being silly, Asagi. The sea of trees is a dangerous place at night.
Waiting for the morning was not a bad decision.”
Thankfully, Daniela was there to put an end to this very business-like talk,
where we competed over who could take the blame.
“Mishka is safe. And you are unhurt. That is all that matters. We should
move on. This incessant apologizing is just tiring.”
“That is true… Miss Daniela is right. May we put the matter to rest?”
“Yes. I have nothing to say.”
And so we put that behind us and talked about what was important. The
ancient elven ruin.
According to the chief, the ruins were in the deepest part of the sea of trees.
The end of the Ritune river.
“There is a large lake there. We call it the ‘Asul Lake.’”

“Asul Lake… And that’s where it is? The ruins?”
“Aye. I’ve seen it myself. The ruins are on an islet in the center of the lake.
But I have never gone to it.”
Ash explained that there was a terrible monster that lurked near the lake. It
was a constant threat. And the icesnow phase did not affect it.
“Have you ever seen a dragon, Asagi?”

“A dragon? Uh, a few times.”
“I see… It is a surprise to me that you have faced them more than once. But
the monster that lives by the lake is a dragon. A water dragon. And it also
happens to be the most powerful kind. A Blue Dragon.”
Dragons came in a variety of colors. And the colors showed what ‘attribute’
they had. Apparently, this Blue Dragon had been living there for a very long
time.
Well, no one really went to the far depths of the sea of trees, but there was
still plenty of food in the forest. I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like things had
just become a lot more complicated for us. I suppose that was just how life
goes.
“So, we will need to get rid of this Blue Dragon in order to reach the ruins…”
“Is it really impossible to reach the islet without fighting it?”
I would rather not have to fight such a monstrous creature. And so I tried
asking. However, Ash and Leonardo shook their heads.
“It was a long time ago, but some people tried to get on the island while the
dragon was sleeping. And…”
“The dragon came out the moment they landed. And they were all devoured”
I gulped.
“So even Asagi’s Legs of the God Wolf will not mean much…”
“It’s impossible to hide from the Blue Dragon’s eyes. There was a time when
we wanted to find out what was in those ruins, but we have long since given
up. We lost young lives to it. That’s all that ever happened.”
A long silence followed the chief’s words.
Until we came here, I thought things would be easy. But I was wrong…
“Still… We cannot complete our objective unless we kill this dragon. So we

must do it.”
“But can we? The Wind Dragon was one thing, but I can hardly imagine how
much stronger this one will be…”
“Hmm… It is in the water too. That would be the source of its magic. We
must consider that as well.”
Indeed. There were too many disadvantages. The Wind Dragon had been
strong enough. Just the thought of it made me want to give up…
As we remained indecisive, Ashe muttered something.
“…Maybe if the Lord Snow Cat…”

“Snow Cat?”
I reacted immediately. I had just heard about this monster that offered
protection. They were talking about the abnormally evolved being.
“The Lord Snow Cat is a monster, but it also offers us protection. Just like
you did.”
“Such monsters…well, among some humans, they are called ‘abnormally
evolved beings.’ Monsters with high intelligence. Some of them are still
hostile against humans, but there are also some who are friendly.”
Beowulf, Arthur, and Rachel were all friends towards humans. However, the
Assault Kobold and the Loup-garou were another story.
“Yes, the Snow Cat is our friend. It is not the most polite being, but it helps
us when we are in trouble. Perhaps it will help you…”
“Indeed… I think it might be worth a try for you two to talk to it.”
The Lord Snow Cat, huh… A kind monster that was also rude. That was hard
to imagine. Was it a tsundere?
“But first, we must prepare a feast for our guests. Ash, if they start now, that
should be enough time to finish by night. Go and give the order.”
“Very well. Asagi. Daniela. See you later.”
Ash stood up and quickly left the house. Then the chief also stood up.
“I will and go and talk to the Lord Snow Cat first. You may move freely in
the meantime.”
“Thank you.”
The chief left and then it was just Daniela and me in the house. My nerves
were calmed now, and so I stretched my limbs and leaned back in the chair.
“….Ahhh…. …So, what do you think we should do?”

“This Blue Dragon is an unexpected obstacle.”
“But this Snow Cat is going to help us, right? Though, I have no idea what
it’s actually going to do.”
Ash had run over the snow as if sliding. If that was because of the Snow Cat,
was it able to make your body lighter? But I was already a thrall of the God
Wolf. So, maybe it would just go to Daniela?
“I have my own way of doing things. Even if the Snow Cat were to ask me, I
would not accept.”
“Really?”
“Aye.”
Well, light elves were supposed to be the direct descendants of the ancient
elves. Perhaps accepting something like that could affect her negatively if
she’s not careful. It would be best to stay as she was.
“Well, we can think about that later. Why not go exploring?”

“Sounds good. I’ve never been to a beastkin settlement before, and so I
wanted to look around.”
The difficult stuff could be dealt with later. As we were in agreement, we put
on our boots and headed out to explore the settlement.
Chapter 337
Cat Feast
We put on our shoes and left the chief’s house. The two young guards were
no longer by the entrance, and the entire settlement suddenly seemed more
lively than before. The beastkin had been in their houses earlier, but now they
were moving from one place to another and were busy making preparations.
“I suppose they are preparing for that feast that the chief mentioned.”
“Now that, I’m looking forward to. Food prepared by beastkin.”
“I am getting hungry…”
Her lack of patience was astounding.
They had only just gotten started. Currently, I could see that they were
shoveling snow to make a clearing in the center. I could also see that wooden
pillars were being brought out to build some kind of structure. The fact that
they worked with practiced familiarity showed that such events were not
uncommon.
The venue came together rapidly, and as we watched, I suddenly felt

someone tugging at the sleeve of my winter clothes.
“Hmm?”
“Mister. You’re human, aren’t you?”
I looked down to see a beastkin boy standing there. He looked up with eyes
full of curiosity. And so I squatted down to his level and informed him that I
was indeed so. His face lit up.
“So, so, you’ve been to the town? The one that is way upriver!”
“Aye, that’s where we came from.”
“Oh! I wish I could go…”
He looked quite jealous at first, but soon laughed. He was so cute that I
wanted to take him with us.
“I want to go there when I get older.”

“Well, it’s quite far and dangerous. So you definitely should wait until then.”
“Yes!”
I patted him between the ears. Clearly, this one knew how to accept good
advice. It suggested the adults here were respectable people.
And before I knew it, we were surrounded by children. Their fluffy ears and
shining eyes looked up at us.
“Uh, right…”
“Hehe. We seem to be quite popular here.”
I got that the adults were busy with preparations, but I had assumed that
strangers like us would be treated with a little more suspicion.
“Hey, hey…”
“Um, um…”
“Uh, uh…”
“Do…”
“Wait, calm down! One at a time!”
We had come out with the intention of exploring, but now it was like we
were babysitters. In fact, that’s what we ended up doing until the feast was
prepared.
However, the kids did show us around. They led us this way and that way by
the hand. And while it did result in a thorough tour of the place, we were
quite exhausted by the end of it…
But it was educational as well. The structure of the houses was particularly
interesting.
Like the framework. They used wood to create a dome-like structure and then
covered it in cloth.
The clothes could also be quite fancy. Everyone had a different design. They
were so colorful that you could never get bored looking at them.
It reminded me of something I had said to Arthur. He was an orc and an
abnormally evolved being that I had met a long time ago. I had told him
about the lifestyle of nomads.
What if he had something to do with… As if.
□ □ □ □
Once the sun had set, candles were lit in their metal and wooden stands.
Daniela and I saw in the light cast by the swaying flames, and drink was
poured into our cups.
“And now, let the feast begin!”
Thankfully, there was no long-winded speech to open the night. The others
raised their cups into the air and cheered. Daniela and I lightly clinked ours
together.
“Cheers.”
“Aye.”
The cups were filled with chilled fruit wine. It was sweet and easy to drink. I
wonder what it was made of?
“How is it? Do you like Beluru wine?”

“Mister Ash. Is that what this is?”
Ash came over to us, cup in hand, and sat down. Apparently, this wine was
made from Beluru sap. So it wasn’t fruit wine, it was sap wine. Maybe it was
similar to mead. Well, I didn’t know anything about such things.
“It just happens to be best this time of year…and so we decided to serve it.
I’m glad that you like it.”
It reminded me of the Berulu dishes we had eaten in Valdorf. They had also
been sweet and delicious, but this had alcohol in it and was more refreshing.
At least, I thought it was.
“Still, this drink just makes you hungry… Is the food not ready yet?”
Daniela said, without a shred of restraint. Ash laughed and then pointed.
“We always drink before the food comes out. It is the way of the beastkin.”
“Hmm. So it is your culture… Interesting.”
Daniela muttered as she touched her chin and stared at the plates that were
brought forward.
“Alright, here you go. Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Said an elderly woman with especially large ears. She lay down a heavy
silver plate in front of us. The air around us was cold, but the food was
steaming hot. And it also smelled amazing.
“Here is a traditional dish. Fried Venison with Ryuze!”

“Ryuze?”
I had never heard of that before. I knew venison was deer, but I guess ryuze
was something that only existed here.
“It’s a special leaf. And it is so incredibly spicy, that it’s near impossible to
eat by itself. But when you wrap the meat with it and cook it, the taste is
absorbed by the meat.”
“I see… In other words, this is a very spicy dish?”
“Haha. It’s not mild, that’s for sure.”
Spicy food was perfect for the cold seasons. And we had sweet wine to go
with it. That meant I could enjoy the heat without killing my tongue. It
seemed like a good way to get through the icesnow phase.
“This feast was prepared for you two. So there’s no need to be modest.”
“Well, if you insist…”
“Mmm…ggg…mm…gg… Damn, this is hot.”
“Quick as always!”
Master Daniela didn’t know the word ‘restraint.’ She had already grabbed her
plate and began eating. I watched her drink down the wine from the corner of
my eye and took a bite myself.
“Hm…! It really is hot!”
“Haha… Perhaps it is too much for humans?”
I hadn’t expected it to be so spicy. Ash laughed with amusement as I drained

my cup of sap wine.
“Ahhh… What a shock…”

“Drinking too much of that will have consequences in the morning.”
“Uh, I’ll be careful.”
Still, the food was addicting. Spicy food was like magic, and it had full
control over me. Besides, it went so well with this drink!
The plates and cups were empty in no time. My body felt warm and my mind
felt good.
“Mmmm, mmm…ahhh. Ah, that was delicious…!”
Daniela wasn’t just attacking her meat, she also drank a lot. She usually
didn’t pay the drink much attention when there was meat on the table, but I
suppose this one really suited her. Our cups and plates were immediately
refilled.
As we enjoyed the feast, the women of the tribe began to dance. While this
was a feast, it was also a kind of reception for us.
They had instruments made of wood and string, as well as drums, which
created a relaxing rhythm. Your body just naturally swayed with the music.
“Ohh. I have seen that instrument used by a forest tribe.”
Daniela said with deep interest as she watched. Then Ash brought out a
different instrument. It looked a lot like a guitar.
“This one was made from monster materials. Can you play?”
“Not very well, but, yes.”
Daniela accepted it and held the neck with one hand and began to strum with
the other. This was not like the relaxing music that we had been listening to
up until now. It was aggressive and loud. However, it seemed fitting as well.
It reminded me of the music gypsies played. Passionate and wonderful.
“Ohh…not bad at all.”
Ash looked very surprised. The beastkin who had been playing were also
looking at her in astonishment, their ears twitching on top of their heads.
There was no race or borders when it came to music. The drummers began to
follow the beat of Daniela’s music, and the flutes soon accompanied them.
Then Daniela glanced at the musicians with stringed instruments, and they all
followed her lead. Furthermore, people started to clap their hands, and we all
were united.
Before we knew it, Daniela was playing one upbeat song after another. It was
like being in a live house. The beastkin felt the passion of the music and
began to find partners as they danced.
“Ah, what great sight.”

“You’re not going to dance, chief?”
“Hahaha. Not at this age and with this back…”
I sat down next to the chief and enjoyed watching the others. Everything
seemed to go by too quickly, but we had a great time, none the less.
“Ah, yes. I have something to tell you, Asagi.”

“What?”
“About the Lord Snow Cat.”
“!”
Daniela had just finished playing, and she bowed amidst the applause of the
others. Yes, now that I thought about it, the chief had said that he would be
telling this Lord Snow Cat about us going to the ruins.
“I have a message.”
“Please tell us.”
“‘Wait for my arrival, human!’ There it is.”
I shuddered at the sudden, low growl that emitted from the chief’s mouth.
Well, he seemed to be quite skilled with impressions…
“I-I see… So, at what time should we be expecting this Lord Snow Cat?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“I understand…”
Damn it. I didn’t even feel drunk anymore…
When I looked around, I saw that all of the food had been eaten up, and it
seemed like things were winding down. It was the atmosphere of a feast that
was about to end.
Then the chief got to his feet and clapped his hands.
“I think it is time for this feast to come to a close! You can clean everything
up tomorrow. You can all go and rest. Thank you so much for your hard
work!”
He ended it with those simple words, and everyone returned home. Daniela
returned the instrument to Ash and walked back to us.
“That was fun.”

“I had no idea that you had such a hidden talent.”
“Mmm.”
She muttered as she looked away. Was she a little embarrassed? Maybe she
was just drunk.
“I was hoping you two would stay the night at my house. Would that be
acceptable?”
“We couldn’t intrude to such a degree. We have more than enough to make
us comfortable. If you would just allow us to camp nearby.”
“Hmm… If that is what you prefer. I will see you tomorrow. And I hope you
will be awake before the Lord Snow Cat arrives.”
“Yes, we will.”
Sleeping in the chief’s house felt like a little too much. Besides, we had tents
to sleep in. It wasn’t so cold that it would be a problem for us. After all, it’s
what we had been doing up until now. And Daniela had her magic tools.
When everyone had left, I pitched the tent in the empty venue. This tent was
large enough for both of us to lie down, with plenty of space left. Then I put
down the magic tools and the warm blankets.
“Alright…let’s sleep.”
“Hmm…yes.”
Perhaps she really was drunk, Daniela seemed a little light-headed as she
entered the tent. She even lurched towards me as if unstable.
“Woah…are you alright? You usually don’t drink that much.”

“Eh…well, yes.”
“…?”
Still, she didn’t pull away. If anything, she was pressing into me.
“Uh, ouch…”
And like that, she pushed me onto the bed.
“Are you sure you’re fine?”

“…Tonight, was… It was fun. And I learned something.”
“Learned? What did you…”
Daniela covered my mouth with her own.
“Mm… Haa… Music and drink…it stirs one’s emotions.”

“I-I see…”
Were we going to stay up all night…? We had a busy day…

Still, I was not one to ignore Daniela.
And so it was decided. For us, the night had only just begun.
Chapter 338
A Red Flower and a White Cat
The next morning…I crawled out of the tent, feeling quite exhausted…
“That is no good Asagi. Go and wash up before this Snow Cat arrives.”
“Yes…”
While I felt that she was responsible for my current state, I didn’t feel like
arguing. And so I stretched my limbs and went back into the tent in order to
wash up. We had magic tools that provided warm water, so I was able to
wipe my body with a cloth. It wasn’t a full shower, but it was better than
nothing.
By the time I was done, I felt clean and fully awake. I changed into my wind
dragon equipment and attached the demon armor sword to my belt before
throwing the Snow Arachne cape over my shoulders.
The others were just about to finish cleaning up the venue. I offered to give
them a hand, but they refused. And since I didn’t want to get in their way, I
had come out to the forest.
Our purpose was to find the ruins.
Once I saw that there was no one around, I activated Eyes of the God Wolf. I
wanted to see towards the far depths, where the Asul lake was located.
My vision rose higher and higher until I had a bird’s eye view of the forest.
To the far south of our current position, I could see a great blue lake. Judging
by the fact that there was a small island in the center, it must be the Asul lake.
It really was beautiful to look at. The surrounding banks were covered in
snow, and perhaps due to the light reflecting off the water, it all looked blue.
Add to that the sparkles of the sunlight bouncing off of it, and you had
something that was breathtaking.
Still, this was where the Blue Dragon lived. The thought sent a chill down my
spine… It was like the thorns of a beautiful rose.
“…Ah.”
As I looked down at the lake, the surface began to ripple, and I could see a
vague shadow moving below it. It was long and thin. It moved slowly around
the island before disappearing to the bottom of the lake.
Daniela had once told me that water dragons had very long tails. I didn’t
know how long this one was, but my estimate was that it exceeded twenty
meters. While most of its body was its tail, it was still frightening…
After seeing the surface become calm again, I moved my gaze elsewhere.
As I moved towards the island, I was able to spot the building in the center. It
was a small structure and mostly hidden by trees. It kind of looked like a
church. It had a roof like a wizard’s hat.
“It’s held up quite well…”
There were parts that had crumbled, but the overall shape had been
maintained. Perhaps the door had been made of wood, as nothing of it
seemed to have survived. But the rest of the building might be some other
special material. And just like the ruin that housed the Automata, it was likely
just a disguise for something else.
I then moved away and searched the surrounding area, but was unable to find
any monsters. It was not too surprising, as the Ble Dragon would prevent
even animals from landing.
“Hmm?”
Just then, something entered my vision. I moved closer to it and had to

chuckle.
“There it is… Heh. I’ll have to tell Ash and Mishka!”
It was the Ijilis flower. I had thought that it must be somewhere deeper in,
since they were having trouble finding it, but I hadn’t expected it to be
growing at our destination.
Besides, there was a good possibility that grew near the surrounding shore as
well. This felt like fate. Mishka’s mother would surely be saved. If I stored
the flower in the hollow bag, it could be preserved perfectly. That would be
simple enough once we killed that Blue Dragon.
“Alright… I better tell them!”
I turned off Eyes of the God Wolf and headed back to the settlement.
□ □ □ □
When we returned, they had finished clearing the venue, and only our tent
remained in the clearing. I saw that Daniela was about to start cleaning up,
and so I jogged over to her.
“Daniela. Sorry.”
“Where were you?”
She looked a little annoyed. But as I had found an Ijilis flower, I couldn’t
help but smile at her, which made her narrow her eyebrows.
“I’ve been looking at the Asul lake. And the ruins there. And I just so
happened to find the Ijilis flower too.”
“Really?”
She dropped the blanket that she was folding and stood up. I nodded, and she
smiled back at me.
“I see… I see! That is good news. You must tell them.”

“Yeah. I’ll go as soon as we finish here.”
She nodded. And so I took down the tent and we finished packing everything
in a few minutes. After that, we walked around the settlement and saw that
the children were playing.
“Hey!”
“Ah, it’s Mister Asagi!”
“Old Asagi!”
“Grandpa Asagi!”
What. I think they needed to be disciplined…
“Look here. I’m not that old.”

“Old man!”
“No. I’m not an old man.”
“You don’t look like a young man.”
“You’re kidding… I’m only twenty-two…”
Maybe when I was in elementary school, someone that age would look old…
“Well, nevermind… Do any of you know where Mishka’s house is?”

“I do. Over here!”
And so this old man was led by the hands by two young girls through the
settlement. We moved through houses until we reached a small house that
was a short distance from the others.
“There.”
“Thanks. See you later then.”
Considering that is was secluded, it seemed like the mother was being
isolated due to her illness. It seemed a little sad, but this was a small
community, and they really had no choice. There wasn’t even a proper doctor
nearby…
And so Daniela and I separated from the children and headed to the house.
Ash must have heard us coming, because he poked his head out form the
door.
“Ah, it’s you. What brings you here?”

“Ash. I have good news. I found the flower.”
His eyes widened.
“You did…!?”
“Yes. On the islet in the Asul lake. I saw it just blooming near the ancient
elven ruin.”
“You already went there?! Oh. You did say something about a skill you
had… I see. So it’s there…now…”
He clenched his fists and his eyes filled with tears. Seeing him like this made
me more determined to acquire it. Yes, the Blue Dragon was intimidating. It
was a high wall to climb. However, I had Legs of the God Wolf. With these
legs, there was no barrier I couldn’t overcome.
“Thank you, Asagi. I now have hope for my wife.”

“Perhaps it’s too early to be happy. But I will kill this Blue Dragon no matter
what.”
“Ah…I’m sure you will.”
“Is it not about time for this Lord Snow Cat to arrive?”
Daniela said. I looked up at the sky. Well, it was passed the morning. Maybe
it had slept in. What was this Snow Cat like…?
“Alright. We should go to the chief then.”

“Yes.”
As we walked with Ash, I felt someone’s eyes on us. Mishka was looking at
us from the door of their house. I waved and she waved back happily but
quietly. She was probably concerned about her mother.
“Don’t worry. We’ll bring it back…”

“Asagi. Hurry up.”
“I’m coming.”
With a renewed resolve, I headed to the chief’s house.
□ □ □ □
He was waiting for us in front of the entrance. According to him, the Lord
Snow Cat should have arrived by now, but had not.
“Well, the Lord Snow Cat does like to sleep.”

“Ahaha…”
So I was right. Well, cats did as they pleased. There was no helping that.
As we chatted a little, the temperature suddenly started to drop. I was wearing

winter clothes, but it was still cold.
“The weather must be bad today.”

“It is quite cold…”
“Ah, here it comes.”
‘Huh?’ I was just about to ask, but a freezing gust of wind assaulted us. As I
raised my arm to cover my face, I widened the range of Presence Detection.
In an instant, I detected a large presence, and nearly grabbed the hilt of my
sword.
“I have not smelled that in a long time…a human.”
The low growl accompanying the wind seemed to reverberate through my

being. I slowly lowered my arms and raised my head. There in front of us,
was a white leopard.
“Is it you? The foolish bastard who wants to take on the Blue Dragon.”
“Uh, um… Yeah.”
“Can you do it? A mere human like you?”
Was this an interrogation? The leopard crouched to my level and stared into
my face with its yellow eyes.
“…I will do it. I have no choice.”

“And you think such a nonsensical reason will make it happen?”
“I said that I would. And there’s no going forward until that’s done.”
I stared back. After a while, the Lord Snow Cat seemed to be satisfied, and it
stood upright.
“Hmph. Very well. I will help you… That is what I was going to say, but no,
I will not.”
“Eh?”
The hell? I looked over to the chief, and he also looked like he was surprised.
“I wish that I could, I really do. But I cannot. You see, you’re already a
thrall.”
“Oh…”
Yes, of the God Wolf. Rachel. And I couldn’t change now.
“And from what I can sense, that woman over there has no intention of being
one either.”
“I mean no offense.”
“Ah. It is a great pity for you, elf.”
“I will do as I please. That is all.”
“I see. Then I shall also do as I please. That Blue Dragon is a nuisance. It is
in my territory.”
Apparently, it was finished asking questions. While it wasn’t the most polite,
it was kind… I think?
In any case, I was just relieved that the mood didn’t turn into anything
hostile.
The Lord Snow Cat scratched its head and then yawned.
“Ahh. Well, I didn’t think that I would be able to do it alone. So I will allow
you to come, just as long as you don’t get in my way.”
“We’ll be careful.”
Maybe we would manage just fine after all. It sounded like we had help, at
least. So, maybe a war council was in order…
“Now, let us go at once. Hey, Leonardo. I will expect food upon my return.”
“Certainly, Lord Snow Cat.”
“Uh, wait-”
“See you there!”
I tried to stop it, but the Snow Cat was gone with the freezing wind. The only
thing that remained was us, frozen and speechless.
Would we really be alright? I was suddenly very worried as I looked up at the

sky.
However, there wasn’t a single cloud. It was a beautiful day.
Chapter 339
The Blue Dragon
Asagi carried me as he rushed over the sea of trees with Legs of the God
Wolf. A tail of platinum and jade wind trailed behind him. And as I watched
it fade away, I heard a deep sigh escape his lips.
“Are you still uncertain?”
I had tried to give him advice, but he only answered with another sigh.
“It’s not that easy… Ugh… Damn it…”

“We cannot turn back now. And we cannot fulfill our objective unless we
defeat the Blue Dragon. Besides, there is the Ijlis flower as well. There is so
much at stake here.”
It was necessary to remind him of all of this. Well, I was sure that he was all
too aware. But he always had a cowardly side. It was good. It was closer to
caution, really. He just needed an extra push sometimes.
I knew that when it came down to it, he was capable of bringing about the
best results. However, it would make things much easier if he could get to
that stage quicker.
“I know, I know. This for Mishka’s mother as well… It’s scary, but we have
to do it.”
“Aye. We will surely accomplish it. The Snow Cat is with us.”
See, that was all it took. He could do nothing without me. Well, it is also part
of his charm.
□ □ □ □
After a while, the Asul lake came into view. From above, the lake was made
of beautifully contrasting blues and white. However, it was here that a most
powerful dragon lived.
“…Here we are.”
Asagi muttered in a low voice. I spread out Presence Detection over the area
and detected the Snow Cat. I could also sense the position of the Blue
Dragon.
As if waiting for me to see them, Asagi began to descend. The Snow Cat
immediately noticed us as it raised its head to the sky.
“Ah, how convenient. With such a trick up your sleeve, slaying the dragon
should not be hard at all.”
“You overestimate me. And this really isn’t special…”
“Hah. We shall see…”
The Snow Cat spoke in a low growl as its sharp eyes glared at us. Hmm. But
the Snow Cat was right. Asagi did well when it mattered. He could move
freely in the air and fight like some kind of war god. If Asagi was in the right
mindset, then this Blue Dragon should not be too difficult to defeat.
“I’ve given it some thought. And I’m going to try and stop its movement
first.”
“Oh? And how will you do that?”
“It’s simple. By freezing the lake.”
And then Asagi started to gather the energy to his hand. When we first met,
he was just a ‘stone’ who did not even know how to use magic. But now he
was a ‘ruby.’ The quality and quantity of energy that shifted was on a
different scale now.
And the energy that coursed through his body awakened the instincts of the
ice dragon armor. The power of the ice dragon. It enhanced his ice magic.
And like this, a greatsword was created.
This was the first step that he took. A greatsword of ice that froze everything.
It was Niflheim.
“…What crazy thing did you bring out…”

“Creating this takes up about half of my energy. But beating it around with a
normal weapon won’t do much good.”
“And so you want to seal its movements. Do you really think it will be so
easy?”
Indeed. Even though this may be one of Asagi’s strongest abilities, surely he
was not capable of freezing the entire surface of the lake and everything
below it as well?
“I can’t freeze everything, no. But I just need to freeze the area that it’s in…”
“And then you can kill it?”
Asagi nodded quietly. And then he looked at me. I see. So that was what he
meant.
“You want me to use my magic to blow the water away?”

“Yeah. Can you freeze water as well, Lord Snow Cat?”
“Of course, I can. I could freeze half of the lake if I cared to.”
“In that case, I want you to freeze the water once Daniela creates a hole in it.”
The Snow Cat snorted.
Asagi’s plan was simple enough. I was to create a hole in the lake with my
wind, right in the area that the Blue Dragon was lurking. The Snow Cat
would freeze the water, and then, Asagi would use the Niflheim to freeze the
Blue Dragon and what water remained.
There would be no direct combat. And so it was possible that we could finish
it all in one move. In spite of his apparent reluctance, he had given it some
thought.
“Well, we should not waste any more time then!”

“Alright. Daniela, you’re up first!”
And so I created the ‘Blast Board,’ which allowed me to slide through the air
with wind magic. Asagi was fully to blame for the tasteless name, which he
had no right to do. But regardless, this magic was incredibly useful.
A trail of jade remained as I moved towards a spot above the lake. And then I
gathered together the energy within me. And then converted it to wind magic.
“Pardon me, but I could use your help.”

‘Leave it to us!’
The wind spirits that surrounded me then enhanced it. And so the magic I
unleashed boasted of the highest class of wind magic. A tornado of jade.
“Galestorm!!”
I thrust my hands out to the water, and violent wind shot out, straight towards
the Blue Dragon. It was difficult to control the board while unleashing the
tornado, but much easier than the time I had used it in the valley of Replant. I
suppose it was growth.
“Yes!!”
Below, I could see the Snow Cat dashing over the lake. It looked like the
water was freezing under its feet. It must be its special power.
“Hahaha! Brilliant!!”
The Snow Cat seemed to be enjoying itself. My magic was causing the water
to be disturbed in a most violent way, and yet it dashed through happily.
It got through the maddening waves and arrived at the center of my magic.
The Snow Cat then descended as if drawing a spiral. And as it ran on the
walls of water, they turned into walls of ice. Eventually, the hole was solid.
“Yeeesss!! Asagi! You’re up!”
I could sense the Blue Dragon with Presence Detection. It was not moving at
all. What did that mean? Well, there was no time for such concerns.
“Asagi!”
I called the name of my reliable companion. He stood on the opposite side

with Legs of the God Wolf and carried the most powerful ice magic. A
greatsword that froze everything. He was preparing Niflheim.
And so I deactivated Galestorm, as to not get in his way. I focused on
maintaining my position in the air.
The greatsword was enveloped in dark blue light and the tip was directed at
the bottom of the pit. Then he threw it down towards the center.
“Good…”
The Niflheim had been unleashed. As long as it was done right, even the Blue
Dragon should not be able to resist.
The blue light fell towards the lake’s floor. As I watched, a horrible chill ran
down my spine.
Magic that was equal to Asagi’s or perhaps even stronger, began to suddenly
flow upwards.
“Damn it!!”
The Snow Cat dashed on the lake’s surface. It was clear that this was an
attack by the Blue Dragon. It would be best to move away at once.
“Asagi!!”
My voice sounded coarse as I shouted for him to run. But he did not move.
“Asagi…!?”
The attack would be unleashed at any moment now. Something was eating
away at the Snow Cat’s ice, causing it to melt rapidly. And in the center of it
all, Niflheim reached the Blue Dragon and then seemed to vanish. Then there
was a sudden explosion of magic.
“Ggg…!!”
It was pressurized water. The watery breath had swallowed up Niflheim and
shot straight towards the sky.
However, Asagi’s magic was not so easily defeated. The breath only
extended for a moment, it had not really swallowed up Niflheim. In fact, the
breath had been frozen partway. The Blue Dragon continued to unleash its
breath as if to be rid of it. But it was stronger than it thought.
The breath spread out around the greatsword of ice, and began to freeze,
creating a kind of umbrella of ice. It spread out as if to seal the hole that we
had made. As the Snow Cat and I stared, wondering if we should run, I saw
Asagi move in the corner of my vision.
□ □ □ □
“Daniela, run!”
I shouted at Daniela, who seemed to have not decided yet. I was grateful that
she wanted to stay, but it was too dangerous now.
My plan had been incomplete. It was all going well until the hole was
created. However, the Blue Dragon was tougher than I had expected. I had
not predicted that it would unleash its breath like that. I had been so close.
Niflheim was supposed to reach it and freeze everything.
Now, I could either run or test my luck.
I took out the Cocytus Lance from the hollow bag. And into it, I sent the rest
of the dark blue magic in my body, turning it into an ice lance.
“No, Asagi! Run!”
I raised my face to look at her and smile reassuringly. However, she must
have misunderstood me, as she looked like she wanted to cry. It was as if I
was marching to my death.
“Just give me a minute!”
I said. But it had the opposite effect. But I couldn’t wait any longer. The
Niflheim would vanish soon. I had to pierce it with this lance before that
happened.
“I’m going…!!”
I raised Legs of the God Wolf to its maximum speed and held the lance as I
raced down towards Niflheim.
I could feel the power of the breath on my skin. Even now, the Niflheim was
fighting against the pressurized water from its breath. My magic was freezing
it, but the ice was being crushed just as quickly. The process kept repeating
itself.
“Tsk…!”
Water and chips of ice flew in the air like bullets. I squinted in order to avoid
getting it in my eyes as I rushed through the storm and finally reached the
Niflheim.
And just like that, I thrust the ice lance into it. The lance was made of
Cocytus Ore, which was the result of combining Ice Ore and Water Ore. I
used all of this power while sending what remained of my own energy,
through the lance.
“Haaaaa…!!”
And then I used ‘Mana Conversion,’ which I had learned when fighting
Adlus during the Imperial Sword Tournament. The Cocytus Ore was a
perfect medium. After all, it contained the qualities of both ice and water.
In other words, it could absorb the watery breath of the Blue Dragon, while
maintaining the effects of the Niflheim, and even strengthening it. The
problem here, was that one mistake could get me caught in its breath, and I
would die.
However, I had no intention of dying here. After all, Daniela was waiting for
me.
“Eat this!!!”
The Niflheim regained its blue luster as it swallowed up the dragon’s breath.
It froze rapidly and finally reached the source.
In an instant, the lake was bathed in blue light. I couldn’t help but close my
eyes, but the light quickly died down. When I opened them again, I looked
down at the Asul lake, and gasped.
“What the hell…”
I had not expected it to be so effective. I was trying to freeze it by converting

its breath, but it ended up freezing the hole and even the surrounding area.
And at the bottom of the hole, the blue giant was frozen still with its mouth
gaping open.
Surely it would not be able to move now…? But I wasn’t sure if it was dead
or not.
“Phew…”
In any case, my gamble had paid off. For a second I thought I wouldn’t make
it… It was chilling, to say the least.
I deactivated the magic and stretched my back. …Just then, I felt someone hit
me in the lower back.
“Agh…!!”
“You bloody fool!!”
I was doing a backbend like some kind of shrimp. I saw that she was standing
behind me with an angry glare. Still, it was an impressive kick, considering
she was on the Blast Board.
And since I was caught completely by surprise, Legs of the God Wolf was
deactivated, and nearly fell, before Daniela grabbed me by the arm.
“You know, that one kind of hurt…”

“You hurt me as well. My heart!”
“Sorry…”
“I would not be so mad if a mere apology was enough! You fool!”
But man, this posture was brutal. I felt like there was something stuck in my
throat and it was difficult to talk.
“Still…we won…”
“Ultimately, yes… But the risk was too high…”
Oh, she really was angry… There was no use arguing about it. I didn’t have
the energy, anyway. I was all dried up.
Daniela carried me back to dry land and threw me down.
“Gah!”
I must have looked quite pathetic as I lay on the hard ice. And to think I had
just defeated a Blue Dragon.
“I’m not sure if they’re strong or weak…humans.”

“Well, this one is just a fool. I would not base your perception of them on
him.”
The Snow Cat sounded exasperated.
Not much time had actually passed, but there were currently clouds covering
the sun. And so I lay there, gazing at the sky and waited for my magic to
recover.
Chapter 340
The Water Dragon and the Ijilis Flower
Then we talked about what to do next.
“As for me, I want to go down there and take off its head.”
Said the Lord Snow Cat. Yes, I wanted to make sure that it never breathed
again. And while I thought it was very likely already dead, perhaps the
strongest water dragon would be tougher than that.
“However, I cannot do anything when it’s encased like that. Asagi, you do
it.”
“…Fine.”
I wasn’t exactly fully recovered, but allowing it to revive was the last thing
we needed. This was the part where I needed to keep pushing. And so I
forced myself to my feet. As for a sword that could cut through that ice, the
only thing I could think of was coating the greatsword in a water blade. But
how much could I do in my current state…
“Oomph…”
“You sound like an old man…”
Daniela noted with a look of distaste. Shut up. Three hundred-year-old.
And then I activated Legs of the God Wolf. I slid through the air with just the
power of the wind, and looked down at the hole that Daniela and the Snow
Cat had made.
“It really is amazing…”
When the Blue Dragon had unleashed its breath, its power had exceeded that
of the Snow Cat, resulting in the melting of the ice. But now, it was all frozen
solid again. It was because I used magic conversation while using Niflheim.
I looked away from the walls and to the frozen breath. It resembled a giant
spear of ice. When I looked up, I could see where it connected with the
Niflheim, as the ice spread out in all directions. The sun was out again, and
its rays shone through the umbrella of ice.
I squinted from the brightness and turned my eyes away. The next thing that I
looked at was the Blue Dragon itself.
“Damn…”
This was the first water dragon I had ever seen. It was so awe-inspiring that
you almost wanted to bow before it, even though it was now frozen. I had
seen just the shadow of its long body through Eyes of the God Wolf before,
but it seemed slimmer up close. Judging by the fact that the body was frozen
but the head was not, you could see that it had tried really hard to avoid the
Snow Cat’s ice attack.
Its four limbs were much like other dragons I had seen. They had fingers and
claws. The only differences were that they were webbed. They were thin, but
seemed strong.
I could see its face clearly now. It was the expression of someone that didn’t
realize what was happening. I stared at it for a while, but it did not stare back.
“Alright…!”
I held the greatsword out and sent what magic that had recovered into it.
Then water started to flow out of the base and slowly enveloped the sword.
When it reached the tip, the water blade was complete. And so I swung the
sword over the Blue Dragon’s neck. It felt like cutting food that was frozen to
its core. I grimaced as the head fell down. I had to chase after it and put it in
the hollow bag. At the very least, not a single drop of blood was spilled.
□ □ □ □
When I returned to the surface, I saw that Daniela and the Snow Cat were
waiting on the island, and so I went and joined them. The grass cracked
loudly under my boots. Apparently, everything near the island had been
frozen as well.
“Welcome back. Was it really dead?”
“Yeah. It was frozen to the bone. Alright, I’m going to deactivate the ice in
the lake now.”
The parts that were frozen with Niflheim. As it was my magic, I could melt it
as well. And so I stretched out my hand and laid it over the surface of the
water, controlling the energy so that the ice would melt.
“…Hmm. It will probably be finished in about five minutes.”

“Well, we will need to collect the water dragon when that happens.”
“…Huh?”
Daniela folded her arms and looked at the lake as if it were obvious. And
who was going to do that?
“You can have a five-minute break, Asagi. So rest up.”

She was more merciless than usual. So it was my job again. Was I ever going
to fully recover…
By enveloping myself in dark blue magic, I was able to become mostly

waterproof as I dove down to the bottom of the lake and collected the Blue
Dragon. After that, I was able to rest. Thankfully, Daniela had a bonfire
blazing on my return. My chilled body wanted warmth.
“So…everything is finished now?”

“Uh, yes. Thank you.”
The Lord Snow Cat got back to its feet and looked down at us. It could be
very intimidating. A white leopard… It yawned loudly and then started to
slowly walk away.
“I’ve worked too much today… I’m going home and taking a nap. Thank you
for getting rid of that annoying dragon. Farewell and good luck.”
“Yes. You too, Lord Snow Cat.”
“Aye.”
That’s all it said before running over the surface of the lake. It was a pretty
abrupt farewell. But that was about what one should expect from a cat.
“Worked too much today… I wish I could say that.”

“What would you prefer to be doing?”
But I ignored her question and lay on the grass as the Snow Cat had done.
Ahh, the fire was so warm… So comfortable…
□ □ □ □
Apparently, the warmth had been casting a spell on me without my

knowledge. But when I woke up again, I was inside a tent. I looked around
and saw that Daniela’s magic heater-like device was on. That’s why it was so
warm.
I then crawled out to discover that it was already dark outside. The sky was
filled with stars that shined brightly over us.
“Sleep well?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to doze off.”
“You worked too hard today. It could not be helped.”
Hey… There it was. Indeed, I had done well. I liked to think so, anyway. But
waking up at night… That was a bit too much.
I sat down next to her and stared dazedly at the flames. As I scratched my
head, Daniela poked at the firewood and started to talk.
“There are no monsters on this island. They could probably not get near with
the Blue Dragon guarding it. And so I left you here to see the ruins.”
“Please tell me you at least set up a barrier…”
“Aye, you need not worry about that.”
And yet, somehow I still did.
“It looks like an old church. There is a lot more left than the ruin in Replant.
And just like that time in Reserentrible, there was an entrance to the
underground.”
“I knew it.”
“Aye. It was concealed with magic. It would be very difficult for anyone to
find it, if they had no idea it was there.”
It wasn’t something to be discovered by accident. I didn’t know how long the

Blue Dragon had been lurking here, but even if it had been easier to access,
people would have likely still seen it as an old church and nothing more.
“And what was inside?”

“I have not checked. It could be dangerous. And…”
Daniela began to look inside of my bag. Her arm went all the way in and
came out grasping a red flower.
“I go this.”
“The Ijilis flower. It’s…pretty.”
I had only seen it through Eyes of the God Wolf earlier. It had six red petals
that spread outwards and smelled very nice.
“We should take it back at once. Even if it’s in the middle of the night.”
“Yes, I am sure they are waiting for us. Just let me put out the fire first.”
Daniela extinguished it with wind magic and then got her things together.
While my nap had delayed things a little, at least we now knew that we could
save Mishka’s mother.
I put on my bag and looked towards Daniela. She was reaching out to me, so
I picked her up. Then the platinum and green wind enveloped my legs and
carried me into the sky. The lights were on at Cath Palug. So, it was still too
early for everyone to be asleep.

“Aye!”
And so I raised the speed of the wind and rushed straight towards the
settlement with a great feeling of impatience.
Chapter 341
To the Ruins
We landed in front of Mishka and Ash’s house, which was on the outskirts of
the settlement. He must have sensed our presence, as the door immediately
opened and Ash stuck his head out of the door.
“Is that you, Asagi?”

“Ash!”
I ran up to him and showed him the flower. He knew at once that it was the
Ijilis flower, and his voice shook.
“Thi-this… Thank you, Asagi…thank you!”

“Don’t thank us just yet. You need to have your wife drink it first.”
“Ah…aye!”
He took the flower and entered the house. Daniela and I hesitated but decided
to follow him in.
It was quite spacious inside, and they even had all the necessary furniture. As
they were a family of three, it felt more cluttered than the chief’s house.
And in the far back, I could see a wooden partition. And I could sense that
there was someone behind it.
“Ash?”
“Aye, over here.”
I heard a voice coming from the other side, and so I went over to look. A
woman was sleeping in a bed. It was Mishka’s mother.
“My wife. Her name is Namil. Namil, this is Asagi. He brought us the Ijilis
flower.”
Ash helped her as she tried to sit up. He gently lifted her body and supported
her as she coughed weakly and bowed.
“…I am Nami. I had no hope… Really, I cannot thank you enough…”

“Take it easy, Namil. Wait a moment. I will prepare it right away.”
Ultimately, she recovered very quickly. After she drank the medicine that
Ash had prepared, her illness seemed to vanish, and her expression became
peacefully. The relief over this must have been immense, as she was now
sleeping soundly. Mishka sat quietly next to her mother with a smile on her
face.
“I did not expect it to work so quickly… It’s no wonder that it’s a legendary
flower.”
“Legendary?”
“Didn’t I tell you? The Ijilis flower that you two found. It’s something that
we’ve only ever heard stories about. A flower that only grows during the
icesnow phase. Apparently, there not only has to be a lot of snow, but a lot of
mana in the area…”
A lot of mana… Close to a dragon vein, perhaps?
“…Ah, so that’s why it was growing near those ruins.”

“Asagi?”
“It’s close to the mana of a dragon vein. That should be no surprise, given
that it’s part of the Karma’s network.”
“I see. That is true…”
Daniela was satisfied with this answer, which suggested I was right.
Ash looked puzzled by our conversation but seemed to decide that it was
none of his business and returned to staring at his wife’s face.
“Whatever the reason, you have my gratitude for finding the flower. Thank
you, Asagi and Daniela.”
“It’s nothing…I’m just glad that we were able to help.”
“…Thank you.”
We felt that there was no need to intrude any longer. It was time to return to
the island.
I looked back once before leaving the house. Ash was crying silently. I really
was happy to have been able to help such a loving family.
□ □ □ □
We left the settlement and returned to the island and once again lit the bonfire
in the camp that Daniela had set up. Our surroundings were brightened all at
once, but there was still no monsters in sight.
“We should sleep now, and investigate the ruins tomorrow.”

“Yeah… Well, let’s eat dinner first.”
“You worked hard today, Asagi. I will cook tonight.”
“Oh, I’m looking forward to…”
“Here you go.”
“…Street food…”
She handed me two skewers of meat that she ejected from her bracelet. I held
them in my hands and sighed while looking up at the sky. It was clear tonight
as well. The stars were so beautiful. Such scenery always enhanced your
enjoyment of a meal…
“And I have soup.”

“Thank you. I’ll have some.”
“Aye.”
Daniela chuckled happily. I couldn’t complain when she looked like that. If
anything, the meat skewers seemed to taste better than usual.
Perhaps it was less about what you were eating and where, but where and
with who you were eating with. And if I was with Daniela, the rest hardly
mattered.
The next morning. We set out towards the ruins. The island was shaped like a
small hill, and the trees were spread apart, which made it easy to walk
through.
And it was as we walked up the gentle slope, that the church ruins came into
view. According to Daniela, there was an entrance to the underground inside
the building…
“Over here.”
We entered through an opening that was once a front door, and Daniela
pointed to the back. There was half a door. We pushed it open to reveal a
stone staircase that spiraled downward.
“Surely this isn’t the entrance.”

“Of course not. It is the room below where I discovered it.”
I took out the magic illumination tools from my bag and handed one to
Daniela. She raised it into the air as she led the way. And while there was
unlikely to be any danger, I kept my hand on my sword as I followed after
her.
At the end of the staircase, there was another door. This one was even more
intact than the one behind us. I suppose it was due to being protected from
the elements.
Daniela pushed it open. What was on the other side, was a sight I had never
seen before.
“This…”
“An underground graveyard. A catacomb.”
It was a large chamber that was filled with coffins. The walls were lined with
old, unlit candles. Clearly they had been used at one time, but I had no idea
when that was.
My eyes returned to the coffins, with their intricate engravings. I had never
looked at a coffin this closely. My own grandparents had been quite healthy
the last time I was in Japan.
Though, I had no idea how they were doing now. I wanted to believe that
they were well.
“Over here. …Asagi?”

“Ah, sorry. Right.”
“Yes. There was a contraption inside of this coffin over here. And that
opened a door.”
Daniela explained as she casually opened the coffin. I pushed away the
feeling of repulsion and looked inside. There was a stone that glowed dimly.
And there were glowing lines stretching out of it that lined the inner walls of
the coffin.
“Huh. Now that’s a familiar sight.”

“These lines seem to exist in every ancient elven ruin.”
Daniela gently put her hand over the stone and sent a current of magic to it.
Then the lines traveled out of the coffin and spread throughout the
catacombs. It ran up walls and down to the floor. Once the intricate patterns
surfaced, a door appeared.
“There it is.”
The ancient elven ruins would be behind it. Everything from here on would
be new to Daniela. Previous ruins had been quite safe, but this one could be
different. But the Karma Network should have spread the news about us.
Surely we wouldn’t be greeted violently…
“We should go.”
Daniela urged as I stared at the door. What was waiting for us on the other
side? I felt a mixture of expectation and worry.
Chapter 342
The scene beyond the door was a familiar one. The walls here were black,
which was a big change from the stone building we had been in. There were
lines that ran down a hall and seemed to be leading us deeper in.
I spread out the range of Presence Detection as I unsheathed my sword

cautiously.
“Asagi.”
“We don’t know what’s down here.”
“Still, you might make them think that we are hostile.”
That was true. I suppose it would be better to just use magic if something
happened then…
I decided that Daniela’s way better, and so I took off my cape and sword and
stashed them away in the hollow bag.
Daniela seemed to have already put her cape and weapons in her bracelet.
And she was now scanning the area.
“We should go then.”

“Yeah.”
As Daniela was a direct descendant of the ancient elves, she took the lead.
We slowly followed the blue glowing lines. There were several turns, and we
were always careful to make sure it was safe before continuing on.
After we had walked for some time, we came upon some stairs. Daniela
touched the steps lightly with her foot to make sure there were no traps. And
at the bottom, there was a door. It was similar to the door we had found in the
Estarosta. An automatic door.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“Push me, and I will kick you.”
“I didn’t say anything yet…”
I had only meant to tease her, but she glared at me murderously. So, she was
still holding a grudge then. If I pushed her any further, she would kick me
until I cried. And so I quietly moved away.
“…Good.”
She said as if she had finished preparing for something. Then she slowly
approached the door. And while she looked anxious, I was proud of her for
not retreating. Good for you, Daniela. You should always challenge yourself.
As she inched her way forward, she entered the detection range, and there
was a hiss as the door opened.
“Hh…!”
She held back whatever sound she had been about to make. But then she
looked through the open door and saw that there was nothing to be afraid of.
And she sighed.
“Alright… I am a stronger person now…”

“Yeah…”
From what I had seen, she still had a long way to go. When you were at my
level, you could just walk up to it and enter as if it were the most normal
thing. Well, that was obvious. I was used to automatic doors.
□ □ □ □
Leaving Daniela’s personal growth aside, I too had a look at what was in the
room. It was clear that it was our destination. It was where the lines of light
stopped. There was also a familiar, rectangular console. The Karma.
“So, there were no traps after all.”

“Maybe we were being paranoid.”
It was better than being careless, but we had spent a lot of time covering so
little ground. Besides, perhaps it had all come off as terribly rude to the
Karma.
Daniela stepped in and approached the console. A blinding light then filled
the room. I tried to squint and look through it at first, but ultimately had to
close my eyes completely.
When I opened them again, a beautiful woman was there, floating above the
console.
‘This is facility three, Urbesertrus. Welcome, descendant Daniela Villesilf

and ‘otherworlder’ Asagi Kamiyashiro. I have been waiting for you.’
Oh, so it did know about us after all. We were usually ordered to state our
business. But now we were welcomed.
“We came here in order to acquire the key to reach the Nova. Is it here?”
‘It is. It has been debated through the Karma Network, and we have decided
to give you two the key.’
As the Karma said this, the surface of the console began to glow in the shape
of a square and then shift without a sound. When Daniela and I peered in, we
saw that there was a ‘key’. It was like a drawer.
“This is it?”
“It looks more like a crystal…”
It really did. Both sides were sharp. A doubly terminated crystal. It was light
blue in color.
‘This is the key. The third key, Astra. You need only insert it into the
keyhole.’
“Thank you. We’ll keep it safe.”
Daniela accepted it and put it into the hollow bracelet. The Karma watched
her and nodded slowly.
‘I will now disclose to you some information about the Nova.’

“!”
I had not expected this. We could not miss a thing.

‘It is now possible for me to disclose to you some information regarding the
true reason behind the Nova’s summoning of ‘otherworlders.’’
“Tell me.”
‘Yes. The Nova’s purpose was to connect to the world of the gods.’
Connect? Did that mean it wanted to go to this world of the gods?
‘Partially. Not go there, but for them to come. A connection to their world so
that they can be called.’
“So, gods exist…”
‘Their world is in a dimension that is isolated from our own. And it was these
experiments with creating connections, that resulted in the accidental
summoning of ‘otherworlders.’’
I had heard of one in particular who was called a Hero long ago. It must have
been a very unexpected result for someone hoping to connect to the world of
gods.
‘We called this connection ‘reincarnation.’’

“I see… Well, that is ironic.”
Reincarnation. Did they want the gods to come down so they could be
reincarnated?
And it was due to repeated failures that I, Matsumoto, Manager, and this
Hero of the past was brought here?
“That’s stupid…”
I was lucky to have met Daniela. But that was a different matter. Life wasn’t
that simple.
“We are going to destroy this Nova. Daniela and I.”

“Asagi…”
‘Yes. We hope for the best results.’
Daniela was looking at me with an expression of concern, and so I smiled at

her. She looked relieved. I did not need the Nova in order to protect her. I did
not need the Nova to bring stability and peace to the world.
“Well, we’ll be heading to the second facility next. We’d appreciate it if you
let them know we are coming…”
‘I understand. I will speak to them through the Karma network.’
“Thank you.”
Alright, we were finished here now. It was time to leave. While the Blue
Dragon was a bit of an obstacle, we had managed to overcome it. And so this
journey hadn’t been too hard… It would have been a different story if we
fought it head-on… Well, I felt that I could do an even better job next time.
“We better go now.”

“Thank you for your help.”
‘Yes. Be careful. I pray that you have bright future ahead of you.’
The Karma smiled softly and then vanished into the console.
Silence fell over the room. And it was painful. I started to think about what
we would do next, when Daniela turned to look at me.
“Well, we should return now.”
She looked tired, but smiled anyway. I smiled back. It was like we had just
gotten off work. It was dumb to think about our next job so soon. I was
surprised by how passionate I had suddenly become about this Nova
business.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
First, it was back to Cath Palug. We would tell the chief what happened and
then see how Ash and his family were doing. Then we would leave.
But if there was to be another feast, I hoped that Daniela would play again.
Chapter 343
Cath Palug came into view shortly past midday. I landed with Legs of the
God Wolf on the field where the feast had taken place. It did not take long for
the children to spot us and gather around.
“They sure are energetic.”

“Mister Asagi!”
“Haha… Maybe too much. …Hey, stop. Stop. Ggg!”
One of the overly energetic children didn’t bother to stop and ended up
ramming me in the stomach. Having underestimated the force, I was thrown
into the pile of snow behind me.
“Ahahahaha!”
The children laughed. I listened to their muffled voices while my head was
covered in snow, and I pondered on the immense power of the beastkin. Then
Daniela kicked me in the leg.
“How long are you going to stay in there?”
She sounded annoyed. And I was starting to feel cold, and so I pushed away
the snow and got back to my feet. The children looked at me excitedly.
“Welcome back!”
“Uh, thanks…”
I didn’t know what they were so excited about. But it was nice to see…
Hmmm. And to think they had been taught to fear humans. But they liked me
now. …Maybe?
“Mishka’s mother is all better!”

“They don’t have to live away from us anymore.”
“We can play again!”
They told me the news that had spread throughout the settlement. It was a
most feared disease among the beastkin, and so they had had to live in a
house that was secluded from the others. But that was over now. And in such
a small settlement, it was very good news.
“Ahh, since Miss Namil is all better, you should go and visit them.”
“Yes!”
They shouted, and then ran in the direction of the house. They were energetic
beginning to end… Yes, it was good.
After being welcomed by the children, we started to walk to the chief’s

house. The two young beastkin were there, and they waved at us when we
approached. They were a lot more friendly after the feast. I had even seen
them dancing happily as Daniela played. Or at least, I think I did.
“Hello. Is the chief home?”

“Aye, he’s inside. Please wait one moment.”
And then one of them went inside. Even though it was a small settlement, he
was still the chief. They still had go-betweens, I suppose. He returned within
half a minute and gestured for us to go in. That was fast.
“Thank you.”
“Excuse me.”
We said as we entered. You had to take your shoes off here. Daniela always
found this part awkward.
“Ah, so you returned safely.”

“Yes, as you can see. I’m just great.”
I had slept for half a day due to my recklessness, but I still came out
unharmed.
“So you were able to kill the Blue Dragon?”

“Cut its head right off. Things should be a lot more peaceful in these parts
now.”
Upon hearing this, the chief let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Yes, that will make things easier for us. The lake is much closer than the
river, after all…”
It was true. This settlement was quite far from the river. The children helped
carry the water, so it would be good news for them as well.
“Well, these houses can be relocated. And we even considered moving closer
to the river. Though, it was quite comfortable here, as the ground is flat.”
“I see. So that’s why.”
I guess it was a convenient spot, aside from the need to carry water. And it
would be even easier once the icesnow phase was done.
“By the way… These houses have really interesting structures. The children
showed me around, and told me that they can be taken apart and moved. It’s a
pretty unusual idea.”
“Yes. We used to live in normal houses. And this resulted in a lot of trouble
when the monsters of the forest would attack us. But then someone helped
us.”
I knew it…
“The thing is, I once told someone about how nomadic tribes lived… How
they raised livestock and lived in houses that could be taken apart so they
could travel the lands.”
“The person that we taught this to was a white orc. Chief, could it be the
same person? Was his name Arthur?”
Daniela must have been giving it some thought as well, as she immediately
caught on to what I was saying. As I had not been sure, I hadn’t talked to her
about it.
The chief seemed very surprised by these questions, but then started to
chuckle.
“Hehe…hehehe. So, in a way, we were helped by you.”

“So it is him…”
“Yes. It was Arthur who taught us. He led a group of orcs. They helped us
build this settlement.”
It was just as I had suspected. Ah, Arthur. So he survived and came to this
sea of trees…!
I was so happy that I was shaking. It seemed like I would be able to keep my
promise after all.
“Do you know where he is now? There’s something that I have to give to
him.”
“He said that he was going to the west. After all, there is supposed to be a
mountain where the west ends. A place where no one goes near to… He said
that they would make it their new home.”
“Where the west ends…”
It probably meant the edge of the continent. Our next destination went farther
than that. We would cross the sea where there was some island.
“We’re planning on heading west. Thank you. We might be able to meet him
now.”
“When you do, send him my regards. Tell him that we are doing well.”
Then I explained that we would be leaving tomorrow. And while it was just a
brief acquaintance, he smiled sadly.
And then he excitedly told us that they would feast tonight as well. I was a
little concerned about their food supply, but he told me not to worry. After
all, they had plenty of stock they had gathered from before the start of the
icesnow phase.
Apparently, the sea of trees was a treasure trove for finding food, if you knew
where to look. We had purposely come during this season, but it would be
nice to visit again when it was warmer. Being able to pick ripened fruits and
eat them immediately was a special kind of happiness.
We wanted to help them set everything up this time, but they refused. So we
ended up watching the kids again. The adults simply enjoyed receiving us as
special guests.
And the children just wanted to play. Of course, I wondered why I was the
only one getting tackled repeatedly at full force… But I suppose it was a
child’s job to play. And an adult’s job to humor them.
As they played, I saw Mishka’s face among them.
“Mister Asagi!”
“Ah, Mishka. You look well.”
“I am! Mother is all better, and I can finally play with everyone else now!”
Yes, that was a good thing.
And then she joined the others in tackling me. Maybe it was a popular game
among beastkin children. Though, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could
last. I had little chance when it was just me against a horde.
“Tsk… To think I’d have to use this power…oww!”

“Stupid bastard. You are playing with children.”
I had been about to activate Legs of the God Wolf, when Daniela bashed me
in the head. Yes, it was rather immature. But one did not like to lose. And
there were some battles you couldn’t avoid.
“Maybe some other time.”

“Fine…”
If that’s what she said, then I would show my true power some other day.
Then they would know what Asagi was actually capable of. I might even
change the terrain, so I hope they will be ready.
□ □ □ □
The sun slowly descended. The sea of trees was swallowed up by the sunset,
and long shadows began to fall. It was my favorite time of the day. The sky
and clouds were madder red. The shapes cast by the clouds now that the sun
had set, were varied and beautiful.
I looked at the sky on the opposite side and saw that it was already night. And
as I stared at the vast sky where the dark blues and reds started to meet, I
found the first star of the evening, small, but twinkling brightly.
Bonfires were blazing around us as we walked to the clearing where the feast
was to be held.
“I hope you’ll play a song again.”

“If they want me to. I will play all night.”
Daniela said with a smug expression.
“Ah, here are our guests of honor!”

“Hey, hurry up! I’m hungry!”
“Hurry!”
I smiled as the voices called to us. As I felt we were walking too slow, I
grabbed Daniela’s hand and I began to run.
“What has gotten into you?”

“I don’t know!”
The snow crunched under our feet. Daniela lagged behind a little at first.
Then she muttered to herself and then picked up her pace.
“Did you say something?”

“No, not at all?”
Oh, she definitely did. It was like she was looking indulging at a child.
Well, maybe it was one day where it was okay to be child-like. It’s more fun.
“Asagi!”
“Mister Asagi!”
I could also hear Ash and his family calling.
We were almost there.
And so my feet stomped heavily into the snow as we moved towards this
final farewell feast.
Chapter 344
Farewell, Cath Palug
“Kaa…aahh…”
I yawned loudly. The feast had been very lively last night… Daniela played,
people danced, and there was a lot of drinking.
I had become more drunk than usual and was in very high spirits. And when I
was at my peak, I even took the Blue Dragon head out of the hollow bag in
order to show everyone else. The beastkin were also excited. It would have
lasted all night if the chief hadn’t ordered everyone to go home. And so we
went to bed. I just got up now.
“Daniela. It’s morning.”

Uhhh…”
The morning seemed to come early in this world. If you woke any later than
seven, then people would say that you slept in. But then again, they also
considered it night as soon as the sun went down.
But in spite of these standards, I had woken up at eight. This was bad.
“What time is it…”

“It’s past eight.”
“…Already!”
Yes, it was enough to get even Daniela out of bed. I should probably hurry as
well, but the modern person in me liked to take things slow.
And so I stepped out of the tent and washed my face with a bucket of water,
and then scanned the area. This time, we were camping close to Mishka’s
house. We thought it was better to stay away from the banquet space since
they would be clearing it up in the morning. The chief allowed it, knowing
full well that we would probably not be getting up on time. But at least we
didn’t get in anyone’s way.
“Phew…”
“You’re finally up.”
As I stood up over the bowl of water, I saw Ash looking at me with an

exasperated expression. He had practically been drowning in wine last night,
but he looked completely fine now. Did the beastkin have some sort of
secret?
“Good morning, Ash.”

“Morning, Asagi. Where’s Daniela?”
“Probably getting changed?”
We both glanced towards the tent and saw it shaking. It seemed spacious
when you were lying down, but not so much when you were standing and
trying to get changed.
“Are you leaving as soon as you’re packed up?”

“Yes. We’re planning on heading west.”
“I see… I wish you could stay longer.”
“Me too.”
But that was always the case. Encounters led to farewells, which may one day
lead to reunions. It was a view of the world I had gained since coming here.
We started to take down the tent once Daniela came out. I took out the pole
and folded it up neatly before putting it in the hollow bag. It was simple.
However, I kind of wished it had taken longer.
“Won’t you go and say goodbye to Mishka?”

“Yes, of course. Let’s go, Daniela.”
“Very well.”
As we followed after him, I looked at the settlement that had been so kind to
us. Everyone was walking around outside today as well. The children laughed
and played while the adults shoveled the snow and chopped firewood.
The houses around us had been designed by Arthur. So, was he now living in
the west in similar houses? I hoped he was doing well. It really was a good
thing that we helped him back then.
“Mishka! Asagi is here!”
Ash shouted, and then Mishka came out of the house. Miss Namil was right
behind her. When our eyes met, she bowed politely.
She really was better… She had looked so frail when I first saw her. But then
she drank the tea made from the Ijilis flower. As Ash said, it must be a
legendary flower.
“Hello, Mishka. Miss Namil.”

“Hello, Mister Asagi!”
“Hello. I hope you enjoyed yourself last night.”
“Ahaha…maybe a little too much.”
…And now my head hurt.
“So, are you leaving today?”

“Yes. And seeing that you’re all better now has given us much peace of
mind.”
“Thank you so much for your help. Had you not been here, I…”
“Now, now, let’s not get too sentimental. We should see them off with a
smile!”
Ash said jovially to lighten the mood. We all chuckled.
“Well, I hope you stay in good health.”

“Thank you. I hope the same for you, Miss Daniela.”
“Aye. And if I am not so lucky, Asagi will help me.”
“Hehehe. I see you two are very close.”
Okay, now this was getting embarrassing. They didn’t need to all stare at me
at once.
“We-well, take care, Mishka.”
Wanting to escape from the others, I squatted down and patted her on the
head. She smiled happily and very much like a cat.
“You too, Mister Asagi!”
“Thank you. And don’t do anything reckless again, alright?”
“Okay.”
Good. Now we just needed to see the chief, and then we could leave.
“Asagi.”
“Yes.”
Ash called me just as we were about to leave. I looked at him questioningly,

and then he handed me something.
“What is this?”
“I wanted to give this to you. Uh, think of it as a good luck charm.”
It was a small, metal accessory that was in the shape of a feather. There was a
string attached to it, so I would be able to tie it onto my bag.
“Perhaps it will seem strange for you to think that a beastkin would think of a
feather as a lucky charm. But it’s an old tradition. There is a story about a cat
who befriended a bird that attacked it. And they lived happily ever after.”
“Uh… Right. Interesting story.”
I raised it to my eyes and stared at it. It glimmered brightly as it reflected the

sunlight.
“It bears the hope of peace between the different races. I suppose my hope is
that our bond will also last forever… Ah, this isn’t really like me.”
“Don’t say that just because you’re embarrassed.’
“So-sorry…”
“Oh, father!”
Ash was scolded by his wife and daughter. I couldn’t help but laugh, and
Daniela followed. Then we were all laughing.
They really were nice people. This was always the hardest part.
“Well, we better go and talk to the chief. And then we’ll be leaving.”
“I see… I feel bad for delaying you. Good luck.”
“Goodbye! I won’t forget what you did for us!”
“Farewell!”
Daniela sensed what I was feeling, and she pulled my hand as we walked
away. While my feet weren’t completely steady, I turned around and waved.
“Goodbye! See you again!”
I shouted as I waved. In answer, the three of them waved back. And so I

watched them until they were out of sight, because Daniela was dragging me
away.
□ □ □ □
When we reached the chief’s house, he was already standing in front of the
house with the two guards.
“Ah, good morning Asagi. How do you feel?”

“Good morning. I feel fine, thank you.”
“That’s good to hear. And you look well too, Miss Daniela.”
“It is a good day for travel. I feel great and the weather is quite fine.”
The sun was out, and it felt quite warm. Warm enough that you would start
sweating if you exercised a little.
“Well, I won’t keep you too long then. Just know that we are incredibly
grateful that you killed the Blue Dragon and saved one of our own from a
terrible disease. We will always be friends to you, Asagi and Daniela. And I
swear to offer you any assistance, should you need it.”
That sounded pretty extreme… But I decided to accept the sentiment anyway.
And it was comforting to know that we had friends here if we needed help.
“Thank you. We will definitely come to you if we need anything.”

“Yes, we must all help each other in order to survive.”
Then we shook hands. If they ever needed help, we would come. We were
allies now. Even if we were different races or lived in different lands.
I felt like I really understood what it meant to overcome barriers between
races now. If more humans and beastkin could work together, the world
would be a richer place.
“Well, take care. I’m sure we’ll meet again!”

“I will pray that you have a safe journey. Farewell, Asagi, and Daniela!”
We turned away from the chief and started to walk away from Cath Palug. As
we moved out of the settlement and towards the western side of the forest, we
could hear voices shouting behind us. When I turned to look, the beastkin
were waving at us.
“It looks like they all came to see us off.”

“Yes. How nice of them… Goodbye!”
I shouted back as I waved. Daniela raised her hand at them and then turned
on her heels and started walking.
I knew she wasn’t being cold. She smiled and headed for the trees. Daniela
wasn’t one to look back.
Still, I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder with a regretful expression
and wave until we entered the forest.
So, our next destination was an island to the west. … But first, there was a
mountain range we had to cross. If Arthur was there, I would be able to return
his white sword. The Excalibur.
…Was it really a legendary sword?

Chapter 345
To the Sacred Mountain
We departed from Cath Palug and headed west. The weather was great and I
started to feel trickles of sweat pour down my face as we trampled over the
snow.
Even the snow in the trees was starting to melt, and they dripped down with
loud thuds. It had been a while since there was a blizzard. The most we got
was very light snow during the middle of the night and early morning.
“It seems like the icesnow phase is ending soon.”
I muttered to Daniela as I took off my cape. It was too warm for it now.
“We might start seeing monsters that are leaving their nests early.”
“We’ll have to be careful then…”
That being said, the world was still covered in silver. You couldn’t tell where
the nests were by looking. The only thing I could trust was Presence
Detection.
And so I tried widening the detection range, but there was nothing. Hmm…
While the sea of trees was known for being the home of many monsters, it
appeared that the nests weren’t just located anywhere.
“Was it called ‘Paralyze Viper?’ That monster that came from this forest.”
“You mean the one that is lurking around Yukka?”
“Yeah, that one. So there are monsters that are active even when it’s cold.
We’ll have to keep our guard up.”
“Hmm… Well, that is a very rare case.”
“Really?”
According to Daniela, these reptilian monsters almost always hibernate

during the icesnow phase. So, why was this monster active in Yukka?
“My guess would be that it moved before the start of the phase. Perhaps it
had attempted to hibernate in that unfamiliar territory, and then was
awakened by Adventurers.”
“Huh… That makes sense… Still, why did it leave the sea of trees in the first
place? Isn’t there plenty of food here?”
“I do not know.”
Well, that was no surprise. Daniela wasn’t some monster professor. Still, we
would have to keep this Paralyze Viper in mind. Perhaps we should have just
hunted it when we had the chance… No, that would have negatively affected
later developments.
□ □ □ □
We walked through the trees for several more hours. We had taken a few
breaks in between, but I was still tired from walking. And yet, the forest
showed no signs of ending.
“Let’s just rest for the day…”

“Yes. We should prepare.”
Awesome. I was about to revolt had she insisted that we continue. I

immediately sat down and started to stretch my legs and massage my feet.
“Are you that tired?”

“Walking in the snow is a lot more exhausting than I expected.”
“I suppose you are still not used to it then.”
And to think I used to live in a place with a lot of snow. Well, it didn’t last
long, though. But before I moved, I spent several winters there. And there
was not a day that I didn’t slip on the road.
However, I now had a good grasp on how to walk. Though, it was still pretty
stressful.
The sun had started to set by the time we finished pitching the tent and got
the bonfire blazing. The trees around us had a warm, red glow, giving the
silver forest a feeling of warmth.
As the firewood crackled loudly in the flames, I set up a tripod over it and
hooked on a pot in order to heat up some soup. It was chicken soup I had
bought at a stall. But I customized it with some spices I purchased in Usk. It
would be quite spicy, which was perfect for a cold night.
I stirred the pot with a spoon and tasted it. Hmm. Not quite as spicy as I
would like. Well, maybe I had tasted it too many times and my taste buds
were going numb. Hmm. Maybe a few more sips will…
“Asagi. Are you tasting it or having a full meal?”

“Tasting, of course. I am trying very hard here to make the most delicious
soup possible.”
“Lets just hope that the pot is not empty when you are finished.”
Worrywart. As if I would do something like that. That being said, it would

definitely be defeating the purpose if I was full by the time dinner was ready.
Being particular wasn’t bad, but speed was also important. A good restaurant
should be able to serve their food quickly. Speed was the most important
thing in life.
“Alright, it’s finished. Let’s eat.”

“You took long enough. I would have probably left if this was your
restaurant.”
I didn’t think it was that long, but gluttons cared more about speed and
quantity more than anything else. I would have to be careful.
I filled the deep bowls with soup and added some bread I had been baking on
the side. Daniela immediately tore into the bread.
“Mmm… This is delicious.”

“Freshly baked bread is the best.”
“Indeed. Food must be eaten while it is still hot. To do anything else would
be a great insult.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
I enjoyed the fragrance and the texture of the crispy bread while slurping the
soup like a dog. My mouth felt tingly. It really was quite spicy. But the
chicken was sweet and rich. And the melted vegetables helped to even
everything out.
“Well, you clearly succeeded.”

“Perfect for a cold night, eh?”
I was glad that she liked it. It was worth the effort.
Our hands didn’t stop moving until we had eaten everything. A pale cloud of
smoke floated in the air as I sighed. I was stuffed. I turned to Daniela and saw
that she was lying on the ground.
“You look like a cow.”

“That is fine with me…”
She looked tired too. Her eyes were hazy. She would probably fall asleep if I
left her there…
“You should go to the tent if you want to sleep.”

“Mmm…”
She rubbed at her eyes as she got up and trudged towards the tent. In spite of
it all, she was quite tired as well. I decided to let her get a good night’s rest.
So, I would stay up all night alone… It had been a while since my last night
shift.
□ □ □ □
It wasn’t so much midnight, as early morning. But the sky was still dark and
countless stars and a large moon shone down over me.
Daniela had been sleeping for a while now, but I had yet to sense anything
nearby. Zero. All I could hear was the sounds of the crackling firewood.
“Oomph…”
I let down the thin tree I had been dragging. It was about as wide as my arm.
Then I used the Schwartz Tempest to split it in equal parts. After that, I just
needed to use the Glampanzer to cut off the branches, and I had firewood.
I liked to make firewood during nights where I had nothing to do. Of course,
I still had my guard up while I was working. Presence Detection was
activated the whole time, and I occasionally used Eyes of the God Wolf to
look farther out. However, I kept that to a minimum, due to that incident with
Ash.
“Phew…”
I sat down near the fire now that I was finished. It was a nice, comfortable
kind of fatigue. Like I could fall asleep immediately if I lay down.
“Still…”
Even though I didn’t sense anything nearby, it would be foolish to fall asleep
here. Maybe if it was in a tree…
“…Ah, that’s right.”
Speaking of trees, I decided to climb one of them and get a look at the land. It
was good to see things with your real eyes once in a while.
And so I checked the area with Presence Detection again to make sure
nothing had changed, and then I started to climb.
“Hmm. That one is taller…”
Hadn’t I done something similar in the town of Alessa before… It was with
such thoughts that I climbed up the tallest tree.
While it was still dark around me, the horizon to the east was slightly paler.
The sun would rise in just a few hours.
And then I looked to the opposite side, which was where we were headed…
the west. The forest still continued, but I could see huge mountains as well. I
had never seen mountains that were so big before.
They were covered in the snow, from their peaks to the bottom. Like white
clouds floating in the darkness.
It was mystical and beautiful.
“It’s like…a sacred mountain…”
And that is where Arthur was. A white mountain for a white orc… A strange
coincidence.
Well, I should get down now. It would be morning soon, and I would have to
prepare for breakfast. And then I can rest a little. Staying up all night was
tough.
Chapter 346
I finished preparing the food and then went to wake up Daniela. After a short
nap while she ate, we discussed how we should continue.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
“I have a suggestion… Let’s not walk all day like yesterday. Let’s go
slowly.”
“What a sloth you are… Is what I would usually say, but it is true that we
were rushing things yesterday. There really was no need. And since the
weather is fine, we might as well take it easy.”
She must have been tired too, because she readily agreed.
Thanks to that, I didn’t get so tired that day. It wasn’t the most stimulating,
since the scenery stayed the same the whole time, but I suppose that was part
of the charm of traveling.
The next day, we stood under a cloudy sky and looked up at the mountain. I
could see the route through it. The bare rocks, trees and snow.
We had arrived at the foot of it, our destination.
“We have to climb this…”

“It will take years if we go too leisurely…”
Daniela would have usually said, ‘hurry up,’ and started climbing before I
could finish my sentence. But this time, she stood with me and looked at it in
awe.
“I suppose ‘Legs of the God Wolf’ is the only option.”

“I guess…”
Use Eyes of the God Wolf to scan the mountain while keeping Presence
Detection activated and climbing with Legs of the God Wolf. So I would be
doing all of the work…
“I will set up our camp here and secure the area.”

“Alright… Well, our search for Arthur begins then.”
First, I took out my cape from the hollow bag. I hadn’t been wearing it
recently, but the mountains were covered in snow and the temperature would
drop the higher the altitude. And so it seemed smart to put it back on now.
Next, I prepared my weapons. The mountains were likely cold all year long.
And so it would not be surprising if there were monsters that lived on it that
had adapted to the climate. So I couldn’t let my guard down, even if it was
nearing the end of the icesnow phase.
“Hmm…”
I took all of them out and lined them up on the ground. And after thinking
about it for a while, I grabbed the Glampanzer as a sub weapon and took the
Cocytus Lance as my main weapon.
The reason for this, was that as I would spend most of my time up there using
Legs of the God Wolf, I would probably not get that close to any monsters
that lurked on the mountain’s surface. And so it would be easier to deal with
them at a certain distance with the lance. Besides, I needed to raise its skill
level soon.
My skill levels for the one-handed sword, great sword and short sword had
gone up quite a bit. And I was quite confident in my ability to use them. So it
was the spear’s turn now. And once I was satisfied with that, it would be the
bow next. It would take time, but I was making progress. It would do me no
good if I kept running from one weapon to the next without spending enough
time with each first.
So, my skills with the spear were not great. I would play images of different
moves in my head through ‘Jack of all trades, master of none.’ Moves that I
saw in kung-fu films. But even when I tried to put them into action, it felt like
I was being moved. And that didn’t feel right. I wanted to be able to move
naturally without relying on Jack of all trades.
Which meant that if I happened to lose the spear while fighting… Well, I
would be in trouble. So that was why I brought a familiar sub-weapon with
me. The demon armor sword was the heaviest of my single-handed swords. I
felt that it would be easier to transition from one heavy weapon to another,
instead of a really light blade.
Of course, Jack of all trades would make adjustments for me, but I just liked
to play it safe.
“…I guess that’s it.”
It had taken me a while, but now I was prepared for the possibility of sudden
battle. Now I just needed to go to our camp and eat whatever Daniela had
cooked. Then I could set out.
I put the stuff I wouldn’t use back into the hollow back and turned in the
direction that Daniela was. She had pitched the tent and set up fire. That was
quick. She had a lot of experience traveling solo before she met me. And she
was still in her prime.
As I walked up to her, I saw that she was stirring a pot that was set over the
fire. There was a swirl of bubbling soup inside and large chunks of meat and
vegetables would occasionally rise to the surface.
“Yes. I love stew.”

“It should be hot now. We should eat.”
“This is the perfect meal to have before mountain climbing!”
In spite of what some people think, I really liked stew. Especially with rice,
which was a controversial way of eating it. But well…we only had bread
now. Bread went well with stew as well. In fact, it was delicious. I guess stew
just went well with anything.
“Here. Be careful, as it is very hot.”

“Thank you! Aghghh…that’s hot.”
“I just told you… Are you a five-year-old?”
I was so happy that I lightly burned my lip. Daniela looked exasperated as I

blew on the spoon and let it cool this time before trying again. Mmm… The
milk and the sweetness of the vegetables and the meat…it was amazing.
“It’s great, Daniela.”

“That is good. …Hmm. Yes, it is.”
Even she agreed after tasting it.
“It is a good thing I bought it in the capital.”

“So you didn’t make it after all!”
She just heated it up. It was still good, but I felt a little cheated.
□ □ □ □
I ended up having two servings before lifting my heavy body off of my seat.
“Now… I better get going.”

“Aye, be careful. I think I will also go and explore the area.”
“Alright. But don’t do anything dangerous.”
“I know.”
I said goodbye to Daniela, who was clutching her bow, and then I started to
run with Legs of the God Wolf.
The mountain wasn’t far from where we were. After running for a short
while, the rocks became larger and there was a gentle slope upwards. If you
knew what route to take, you could just walk the whole way. But I didn’t
know much about mountains.
When the slope became steeper, the number of trees declined. There were
bushes, but they started to be buried in deep layers of snow.
Still, the seasons change. The temperature was rising even if the snow
remained. I’d have to be careful of snow slides.
“I’d be walking up this mountain if I didn’t have Legs of the God Wolf…
And that’s something I wouldn’t want to do even if I had modern mountain
climbing equipment…”
I sighed as I looked down at the snowy mountain below me. I somehow
doubted there were people who climbed mountains as a hobby in this world.
But I still wondered what kind of equipment climbers used. Had the orcs
climbed up here? I couldn’t see any traces.
The higher I rose, the stronger the wind became. And maybe it was just me,
but it also felt like breathing had become a little difficult. It hadn’t occurred
to me until now, but I had to be wary of altitude sickness.
Hypoxia was dangerous… And so I decided that would go back down the
moment I started to feel like vomiting. Then I could learn more through Jack
of all Trades and try again.
“However… This mountain has a really odd shape…”
My breath looked white as I muttered.
All the mountains I had seen up until now were like the walls of the Alexia
mountain ranges or the rough rocky mountains outside of Replant.
And while this was still a mountain in appearance, the overall shape was odd.
There was something precise and symmetrical about it that reminded me of
the walls around Spiris. It spread out on and on to my left and right. Of
course, there were dents and bumps along the surface, but it was very obvious
from my position.
“I guess you can only see it if you’re in the air like this…”
You definitely wouldn’t be able to tell while you were climbing it. But it
wouldn’t make much difference if you were far away either. You would
probably start to realize that something was strange the more you climbed,
but it really did look like an ordinary mountain from the base.
So, something that could only be observed from a perspective that would
usually be impossible. What did that mean?
“Well, I guess I’ll have to find out…”
Climbing it will give me the answer. There will be a view that I can only see
at the peak. That’s why people climbed.
“Ugh…I’m starting to feel sick…”
Well, it didn’t have to be today.
As I was feeling a light dizziness and the urge to vomit, I decided to return to
the bottom. But before I did, I looked back one time at the mountain. I would
conquer it soon. I had the power. I could do it.
Chapter 347
Daniela’s View
People got altitude sickness even if they were just leisurely climbing up a
mountain. The battle against thin oxygen was brutal.
However, this was a world of magic. Perhaps by relying on the power of

wind magic, it would be possible to deal with that problem.
It was with such thoughts that I made my way down again. And while I had
assumed Daniela would be busy working, she was for some reason busy
making a snowman. Snowmen. There were five of them in various sizes.
“Daniela?”
“Ahhh… These are…decoys. There is strength in numbers.”
“These are snowmen. And they’re not very intimidating.”
She was playing. When I was suffering from a headache and nausea… When
I asked her about it, she said that she was clearing the area of snow and just
happened to create a large ball, and then one thing led to another.
“Besides I had already finished exploring the area and was bored…”
“Ah…”
Daniela pouted a little sulkily as I sighed.

…But I understood how she felt. It seemed like there weren’t any monsters
nearby, and it was too late to go out too far. The western sky would be
turning red soon. And so the spare time had lit a fire in her playful heart. I
couldn’t complain. Well, maybe I could.
“So? Since you are clearly so annoyed with me, I suppose you have made
much better use of your time?”
“On your high horse already? …Well, something odd happened.”
I sighed again and told her what I had seen. The mountain that looked a lot
like a wall… What did it mean?
“Hmm… Perhaps this mountain is not really a mountain.”

“Huh?”
It was clearly a mountain… I thought as I looked back at it. Yes, it was a

mountain.
“You do not know about them, Asagi? About the rocks known as meteorites
that fall from the sky.”
“I know about them… But, wait… Are you saying that it’s a crater?”
Daniela nodded. But I wasn’t convinced. Of course, I had never seen a crater
in person, which meant I had little right to argue. But it just seemed a little far
fetched.
The mountain was ridiculously tall. And wherever you looked there was rock.
A meteorite that was massive enough to make this would have made a hole in
the planet.
“Or it was made with magic… Or a volcano.”

“Those seem more likely…”
Caldera made more sense. And I suppose magic could also explain it.
Still, a crater, huh… Could there really be a meteorite in the center? If it was
a caldera, then we would have to be careful, as it could be active or dormant.
An extinct volcano would be amazing. Now, if it was magic… Well, the
easiest explanation would be the ancient elves.
“I’ll take another look tomorrow. Ah, that’s right. I’m going to need your
help, Daniela.”
“But I am quite busy, Asagi?”
“Then stop making snowmen. The thing is…”
After that, it was decided that Daniela would accompany me as an anti-

altitude sickness measure. She would make a shield of wind magic that would
protect us. That meant our campsite would be empty, but there wasn’t anyone
or anything to protect, so we figured that not much damage could be done.
“Alright, we’ll set out in the morning then. I’m counting on you, partner.”
“Understood. Leave it to me.”
In spite of everything, she was probably bored, and seemed enthusiastic to

go. Yes, I was looking forward to tomorrow as well. What was on the other
side of the mountain…? How had Arthur and the others made it through…? It
was difficult to sleep when I thought of such things.
“Hey, why don’t we just go now?”

“No.”
“…”
□ □ □ □
The next morning, I quickly prepared and then waited for Daniela.
“Hurry. Hurry.”
“Mmm…shut up…ahhhh…haa…”
Daniela yawned and rubbed her eyes as I tried to get her to move faster. But
Daniela was a staunch believer in moving at your own pace.
“Come on!”
“You are particularly annoying this morning…”
Daniela muttered. But my pestering resulted in her finishing everything in

just thirty minutes, which was a great surprise. It was most likely a new
record for her.
“Alright, let’s go. Let’s go now. Hurry up!”

“Do not rush me any further. Or else I will thin the air around you this
instant.”
“Sorry.”
I suppose I pushed her a little too far. In fact, I could see that she still had bed
hair. I felt so bad for her then, that I tried to flatten it with my hand.
“Wh-what are you doing!”
“Huh? Your hair…”
“Ah, my hair… You surprised me. Patting my like that out of nowhere…”
Daniela looked quite red and angry. I would have thought she was a bit old to
be reacting like that… Well, as long as she wasn’t in a bad mood anymore.
As we were finally finished preparing, it looked like we would be able to go
now.
And so I picked her up and surrounded my legs in platinum and jade wind.
The wind lightly carried us up and invited us to the sky. Once Daniela saw
that we were rising, she gathered energy into her hand. It was green. The
power of the wind.
“‘Wind Shield.’”
She chanted, and a green shield that was in the shape of a plate appeared.
Before I knew it, they had multiplied all around us, creating a protective
sphere.
“While it is still called ‘Wind Shield,’ I have made many adjustments to it. I
use the power of the wind spirits to bring in air from outside and dispose of
the old air. So we will be able to breath in fresh air all of the time.”
“It’s so brilliant that I’m speechless…”
How did she… I was quite jealous that she had spirit friends. Where were the
ice and water spirits that were fond of me?
We slowly started to ascend. First, we went straight up. And once we had
risen to a certain altitude, the ground started to blur and become paler. The
trees started to blend in with everything else and I realized that we were up in
the sky.
“Hmm… You seem to be fine for now.”

“Thanks to you, Daniela.”
Very quickly, I reached the same height I had been at yesterday. The gentle
slope of the mountain was far away. It was the scene I had seen before. The
steep slope that looked like walls. Seeing it again after Daniela suggested it
could be from a crater gave the whole thing a heavier impact.
“A crater… Surely not.”

“Very well then. What if there were already mountains here, and then a
meteorite hit the center?”
“Hmm…”
I listened to this new theory and tried to simulate it in my mind. Of course,

with what knowledge I had, and not with Jack of all Trades.
There was a huge, huge mountain. And then a meteorite fell in the center… It
blew away and gouged out so much of the surface and… Hmm… It was too
ridiculous. But what if it had a sharp point? Or it exploded upon impact?
Perhaps it would be possible then.
“If that were the case, it would not be so symmetrical. How could it turn into
such smooth walls?”
“True…”
It was odd. It looked like it had been pushed back by something. And then
perhaps it had become a little uneven with the passage of time.
“Well, it could just be a great coincidence.”

“That would be…kind of disappointing.”
“Hahaha. The truth is often not very exciting.”
Perhaps… Still, it was interesting and exciting to think about. That was what
adventuring was all about.
“Alright then…”
“Over the mountain.”
“Right!”
I wanted to see what lay beyond all of this. Of course, there was Arthur too,
but I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with curiosity. And before I knew it,
I was moving as fast as I could.
Up and up we went. We were suddenly inside of a snow storm. But thanks to
Daniela’s magic, it didn’t bother us, but our vision was covered in white.
“Maybe we should move closer to the mountain’s surface…”

“Alright. I’ll slow down from here.”
As we had been moving away from it, I slowly started to go forward. But it
was scary when you couldn’t see anything… If it was just mist, you would be
able to at least see a few feet ahead of you, but this was a snowy mountain
and there were no obstacles. And so it was hard to measure the distance. And
so I slowed down considerably.
“Asagi. You can hold your spear up ahead. Then you will not crash into
anything.”
“But I won’t be able to hold you properly…”
“It is fine. I will hold onto you.”
Without waiting for a response, she wrapped her arms around my neck and
held me tightly.
“Gahh!”
“What kind of sound…”
I was squished by her warm and soft body. And my clothes did little to block
off the sensation.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea…”

“I told you. It will not be a problem.”
“Yeah…maybe for you…”
I was a healthy young man. And I had nothing but problems.
“Now, stick out your spear.”

“Hey, hey. We’re outside, you know?”
“Not your short spear. I am talking about the long one.”
“…”
My spear snapped in half and I sighed while I produced the Cocytus Lance
and held it in front of us. Well, at least we’d be a little safer now. I sighed and
then raised my speed.
Chapter 348
Snake Encounter
After we had advanced for a while, the point of my spear bumped into a
boulder. It was a jagged piece of rock that stuck out of the mountain like a
thorn.
As I had been nervous about what we’d end up hitting, I sighed in relief. Now
we just needed to follow the slope and go up.
And so I put the spear away and started to climb. Daniela continued to hold
onto me tightly.
“Can’t you walk now?”

“What? Did you hate carrying me so much?”
“No. But it’s distracting.”
It was hard to stay on your guard too.
“Hehe.”
“Daniela. You…”
A pale woman on a blizzard mountain… Was she some kind of snow fairy?
“We need to take this seriously. Are you even using Presence Detection
now?”
“Damn it, Asagi. You cannot even take a joke. Do not worry. I have been
using it this whole time.”
I never should have doubted her. Even in a situation like this, she had her
guard up.
“There is a monster about two kilometers above us.”

“What!?”
“Oh!?”
I was so surprised that I nearly dropped her. That was enough to scare even
Daniela, and her knuckles turned white as she clutched onto me.
“Y-you… Even if I can probably manage to protect myself with magic… It

does not mean you can drop me…”
“S-sorry. I panicked…”
“I am the one who panicked… Asagi! It has noticed us!”
Daniela said as she looked up. So, the monster that was two kilometers above
knew that we were here. I moved to take out the spear again, but Daniela
stopped me.
“No. This is not the place. We should run.”

“But I can’t even see anything…!”
“Do you not have Eyes of the God Wolf!”
Then it hit me. That’s right, I could barely see anything through this blizzard,
but if I knew what was on the other side, I could still move forward. It would
be hard, and I would have to partially rely on my honed instincts, but it
wasn’t impossible.
I spread Presence Detection out above me, and saw that the monster was
rushing down towards us at a tremendous speed. It was either flying, sliding
or falling. And it was huge.
“Let’s move away from here for now. It won’t be able to attack us if we’re
far away from the mountain’s surface.”
“Be careful.”
“I know!”
And with that, we flew away from the mountain. It didn’t feel great to move
away after we had only just arrived. And now our vision was covered in
white once again.
“…Alright. I think… No, we’re not! What’s happening!?”
The monster was still headed right towards us. I kept flying back and away
from the mountain, and yet it was only getting closer.
“Asagi, get away. Fall back!”
“I-I know…!”
I frantically raised my speed even more, but the monster was now very close
to us.
“D-damn…!”
“Tsk…!”
It was so unexpected that I couldn’t react immediately. I didn’t know if

Daniela was clicking her tongue at the monster or me. Regardless, she created
a Wind Arrow and prepared to attack.
And, a gaping jaw shot out from the cloud of snow and stopped right in front
of our eyes.
“What…the…?”
“This…saved by a hair’s breadth…?”
The inside of the mouth was familiar to me. It was indeed a snake. A huge,
vertical tear and the wide lower jaw. The two fangs protruding from the top
and the rows of sharp little teeth inside.
As I watched, too stunned to move, its mouth slowly closed as it hissed. What
then appeared before us, was a beautiful, white snake. However, it was no
ordinary snake. It was a monster with eyes that were transparent like ice.
“I suppose this is as far as it can reach… It should not be able to get any
closer to us.”
“And there is no need to antagonize it. We should just go.”
My voice shook from its overwhelming presence, but I also couldn’t take my
eyes off of it.
At the same time, the snake stared back at me with its glassy eyes. And then
it slowly disappeared back into the storm of snow.
“…Ah… I thought we were going to die…”

“Yes. We were like frogs being stared at by a snake.”
“And who could blame us? Anyone would turn into a frog after being chased
by that thing…”
Now that it was done, Daniela sounded light-hearted again. Still, I was
curious as to how the snake was able to come out so far. And so I used Eyes
of the God Wolf to check the spot that we had been in.
“Woah, no way…”
“What?”
“No… Well, I once heard that snakes were all muscle. And I realized that it
was true.”
The thorn-like boulder that was sticking out of the mountain. The snake’s tail
was wrapped around it. But that meant that the rest of its body was straight,
as it stretched out towards us. What kind of muscles would it take to support
its entire body like that…
“Hah… We should go.”

“I want to get out of this snow.”
“It seems like the wind is not blowing as much a short distance from here.
We should get away from the mountain first.”
“Got it.”
I didn’t want to get attacked by that snake again…
Once I was sure that Daniela was holding on tightly, I slowly started to move
away from the mountain while circling it.
It took us about an hour to get out of the blizzard.
□ □ □ □
We didn’t see the snake anywhere once we were out. I scanned the area for a
while, but could not see or sense it anywhere. Perhaps it was no longer within
range.
“Snakes can see temperature, so you have to be careful.”

“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Apparently.”
I wasn’t a snake professor, so I didn’t know the details, but snakes could find
their targets through seeing their body temperature. And this one could do it
while two kilometers away. Perhaps it could still see us now… It would be
best if we kept moving.
“Let’s keep going.”

“But what about the mountain peak? Perhaps there are more monsters up
there.”
“Hmm… Huh? What the…”
Suddenly, I noticed that there was something below us that hadn’t been there
before. It was hard to see, but it looked like a cave.
A hole in the side of the mountain.
“A cave… It is most likely a monster nest.”

“However, we can’t just stay here. And to be honest, I’m getting really tired.”
I had traveled all the way up and then frantically ran away while carrying
Daniela.
“Fine. We can take a look. I will block the entrance once we are inside.”
“Thanks.”
It was a good thing that Daniela could use earth magic. It would mean we
couldn’t escape, but that sounded better than letting the snake come inside.
I used Presence Detection one more time and made sure that it wasn’t nearby.
And then we slid down into the cave.
Chapter 349
Escape from the Snake
Daniela blocked the entrance of the cave as I took out a magic lamp and
turned on the light. After that, we rested for a while. It was only just an hour,
but it did wonders for my exhaustion.
In the meantime, Daniela continued to use Presence Detection. But the snake
showed no signs of following us inside, and there were no other monsters in
the cave. Apparently, this place wasn’t a nest after all.
It was as we made a small hole in the wall for ventilation, that we noticed
something. A draft was blowing from the far back. In other words, there was
another hole to the outside.
“I do not know where it leads to, but it is comforting to know that we can get
out if we follow it.”
“There must be something behind this wall here.”
Well, my instincts were telling me that there was, anyway. It probably led to
the center of the mountain. And that must be where Arthur is.
“Then we have no choice but to go. Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I’ve rested enough. Let’s go.”
It was a very narrow cavern. I couldn’t swing a spear around here. When
would I be able to get any use out of it? Now that I thought of it, I rarely used
spears in any of the games that I played as well… Even if there were
situations when I could have used it, I always relied on my sword. I suppose
that I would just have to put more effort into using it when possible. That
would be the first step to growth.
“A spear? In a place like this?”

“It’s because we’re in a place like this. The enemy will only be able to go
forward or back. I just have to thrust.”
Up until now I had avoided using them in favor of weapons that handled
better in tight spaces. But when you really thought about it, what could be
more powerful than a thrust? Well, if you had good aim, anyway.
As we were now prepared, we slowly started to make our way forward. Every
time the lamp swayed on my belt, our shadows would change size as they
were cast on the stone walls. There was something unsettling and demonic
about them.
Our footsteps echoed. Ahh, this reminded me of that abandoned mine.
“There really are no monsters here.”

“That being said, we should still be careful… Maybe they are using Presence
Block.”
Perhaps they are camouflaged into the rocks. They could jump out of hidden
holes and attack us. Such worries plagued me. That’s why I hated tight
spaces…
We had walked for some time now, but there was still no light shining from
up ahead. And so we decided to rest for the day. Having magic barrier tools
that used thunder ore was great for your sense of security. It wasn’t visible to
the eye, but I could sense the electricity in the air. Anything that tried to force
their way in would be subject to a brutal shock. And so I put two on each side
of us to create a shield. Yes, this was good.
“I finished setting up the barrier.”

“Thank you. And I finished preparing dinner.”
There was soup that had been heated with a magic stove and some bread.
How I wish we could barbecue some meat…
“A fire would be too dangerous… You will have to wait until we are back
outside.”
“How sad. I hate caves. Oh, well, meat skewers it is.”
I wasn’t half as obsessed as Daniela, but it was still hard to live without meat.
And so I took some of them out of the hollow bag and tore into them. They
were really good, but were no replacement. It was as if there was a little
Daniela inside of me that screamed for the real thing.
Still, we ate until we were full. And then I sprawled on the ground over a
blanket.
“I will take the first watch. You did a lot for me the last time.”
“Thanks…ahh… I’m pretty sure an earthquake wouldn’t wake me up if I fell
asleep now… Hehe…”
“Just shut up and go to sleep.”
Well, if you insist. Fine. It’s not like an earthquake was even remotely likely.
□ □ □ □
“Asagi! Get up!”

“Whaat!?”
My body suddenly rolled over and my face slammed into the dirt. I
frantically got to my feet and saw that Daniela was holding the blanket that I
had been sleeping on. Apparently, she had pulled it out from under me. I
might have complained about the violence of it all, but I suppose it was that
much of an emergency.
“What happened!?”
“What happened? You would not wake up no matter how much the ground
was shaking!”
“Huh!?”
“What?”
She looked shaken and I was confused.
“An earthquake…”
“Aye, the ground moved… Something terrible must be happening now.”
“How much did it shake?”
“Uh…maybe this much?”
Daniela grabbed my shoulders and shook me. While my head swayed from
side to side, it didn’t seem all that bad. I was used to earthquakes. Magnitude
three perhaps?
“…Ah, now that I think about it… I remember reading that people who live
on large continents are sensitive to earthquakes…”
“Continents? What are you talking about!”
“Uh, nothing… Well, I think we’re fine.”
Even when considering the fact that we were in a cave, it seemed like there
hadn’t been much effect. Nothing had crumbled. Still, I wanted to know what
the cause was. Though, all that talk about tectonic plates was outside of my
expertise…
“It probably broke through that wall.”

“By the entrance… So it’s the snake!”
“I believe so. We should leave at once. We have no chance of winning here.”
Indeed, the cave would have likely shaken if it forced its way through. And
we really couldn’t fight it here. We would have to try and get out.
Daniela quickly put away our belongings as I warily watched the tunnel
behind us.
“Alright, we are ready. What about the light?”

“There’s no point in turning it off. Let’s go!”
It didn’t matter when our enemy had infrared vision. Just being in its vicinity
was enough. It would sense our body temperature.
Hmm… Body temperature?
“Wait a minute.”
“Did you think of something?”
“Yeah, maybe we can escape like this…!”
I gathered azure energy into both of my hands and sent it into the ground.
And then I created a thick wall of ice to block the tunnel behind us. Now the
temperature would fall and it would be harder for it to detect us…maybe.
“Do you really think that will work?”
“Uh…I don’t know. Don’t get your hopes up.”
Well, it will at least be an obstacle. A physical one.
And with that, I picked up Daniela and used Legs of the God Wolf and
practically slid through the cave. Every time I had to dodge a rock or a
boulder, Daniela would let out a little shriek.
“Ah, Asagi. This is frightening…!”

“Sorry. But I’m concentrating right now.”
My eyes were open wide as I took in the landscape and avoided obstacles
while maintaining my speed as much as possible. I kicked walls, bounced off
ceilings and slid on the ground. Daniela gulped every time. It was quite
different from flying in the air. And I started to feel pretty bad.
“…Ah, Asagi! It is behind you!”

“It was no use!”
Apparently, an ice wall was nothing. Snakes were so tenacious. However, if

an ice wall did nothing, perhaps there was more at play than just infrared
vision. Perhaps this monster just had an instinct to chase after everything it
encountered.
Well, the only thing to do was to run. And I was quite confident in my ability
to run away from something. No monster was ever able to run as fast as me.
…Or so I thought.
But as we ran, I noticed that things were changing around us. It seemed that
the walls were becoming smoother. Less angular and more round, perhaps…
And also, they were getting wider. It was hard to run on the walls or ceiling
when they were this smooth, but the wider tunnels meant it was easier to run
over all. In fact, the path ahead was now just a straight line.
“Maybe we are close to the exit!”
Daniela said. And so I activated Eyes of the God Wolf for just a second. Was
there really an exit up ahead? Were there any monsters?
“…There’s an exit!”
What I saw was the gaping hole that was the end of the tunnel. I couldn’t see
what lay beyond that, but it would at least take us outside.
Having that assurance made me run even faster. The wind around my legs
grew stronger as I shifted into high gear. My senses became sharper to
prevent the speed from overwhelming me.
As I ran at top speed, the path began to curve. To the right and then the left, it
was like a snake. There were no more sharp rocks jutting out, everything had
a smooth surface. We must be close. It was likely the work of the wind and
the rain.
“I can see it!”
Daniela shouted in my arms. It seemed like she had seen the exit for a
second. As for me, I was more concerned about what was behind us. The
snake clearly sensed our presence as it chased after us. It had already passed
the spot where we had rested.
“I don’t know what’s up ahead. But we’ll have to take the chance!”
“I will create a shield! Just keep running!”
One of her arms unraveled from my neck and stretched out in front of us as
she created the Wind Shield. It was translucent jade, and I could see through
it to the exit. At the same time, Presence Detection was telling me that the
snake was very close. It was less than three hundred meters away now.
“Here we go! Hold on…!!”
As Daniela’s arms tightened around me, I covered the remaining distance at

full speed.
Chapter 350
The Battle with the Snake
Once we were out of the long and narrow tunnel, my vision was filled with
white, and I couldn’t help but close my eyes.
But the air felt warm on my skin. There was nothing under my feet. There
were no obstacles ahead of me.
Even with my eyes closed, I could see red. That was proof that wherever we
were, it was filled with light.
And so I kept my body in the air and activated Eyes of the God Wolf. Once I
was able to see what was beyond my eyelids, I gasped at how strange it was.
“Wow…”
It was enough to make me forget that we had been running for our lives and
had jumped out into the unknown, without any assurance of safety.
This place that we were in could be described as a paradise. Trees were

growing, and there was a huge, beautiful lake that reflected the glimmering
sunlight. A vast prairie extended into the distance and the grass moved like
the waves of the sea. And animals of all sizes dashed through it.
When I looked around, I saw that the place was surrounded by mountains on
all sides. There was nothing above it. It was just a circular paradise under the
sun. It was hard to understand how everything outside of it was in a blizzard.
“What the hell…”
Daniela muttered under her breath once she had opened her eyes. I could hear
the awe in her voice. What we were seeing shouldn’t be possible.
Forests and fields sprawled on the other side of those thick and tall
mountains. Who could have predicted that such a natural paradise that was
full of life would exist here?
“It’s like… Yes, the ark.”

“The ark?”
Daniela turned to me with a puzzled expression.
“A folktale from my world.”
I didn’t really remember much, but I told Daniela what I knew. She listened
quietly until I was finished, and then nodded with satisfaction.
“Indeed, it is like this ark. Chosen animals and plants… Well, I do not see
any people. But perhaps there are things that were lost that can be found
here.”
“That being said, It’s too early to jump to any conclusions. Besides, we need
to deal with this snake first. It will be showing its face soon.”
The exit to the cave was quite far behind us now. When I turned to look at it,
the snake had just sprung out.
And just like us, its momentum caused it to soar in the air for a moment
before it plummeted towards the ground. As my eyes followed it, I saw that
we were actually at a considerable height. Humans would not survive such a
fall. However, I doubted the same could be said for the snake.
“Do not worry about me. Go and take care of it.”

“Fine. I’ll let you go now.”
Daniela nodded. When I let go, she created a jade board and flew away from
me.
“I will be waiting by the lake. Do not make me wait too long.”

“Yeah, it’ll just be a minute.”
Daniela was good to work with, but there were times when it was easier to be
alone.
And so I directed Presence Detection below me. The snake had been caught
in a tree, but it was still moving. The dense forest had created a cushion, it
seemed. I kept my eyes locked onto it as I took out the spear from the hollow
bag and slowly descended.
I tried to land in a relatively clear area and waited. After a moment, the snake
started to slither through the trees and towards me. Its white scales were very
eye catching in the green forest. I could not hide here.
While I waited, I sent azure energy into the spear, turning it into ice. The
translucent spear turned an opaque white and its surface was covered in frost.
Cold air emitted from the weapon, freezing the moisture in the air. A weapon
that went to sub-zero temperature against an animal that lived in the snow. It
was just a matter of which was colder.
“I have to kill you here and now. Nothing personal.”

“Hissssss…”
I held the spear and jumped out. After a brief moment of hesitation, it too
jumped forward. I ducked under the large head, just as it was right in front of
my eyes. Then I slammed the spear into its exposed body.
“Ggg…it’s hard…!”
It felt like I was hitting a huge log. I could hear the painful sounds of
cracking, and yet it did not do much damage overall. Its thick body was
mostly hard muscle. I frowned.
As the damage was minimal, the snake quickly turned its head and attacked
me with its open mouth. I had no choice but to fall back and hope for a better
chance.
But this turned out to have been a mistake.
“Gffu…?!”
For a split second, I felt the sensation of having the air be forced out of my
lungs. And then I couldn’t think of anything. My eyes were full of tears, but I
knew what it was that had hit me. It was its tail.
I was blown into the air and went rolling over the ground. However, I used
Legs of the God Wolf to force myself off of the ground, and I regained my
posture in the air. Its length made it so dangerous… I hadn’t expected to be
attacked by both ends at the same time.
I twirled the spear and psyched myself up. The snake’s tongue flicked as it
glared at me.
“Ha…!”
I dashed forward, raising the speed of the wind on the first step, and brought
it to the highest level by the second. On my third step, I dove underneath its
head and rammed the spear into its lower jaw.
“Gyyaaaa!!”
Perhaps this speed was too much for it, as it was not able to react in time.
Furthermore, the spear had gone through its head and straight into its brain.
Not only that, but the ice spear was already starting to freeze the wound. So,
my magic was stronger than the coldness of the snake.
I sent even more energy into the spear so that it would freeze faster.
Everything would be fine if it just died here… It was just as I was feeling a
sense of relief, that the snake’s body wrapped around my legs.
“Damn it…!”
Apparently, it could still move. Once its tail was around my legs, it continued
to wrap around me. It would be over if it got my whole body. I would be
crushed to death.
“Hurry. Hurry…!”
I sent in the energy, but the glassy eyes did not move. Only its body
continued to surround me.
“Shit!”
Cursing wouldn’t do anything, but I couldn’t stop shouting. No matter how
much I struggled, its grip would not loosen.
In that case… I generated wind through Legs of the God Wolf once again,
and shot up into the air. The spear went even deeper into its head.
But that wasn’t what I was aiming for. An attack from high above.
“Eat this…!!”
I shot towards the ground while slamming my legs down. Due to Legs of the
God Wolf, I was moving fast enough to make a hole in the ground. I was
desperate, and had used all of my strength. Thanks to that, the power seemed
to leave it.
And so I was able to slip out its grip. Then I looked up at the snake. A pale
blood was dripping from its mouth now. It looked like it was completely
dead.
“I better be sure.”
I pulled out the Schwarz Tempest and cup off its head. Now there was no
question. As for materials…
“Hmm. I’ve never butchered a snake…”
I had heard that it was actually quite easy, but I didn’t have the patience or
energy to skin it now. Not something of this size.
“Oh, well. I guess I’ll just take the eyes.”
They were beautiful, like jewels. And so I wrapped them up and put them in
my bag. The rest would be returned to the ground as mana.
Now, it was off to see Daniela. She was supposed to be by the great lake.
Perhaps Arthur would be there as well. Surely that’s where they would make
their base. I would be able to reunite with him soon.
Chapter 351
Lone Wolf Against Three
I used Legs of the God Wolf to walk in the air as I looked down. And while I
was quite high up, it was oddly easy to breathe. Perhaps it was because of all
the trees and plants creating oxygen. You would think that a place surrounded
in mountains like this wouldn’t get much sun…
“…Hmm? What is…”
I saw the lake that Daniela had headed to. There was nothing there. I had
assumed there would be a temporary settlement there. Something like Cath
Palug maybe… Where was Arthur?
I saw Daniela as I got closer, and so I raised my speed. However, there was
something strange going on. She was standing still and holding her weapon.
“Daniela!”
“Be careful, Asagi! There’s a monster!”
I grabbed my spear and landed down next to her. Then I spread out Presence
Detection around us, but there was nothing.
“Sharpen your senses. Even I can only sense it faintly. It has Presence
Block.”
“So it wasn’t just the snake…”
“Be careful.”
I nodded to her and increased the range of Presence Detection. But I still
couldn’t sense anything. And so I decided to concentrate on a certain point in
the forest that was in front of us. And then I could sense it. Very faintly… It
was not enough to determine its species or whether it was weak or strong.
The only thing I knew was that it was a monster.
“I sensed that something was watching me, and so I used Presence Detection
towards the forest and found it. It is watching us even now.”
“Damn it. It’s so dark in there…”
I squinted, but could not see very far. And Presence Detection gave us very
little information. This monster had a very advanced level of Presence Block.
As we watched, a low, moaning voice suddenly entered our ears.
“What? I just heard something.”

“…I can’t hear what it’s saying. It sounds like the moaning of someone who
is wounded…”
“Shh. There it is again…!”
Daniela put a finger to my lips as we held our breath.
“…scent…the scent…of my kind…”

“Huh…?”
Yes, I could hear the voice now. But I didn’t know what it meant. But if this
person could talk…
“The scent…of my younger brother…!!”

“Here it comes!”
I had gotten lost in thought for a second. And so as I turned to the forest in
surprise, a giant wolf with three heads came flying out of the forest.
“Baaasstaarrrddddss!!!”
I jumped back as the claws came cutting through the air where I had stood. A
huge chunk of ground was gouged out and the air was filled with a storm of
dust.
“What is this about! We know nothing of your kin!”

“Foolish woman! The smell is all over that man! How can you hope to lie!?”
So, it was me. However, how could I explain… I was sure it would only
make things worse.
This thing looked like a Cerberus. As for this ‘younger brother’… I was quite
sure this was about the sword I received from the emperor. The Orthros. He
was bound to get it twisted. But if I didn’t try to explain it, we would end up
fighting until one of us died. What could I do?
“Diiieee!!”
“Tsk…!”
I spun the spear around me and blocked the claws as they came slashing
again. But just blocking wouldn’t bring an end to this fight.
I had to make up my mind…
“Daniela, leave this to me.”

“Very well!”
Daniela jumped back and moved out of range. And so with a sense of relief I
faced the monster and shouted.
“I want to talk to you!”

“I have no use for excuses!”
“It’s not an excuse. It’s an explanation!”
I thrust my spear into the ground and folded my arms to show that I meant it
no harm. Even when it bared its teeth at me, I did not reach for my weapon.
“Asagi!”
Daniela shouted. I told her to be calm with my eyes. She looked reluctant.
“Those are your last words?”

“When did this tragedy occur to your younger brother?”
“What…?”
The three-headed creature looked surprised by this question.
“I’m asking you when it happened.”

“A long time ago! He was…killed by humans!!”
“Do I look like I’ve lived that long?”
“Hmm…”
The emperor had said something about it being ‘a long time ago in the
southern forest…’ I wasn’t the one who killed this brother, Orthrus. It should
have been obvious enough, but perhaps he was too angry… Besides, the
races with long lives seemed to have very different perceptions of the passage
of time. Like Daniela. Yes, Daniela.
“And yet, his smell is on you…”

“There is a reason for that. I know about your brother.”
“What…?”
I unfolded my arms and took out Orthrus from the hollow bag. Then I slowly
placed it on the ground.
“Here…is your brother.”

“What…that’s…a sword…”
He sniffed the blade that was on the ground as tears quietly streamed from his
eyes. I didn’t know what to say.
After all, I had done my share of killing and turning monsters into weapons
and armor. That included what I was currently wearing. Almost all of it was
made of monsters. I had done it to survive, but still…
One might argue that there were other ways to live. But I had my reasons.
And there were times when I didn’t have a choice.
That was why humans and monsters didn’t get along. But I had wanted him
to understand me and to be able to talk to him.
“While it was something someone else did in the past, I am sorry for your
loss. And I would like to return your brother to you.”
“Returning him as a sword…”
“But he’s family, right? Then he should be close by.”
“Asagi…”
Daniela muttered quietly. She knew that I could not be close to my own
family ever again… And so it was something that I felt rather strongly about.
“…I understand now that you are not the human who killed him. However,
my heart cannot forgive. There will be no peace with humans.”
“That’s fine. I wish that it wasn’t the case… Especially, given my connection
to wolves.”
“Indeed… There is something…you have the smell of a wolf on you.”
“It’s because I’m a thrall of a God Wolf.”
Rachel Vanargand. Born as a wolf and lived as a monster before turning into
the God Wolf.
“God Wolf… I see. Her…”

“You know Rachel?”
“She helped me a long time ago… On the night that my brother was killed.”
I waited for a moment, but it seemed that he had no intention of continuing. It

was the day that he lost his brother. If he wanted to talk about it, he would do
it with someone else.
“I too was helped by her in many ways. So I think I understand what you
mean by saying I smell like a wolf.”
“You address her by her first name. Who are you?”
“I told you. Her thrall… Well, we treat each other more like comrades.”
When I had told Daniela I didn’t want to be a thrall, she had told me to think
of being a comrade instead. That was when we were helping Lehaty. And
while Rachel did use the word ‘thrall,’ I believed that she saw me as a friend.
“I see… If you are a comrade of a God Wolf, then perhaps I must

compromise.”
“Really? But I’m human.”
“You are both human and wolf. A strange creature indeed.”
He treated me like some kind of mysterious animal… Which was odd, since
he had three heads. In fact, all three of them were talking together.
“I shall introduce myself then. My name is Pochi. Now tell me your name.”
“I’m Asagi… Wait a minute.”
“What? Introductions are an important ritual…”
“Yeah, I know. But…Pochi?”
“Yes. It is an honorable name granted to me by the God Wolf.”
That woman. She clearly didn’t give it more than a second of thought! This is
a Cerberus!
“Uh, sorry… Rachel is really…”

“What are you mumbling about?”
“Never mind…”
I shook my head and started from the beginning.
“I’m Asagi Kamiyashiro. A friend of Rachel Vanargand, the God Wolf.”

“Allow me to introduce myself as well. I am Daniela Villesilf. I have no
contract with Rachel. She is just a friend.”
“Asagi and Daniela. I see, you are not her thrall, Daniela.”
“I am an elf. I cannot be a thrall.”
“I see… Well, I would be very pleased to be your friend.”
“Likewise.”
Daniela and Pochi were able to become friends really quickly. We had been
at each other’s throats a moment ago, but the misunderstanding was resolved.
If you put in the effort, it was possible for humans and monsters to become
friends.
“As we are connected to the same God Wolf, perhaps we should be friends as
well?”
“I have no objections.”
I was already friends with a forest wolf and the thrall of a God Wolf.
“I am grateful. Now I, Pochi, the Cerberus, declare my friendship with

Asagi!”
“Hehe…kind of overblown…huh?”
As Pochi made his ‘declaration,’ silver and black particles began to rise from
his body. They continued to increase and shine like the night stars.
And then they rained down on me all at once. They went through my clothes
and absorbed into my skin.
By the time that the last of them had entered my body, I had gained a new
skill.
Chapter 352
Shadow of the Deep Wolf
I felt the sensation of the skill being integrated. It was impossible to describe.
Perhaps it was like gaining new knowledge that seemed like something you
always knew but had just forgotten. And you forgot that it was something
you just learned… I wasn’t making any sense. I felt sick.
Such confusing thoughts repeated in my head until it was finished.
I now had a skill called ‘Shadow of the Deep Wolf.’ I repressed the impulse
to check it immediately and instead, thanked Pochi.
“Thank you, Pochi. We are true friends now. I feel it in my body.”

“We are now connected. It is like a promise between us. Of course, even
without it, I consider Daniela a friend as well.”
“Hehe. Do not worry about that. I feel the same.”
This forest… Well, I wasn’t even sure if it should be considered a forest… I

always seemed to get attacked in forests. But that was how dangerous and
harsh this world was.
“However, it is not the same with other humans. I cannot change so easily.”
“Well, that is fine. It’s the same with everyone.”
However, not everyone was bad. I knew that Ash, his family, and the rest of
the beastkin were good people. And that’s why we had been able to become
friends. It was not good to allow first impressions to decide everything…
It made me wonder about the Assault Kobold and the Loup-garou…
“By the way, why are you two here?”

“We came to see a friend. He’s white orc. Have you seen him?”
“Ah, them. I see. They too are good neighbors and friends. I will take you to
them.”
“Thank you. That would be a great help.”
What a relief. I was worried for a second that they would be rivals if not
enemies who fought over their territory. There was always an order in which
who came first. But they were good neighbors. That was a wonderful result.
□ □ □ □
Pochi started to walk along the lakeside, and so we followed him. The forest
he had been hiding in spread out along the bank, so we naturally had to go
through it.
“Be careful. There are not many monsters in this place, but they are still here.
And they are usually hiding among the trees.”
“From what I saw from above, there seem to be a lot of forests here. Are they
all populated with monsters?”
“Yes, they are. It has always been this way. The prairies and less dense parts
of the forest and the part of the lake are for animals. I don’t know why, but
that is the way it is.”
It’s become a habit. Pochi said. But he didn’t know how long or who had
made it that way…
“What do they eat?”

“Monsters can get by on mana for the most part. And mana is especially thick
in the forest. But they also eat wandering animals and the fruits from the
trees.”
“I see…”
Well, animals would probably wander in every once in a while. However, if

it was true that the mana was thick in the forest, it suggested even more
strongly that someone had designed this place. As for someone that was
capable of such a thing… Certain elves, perhaps?
We encountered several monsters on the way, but it never resulted in a fight,

thanks to Pochi. He was much too intimidating, and we just walked through
the forest.
The sunlight was warm and comfortable, and the rustling of the leaves
overheard was very pleasant to listen to. We even sat down by the roots of a
tree in order to rest. The forest roof with the sunlight leaking through was so
beautiful. It was almost worrisome that I was enjoying this trek so much.
Like we were on a hike.
“The sun will be coming down soon. You should prepare a place to sleep.”
“Huh? Already?”
Judging by how bright it was, I had assumed we still had several hours left.
But perhaps my enjoyment of the walk had messed with my perception of
time.
“This place is surrounded by mountains on all sides. While they do not cast
great shadows over us, it still causes the land to get darker at a faster rate.”
“Ah, right…”
I had forgotten about that. This place was like being at the bottom of a deep
bowl. The shadows were large, just like the walls.
“Alright, we should set up our camp then.”

“I shall sleep where the mana is thick. I’m sure that no monsters will
approach, so there is no need to worry.”
“Got it. We’ll see you again in the morning then.”
“Very well.”
Monsters had their own lives. And there was no need for him to stick around.
But I was grateful that he was keeping the other monsters away from us. Still,
it would probably be best for us to take turns on the night watch.
That night, we ate soup and bread. Daniela had also walked around and
gathered some fruits, which we ate. And then we took turns sleeping. Like
Pochi said, there were no monster attacks.
□ □ □ □
Midnight. It was as if even the trees and grass were asleep. When only the
light of the stars dance and sing. I sat alone by the fire and kept watch.
Daniela had taken the first watch, and I had slept well. And so I felt very
clear-headed.
I was currently using Jack of all Trades, Master of None to play images in my
head.
Of course, I was watching ‘Shadow of the Deep Wolf.’
“…I see. This is a very powerful skill.”
What I could see, was three versions of myself swinging a sword.
‘Shadow of the Deep Wolf’ was a cloning skill. However, it wasn’t like you
had identical versions of yourself like some kind of ninja. Like the name
suggested, they were dark, ‘shadow’ versions of me. They appeared just as
the skill was activated. I was just thankful that it didn’t give me three heads
like a Cerberus.
However, what did ‘Deep Wolf’ mean? Deep…like from hell? Was there
even a hell in this world? Was there a heaven?
“…I guess there’s no point in worrying about that.”
The loud sparks of the fire brought me back to the present. And so I used
Presence Detection. But there wasn’t a single monster in the area. Well,
except for Pochi, who was a short distance away. He wasn’t using Presence
Block anymore.
The mana was thick there. It had come out of the dragon vein and collected.
The perfect place for monsters to eat. Though, I didn’t want to go near a
place that was so strange… We would have to keep a distance from the forest
when possible.
Now that I was finished seeing the images through Jack of all Trades, I got to
my feet. It was time to test it out.
“Hmm…”
I concentrated my will towards it, and then my shadow began to stretch and
change shape. It was wearing the same clothes and armor as me. And while it
was completely black, it did appear to be three dimensional if you looked
very hard. Even its clothes were moving in the wind. It wasn’t just a flat
silhouette.
“…But I don’t see any weapons.”
I then realized that I wasn’t carrying one either. The demon armor sword was
lying on the ground. And so I picked it up and unsheathed it. At the same
time, a shadow extended from the clone’s hand, and then it too was carrying
a sword.
“I see. I have to be carrying one too.”
That seemed a little limiting in terms of how I could fight, but there was no
point in complaining. I then tried taking out the greatsword, and the clone
also switched weapons.
And then I moved and tried swinging it. There was nothing surprising. It
mimicked my movements perfectly. But as I had very little experience with
this kind of thing, it was very strange to see.
Still, it was clear this was a very useful skill. It would help me when Daniela
wasn’t around, or when she was not enough.
“Hmm… It’s almost morning.”
I could hear the chirping of birds. I couldn’t see the sun coming up the
horizon, due to the mountains, but the sky to the east seemed to be getting
pale.
Well, I suppose it was a good time to start preparing breakfast for Daniela. It
would have been nice if these shadows could do it for me, but that was
apparently not possible.
□ □ □ □
I woke Daniela up and we ate breakfast before returning to the forest. The
sun eventually arrived overhead in our circular patch of sky. By the time it
was the warmest time of day, we came out of the forest.
“This heat is nearly unbearable without shade…”

“We are close to Arthur’s village.”
“I see… I guess I can go a little further…”
I stretched my back while I felt my body temperature rising. Yes… The

village… So there really was a village…!
My feet felt lighter. Maybe it was because we were on grass now instead of
soil. Ah, I could not wait.
“Asagi, I understand that you are impatient. But I will not be able to keep up
if you use Legs of the God Wolf.”
“Eh?”
But I wasn’t using it… I looked down at my legs and saw that they were
indeed covered by platinum and green wind. I hadn’t tried to… Was I really
in such a hurry?
“Ahaha… My mistake.”
“You really are something…”
She laughed. And I laughed too. How embarrassing. And in front of Pochi,
too.
However, Pochi seemed to be deep in thought as he stared at me.
“I might blush if you stare at me any harder…”

“Ah…forgive me.”
All three of his heads moved as he started walking again. I looked at him,
puzzled. What was it? Had we said something that bothered him? I didn’t
know… Perhaps he wasn’t used to seeing humans talk casually. Maybe I
should tell him that we were joking?
“Hurry along now.”

“Ah! Not the ass! Don’t hit the ass!”
I could have sworn that she squeezed it too. Regardless, Daniela and Pochi
were already ahead of me. And so I swallowed the rest of my protests and ran
after them.
□ □ □ □
As we walked along the grassy lakeside, we encountered a herd of animals

that had come to drink. It was said that many monsters in this world were the
result of animals taking in too much mana and mutating. And since such
monsters tended to live in great numbers in fields, forest, and mountains, you
did not see animals too often.
But it wasn’t as if there were none at all. There were especially a lot of deers,
birds and monkeys. I had met a wandering wolf myself when I first came to
this world. Now that I thought back on it, it was a pretty rare experience.
The animals that were drinking in front of us were horses. They were black,
white, and brown in color and seemed to be enjoying themselves. And they
didn’t run away when they saw us. Either they were used to humans or had
no sense of danger…
“It would be a lot quicker if we rode on them.”

“That sounds like a terrible idea…”
Catching wild horses for transportation. It sounded exhausting. It would be

better for me to carry her and run.
After watching the animals for a while, we continued our hike towards
Arthur’s village.
The grass felt strong under my feet. I could feel them pushing back. Perhaps
it was because of how rich the soil was. That was how blessed this place was.
Mowing the grass here would be a nightmare.
And it was all so beautiful. Seeing them move in the wind reminded me of
looking at the sea. If I met Arthur here and was able to return the sword, we
would be headed to the sea next. Though, I wasn’t sure if our boat would be
good for the job…
We walked for another few hours while looking at the animals running
through the field. Then the settlement came into view. It was between the
forest and the lake.
“Is that it?”

“Aye. That is where Arthur should be.”
Pochi replied. On closer inspection, the structures looked similar to the ones
we had seen in Cath Palug. Perhaps they were a little larger. Orcs were taller
than beastkin, after all. And it would have been easy to build too, given how
strong they were. They were monsters that swung enormous clubs.
We started to walk faster then. And when we were close enough, the orcs
noticed our presence and came out to greet us. They weren’t carrying any
weapons.
“Heey!”
I shouted while waving my hand. Then a few of them waved back. That made
me happy. I smiled.
“Are you a child?”

“You try waving too. They might wave back.”
“Hmph…”
She snorted. However, her pale arm rose in the air as she waved as well. And
then even more orcs waved back.
“Huh. They seem more receptive towards me.”

“Hey, I warmed them up for you!”
“You two really are childish…”
Pochi declared with a sigh as he saw my annoyed and Daniela’s smug

expressions.
Yes. We really were just children.
Chapter 353
Reunion with Arthur
“Hello. Is Arthur here?”

“…Aaarthhur…is…out…hunt…ing…”
I hadn’t really expected a reply, but asked anyway. And so this was rather
surprising. So monsters were able to learn to talk…!
“…I see. Do you mind if we wait here?”

“Not…at…all…”
As I was too surprised, Daniela had spoken for me.
“Sorry…”
“I was surprised as well. I suppose Arthur has been teaching them.”
Indeed. But it was also a relief to see how successful they were. Arthur was a
good king.
Just then, Pochi, who was standing behind us, growled in a low voice. I
turned around, wondering if he was being antagonized. But he appeared to be
talking with an orc. Like most orcs I had seen, this one was grunting
incomprehensibly. Still, it was amazing that they could understand each
other. Just then, all three of Pochi’s faces turned to me.
“He says that Arthur left in the early morning. He should be back soon, if he
keeps to his usual schedule.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Pochi had sensed that we weren’t experienced with talking to monsters, and
so questioned them for us. What a nice, perceptive Cerberus.
The orcs all returned to whatever work they had been doing, and we waited
outside of the settlement for about fifteen minutes. Then I was able to sense a
number of monsters through Presence Detection. One of them was quite
large. It was likely Arthur.
When I looked in that direction, I saw four orcs that were carrying deers on
their shoulders as they walked towards us. They were talking and laughing,
just like any human hunters you might see.
And one of the orcs was white.
“Hmm. He looks well.”

“Yeah. It’s great to see.”
One of the orcs pointed towards us after noticing that we were standing there.
I waved and all four of them waved back. While they would have seen that
we were humans, it seemed that we were still too far away to be
recognized… But then, Arthur started to run.
“I’m almost scared…”

“It is not every day a large orc comes running to you at full speed.”
As we talked and waved our hands, Arthur reached us while panting.
“Haa…haa… Am… Am I dreaming?”

“Not at all.”
“It has been a while.”
“Aye…it seems like such a long time ago…”
He seemed very pleased to see us. Compared to last time, he seemed healthy.
Bigger. But he also had more scars… I didn’t want to think about how
difficult the road to this place had been.
“I’m glad that you are here. Welcome to my small kingdom, Camelot!”
Well, why I am not surprised… This connection was getting even stranger…
In any case, we had reunited with Arthur. We really had traveled quite a
distance. We had traveled through different routes but arrived in the same
place. Now, it was time to relax and catch up.
□ □ □ □
And so due to our unexpected arrival, they decided to throw a feast.

However, there was one problem.
“Hmm. There isn’t enough meat.”
Arthur muttered as he looked down at the deers that they had caught. They
had only got enough for the residents.
Well, there was an easy solution for that. And so I decided to get my own
meat.
“Alright, I’m going to go out and hunt then.”

“No, we can’t ask a guest…”
“Leave it to me. I’ll get a nice fat one too.”
“Really…? If you insist…”
I patted Arthur on the shoulder and went running off.
Well, aside from not wanting to increase their burden, I had another reason
for wanting to come out here. It was to make some skill adjustments. I had
tested out a little during the night, but it was quite a different thing to make
use of it during combat. And so there was a need to make adjustments
through Jack of all Trades, Master of None. With some practice, I should be
able to use it in combination with Legs of the God Wolf and Eyes of the God
Wolf.
And so with the hollow bag on my back, I put White Blade – Tenko on my
belt. It was lighter than the demon armor sword and I was just used to it.
Maybe it was in my blood. And the ranged attack would be quite useful.
Daniela had called it a natural god of destruction. She would likely be angry
if she knew that I used it in a place like this.
“Hmm? Are you going somewhere?”
Once I was finished preparing, I activated Legs of the God Wolf and was
about to take off. But then I heard Daniela’s voice. She was chewing some
fruit that someone had given her. I saw that a few orc children were following
her too. Orcs and elves…
“Ah, these children. They seem to have taken a liking to me.”

“Well, they should.”
“So, where are you going?”
“Just a little hunting. They don’t have enough meat.”
Daniela thought for a moment. I knew what was going on in her head.
“Hmm. Should I accompany you?”

“It’s fine. You should stay with the kids.”
I was not so cruel as to tear her away from them now.
“I see. Well, I am sure you will hunt twice as hard without me.”
“I’ll try.”
Of course, I would. I waved at them and then floated up into the air. The
children were amazed and cheered. When I waved at them, they waved back
with excitement. Very nice. Children could be so pure.
“See you later.”

“Be careful.”
And so I turned away from Daniela and shot towards the field.
□ □ □ □
After a few minutes in the air. The vast fields of grass spread out below me.
There were groves scattered about, where animals could rest in the shade and
eat the plants.
“Well, there are a lot to choose from, at least…”
That’s how many there were. Well, at least for now. I wasn’t sure how big
this country was going to get. As long as it was just them, perhaps there was
no need to worry about extinction.
Regardless, I wasn’t going to hold back today. I found one that I wanted, and
then I watched it carefully while closing in.
My prey looked a lot like a gazelle. It was busy eating grass. And I intended
to catch it from behind. However, I also needed to test my skill.
And so I put my hands together in prayer for the life I was about to take, and
then unsheathed my sword. From above and behind it, I activated Shadow of
the Deep Wolf. A shadow shot out in a straight line, and then from the tip, the
clone emerged. It swung the Tenko, and the gazelle frantically ran forward.
While following them, I activated the skill again so that a shadow would
appear up ahead. The gazelle bounded through the grass and trees until my
shadow jumped out of the ground right in front of it.
This seemed to surprise it greatly, and it slammed on the breaks while trying
to turn around. But its feet slipped on the grass. It fell on its side and its legs
thrashed wildly. That’s when I sent magic into the Tenko and swung it in the
direction of the gazelle.
The platinum blade shot towards it, cleanly cutting off the head. The body
seemed to jump once before becoming completely still.
“Thank you.”
I put my hands together and then landed on the ground. My shadows were
gone now. I was all alone.
It was oddly sad.
I grabbed its legs and levitated with Legs of the God Wolf in order to drain it
of blood before quickly removing the organs and then stashing it away in the
hollow bag. This process was repeated three times before I returned to
Camelot.
It was still bright outside, but the sun would start to set soon. I didn’t want to
be late for the feast.
“Still…a feast in Cath Palug and a feast here… I guess this was what it was
like to have a great social life…”
I had never been to university, but I felt like I was getting a taste of campus
life. But it was like this every day for them, wasn’t it? I would go crazy.
Well, it was nice, either way. They were celebrating just for us.
“I better hurry…”
I put the sword away and adjusted my backpack before activating Legs of the
God Wolf and shooting off into the sky.
“Ohh…”
Perhaps I had gotten carried away a little, as I lost my balance. That hadn’t
happened in a while. And so I calmed down and decreased the strength of the
wind until I was stable again.
“Carried away, huh…”
It was like water suddenly coming out of a clogged faucet. Perhaps Pochi’s
skill had messed me up. I would have to do some simulations again with Jack
of all Trades, Master of None…
□ □ □ □
I returned to the village, and then with Daniela and the children, headed to
where they were cooking the food. Here, Arthur was butchering the meat, and
so I added mine to the pile.
“Ah, this is good stuff.”

“Right? Let me help you.”
“Thank you. It will make things easier.”
There was no point in waiting around just because we were the guests of
honor. They were preparing this for us. So of course, I had to help. Daniela
was doing her part by taking care of the children. That was important too. It
allowed the mothers to concentrate on the cooking.
And so I took out the Ashikirimaru and got to work skinning the animals. If I
did it cleanly, they would be able to use it for clothing. It was a valuable
resource.
After that, we separated the parts. It was hard to tell what was what at a
glance. And so I just cut off the limbs and head and then cut the body in half
so it would be easy to cook. Then it was finished.
It was harder than it sounded. And by the time that we were done, it had
started to get dark.
“Did you stop by a beastkin settlement on your way here?”

“Yeah. That’s where we heard about you.”
“They had a hard time as well. But we helped each other…”
After that, the mothers seasoned the meat and started tossing it into the huge
bonfire. I stood next to Arthur and watched.
“I taught them to make houses like you said, and we lived together for a
while. I met the Snow Cat a few times as well. They are my friends for life.”
“Same with me and Daniela. Of course, we consider you to be our friend as
well.”
“Thank you. …Ah, it really was a long road. A hard journey. But we made
lifelong friends and gained a safe haven. It was all worth it. That’s what I
thought.”
“You thought?”
Arthur looked at the fire with gentle eyes.
“Aye, it isn’t the end. Our new life begins. Well, I should have seen this
coming.”
“Haha. I guess. A new life in this paradise…”
“We lost many of our friends. But that was the cost. And so I intend to
protect this place until I die.”
I doubted any humans would come here. You had to get through the sea of
trees and the mountains.
I was quite sure now that this place was some kind of experiment ground for
the ancient elves. Perhaps it was to preserve certain species or plants. But
they weren’t here now. So no one could complain if the orcs settled here.
They had stopped attacking humans. Surely they should be allowed to live
here in peace.
“Well, the feast will be starting soon. Eat as much as you can and enjoy
yourself.”
The sun had gone down, and the world was bathed in the color of fire.
Chapter 354
Arthur’s Past
The meat looked amazing when it came out. The mothers dragged the hot
slabs out of the fire by holding the bones, and then they were thrown on top
of wooden planks. Wild…
“This sauce was made from the forest fruits. Try eating it with the meat.”
“It looks great. Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
The sauce was thick and had a golden color. I didn’t know if the fire had been
the perfect strength or it was just the quality of the meat, but it fell off of the
bones and was rich with fat. The combination with the sauce was strangely
amazing. Sweeter sauces were not bad at all.
“And we have wine as well. Wine made by orcs.”

“That’s amazing… You made it?”
“Aye. We met dwarves on our travels and were able to learn. It should be
easy to drink, as it is fruit wine.”
That was impressive. He was even able to befriend dwarves… It must have
been hard. But at least it was a fruitful journey. These orcs were starting to
create their own culture.
It was very surprising.
I took a sip of the wine that Arthur poured for me. It was sweet and delicious
and a little milky.
“Can you tell? We raise our own livestock here. And we use their milk.”
“Wow…I’m speechless.”
“You helped us find a way to live. And I find that it suits me very well.”
From what he told me, they had been living as a nomadic tribe with their
livestock until they arrived here. Of course, they hadn’t been able to bring
them into the depths of the sea of trees, and so they were returned to the
wild…
“I was very sad when we had to do that… They kept looking back at us as
they left. It was painful to see.”
But they would have a better chance of survival at least.
“Well, there was a village in the direction that we unleashed them in, so I was
sure that they would find someone to look after them. They are used to
people.”
“I see… You’ve come a long way.”
“Aye. It was a very, very long journey.”
There was a short silence. But it was a pleasant one. We were both thinking
back on what we had experienced. The orc king that I had met in the caves
was now living here happily. It was great… I had no other words.
“Ah, that’s right. I forgot something.”

“Hmm?”
“I needed to return this to you.”
I took the white sword out of the hollow bag. The holy sword. Even its
handle and sheath were white. It was the Exalibur. The sword that Mordred
stole from him.
“Ahh… I did not expect to see this sword again.”

“So you didn’t trust me?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. However, things rarely work out as
intended.”
“Yes… It wasn’t like it was easy.”
I offered it to him, and his large, pale hands went around the hilt. He slowly
unsheathed it and then looked at the platinum blade with an affectionate
expression. Suddenly, I was reminded of something.
What did he just say?

“Hey, Arthur.”
“Hmm? What? Asagi.”
“Uh, sorry if I’m wrong, but… Do you know about worlds other than this
one?”
“…”
It didn’t really matter if he didn’t. Though, I might have to tell my own story
if he asked.
However, Arthur’s expression changed immediately.
“…As for that, I would prefer if we talked about it when alone. Do you
mind?”
“Of course, not.”
“…Thank you. Alright, let’s eat!’
He said cheerfully, dispelling the sober atmosphere. He thrust his hands into
the fire and pulled out some meat. It was so bold that I chuckled.
□ □ □ □
I drank moderately and ate excessively. And so it was while rubbing my

bloated stomach that I came to the lakeside, that Arthur had suggested.
It was dark all around. However, the sky was full of stars that shone down
brightly. They reflected on the surface of the lake and sparkled in their own
distinct way.
“…I wonder if this water is drinkable?”

“We can. But I think it might be harsh for human bodies.”
I had muttered it to myself, but Arthur answered as he walked towards me.
“So, I guess you’d have to boil it.”

“Aye. It’s good that orc bodies are tough. It’s one of the things I am thankful
for.”
Well, he wasn’t going to hide it anymore.

“When did you know?”
“It was during a journey. I was attacked by a wyvern. Can you see this scar?”
He tapped on his head. I couldn’t see anything. Arthur was much taller than
me. I tried standing on my toes, and he laughed and bent down.
There was a scar where a wyvern had dug its claws. It started at the top of his
head and went down the back. And while it was completely healed, I winced
at the sight of it.
“It was very deep. My comrades managed to drive it away, but I was
unconscious for several days. And it was then that I dreamed. I dreamed of a
world much different from this one.”
“And?”
“When I woke up, I had memories of my past life. I was very old.”
Apparently, he was an old man who lived in the countryside of Japan. His
wife had passed away long before him, and he had lived a long and lonely
life.
“I did have one dog. Dogs are good company, you know. His name…”
“Don’t tell me…”
I didn’t even have to ask.
“Haha. Yes, it is what you are thinking. Pochi.”

“Hahaha!”
What a coincidence. Arthur’s old pet had come back as a Cerberus. Though,
it had been Rachel who named it.
“He called himself Pochi. I was shocked when I realized that someone had
given him that name in this world. A human like me…or a monster, existed.”
“Yes, the person who gave him that name originally came from Japan. I
know her.”
“I see…”
Arthur’s voice was full of emotion. He must have felt very lonely when
surrounded by orcs all of this time. Even if you weren’t trying, knowing that
you used to be human would have started to make a barrier around you. I
would have been scared in his position. It would be hard to stay yourself.
“I had thought about it a lot. Why was I here as a monster and leading these
orcs? And after I was attacked by the wyvern, I understood. I always enjoyed
teaching people. Because I used to be a teacher.”
He slowly sat down by the water and picked up a pebble, which he rolled in
his hand.
“Perhaps that explains why I always had an aversion to attacking humans.

I’m not a very good monster. And yet they follow me and even try to learn
how to speak. I love them for that. You know, they haven’t attacked anyone
since you helped them. Regardless of their instincts, they follow me. I am so
grateful.”
“It’s because they’ve seen how earnestly you lived. You are proof of their
being another way. You accomplished it, and so they trust you. …Well, I’m
sure this means little coming from someone like me.”
I sat down next to him and threw a pebble into the water. It splashed quietly,
the ripples scattering the stars on the lake.
“I wouldn’t say that. I learned from you, after all. What you said to me
helped revive some of my memories. And I’m grateful for that. Thank you.”
“…Right. I’m glad to hear it.”
The ripples faded and everything was still once more.
“We should go to sleep soon. This place is peaceful, so you don’t have to
worry at night.”
“…Now that I think about it… How did you get in here? We had to enter a
cave that was pretty high up…”
“Hmm? We just entered a cave near the base, and that led us here… I see. So
there are caves above as well.”
That meant there was a cave near the area where Daniela had been making
snowmen…
It was always darkest under the lighthouse…
I suddenly felt very exhausted… But it was about time that drowsiness
visited me. A yawned and then started walking back to Camelot.
Chapter 355
Farewell, Camelot
The next morning, I awoke in a house they had set up for us. It had been a
while since I last slept in a warm place with a proper mattress, and so I slept
very deeply.
Hell, Daniela was still asleep. Even she appreciated how comfortable it was.
Looking at her made me want to go right back to bed. But I forced myself up
with an iron will.
“Hey, Daniela… It’s morning.”
I hardened my heart and started to shake Daniela’s shoulders. She grumbled

in irritation, but we had slept long enough.
After shaking her a few times, and being slapped in return, she finally got up.
“Ahh…”
Daniela groaned as she rubbed her still closed eyes and scratched her
disheveled hair. It was not a sight anyone else could see…
She would likely fall back asleep if I went out to wash up first, and so I
helped her to her feet and led her outside.
While we couldn’t see the sun yet, it was decently bright outside. It was
morning. And under the open sky, the orcs were already working.
I took out a bucket from the hollow bag and filled it with water. It was cool
and refreshing on my face.
“Daniela.”
“Hm…”
She trudged over to the bucket and began to slowly wash her face.
I watched her while drying myself with the towel around my neck. Just then,
Arthur visited us.
“Good morning, Asagi. Daniela.”

“Morning, Arthur. Thanks for setting this up for us.”
“Ah, don’t mention it. That’s the best thing about these structures. They can
be built easily.”
Especially with the strength of orcs. It would take no time at all. It was nice
being able to see them make it.
“Will you be staying here long?”

“I wish that we could, but there is a place that we have to go to.”
While Daniela was washing her face, I told Arthur about the reason for our
journey. Ultimately, it was to deal with the Nova… And so we had to gather
what we needed.
“…we need a key in order to reach the Nova. And for that, we have to cross
the sea.”
“Hmm… Indeed. I was wondering what cause you could have had to come
all of the way here. The Nova, huh…”
Arthur muttered as he stared at the ground.

What he had thought would be eternal rest had turned out to be anything but.
Instead, he had been thrown into a bloody world as a monster.
Well, I didn’t really know what he was thinking. I remember having so many
regrets when I had been stabbed. However, it had led to me meeting Daniela
and many others.
But it wasn’t a matter of weighing everything on a scale. I was grateful in
different ways, and felt bitter in others. And I never found an answer.
“Don’t worry about me. I already made up my mind. If we don’t do

something, other people will be summoned here. And some will be monsters.
I can’t ignore that, can I?”
“Indeed. I would go and help you two if I could…”
“I know. I’m just happy for the thought.”
Arthur had an important role here. Besides, I didn’t want him to fight any
more. Yes, he would be reliable if he did, but still…
When I told him this, he laughed awkwardly, but happily.
“Aye, very well. I will stay here and pray for your success. And when you
come back safely, we will drink and celebrate.”
“It’s a promise.”
I said while offering my pinky. It was something that only we knew. Arthur
looked surprised at first but understood it quickly with a nostalgic expression.
“I’ve made many promises in the past. Some I kept, some I broke… But I
will keep this one. I swear it.”
“Don’t die before we come back. Live so that we can meet again.”
“Aye, of course.”
Our fingers locked as we made the promise.
“A thousand needles if you break it.”

“Aye. Don’t think I won’t force you to swallow them.”
Even though I knew it was a joke, it was a little chilling hearing it from a
huge orc. But I would keep the promise… No one wanted to swallow a
thousand needles.
After that, we headed to the center square. It was here that all of the orcs ate
together. They had all been so anxious and afraid when their journey first
started. And so they had huddled together, shoulder to shoulder when eating.
And it became a sort of tradition. They ate all of their meals together now.
Arthur related this with a smile.
All of the orcs were already gathered there. So we were the last ones to
arrive. Even Daniela was already sitting there, surrounded by children.
“You two are late.”

“Ah, I am sorry.”
“But you were late to get up.”
“And yet I still arrived before you.”
Daniela said with a smug expression. It was rich coming from someone who
would still be asleep now if I hadn’t woken her up.
Some of the children moved away, and Arhur and I sat down next to Daniela.
As I sat cross-legged, what looked like a giant cutting board was placed in
front of us, and on it were an assortment of freshly picked fruits.
“Since coming here, we decided to only eat fruits in the morning. We don’t
want to over hunt… Besides, these fruits are good for you.”
“I’ve heard that fruits are especially good in the morning.”
Since everyone was now present, they all started grabbing the fruits and
eating them.
Following their lead, Daniela and I picked the fruits that were on the top.
They were red and thorny. Since the peel seemed pretty thick, I made a
groove in it with the Ashikirimaru before tearing it away. Inside, the fruit was
a slightly lighter red. And so I took a bite.
“…Hmm!?”
There was a frightening explosion of sourness in my mouth. Daniela saw me

and her hand froze before she took a bite.
“Ahahaha!”
“Bgggggg!!”
“Pkyaa!”
Arthur and the orcs, old and young, all started to laugh boisterously. Perhaps
it had been an amusing reaction, but I was in a sorry state. I quickly tried to
create a cup of ice and fill it with water, but it was so sour that I couldn’t
concentrate.
“Here, Asagi.”
“!!”
Arthur handed me a cup, and so I snatched it from him. If this was also sour,
I would throw him down from the sky.
“Mmmgg…mm…mm… Ahh!”
“You must have been very thirsty, Asagi.”
“Sh-shut up!”
I shoved the cup back into Arthur’s hands as he gave me a thumbs up. Then I
wiped my mouth with my sleeve. Thankfully, this water was a little sweet,
and it helped neutralize the taste in my mouth. Peace at last. Had they
known? I looked around and saw that none of the other plates had the same
fruits that Daniela and I had. So…we were tricked.
“It’s only what you deserve for saying you’re going to leave us so soon.”
“You bastard…”
“Though, I do understand. But we’ll miss you.”
“…I know. Still, that was really sour!”
Arthur could be surprisingly immature… Damn it. But I couldn’t be angry at

him now.
“…Hm? You’re not going to eat yours, Daniela?”

“As if I could!”
They erupted into laughter once again.
□ □ □ □
Once we finished breakfast, it was time for us to leave. While this was a short
stay, we had accomplished our goal. I was able to return the Excalibur and
renew our friendship. And I learned about not just his journey, but his past. I
felt that we were much closer for it.
And the people of Camelot had been so welcoming. They had changed the
way they lived, learned to speak, and started to create their own culture. They
were much different from other orcs that did nothing but attack humans. I
was glad to have been able to see it.
“We should be going then.”
“Aye, be careful. …Deal with the Nova for everyone on the other side.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
I promised as we shook hands.
“If you see Pochi, tell him I said goodbye.”

“Now that I think about it, he hasn’t been around… Alright, I’ll tell him for
you.”
Good. Now I could leave without regrets.
“Well, see ya!”

“We will be waiting for your return! Good luck!”
“Aye, see you again!”
“Goodbye!”
Arthur and the other orcs waved as we walked away. We were headed to the
cave that Arthur had used to come here. Then we would go around the
mountain and go out to sea. Surely the boat we bought from Lontos would
take us across safely.
We left Camelot and walked through the prairie for some time. As this was a
different route compared to when we came, there was no forest. The cool
wind rushed through the grass and brushed against us.
“It looks like there are a lot of wind spirits here.”

“Do you think it’s related to the ancient elves after all?”
“I do not know. But this place was definitely not created by accident…”
It was my opinion that this garden was created by them. It was too perfect to
be natural. It didn’t feel right. As beautiful as it all was… But I didn’t feel the
need to go poking around too much. We might end up ruining it for Arthur
and Pochi…
Still, where was Pochi? He hadn’t been anywhere in the village. He had
called the orcs his friends and neighbors, but perhaps he still spent most of
his time away from them…
“…Asagi. Pochi seems to be headed towards us.”
Daniela said as she turned back to Camelot. I tried using Presence Detection.
Yes, something strong was headed towards us. After a few minutes, I could
see the three-headed beast approaching.
“He’s carrying something…”
Daniela said as she squinted. I looked with Eyes of the God Wolf. Yes, the
outer heads were holding something. What was it…fur?
“Haahh…hahh… There you are.”

“Sorry. We tried to look for you, but you were nowhere to be found…”
“I had to go back in order to bring this. I thought that I could see you if I
went to Arthur, but you had already gone.”
Apparently, he had talked to Arthur and come running towards us. Was it a
parting gift?
“Asagi. There is something that I want to give you.”

“Is that fur?”
“Aye. I want you to wear this.”
I already had dragon armor. Was this better than that?
“I know that you are in a hurry. But I want you to listen to me.”
“Hmm?”
“A change is occurring inside of you.”
“What?”
A chill ran down my spine.
But his next words left me speechless.
“You are turning into a monster.”

Chapter 356
The Reason and the Solution
Pochi’s words echoed in my head.
A monster. What did that mean? What about Daniela? Was it because I was
from another world? What should I do? What will happen to her? I’m scared.
Damn it. But perhaps it was to be expected. I was the thrall of the God
Wolf…
“Asagi.”
Someone patted my shoulder gently, and I shuddered.
“Daniela. I…”
“Do not worry. You are human.”
“Daniela…”
She stared into my eyes while talking, as if willing me to understand. Her

words sunk in and I felt warm again.
“Thanks…”
“It is fine. You are you.”
I hugged her and was so happy when she hugged me back.
When I felt better again, I turned back to Pochi.
“Sorry about that.”

“No, I shouldn’t have alarmed you like that. I’m sorry.”
Pochi put the fur on the ground and bowed his heads.
“What I wanted to say, was the power of the wolf that was born inside of
you, is growing stronger.”
“Power of the wolf… The God Wolf?”
“Yes. Have you been overusing it recently?”
I thought back and then it hit me.
“The last time I fought a really strong enemy, my eyes hurt terribly and…”
“I knew it… I believe that it’s starting to exceed the limits of a skill and
manifest itself as the power of a monster. Well, that is one reason.”
“One?”
“Another is…my own carelessness.”
Pochi said sadly. Did he do something to me…
“You gained a connection with me, did you not? That caused the power of
the wolf that is inside of you to shift this way.”
Now I understand. The power of the Cerberus caused the shift. Yes, it had
felt very odd. My skills were harder to control. They were running wild.
“Yes, I did feel a change… I think. But it’s not your fault. And I don’t regret
it.”
I said. Pochi laughed.
“Thank you… It eases my mind to hear you say that.”
Yes, yes. I nodded. I had made a good friend, and I wasn’t going to regret
that. Even if it was one of the reasons for this change within me.
“Another reason is the dragon armor and clothes you are wearing. It is
hindering the power.”
“Is that why you want me to wear that fur?”
“Yes. The power is running wild in an attempt to fight against the dragon’s
power. Wearing the skin of my parents will make the flow of power
smoother.”
I looked at the fur again. Pochi’s parents…?
“We arrived in this land some time after my brother’s death. It had plenty of
magic and food. We lived without any worry for a while. However, they
eventually died of old age. I was afraid of being alone. And so I kept their
fur. So something would remain before they returned to the earth.”
“I see…it must have been hard.”
“That’s life. And everything is passed on.”
Pochi pushed the fur towards me.
“Please take them. They will help ease the condition of your body.”
“Thank you, Pochi. But are you sure? It must be very important to you.”
“It’s fine. I want them to go with you. …And my brother as well.”
Pochi said as he turned his back to me. Orthros was strapped to his back.
“My skill and my parent’s skin. And my brother. You will be traveling with
my family, Asagi.”
“Sounds a little crowded.”
“Aye, they will not be lonely now. We like to live in packs. I want them to
live on through you.”
I gently held it to my chest. It was so warm. Like it was filled with affection
towards Pochi and Orthos. At the same time, I somehow felt that I had also
been accepted.
“Thank you. We are family. Family should stick together.”

“Aye, now I have no regrets.”
I stretched out my hand and Pochi pressed his nose against it. It was an odd
feeling.
“I have no skill to do anything with what remains of them. And so I ask you
to take them to a capable craftsman as soon as you can.”
“I will. Thank you, Pochi.”
I pulled away and Pochi stood up. He was a magnificent and imposing beast.
I burned the image into my memory.
“Well, see you again. Brother.”

“Yes, take care!”
“You too, Daniela. Take care of Asagi.”
“Aye, leave it to me. No one else is up to the task.”
That’s an exaggeration. I was very low maintenance.
Pochi nodded happily and then began to run. He moved like the wind until he
vanished in the forest.
Ah, it was a good thing I had been able to talk to him in the end.
However…it was still a shock. I was turning into a monster…well, one might
say I had left the category of human when I became a thrall for a God Wolf.
So the possibility was always there.
“The thrall of a God Wolf…”

“He said that the power has shifted… Perhaps you better tell Rachel about
this?”
“Yeah… And I need to have this skin turned into clothing. That being said,
I’m curious as to what it’s like.”
And so I thrust my hand into the hollow bag and took out the appraisal
glasses. Then I put them on and stared at the fur.
First, the black one. It had golden patterns here and there. Apparently, it was
the father.
‘Horkew Kamuy – The skin of an abnormally evolved being.’

“Ah…”
It was certainly not ordinary. Daniela looked at me with suspicion, but I

ignored her and moved to the white fur. This one had a light silver pattern.
‘Managarmr – The skin of an abnormally evolved being.’

“This one too…”
Abnormally evolved beings were what happened when unique monsters

evolved… It was likely that the rich mana in this place had triggered it. Still,
I felt that it might be too much for me…
“This…”
Losing her patience, Daniela began to look at them with her own glasses.
“Would this not just make matters worse?”

“I don’t know… I guess that’s another thing we’ll have to ask Rachel. I’ll ask
her to make the equipment. Then she can enchant it too.”
“That sounds good.”
I’m sure I’ll get a thrall discount at least.
Ah, now that I think about it. Wearing them would mean taking off the
dragon set I’ve been wearing. Daniela had also switched to a dragon set
recently, but she still wore her old clothes occasionally. The clothes she wore
when we first met. I liked them. Especially how they made her thighs…
No, nevermind that. But it seems like the time had come for me to change as
well. Still, I hoped I wouldn’t have to wear it all of the time. …It would suck
if I couldn’t wear normal clothes.
“Well, our next destination is the island that Lehaty was going to. So we will
likely meet up with Rachel even if we are not rushing.”
“Now that I think about it, it is. I wonder how Lehaty is doing.”
Lehaty loved hot springs. She was currently living with Rachel, but her
original destination had been this island.
She was a beastkin who was also related to wolves. There seemed to be a lot
of wolves around me. The more I thought about it, the less surprising it was
that I was getting closer to them.
Regardless, our next stop was the island to the west. If we continued straight
from here, we would reach the cave that Arthur told us about. After that, it
was the forest and then the sea. Lontos’s boat would likely carry us just fine.
But if it couldn’t, then we would just go and visit Rachel. But I would prefer
to get to travel by boat.
“Well, shall we go?”

“Yes, to the west!”
I said as I pointed dramatically. What awaited us there? Pain…or…?
We were off to a new frontier!
“Asagi, that side is east.”

“…”
And we’re off!

Chapter 357
A Way to Stop It
We got through the cave in a matter of minutes. Perhaps they had used it
several times, because there were magic lanterns installed. After that, we
started to go around the mountain in order to reach the sea of trees.
However, this was harder than expected.
For the first few days, we traveled, rested, and camped with the mountain to
our left side. However, it seemed that no matter how long we walked, the
forest never ended and we weren’t getting any farther from the mountain. I
was reminded of just how ridiculously large it was.
I thought of using Eyes of the God Wolf a few times, but it didn’t seem safe
after hearing what Pochi had said. Who knew what would happen if I
couldn’t control it.
Well, surely it was just a matter of time before the forest ended. That was
what I thought as we walked. And then two full weeks passed.
□ □ □ □
“Asagi. Surely you can use it just a little?”

“No… Well… I am starting to wonder if it’s alright now…”
“But?”
“I would feel like I lost if I give in now.”
“You are a damn idiot.”
It was our fourteenth night since leaving Camelot. I could see Daniela’s
exasperated expression on the other side of the bonfire. At the same time, a
burst of wind magic covered me in sparks.
“Ah! Are you trying to burn me!”

“Dragon armor cannot burn.”
“But I can!”
I said while patting down my clothes. Of course, there wasn’t a single burn
spot on it. And my skin was also untouched.
“How much longer must we be locked up in this forest? Just use it. A little.”
“You can say that because you’ve never found yourself turning into a
monster… It’s quite scary, you know.”
While our conversation was quite lighthearted, I had felt something close to
restlessness during the last two weeks. Like I was being targeted by a giant
wolf from behind. I even dreamed that a wolf attacked me. It was ridiculous,
given that I was a thrall to a God Wolf. Well, maybe if it was one of the
lower wolf monsters…
It was clear that this restlessness and the dreams were causing stress. And it
was only going to get worse. The only solution was to go and see Rachel so I
could have these skins turned into clothing.
However, the sea of trees was vast. And there was no end in sight.
As we wandered through the endless forest, it seemed like the icesnow phase
was ending. There were more monsters as well recently. And this was very
deep in the forest. That meant they were high level and rare.
We even saw the Paralyze Viper. A terrible snake with sharp teeth and
paralysis poison. We were somehow able to fight it off, but it was quite hard
to do it without using my skills.
Especially since I was so used to using Legs of the God Wolf. It was tiring
having to concentrate on sealing it.
Yes, I hadn’t used Eyes of the God Wolf or Legs of the God Wolf since we
left. The last time I used them was when I was hunting in Camelot. I was
scared of that feeling getting stronger. The discomfort. Daniela did not
understand it. But I did not want to become a wolf.
The skill that I had put so much trust in had turned its fangs on me now.
I couldn’t put into words how scared that made me feel.
“…Fine.”
“Daniela…?”
Daniela said in annoyance as she got up and turned away.
“We are going to Rachel. Now.”

“Uh, I’m not…”
“Be quiet!”
I shuddered. I couldn’t remember her being so angry before. Perhaps she had
become sick of how I had been acting. I started to wonder if she would just
leave me here alone.
However, when she turned around to look at me, her eyes were wet.
“If you turn into a monster, I will turn into one as well. But this cannot
continue. This anxiety over what might or might not happen.”
“…”
I didn’t know what to say. I was grateful for her deep affection, but it was
clear that she hated the way I was now. And it was all my fault.
“And so I am taking you to her. We need to deal with this as soon as possible.
And then maybe you will grow a spine again.”
“Daniela… Thank you.”
“Hmph.”
Well, it was like her to say that.
Yes, I was always acting like a coward. Hadn’t that been why I died? I was
scared when we were being robbed. I couldn’t even talk.
It was the same here. Running from goblins and wolves. I was then lucky
enough to get a skill, which led to getting ahead of myself and nearly being
killed by a wyvern.
I had been so hopeless many times, and Daniela had saved me. And here we
were again. It was rather pathetic. Why wasn’t I able to grow?
Well, things could be worse.
What was important was that I was trying every day. As long as I did that, I
should be able to keep up with her somehow.
“Daniela. Give me the key.”

“You do not need me to open it?”
“Yeah. I want to do it.”
I stretched out my hand and Daniela passed me the key. The key that Rachel
had given us. I sent magic into it and pressed it into the air. The tip of the key
disappeared. Then I turned it. There was a click. And the sound of heavy
metal rang as the space opened in front of us.
“I packed everything.”
“Thank you. Let’s go then.”
Daniela had put everything into her hollow bracelet. And then, side by side,
we stepped into the alley.
□ □ □ □
It had been a while since we were last here. It was evening. There were no
crows cawing, but there was a sense of melancholy in the air.
It was late. And so I knocked on the window so as to not alarm them.
“Knock-knock, helllooo!”
“Shut up!”
I had barely finished when the window opened loudly.

It had an antique, wooden frame that was quite atmospheric.
“Hello. Do you have a minute?”

“What’s this? And at such a time… Bah, come in then.”
She was always kind enough to let us in. And so we took off our shoes and
climbed inside. It was a Japanese room. There was a round table and
steaming cups of tea were placed on it. Had they just finished eating dinner?
“So?”
Rachel glared at me with annoyance as she sat down and leaned on her
elbow.
“Well, the thing is… There is something that is seriously bothering me. And
so I have a favor to ask.”
“Hmph…explain.”
Apparently, she sensed that this was important. She straightened her back a
little as if preparing to listen to me. And so I slowly told her about what had
happened.
“…So, Pochi gave me the skin of his parents. But I’m worried that wearing
them could just make matters worse.”
“Well, they won’t do that.”
I leaned forward.
“Re-really!?”
“Hmm. You see, it’s a phenomenon that occurs when you resist a power that
wasn’t originally in you… At least, that’s what I believe. And it seems like
Pochi realized this.”
Rachel said with a nostalgic expression.
“I was a wolf once. But there was nothing to eat up north, and so I ate
monsters. The wolf instincts in me grew even stronger, and I became a
monster. But that still took four to five years. You seem to be going twice as
fast.”
So, that’s how it happened. And it was faster in me. Could my high AGI have
anything to do with that?
“I think it is one of the reasons. After all, there is no AGI status in Japan. You
put on the dragon armor on top of that, and then received the wolf skill. You
resist yourself, your equipment, and your skill… All of those together are
what caused you to start turning into a monster in less than a year.”
“I see…”
Status, equipment, skill. I had thought all of this was just standard stuff. But
it wasn’t for me. And that difference was eating away..
“…Wait a minute. If you knew all of this, why did you not tell him?”
Daniela was quick to ask. But Rachel just stretched her legs as if she were
listening to the wind.
“Becoming my thrall was supposed to repress it for the most part. But from
what I hear, he used the skills like an idiot and nearly killed himself. And
there is the Jack of all Trades skill as well. Master the use of tools by playing
images in your head? Clearly that is not right. Ultimately, you’re fighting
while using images in your brain to make calculations about you and your
opponent’s movements. It is like predicting the future. Even a fool would
know what effect that would have on your brain.”
Rachel snapped back at Daniela’s accusation. I listened, chewed it over, and

realized what I had been doing.
Yes, it was an odd skill. Well, not that I knew much about skills. But I always
thought that I had received this specific skill because when I had been
stabbed, the last thing that was on my mind was regret about the many things
I had been unable to do.
But it was the Nova who brought me here. Did they give skills to everyone
that they summoned?
Well, there was no point in wondering about that. I wouldn’t find the answer.
And so I pushed that aside and turned to face Rachel.
“I had heard things about the skill. Using it so recklessly as you have was
bound to have consequences. Of course, it would be a different story if you
want to become a monster wolf like me.”
“I…don’t.”
I wasn’t sure if that was rude to say in front of her, but it was the truth.
Daniela was already starting to say that she would turn as well. I didn’t want
that.
“Well, I’m not surprised. That’s why I told Yasushi to avoid overuse of his
skill. Of course, he hasn’t received any skills from monsters, so he is not
really in danger.”
“So, is there no hope for Asagi?”
She wasn’t holding back… I felt like a patient who was about to hear the
doctor’s prognosis.
“Once it starts, there is likely no way to reverse it. But you can make it
smoother. I told you. The cause of it all is when powers repel each other.”
“So, if I wear these skins, the flow of power will become smooth?”
I glanced at the skins that were spread out on the floor.
“The repulsion between dragon and wolf will be gone. Then you should be
able to use the skill without problem. And you must renew your contract with
me. It will strengthen your connection as a thrall of a God Wolf. Kind of like
overwriting the promise with the Deep Wolf.”
“But wouldn’t that mean my promise with Pochi…”
“Don’t worry. It’s just going to make the priority clearer. The rest is up to
you.”
That was good. I wanted to maintain that connection.
“That way, the power of the God Wolf will erase the other repelling forces.
The mutation will not advance. If anything, your power will increase. Hmm.
It’s killing two birds with one stone.”
“Not the words I would have used here…”
I had been wondering if I was going to die. A little extra power didn’t mean
much.
“Well, there it is. Now, give me those skins. I will make them wearable for
you. And I’ll even add an enchantment.”
“Thank you…that will be a great help!”
“Hmph. It’s not the least bit pleasing hearing such words from the likes of
you!”
Rachel turned her nose away as I bowed. Daniela thanked her as well.
“Now, get out of my house! This will require that I work late into the night.
But it should be ready by morning.”
“Alright! Daniela, let’s go.”
“Aye. Thank you, Rachel. Thank you so much for helping him.”
“I told you to leave!”
Rachel’s ears looked a little red as she pushed us towards the window. I
frantically grabbed my shoes and jumped out.
“Ah, wo-woah…!”
It had been a while since I felt this. The feeling of falling into the sky. I hated
it.
“Ah, Asagi!”
Daniela reached out to grab my arm. However, the power pulling me into the
sky was stronger. From the corner of my eye, I could see Rachel laughing.
“N-nooooo…”
“Ahhhhhhhhh…”
As Rachel waved, our screams echoed in the red sky. And then I lost
consciousness.
Chapter 358
Gleipnir
Even through my dreams, I could feel the sensation of someone attacking my

cheeks. I brushed them aside, turned over, and rolled into a defensive ball.
And yet the enemy persisted in their relentless assault. Ugh, why didn’t they
understand? I wanted to sleep…
“…Hey. Asagi! Get up!”

“Wah?!”
Slap! The blow landed heavily on my back, and I jumped up. My mind was
quite clear though, and sensing an enemy attack, my hand reached for my
belt. But there was no sword there.
My body was still tired, but I forced my eyes wide open and scanned the area.
“Huh…? Where am I…”
A blue sea spread out before me. White clouds. Beautiful sand. And behind
me, a mountain. Smoke could be seen rising from its peak.
We were clearly on an island.
□ □ □ □
Daniela had already been awake, and when I asked her what had happened,
she said that she too had awakened to find herself on this beach. It was quite
dangerous. We could have easily been attacked by humans or monsters.
“Well, it is almost certainly the work of Rachel.”

“There’s no other explanation…”
That ill-natured wolf had launched us into the sky for no reason. And we had
been teleported unconscious to this beach. We had been in the sea of trees
before that. Who knew how much longer that journey would have taken? And
now we were on the island.
But I had been looking forward to traveling by boat…
Well, it was no use. We were here now, and it wasn’t as if I would want to go
back in order to travel more conventionally. Funny how your mind works.
“Now that I think about it, she did say that she would be finished by
morning…”
“But I don’t see her anywhere.”
“I am right here.”
“Woah?!’
She hadn’t been here a moment ago, but I suddenly heard her voice from
behind me.
My hand clutched my chest as I took in a deep breath in order to calm myself.
“What an exaggeration.”
“You really shouldn’t do that. I’m already in a bad mood.”
“Hmph. And to think I came all this way to bring you something that would
make you feel better.”
Rachel said as she pushed a box into my hands. I hesitantly accepted it and
looked inside. It was filled with clothes and armor.
“This…”
“Yes. Your new equipment. I call it the ‘Super Ultra Hyper Miracle Fenrir
Set’!”
“That’s just stupid.”
I wasn’t going to wear something with that kind of name.
“Hmph. Then just call it Gleipnir and be done with it.”

“Sure thing. Anyway, where did this armor come from? I just gave you wolf
skins.”
“And that’s why you should be grateful. I made it out of materials specially
selected from my storage. Of course, they are wolf materials. There wasn’t
much, so it’s not a full set of armor…”
I see. I was indeed grateful… Though, her name for it still sucked.
In any case, I took the items out of the box. The clothes were black and had a
smooth texture. It reminded me of clothes I used to wear back home…
“How were you able to make this out of leather?”

“It’s a trade secret.”
“Sure it is…”
“It’s taken me hundreds of years. Why would I share it so freely?”
I suppose so. Hundreds of years, huh…?

Regardless, they were great. They fit my body perfectly, and the lack of
sleeves meant it was easy to move in. It had a high neck as well.
When I turned it over, I saw that a crest had been painted on the back. It was
the profile of a rather intimidating wolf. A fenrir, perhaps. The idea of having
a visible God Wolf on my back made me a little nervous.
I folded it and looked at the other stuff. Hmm. These were the trousers. They
looked like ordinary trousers, but they were made by Rachel. Surely there
was something unique about them.
“Well, those are ordinary trousers. Though, they should be durable, as they
were made from wald wolf materials.”
“Aren’t wald wolves a subspecies of forest wolves? I thought they were
really rare.”
I was reminded of Marco from Dana village. That friendly monster was a
forest wolf mutant. I doubted there were so many that they could just be
turned into clothes…
“Ahh… This isn’t just about wald wolves, but I went through a phase where I
hated the fact I was born as a wolf so much, that I spent my days hunting
other wolves down. I used quite a bit of those materials on this occasion.”
“What a grim past…”
“Do you want to be reborn as a wolf? Eh?”
“No thanks.”
Yes, she had been through a lot. Even when we joked, there was a deep
darkness that I could sense. Still, I was the one benefiting from it now, so I
would appreciate it.
The next thing I picked up were pants with holes in them. The hell?
“Is this unfinished?”

“You idiot. They’re called chaps. They are to protect your legs. …Have you
never seen a western?”
“Ah…oh…oh..! I see!”
Now I remember. Those things that gunslingers wore. I believe they were for
horseback riding. Was she saying that I was so bad at protecting my lower
half? How rude.
“You put these on over those pants.”
Extra defenses below the waist. This was rather unexpected.
“This isn’t to raise your defense ability. It’s for protection against your skill.”
“My skill… So they don’t break or tear?”
“Yes. You tore up your dragon trousers before, didn’t you? Don’t worry, it
won’t happen with these.”
I see. So it was to protect me from my skill. It had nothing to do with…

anything else. Of course, not.
“And there is more. For your waist.”
What came out next was a waist mantle that was made of iron ore and
monster materials.
“You don’t look right without one of these, and so I made it. Be grateful.”
“Ah, thank you!”
She had prepared something I was very fond of. It was practically part of my
identity at this point. It was like a belt that I could wrap around over my
pants. There was a piece of armor that covered my thigh on the right side, and
on the left, there was a leather belt to hang my sword on. I liked that each
side was different. It looked cool.
“I used a belt there so it can be adjusted depending on what kind of sword
you are using. It should be easy enough to use.”
“I see. You sure put a lot of thought into this…”
This was good, as I preferred having my weapons on my belt, rather than in

the hollow bag.
And there was a tail in the back. Of course, it served no purpose other than
decoration. It was cute. It reminded me of those key chains that people used
to hang on their bags.
“Yes, it was the trend when I was young. Though, I would never do such a
thing myself.”
“Hmm…”
I suppose she had been the more cynical type. But then again, judging by
how she was now, she had probably been a huge nerd. So it wasn’t hard to
imagine.
“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”

“Not at all. Is this it then?”
“No, there are still the gauntlets and the jacket. Also the shoes. That’s all.”
The gauntlets were leather with metal plates. They were long gloves that
were open at the fingertips. Of course, there was no fur on the palms.
The jacket had been made with leftover materials, as she thought I would be
cold. It didn’t have a hood like the wind dragon poncho had, which was a
little sad, but it looked great otherwise.
The boots were also black leather. They had laces and turned out to be
incredibly comfortable. My feet felt firm when walking over the sand, as it
had a good grip.
“Well, that’s all then. It seems that the size was right…”
“Why do you not try them on?”
“…Huh? Now?”
But we were out on the beach.

“I am already bored of seeing whatever it is you have to show.”
“Who cares? No one’s here.”
“You know, I’m quite hurt by these comments.”
“Just shut up and get changed.”
As that made things worse, I took the box and rushed to the nearby forest to
quietly change in private.
□ □ □ □
After I was done, I picked up the box and walked out of the forest. It felt
quite comfortable. It was almost eerie how well it fitted. When had she taken
measurements? Perhaps it was some secret art that only the fenrir had.
However, my lower half had been a bit of a nightmare. There were too many
belts. It was clear what kind of tastes she had. And while it was difficult, it
did feel right, and I could see how carefully it had been crafted. But most
importantly, the nerd in me just thought it looked cool.
I pushed my way through the grass and returned to Daniela and Rachel. They
had brought out a table and were drinking tea. There were even some scones
on the table that looked delicious.
“Give me one.”
“Mm.”
Daniela pushed the plate towards me, and so I grabbed one and stuffed it into
my mouth. It had a mild, sweet flavour and was very good.
“It looks good.”

“Of course, it does. I made it.”
“Mmmggg…mmgg… Yeah, it’s great. Thanks, Rachel.”
“Hmph.”
She could never just take a compliment. My master could be rather cute.
When I was finished eating, Daniela gave me a cup of tea. It was hot black
tea. Perfect for scones.
“Well, since you’re finished changing, I should tell you about the
enchantments.”
“I’ve been waiting for this!”
“But first…here.”
Rachel placed a single bracelet in front of me.
“It’s a hollow bracelet.”

“Huh? Really?”
“These things with dimension magic. I just made them to make money for the
road. It’s nothing to me. I could easily make more.”
Now I had one like Daniela! I had actually been quite jealous of hers.
“I think you would look better without that bag. Of course, it’s up to you if
you want to change.”
“Hmm. The bracelet is more efficient…but I’m quite attached to the bag as
well…”
It was a gift from Russell. And it even had the little doll I got from Merica
attached to it.
“I didn’t say you have to throw it away. Just put it inside of the bracelet.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.”
I put the bracelet on and touched the bag that was on the table in order to
store it. You served me well. Now it’s time to get some rest.
“There is no point unless you take the contents out first.”

“…I’ll do that later.”
“Alright, I’ll tell you about the enchantments then.”
That was important. I straightened my posture and perked up my ears.

Chapter 359
The Hot Spring Town with Red Roofs
I sat down and listened to what Rachel had to say.
“Let me say this first. Don’t tell anyone about the enchantments.”
“Got it.”
Now I was a little worried about what she had done.
“I have only added one enchantment.”

“Just one?”
I had been expecting her to add them to every item…
“It is called, ‘Godspeed.’”

“Godspeed…”
A word that I had thought of often, but never used. It seemed like a realm I
would never reach. I may be a thrall to a God Wolf, and I may be turning into
a monster, but I was still a human at heart.
“I have only done it once before, and it was also with an item made from
wolf materials. Well, it was my own tail that had been torn off. But it was a
very long time ago, and I threw it away, since it seemed dangerous. After I
disguised it, that is.”
“I don’t think you should throw away dangerous things…”
Surely there would be people that were desperate to find it.
“Don’t worry. I lied and said that it was just double AGI. No one will know.”
“…That sounds familiar.”
“Asagi, it is that thing. From Spiris.”
Spiris…? ….Ahhh!!
“Do you mean the white shirt!?”
“Oh. Uh, yes… How did you know?”
“I tried it on…”
“Whaaat!?”
The white shirt from the Paw Armor shop in Spiris. It had an AGI x 2
enchantment. I remember it being incredibly comfortable to wear. Yes, just
like what I was wearing now…
“I thought it was strange. My stats weren’t so great that doubling them should
allow me to move like that. It was almost teleportation.”
“Well, it wasn’t double AGI, that’s why.”
“You should just burn it next time!”
“I didn’t want to. Besides, I was rather proud of it. It would have been a great
waste…”
“Asagi. May I punch her?”
“You better not. She’s really strong.”
The fact was, she had unleashed something very dangerous into the world.
And I knew it from my own experience. Not only was it dangerous, but it was
also very valuable.
Well, it was already out there. And I doubted there was anyone who could
use it properly, so I would have to keep tabs on it. I felt like it was my
responsibility now.
“This time, I had to combine all of the materials in order to do this one
enchantment. Godspeed. Do you know how to use it?”
“It was a while ago, but I think I remember.”
The only reason I had been able to use it back then was probably because I
had been a thrall of the Forest Wolf. Surely it would be much easier now.
“Hmm. Also, the enchantment will not work if even one piece of the set is
missing. So be careful.”
I looked down and made a fist. This would surely protect me. I would not
turn into a monster now. That meant that it was protecting Daniela as well.
I had to be thankful to Pochi and Rachel. They saved me.
“Thank you, Rachel. I’ll take good care of it.”

“Mmm.”
She nodded with satisfaction. Daniela also smiled happily.
“It’s good that you knew about Godspeed, as I don’t have to explain
anymore. Well, I’m going back to my home then.”
“Home?”
“Indeed. Lehaty and I live on this island. I always wanted to have a natural
hot spring.”
It was the dream, wasn’t it? I had been expecting to meet Lehaty when
coming here. I knew that Rachel had helped her reach her destination, but I
was relieved to find out that she was actually living here now.
Once that was done, we would go off to find the key. The key that had been
sealed away in an ancient elven ruin that lay somewhere on this island. That
was our true purpose for being here. It was something that I would have to
talk to Rachel about later.
“So, where is this house?”

“Over there.”
Rachel answered Daniela as she pointed. It was the forest, but on closer
inspection, there was a path that went through it. Apparently, it led to their
house.
“Alright. Follow me.”
□ □ □ □
I looked around as we walked down the path through the trees, but there was
no snow in sight. The icesnow phase had ended completely. Though, I wasn’t
sure if it even snowed on this island in the first place.
“No, it does snow. But it ends very quickly. This place is quite warm
compared to the rest of the continent.”
“Hmm. So it’s like a southern island, only it’s on the west side.”
While I didn’t see any hibiscus flowers, it had been a while since I was able
to enjoy warmth like this. I did like the quietness and freshness of the winter
air as well, but there was something special about warm weather. There was a
relaxing, lazy air.
As we continued, we reached a mountain path. It slowly grew steeper, and I

began to sweat.
“Phew… It really is quite hot…”
I took off my jacket and put it into the bracelet. It really was useful.
“Eventually, you will be able to store your jacket without taking it off.”
“Can you do that, Daniela?”
“No, not yet.”
I see. It had been a while since she received it from the emperor, but she was
not at that point yet. Well, I would probably not take so long. After all, I had
Jack of all Trades.
And so I activated the skill that I had been avoiding ever since Pochi’s
revelation. It had been a while since I last had images appear in my brain like
this. They showed me raising both of my arms.
As I continued to watch, I swung down with my empty hands. And just like
that, the great sword was in my hands.
“Hohoho… Interesting.”
“?”
Daniela looked at me with a puzzled expression, but I continued to watch.

My hands let go of the hilt, and then the sword disappeared. It must have
been stored. And then my left hand moved towards my belt in a smooth arc,
and my right hand grabbed the air near my belt.
Without missing a beat, my right hand swung outward. I knew what would
happen. My right hand was holding White Blade – Tenko.
“I see. So that’s how it works.”

“Ah, Jack of all Trades?”
I copied the movements in the footage and was able to recreate it. While I
couldn’t swap my equipment on the fly, I could still put it away and bring out
another one. My arms were currently equipped with the Thrust Bear
Gauntlets. The ones I had used while guarding the mansion. It was cool how
the claws shot out.
“Asagi. Teach me how to do that.”

“Uhh, like this. You just concentrate on the bracelet and…”
And so I changed it back to the gauntlet that Rachel had made, and then tried
to teach Daniela. She had received hers first, and yet here we were… It was
all thanks to Jack of all Trades, Master of None.
As we walked behind Rachel and talked, we reached a crossroads. You could

go straight, or left or right. There was a lamppost here that just reeked of
civilization.
“This way.”
Rachel said as she turned right without hesitation. The road was wider here.
Wide enough for carriages to pass through. The dirt was hardened under our
feet. But there were no tracks from wheels.
Around us, there was grass that had been cut short. Thanks to this, there were
no monsters in sight. They had no place to hide here. That was a big
difference compared to a place like Fhiraldo. I still remember the chill that
ran down my spine when seeing wolves hiding behind some bushes.
“Mmm…”
“Oh, good. Good.”
I cheered Daniela as she changed her equipment by using the hollow bracelet.
Just then I saw that someone was walking down the path from the opposite
direction. The first person we encountered on the island.
“Oh, Miss Rachel. Is Miss Lehaty not with you today?”

“Mmm. Lehaty is at home. I’m taking these people there right now.”
“I see. Hello, travelers. I hope that you enjoy your stay.”
The old woman smiled at us gently, before continuing on her way down the
road. I suppose she had business by the sea.
After she was gone, we went down the road while looking at the lampposts. It
was easy to walk here, and we reached the town in just five minutes.
“This is the town.”

“It’s a town, but the water is always flowing through?”
“Yes. The water is warmed underground through the magma in that
mountain. With just a little work, you can create a town around it.”
A little work… Sure. I was starting to think that anything was possible if
Rachel was involved.
I could now see the town quite clearly. The buildings had very eye-catching
roofs made of red tiles. I wasn’t sure if it was a good match for hot springs, as
I didn’t know anything about architecture, but it was all very beautiful to look
at.
“This is where I live. The hot spring town with red roofs. Fuscus.”
Rachel announced as she turned around and spread her arms wide.
Fuscus, the town on the remote island.
So, what kind of town would this be? I couldn’t wait to find out.
Chapter 360
Rachel’s House and About the Ancient Elves
While it was a remote island, there seemed to be a lot of people in Fuscus.

Perhaps they were tourists who were here for the hot spring.
“Indeed. A boat regularly arrives from Lambrusen. The wealthy like to stay
here in order to escape the cold during the icesnow phase. There are many
nobles from the capital city of Soul Soleil, where I work as a palace
magician…”
Though Rachel added that most of the people here were retired and in hiding.
Of course, there were island residents as well, but it made me a little nervous
to think that there were nobles mixed in with them. I was a humble
Adventurer who disliked important people.
However, once she brought it up, it wasn’t hard to make them out. After all,
most of them had servants accompanying them. For instance, there was an
old man who was walking with a swordsman behind him. And they were
clearly not related.
I tried not to lose sight of Rachel as we pushed our way through the current
of people, while taking in the sights. The red roofs were really eye-catching.
It reminded me of the storage houses I had seen in a port town a long time
ago. There was something whimsical about red bricks.
“We’ll make a turn into this alley.”
Rachel said. It looked like a path between two inns. There were a lot inns
here, which wasn’t a surprise.
Once we were inside the alley, we could see steam rising from drains and
open windows. The air was humid and quite hot. This was how far the water
flowed.
Well, even if there were a lot of inns, wouldn’t the quality of the water be the
same everywhere…? I suppose they would have to compete with the quality
of service.
It was with much interest that I took in the sights of all the inns we would not
be staying at. And when we were through, a row of even more red brick
buildings lay before us. Like the others, these seemed to have a lot of
windows.
And then it hit me. Was this a housing complex?
“Is this like an apartment?”

“Nothing like that… Well, maybe just a little.”
“What is that?”
Daniela was not familiar with the word. It seemed like I would often forget
that when Rachel was around. I had to be more considerate.
“Uh, that’s what they call them. You know, over there.”
“Ah, I see. Perhaps these bricks allow you to build inns with so many
rooms.”
No, clearly wood was being used too. But maybe they were more durable
than most buildings. I was suddenly reminded of the three little piggies.
Hmm, amusing. Only a God Wolf lived in this little brick house. I suppose
the pigs lost after all.
We entered the building that was next to the one we first saw. This one
somehow looked a little more intricate in structure. It had more angles and
the entrance had a frame made with white bricks. The windows were also
quite large. I wondered how much the rent was.
“Now, stop staring and come inside.”
She scolded. And so Daniela and I looked back down and rushed towards
Rachel with embarrassed expressions.
□ □ □ □
We climbed up the stairs that went up along the side of the building until we
reached the third floor. There were three rooms, the first being number 301.
That wasn’t a lot, but I suppose it had to do with keeping the building strong.
“I live in 303.”
“I guess even God Wolves live in apartment buildings.”
“When in Rome.”
“Yeah…”
Well, she certainly seemed less intimidating now. But I suppose it was only
natural for her to live here, since she was with Lehaty now. I would feel bad
if Lehaty had to live deep in the mountains somewhere, just because Rachel
was a God Wolf.
Rachel unlocked the door and stepped inside. I was about to follow her, but
she stopped me.
“Wait a minute. I didn’t tell Lehaty that you were coming, and we have to
clean up a little.”
“Uh, fine.”
This was a sudden visit, so it couldn’t be helped. Besides, Rachel could use
dimension magic, so it shouldn’t take too long. The only problem was
whether or not Lehaty would allow it.
She was an incredibly shy person. And though we had gotten to know her
better, it had been a while…and maybe it was different when inviting
someone into your love nest.
Well, such worries were uncalled for. The door swung open, and Lehaty was
there to greet us.
“It’s been too long, Mister Asagi. Miss Daniela. Please come inside.”
“Hello, Lehaty. You look well.”
“Hello. Thank you for having us.’
The entrance was made in a Japanese style. When I took off my shoes,
Daniela did the same.
“It was like this in Cath Palug. I will have to get used to this tradition.”
“Well, it’s not exactly common.”
“But I do find it quite relaxing to walk without shoes. So I have no
complaints.”
Daniela might fit in rather well if she did ever go to Japan. …Except that
would never happen.
There was a hallway right in front of us and several doors. I suppose they
were the bathroom and shower. Rachel had boasted about how the natural hot
spring water was drawn through the town. Was it true for this apartment as
well? Maybe there was a pump. I didn’t know much about what kind of
technology they had here.
Lehaty took us straight to the room in the back. And immediately after,
Rachel came in with a tray and some cups.
“Well, just sit down. You’ve been quite busy recently, so you should get
some rest.”
“Thank you. Since you insist…”
I sat down and took a sip. The tea was…delicious.
“I haven’t had green tea in a very long time.”

“They have black tea. I’m sure you just weren’t looking hard enough.”
“I wouldn’t say that…”
I’d been around quite a lot of markets and never saw any green tea. The
culture was just too different, perhaps. And maybe past Heroes had no
interest in that. Or the people didn’t care for it.
“Well, I grew these myself back in Lambrusen. So it’s not on the market.”
“Huh… You really can do anything.”
“You exagerate.”
Right… But this tea really was good. I suppose I really missed tea from
home.
I glanced over to Daniela, but she was drinking it normally. It would be on
the bitter side, but it didn’t seem to bother her.
“This is quite different from black tea. But I enjoy it.”

“Oh? If it is enough to be drinkable to an elf, then I know I’m doing
something right. Now, drink more.”
Rachel was in a good mood now as she refilled Daniela’s cup. Lehaty was
sitting in front of me and smiling at this exchange.
“What have you been doing all this time, Lehaty?”

“I’ve been living with Rachel. I keep the place clean, do the shopping, take
naps, take baths. It is so much fun.”
“It’s good that you’re enjoying this place.”
She had wanted to come for a long time. And she was here with Rachel now.
Daniela and I were like rootless trees. But looking at Lehaty and Rachel, it
made me think that staying in one place might not be a terrible idea.
However, that would not be for a while. There were things we needed to do
first.
“Yes, yes. I haven’t asked you about your reason for traveling.”
“There wasn’t any reason at all in the beginning. But there is now.”
“Aye. We are traveling in order to stop the Nova. A magic relic of the ancient
elves.”
“Hmm… That’s right.”
Rachel knew about what had happened in Reserentrible. She had been there,
after all.
However, we hadn’t told her about Estartosta, the underground city, or the
ruin in the sea of forest, Urbesertrus.
It was in Estarosta that we learned about the key. In Urbesertrus we learned

of the third key and the experiments they were conducting.
I told all of this to Rachel.

“Reincarnation…hmm…they wanted to summon a god…”
“Do gods even exist?”
“Information about the world of gods has been found in the past, in the
writings of ancient elves. But there is not much to go on.”
Apparently, Rachel believed that they did.
“Did you know that the elves once ruled this world?”
“Yeah. Like a thousand years ago.”
“Indeed. And do you know why there are currently so few elves and so many
humans?”
“Why…is that?”
“The elves fell because of the gods.”
Daniela stiffened.
“Is that true?”

“Aye. I’ve read about it in the forbidden texts in the palace. They are quite
reliable.”
I had heard about the forbidden texts in the palace before. A man in Fhiraldo
used to manage them… I didn’t expect to hear about that again here.
“Well, not completely. It was just the ancient elves.”

“What do you mean?’
“You, Daniela. Why are you and other elves here, if the ancient elves are
gone?”
“…?”
“Because the gods remade you, that’s why.”
The gods had killed most of the ancient elves and remade them into light
elves. Those elves then spread out and created their own tribes. And as they
mixed with other races, they gave birth new breeds of elves.
However, they were rejected by the light elves, who were seen as direct
descendants of the ancient elves.
“…That’s how the current elves came to be. It was all recorded in a book
called the ‘Origin of Elves.’ It was written by an elf who lived for six
hundred years.”
“I see… I wonder if Adlus knew about that.”
The reason that he was fixated on his own kind. This pride of being an
ancient elf had resulted in him looking down at the others.
“He probably did not want to tell you.”

“Huh?”
“Lemon was with us, and she is a gray elf. Had he not made himself look
terrible enough in our eyes already? And we had only just made peace.”
“…I guess.”
There was no point in talking about it now.
“…In any case, there are no more ancient elves. They got too close to the
gods and were destroyed. …So, do you understand how dangerous things are
now?”
“Yeah.”
I didn’t matter if it was done by some magic device. The gods would not be
merciful. And the various elves that existed now might be annihilated.
That would likely include Daniela.
“The Nova have continued to connect to the world of gods. And every time
they failed, they ended up summoning people from other worlds. We were
trying to stop that, but things keep getting bigger…”
“There are gods. But it’s incredibly dangerous to try and summon them…
Even I don’t know what would happen.”
Both Rachel and I folded our arms and groaned. Lehaty was the only one that
looked puzzled.
“I don’t fully understand what is happening… But I do not want you two to
disappear. You helped someone like me. You accepted me. I don’t want to
lose you.”
Her hands were clenched together as if in prayer. Rachel wrapped her own
around them gently.
“There’s no need for you to worry about it. I gave him the equipment I
worked so hard on. And they are both strong. They won’t die so easily.”
“Rachel… Yes, you’re right. They are both capable.”
Daniela and I nodded at each other. We would fight and win.
“Well, we should eat soon. Lehaty, could you prepare it? I am quite
exhausted.”
“Hehe. I know. It will only take a minute. I hope you two stay and eat with
us.’
I didn’t want to intrude any further…
“Of course.”
“You’re not even going to hesitate? Well, yeah, I’ll eat too then.”
“Hehe. Just wait one moment.”
I was pretty hungry, after all. I guess I could enjoy more of this tea while we
waited for Lehaty to bring the food.
Chapter 361
Ogre Nest
“Still… Kimon is quite…”

“You know something?”
We continued our conversation as we waited for Lehaty.

Rachel reacted when she heard of our next destination, Kimon. Or Facility 2.
“There is a legend of ogres living on this island a long time ago.”

“Ogres?”
Daniela seemed puzzled.
“Ah, I’ve heard stories of ogres living on the farthest island… Maybe it was
here?’
I think it was in Fhiraldo… It had come up when Daniela and I were talking
about hair color. A race that had the same hair color as me… Did they still
exist?
“No, no such thing has been confirmed, unfortunately. But then again, it is
said that they have long lives, like the elves, so perhaps… Well, that is not
important to us now.”
I waited as Rachel paused to drink from her cup.
“Regardless, there are traces of such ogres having lived in caves on this
island. And there are rumors of a treasure hidden there.”
“A treasure… Well, that ought to attract Adventurers.”
“Exactly. There is no end to such people coming all of the way here. Some
people say that the treasure is silver and gold, while others say it is weapons
and armor. Personally, I have no idea what it is.”
Ogres… It made me think of metal clubs. But perhaps they fought with
swords as well.
“Regardless, there are many ruins around the back of the island. So you will
likely find your facility there. After all, it is called Kimon.”
“…Ah, right.”
Kimon could be written as ‘Ogre Gate.’ So it would make sense for it to be

close to a place that ogres lived.
“Still, why is there an ancient eleven ruin in a place that demons once lived?”
Well, we didn’t actually know if it was still there.
“I don’t know. Perhaps the elves built it long after the demons were gone.
Perhaps it was good because of the amount of mana that was there.”
Indeed, mana was important when building a facility. After all, the network
that the Karma used was connected to the dragon vein. It was quite possible
this island was close to it. It was something I’d have to investigate.
“Alright, I suppose the first step would be to find this place that these ogres
once lived.”
“Well, it is called the Ogre Nest.”
“Ogre Nest. I see…”
I was slightly relieved to know that we would likely find Kimon if we

searched in this nest. It was a lot better than having to find it without any hint
at all.
“The food is ready!”
After that, we ate what Lehaty had prepared for us. It was similar to Japanese
food. The kind that Rachel would like. And it tasted great.
□ □ □ □
After filling our bellies, we left Rachel and headed for the Adventurer’s
Guild. It seemed like a good idea to let them know we were here, or it could
lead to trouble later on. We meant to be quite active during our time here,
after all.
The guild wasn’t located in the hot spring town, but in a different town that
was about an hour away on foot.
I was called Relcul, and unlike the other town, the buildings all had blue
roofs. Apparently, this place was mostly populated by Adventurers.
According to Rachel, once rumors of an ogre treasure started to circulate,

many Adventurers came to this island and caused trouble. That led to the
founding of this new town.
“As for why they went to such lengths, well, it’s because the Adventurers
angered the nobles. This town has so many of them. They say that you can
throw a rock and hit multiple nobles at once. And these nobles wanted the
Adventurers out. Enough to pay for that other town.”
It was an interesting story. And these Adventurers must have been very bold.
I would have to be careful when meeting them. It was with such thoughts that
we entered the town of Relcul.
□ □ □ □
As for the town… Ah… Unfortunately, it felt about as barbarous as I was

expecting. The architecture was similar to the other town, and with a
beautiful blue color scheme. Except, everything just seemed dirtier and
darker.
“It looks like the nobles have not touched it once they detained the
Adventurers.”
“Don’t say detained…”
Are we prisoners now? Well, it almost seemed fitting, though.
“You bastard!”
“Arrrghh!!”
Even now, someone was being hit over the head with a bottle in some
random corner of the town. At least I didn’t see anyone die yet. No pools of
blood…
In spite of all that, there was still a guild here. And the first thing we wanted
to do was to find it. But there was no guarantee that we could do it safely.
How annoying…
“Oh? Is that Mister Asagi and Miss Daniela that I see?”
It was a clear, soft voice that did not match such a town. Daniela and I spun
around and saw a beautiful woman who had a white rapier on her belt.
“You. You are Light Dew. Levee Badi?”

“That’s right, Light Wind. I have not seen you since the Imperial Sword
Tournament.”
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Miss Levee.”
“My, that level of formality is quite off putting, Silver Green.”
Something told me that she was doing this on purpose. In fact, the pair who
had been fighting earlier were now looking at us. And there were others who
watched with surprise.
“I think that’ll keep them in check.”

“I’m not so sure.”
“Don’t worry, I have plenty of experience in that regard.”
Levee added that she had beaten people half to death. It seemed like she was
as horrifying as before.
Light Dew was an A-Rank Adventurer with an alias. Apparently, her rapier
could strike through falling dew. Not only that, but she could use advanced
ice magic.
We had been able to witness her skill during the tournament. She was a good
match for Daniela. That had been quite a fight. Levee was a war junkie, while
Daniela was quiet and composed. And they had not held back at all.
And now Levee was here.

“Oh, I could not help but be lured by this ogre treasure… After all, I heard
that it has to do with thunder magic.”
“Thunder magic?”
But Levee and I were users of ice magic. What use did she have for artifacts
related to thunder magic…
Not even Daniela used that.
“Well, I would put it up for auction in the imperial city.”

“Ah…”
Levee said with a mischievous grin. I nodded. Things that you couldn’t use
could be sold at a high price. That was the right thing to do.
“Yes, I can only imagine what those fools will pay. Hehe.”
“You are quite evil.”
“But she does have a point.”
There was always someone who could use what you couldn’t. And we would
get money. Win-win?
“Well, we’re not here for the treasure.”

“Oh, is that right?”
“Yeah. Though, we will be visiting the Ogre Nest.”
Levee pondered this for a moment. She was quite pretty when she wasn’t
saying horrible things. Or being obsessed with fighting. She was the type of
person that you wanted to be very careful when around.
“Well, I should stop pestering you then. But don’t hesitate to pass the treasure
on to me if you do find it.”
“You have some nerve…I’ll consider it.”
“If we even find anything.”
“Yes, I have no expectations whatsoever. Goodbye, then.”
Levee gave a slow bow and then walked away in the direction of the
mountain. Judging by the flow of Adventurers, the Ogre Nest was towards
the mountains. The main street in the town also stretched in that direction
until it reached a gate. This gate was also made of blue bricks.
After seeing Levee off, Daniela and I headed for the tallest building. The
impression I continued to receive from the town was that it was quite filthy.
There just seemed to be piles of mysterious garbage everywhere…
“I suppose no one ever cleans.”

“There must be someone…”
But it clearly wasn’t enough. Clothes said a lot about a person, and a town
said a lot about its people. The Adventurers here were a rough sort. There
were a lot of bars and fights seemed to be taking place in a lot of them.
It was no wonder Levee had had a rough time.
“Hey, lady. Why don’t you come and have a drink.”
Came voices, in spite of the fact that I was walking next to her. Daniela just
ignored them. But that often had bad results when it came to drunkards.
“Hey, you have some nerve to ignore me!”

“Hahh…”
Bam! The bald-headed man slammed his mug on the table. Daniela sighed
with undisguised annoyance.
“Come on. It is not worth it.”

“Yeah…”
“You should leave that wimp and come over here!”
I was angry now, but it seemed childish to react. And so we both pretended
like we couldn’t hear.
“Tsk. You cowards can’t even reply!”
The man and his friends burst into laughter. Stuff like this had happened
plenty of times before. And sometimes they had resulted in us kicking their
asses and freezing them. But we were in a hurry.
“These newcomers are all the same… AHHhhh!!!?”
I was just about to sigh in relief at leaving them behind. There was a loud
gust of wind and a hoarse scream. I looked back and saw that their table and
chairs had been flipped over. Of course, that meant their food and drinks had
spilled everywhere as well. There was even the remnant of a salad on the
man’s head. It suited him.
“Hey, Daniela…”
“I did absolutely nothing.”
“Huh? You didn’t use wind magic just now…”
“They are hardly worth the effort. Still, I wonder who it was…”
It had been quite a shock to everyone, and eyes shot back and forth in hopes
of finding out who did it. However, the culprit was not to be found. And
Presence Detection was no use in a place like this.
Ultimately, someone blamed the table for being badly made. And the
Adventurers stormed away angrily.
As we didn’t want to be blamed for it, we had made a visible effort to find
the culprit, but that ended in failure.
□ □ □ □
While the whole thing wasted us a good fifteen minutes, we soon arrived at
our destination. It was a large building with a blue roof and a sign that read:
Relcul Branch.
It was rather spacious inside, but seemed about as orderly as the rest of the
town. It was packed too.
As always, we took a look at the quest board. I thought that perhaps you
needed to accept some quest in order to enter the Ogre Nest…but I didn’t see
anything like that.
“I wonder how we can get in?”

“Hmm… We better ask.”
And so I found myself standing at the ‘Questions & Other’ counter.
Thankfully, there wasn’t a line for it.
“Excuse me, we are trying to go to the Ogre Nest.”

“The Ogre Nest, yes. Just go straight down the main road until you see the
blue gate to the right. You can’t miss it…”
“Oh. Uh, you don’t need permission, then?”
We had come all this way here because we assumed that the guild would
want to manage everything… But the guild worker just looked at us
curiously.
“No, you are free to enter as you please.”

“So… No records or anything?”
“No records. Let them march off to their deaths if they wish.”
“Uh…”
It was rather severe and callus… But I suppose that was their stance here.
Don’t blame us if you die.
“I see. Thanks for your help.”

“Not at all. Be safe.”
She was polite, but cool. In any case, we had wasted even more time in
coming here…
“Well, we might as well update our status cards then?”

“…Ah. That’s right. My level might have gone up since I fought the Blue
Dragon.”
I muttered out loud. And the room suddenly fell silent.
“…Eh?”
I looked around the room and saw that everyone was staring at us. Had they
heard? How good was their hearing?
“…The Blue Dragon…?”

“That’s what I heard…”
“You have to be joking.”
“That legendary creature?”
They whispered and stared. People in the back were even stretching and
standing on their toes in order to see us. It was getting embarrassing.

“But, uh…the update…”
I found this kind of awkward atmosphere to be unbearable, and so I quickly

left the guild.
Once again, I saw that I didn’t care for the position of protagonist. I didn’t
have the specifications or the right. I preferred to live like a side character.
In any case, it was off to the nest. The Ogre Nest.
I grabbed Daniela’s hand and hurried through the gate.

Chapter 362
Mountain Road
A single road stretched out from the gate. An upward slope that led into the
mountains.
It was a rather gentle climb, and there were even stairs in places that were
made of stone. It seemed like they had been made in all the places that were a
little steeper than the rest. And so things were quite easy for us. Perhaps it
was because a lot of tourists came here. Otherwise, it was hard to see why
anyone would put in the effort.
After we walked for some time, we started to see more and more trees. There
hadn’t been many around the town, as they had been cut down. There was
something oddly nostalgic about the way that the grass smelled here. Before I
knew it, my curved back had straightened.
“…Ahh…”
“Old man.”
“Shut up.”
I didn’t want to be called old by someone who was practically ancient.
“Still, how much longer does this road go…”

“Are you tired already?”
“I do not like upward slopes…”
See. Old lady. It’s no wonder. But it can’t be helped. Not at that age.
“You are thinking about something awful, are you not?”

“No way.”
“You were.”
“No.”
“…”
I looked away as Daniela fixed her angry eyes in my direction. It was better
to look at the road ahead. So, the Ogre Nest… How far away was it? And so I
decided to use Eyes of the God Wolf to look ahead.
“Ohh…”
“What?”
“Uh, it’s just that my eyes seemed to have improved a lot.”
“It must be because of your equipment.”
“I see…”
It was as if all my fatigue had suddenly been wiped away. I didn’t feel tired at
all when looking at something. I hadn’t felt like this in a very long time. It
practically felt like the first time. I imagine my eyes may have been like this
before I got into games and comics.
And like that, I moved across the terrain as if I were using Legs of the God
Wolf. The winding road continued up the mountain. On the way, I could see
the ruins of old buildings. Perhaps this was part of the nest.
“Ah, someone is fighting.”
Adventurers and monsters entered my vision. There were about five men
and…hmm. Orcs.
“There’s a group of Adventurers who are being attacked.’

“Should we help them?”
“It doesn’t seem right to ignore them now that we know.”
“I knew you would say that. Now, pick me up and carry me there.”
“That’s what you were after!”
I stared her down until she looked away. Well, she was an old lady.
I sighed and took the Velnoir out of my bracelet and slid it into my belt. This
time, I would use the sword breaker. The Black Emperor Sword. After all, the
orcs were using swords as well.
Usually, they liked to fight with logs and clubs. They were professionals
when it came to smashing things.
And yet these were using swords. They were likely taken from dead
Adventurers, or found abandoned, but they had seemed to be sharp enough.
“So, what monsters were they?”

“Oh, right. They were orcs.”
“Ah… Well, it will be all the more awkward…given who we just met…”
“Yeah… But they’re not all like Arthur. It’s time to switch gears.”
“…Yes.”
Daniela squeezed her bow as I picked her up and a surge of energy went
through to my legs. And then, platinum and jade wind that was more
elaborate and powerful than ever before began to swirl around my legs.
“Alright, brace yourself.”

“Mm…!”
Daniela’s arms were tight around my neck. While we were headed to a battle,
that didn’t stop me from noticing her soft chest pressing against mine as we
soared into the air.
□ □ □ □
“Wooaah! It’s so much easier to run!”

“We-we are very high… Is this necessary?”
Perhaps I had gone too fast, because we were now so high up that I could
look down and see the entire island.
I hadn’t meant to go so far. But my power had increased much more than I
had imagined. But then again, the equipment was supposed to have made the
flow of power smooth, so perhaps it was always in me.
I see…so I was part of the strong people club now… How very interesting…
“Alright, I’m going to use Godspeed to reach them all at once.”

“Are you sure about that?”
“Did you forget? I have Jack of all Trades, Master of None.”
I had simulated it in my brain, and was able to figure out how much power to
use, the angle, and how to stop. Now I just needed to try it out.
The mana welled up in me and flowed through my body. I felt like I was
being enveloped in something. All I needed to do was rush forward and
activate the skill. I would arrive in the blink of an eye.
“Daniela, you might want to surround yourself with wind magic. Maybe a
few layers.”
“Hmm… Indeed, the enchantment only affects you, so it is only I that will
feel the full brunt of it… Very well.”
“Thanks.”
The mana came out of Daniela and glimmered a green color. A wall of what
looked almost like water appeared in front of us. There were ten of them,
which seemed like overkill. But I supposed it didn’t hurt.
“Alright, here we go!”
Daniela didn’t answer, but just held on tight. And like that, I dashed forward,
and in the blink of an eye, we had landed in the middle of the battlefield.
“Hello, there. Need any help?”
I put Daniela down and unsheathed the Black Emperor Sword, and then faced
the orcs. Without a word, Daniela drew her bow and unleashed an arrow.
“Wh-where the hell did you come from!?”

“Woah, they already killed one!”
They were too stunned to move. However, orcs were never good at
understanding the situation either. To them, their prey had increased, that’s
all. And one swung at me mindlessly.
I blocked it with the side of the sword with teeth, and then used Legs of the
God Wolf to spin in a circle, breaking the blade at its root. And with output
losing momentum, I kicked the orc in the neck. Due to the platinum and
green wind, the orc’s flesh was torn to shreds, and it flew through the air like
a soccer ball.
“Do not just stand there!”
“Ah…ah!”
“Arrrghh!”
Daniela shouted, and the Adventurers were shaken into action. They raised
their swords and axes as they charged at the orcs. Daniela supported them
with her arrows.
I knew it would be fine at this point, but I might as well do what I can.
“Hmm…magic is smooth…”
There was a high-pitched ring as a Frost Sword appeared in my palm.
And with the black and white swords in my hands, I moved to annihilate the
rest of the orcs.
Chapter 363
War Junkie in the Ogre Nest
It did not take long for us to annihilate the orcs. Obviously, part of that was
due to the experience that Daniela and I had with dealing with them. But it
also had to do with my sudden boost in speed.
It meant improved defense and offense. My attacks were faster and I could
dodge their attacks. I had thought that I was pretty good at this before, but
everything felt perfect now. Yes…this was the ideal version of me.
“That was incredible… Who are you?”

“I’m Asagi. A ruby.”
“Damn it. You guys are different…”
Yes, I was among the strong now… Hehe. It had been a while since I felt so
good.
Now that the dust had settled, I asked them what had happened. Apparently,
they had been ambushed from both sides of the road as they were passing
through. While they had been on their guard, the only one in their party that
was able to use Presence Detection had been wounded the previous day,
which put them at a disadvantage.
“Bad things just keep happening to us… And so we’ll be returning for the
day.”
“Yes. I’m worried about the guy we left behind. And there’s no need to
rush.”
“Well, be careful.”
“Aye, you two as well. You’re going to the Ogre Nest, aren’t you? The ogre
ghost sometimes appears there.”
“A ghost…?”
Daniela folded her arms as she asked with interest. And so the Adventurers
told us of a certain rumor.
“Aye, you’ll find the nest if you keep going straight down this road. It’s
really just a ruin of an old ogre settlement. However, people have heard
sounds there. The voice of the dead ogres…”
“It’s been heard by many Adventurers. They say it’s a rumor. But it’s the
truth.”
“Hmm…”
Daniela pondered over this information. While she was playing it cool, she
just hated ghosts. I knew.
“Thank you for telling us. We’ll keep that in mind.”

“Well, you did save our lives. It would be a sad thing for you to fall to an
ogre ghost right after that. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth. Well,
thank you for everything.”
They said as they began their descent. I tried using Presence Detection, but
there were no other monsters in the area, so I didn’t have to worry about
them.
“A ghost…huh…”
“Are you scared?”
“Well, it is only a rumor with little to back it up… But then again, what if…”
“Ah…”
Apparently, it had been heard many times, so what if it was real…?
“…There is no point worrying about that now. We should go.”

“Yeah… Also, it just feels stupid, trudging our way up now. Let’s do this
quickly.”
I had lifted my ban on Legs of the God Wolf and Godspeed, and so I picked
up Daniela and dashed through the sky.
□ □ □ □
I could see the ruins below me on the side of the mountain. They were all
made of stones that had been cut out and piled on top of each other. While
they were said to have lived even before the ancient elves, and you couldn’t
underestimate them. They clearly had incredible skill with architecture. The
buildings had retained their shape quite well.
We cut through the wind and landed in an open area. It looked like a
townsquare, and the remains of the old structures surrounded us.
“So, this is the Ogre Nest…”

“There is a lot more to see than I was expecting.”
“Yeah, I’d almost believe that people had lived here not too long ago.”
Yes, it was like one of those villages that have been abandoned. The kind that
if you look hard enough, you might find at least one person who still lives
there.
“Well…maybe there is.”

“You are trying to scare me. Hmm… Yes, there is no one.”
Daniela said, clearly scared enough to make sure, as she activated Presence
Detection.
But there really was no one around. Not even Adventurers.
“So… I’m sure this place has been combed to death already, but we might as
well look around.”
“I will look over there.”
“Got it.”
And so we split up and started to search through Kimon. I went inside of the
abandoned stone buildings, but there was nothing inside. Which was no
surprise. This place was really just a short hike from the town. It was boring.
Still, sometimes it was places like this that actually had things to discover.
Secrets that were hidden in normal places.
□ □ □ □
But I was disappointed.
The sun had come down, and it was currently midnight. As there was an
empty house with the remains of a bonfire in front of it, we decided to make
ourselves comfortable there. But since there were monsters in the area, we
had to take turns on the night watch.
“Phew…”
I finished some simulations with Jack of all Trades, Master of None. I had
ideas of things that I might be able to do now that I had new equipment.
Being able to do this without physically moving your body really was an
incredible advantage. And the movements would be automatically carved
into my body.
You just had to do it in your head once. It was like seeing someone do a
backflip on tv, and thinking, ‘hey, that looks cool.’ And then you imagine
yourself doing it. Yes, there you are, doing a clean backflip and landing
perfectly. The moment you see it is the moment the skill is activated. And
just like that, you can do it for real.
Thinking of it like that, it really was a crazy ability. It made me think that I
had not been using it well this entire time. Perhaps I was too focused on the
name.
“It’s more efficient to do things with Godspeed instead of Legs of the God
Wolf…but the burden is also increased…”
‘God Wolf Sword Reach’ was perhaps the height of my abilities with a sword
that used Legs of the God Wolf. It was a technique that involved using
maximum wind speed while moving and cutting into the enemy.
Furthermore, I could use Eyes of the God Wolf in order to see my opponent
from every possible angle, which would allow me to find any openings. The
enemy would always have their weakest area targeted. And at a speed that
was faster than the eye could follow.
I never had to use it for very long, as no one could withstand it. However, the
enemies we encountered were getting stronger, and the burden just increased.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have set the limit to five minutes.”

The simulations showed that if I exceeded that, I would start bleeding
through the nose and even vomit. But I was cutting it too close. I should have
stopped at three minutes, then I wouldn’t have suffered any side effects to
begin with.
“But then again, I would have lost some of those fights if I hadn’t…”
Yes, most of the events that pushed me towards becoming a monster, were
events that I could not have avoided.
Still, I was back now! I had the Gleipnir! …Well, it was not quite that simple.
After all, Eyes of the God Wolf was still taxing, even if I used Godspeed
instead of Legs of the God Wolf. If anything, it might have gotten worse.
After all, I was much faster now.
“Damn it…”
Everything had a price. There were merits and demerits. My skill was
supposed to help me adjust.
“Well, I think I accomplished that for now… If only an enemy would appear
so I could…”
“Oh? Then why don’t you fight me?”
“Whaat!?”
I was so shocked by the sudden intrusion, that I kicked the pot that hung over
the fire. And like that, our morning soup was all over the ground.
“Wha…t…”
“Hahh… It is I, Levee.”
“Uh…oh…”
I turned on Nighteyes and saw that she was standing in front of the entrance.
She was also using Nighteyes to look at me. She had an exasperated
expression.
“Do you really have an alias?”

“They like to call me… Silvergreen…”
“Well, nevermind that. So, how about a duel?”
While she made a show of disinterest, her eyes suddenly glimmered. Yes, she
was obsessed with fighting… And she just had to set her eyes on me…
“I suppose you aren’t going to take no for an answer?”

“Ah, you know me too well… Hehe. Shall we go outside?”
“Wait a minute. I’ll wake up the referee.”
I wasn’t exactly the least competitive person in the world either. And so I
wanted things to be fair.
“Daniela. Get up for a minute.”

“Mm… Already…?”
“No, it’s still my watch. But I want you to be our referee.”
“…Huh?”
I waited for Daniela to get up and then explained to her that Levee had paid
us a visit.
“…So, that’s where you come in.”

“But surely you do not have to?”
“I do. …Look. Those eyes are serious.”
I said as I looked at her with Eyes of the God Wolf. She was excited over
being able to fight someone strong. Even her breathing had quickened.
“I don’t know what will happen if I refuse.”

“I see… Damn it, how annoying.”
“Hello? What’s taking you so long? Can we start already?”
She said when she had run out of patience. Honestly, I believe she was ready
to straight up stab me in the back.
“Alright, alright. I’m coming.”
Hah. Why… We had a lot of exploring to do in the early morning.
I sighed and took out the demon armor sword from my bracelet. Then I
attached it to my belt and walked out of the house. It was time to fight the
war junkie…
Chapter 364
My Magic
It was surprisingly bright when I went outside. The moons were shining
brightly in the sky, and my shadow stretched out on the ground.
“You must be thankful for the moonlight. Not so scary now, is it?”
“You just caught me by surprise earlier. It’s not as if I’m scared of the dark.”
I retorted, but could not shake off the feeling of embarrassment. I gulped.
“Now, I will watch you two. We have an early morning, so hurry up.
Surrender or faint. I do not care.”
“You heard her, Levee. Let’s go.”
“Oh, and I was hoping you’d be the one.”
“Alright, start.”
Daniela said with undisguised annoyance. I unsheathed my sword and

pointed it at Levee. However, she was already running towards me with her
ice rapier.
“You’re slow!”
“I’m slow?”
There was a burst of platinum and jade wind as I flew through the air and
went around to Levee’s back.
“There aren’t many who are faster than me!”

“Hehe!”
I was behind her, my sword swinging towards her back, and yet she was
laughing. And while her confidence made me wary, I didn’t stop. It was a
good way to test her.
“Ha!”
“Not so fast!”
Levee’s arm had been pulled back in order to thrust forward, but the angle
suddenly changed. Her sword pointed down as if to pierce the earth. Then the
pommel went up and pointed towards me.
“Aha!”
“!?”
It was probably my experience, as little as it was, that allowed me to notice it.

Magic was about imagination. Small differences in the way you think could
change the outcome. It was because I knew this, that I was able to dodge the
sharp pommel that suddenly stretched towards me.
“Ahh… And I was so close…”

“Damn…”
I jumped back and tried to catch my breath. But the right side of my face
burned with pain. When I touched it, my fingers came away bloody. The area
below my eye had been torn open. The pain only increased the more aware of
it I became.
“Shit…”
“It’s almost cute how affected you are by a little scratch. Are you a novice?”
“Pain is pain!”
Having your cheek cut by a sword wasn’t an everyday occurrence. I’ve been
wounded many times throughout our adventures, and it wasn’t something I
thought that I would get used to.
“Well, you’ll have a few more of those by the time I’m through with you.
You won’t be so innocent any more.”
“Keep talking like that, and Daniela will get mad.”
Well, maybe she wouldn’t. I wiped off the blood and stared her down.
From what I had seen of her during the Imperial Sword Tournament, Levee
was very advanced with ice magic and fighting with a rapier. However, I had
had the impression that she relied on strength a lot. It was probably because
she was hiding her magic. And so I had not expected her to use it in this way
here.
“Now, let’s get serious.”

“Sure, I finished my stretches.”
I held the demon armor sword on my shoulder and lowered my stance. The
sweet smile on Levee’s face vanished then.
“Yes… Let’s fight!!”
When she looked up at me again, I saw the same crazed expression she had
had when fighting Daniela. It was creepy as hell.
But that kept me on my guard.
I watched her clutch her weapon and dash towards me. Then I enveloped my
legs in the power of the wind and ran forward.
“Aaahaa!”
Her arm stretched out in a sharp thrust, but I knocked it away with a
downward swing. However, Levee twisted her body, changing the course of
the sword and allowing her to spin into a kick. I blocked it with the flat of my
blade.
“Nice one!”
“Tsk…!”
While she had the face of a madwoman, her movements were calm and
calculated. Even split-second decisions were executed perfectly. She had
great sensibilities in terms of combat.
“Hehehehe!”
I dodged her repeated thrusts while backing away. She occasionally used ice
magic, which made things very dangerous. Her sword would sometimes
curve out of nowhere. It would bend and then stretch.
When I had first seen Levee’s sword, I was impressed by how it could move
in spite of it being made of ice. But this was the worst. Now, it was like she
was fighting with a whip.
“I wasn’t expecting that…!”

“Hehe. I’ll take that as a complement!”
“I’ll consider it a lesson!”
Yes, I would learn. That was the only reason that I agreed to fight. To be
honest, I just needed to use the power of Gleipnir to the fullest and I would
win easily.
However, learning how to properly deal with Levee’s magic was bound to be
useful in the future. Especially because her methods of using magic were so
different from mine.
I wasn’t the best at making use of what I learned through Jack of all Trades,
Master of None. So it was always great to watch others.
“Still, you have no trouble dodging…”

“No, I’m actually quite desperate.”
“Liar! I will show you what that feels like…”
Levee said as she cut her own wrists.
“He-hey!”
“Hehe. Don’t worry. I have more blood than most… But more importantly,
were you aware, Mister Asagi?”
“…Of what?”
It was hard to not be distracted by the blood.
“Magic flows in my veins.”

“Huh?”
“And so it’s very strong when I use it as a medium!”
Levee shouted, and her magic rushed into the blood. Just then, it froze into
thorns and shot towards me.
I launched myself into the air in order to avoid them. However, they stretched
out towards me.
“Ha…!”
As they wouldn’t stop, I slashed at them with the demon armor sword. Then I
turned back towards Levee and rushed towards her.
“You’re still careless!”
I swung my sword and tried to cut the root of the bloody ice, but it exploded
just as I reached it.
“Gaa…!”
“Aha…”
It exploded close to my wrist, and the countless thorns shot out in every
direction. My body was shredded all over. But it was the same with Levee.
She had hurt herself in order to avoid my attack.
“Damn it…you’re crazy…”

“As long as my blood has magic, I only grow stronger with every cut…
Hehehehe…”
Shit. She attacked hard, and was strengthened when guarding. But she knew
when to draw back and wouldn’t attack recklessly. It reminded me of the
fight against the Queen’s Knight Goblin.
If it came to it, she would probably change to a different method of attacks.
But only if she was desperate enough. It was a risk, after all. And this wasn’t
even a serious fight to the death.
□ □ □ □
…I can only imagine what he’s thinking. How soft.
I feel sorry for people who aren’t able to enjoy fighting from the bottom of
their heart. Well, I am aware that I’m in the minority.
Asagi held his sword and stared quietly at me. Was he trying to predict my
next move? However, this blood magic was an ancient and secret art. It was
not known to most of the world, and so there was little chance of him
succeeding.
This magic worked very well with ice. After all, you could stop the flow of
blood by freezing it. On the other hand, it was a bad fit for fire. Because
blood would burn. Well, perhaps it just depended on how you used it.
But there was so much beauty in activating ice magic while using blood as a
medium. The red crystals would chase after the enemy, piercing them and
turning them into a bloody chunk of ice… Yes, so very pretty. No matter how
many times I see it, it never fails to move me.
And so I would do it today. It’s been a while. But as this isn’t a real fight, I
will have to undo it right away. How boring. If only there were criminals
close by that I could kill. That would scratch the itch. This island really is
lacking.
No ogres and no bandits. There is nothing but wild Adventurers that I am not
able to kill…
Well, at least Mister Asagi is here. Hehe. And so I am saved from boredom
for a short while. Now, I will show him the magic that froze so many
monsters.
“Unknown magic is intimidating…”

“This magic is quite old. A type of blood magic that uses ice. I call it
Freezeblood Art.”
“…And?”
“Hehe. Well, that is all I’m going to tell you today. Now you will know what
it is that freezes you.”
Well, if you even survive today.
“Hehe. Hehehehe! Now, are you ready?”

“What…!”
“Vermilion Million Scraps!”
First, the ice near my hands exploded, and shot towards Mister Asagi. The
tiny fragments of blood moved as if a wall of blades. He accelerates, trying to
escape.
However, I knew he would try that. I did not expect that watching him during
the tournament would be so helpful later on.
Though, he had also been watching my fight against Daniela. But then again,
I hadn’t used this Freezeblood Art back then.
And so I knew that he wouldn’t be able to escape like that. The fragments
didn’t just fly. They were magic, after all. They pursued.
“Woah!?”
“Now, now. It will hurt if you let them catch up to you.”
He frantically increased his speed as he flew through the air, but it was no
use. And he didn’t even realize it yet.
“Tsk…”
“Aha.”
Now he was going down?
“Vermillion Revenge Rain!!”
The frozen fragments returned to liquid as rain. No one can avoid rain. And
Asagi was no exception. Once he was wet, I just needed to freeze…
“Oh?”
Asagi raised an arm over his head, and my blood froze when it touched him.
It kept freezing as they fell…until all of the rain had been frozen again.
“It’s just moisture, right? So it’s no wonder I can freeze it.”

“But it’s not pure moisture. And my mana…”
“Still. I can do it.”
Indeed… No…could it be…that he learned how to use my Freezeblood

Art…?
No, that was not possible. It had taken me so long… It was my trump card.
And yet…now?
“It’s not possible….”

“If you say so. But here I am.”
“No. No. No!”
Then he squeezed his hand into a fist. The blood crushed in his hand, and it
caused a wave of shock to spread out and shatter all the blood around us. The
shards fell.
It was as if all my power, confidence and pride had been crushed. I felt a
sense of loss.
“It’s impressive magic. Most people wouldn’t be able to use it.”

“And yet…”
“I think I was a good match for it. But then again, I would die if I bled like
you did.”
He made it sound so simple… Damn it. How aggravating.
But it was as they said. The world was a big place and there was always
someone above you.
So in a way, it could not be helped.
I had no choice but to accept it.
“Hehehe…hahaha…”
“Levee?”
“Hehehe. Ahahahahahaha!”
“Uh…”
It was funny. It was. It was. It was impossible. Impossible. Impossible!!
Why did someone like this even exist!
Ohhh. Well, if I can’t understand, then he might as well die. There is no point
anyway.
“…Please die.”
“Huh…?”
“Vermilion Wedding Funeral.”
The blood fragments turned into liquid, boiled and evaporated.
Anyone who breathed it in would freeze. It was the most powerful of my

abilities.
With this…!
“I expected that you’d do something like this. And so I can deal with it.”
“What?”
“White Garden.”
A white mist emitted from his feet and covered him. Me as well. The whole
world, it seemed.
Eventually, I could not think of anything. It was as if my mind had been

erased, and there was only white. Before I knew it, my magic had been
nullified, and silence surrounded us.
“I win!”
His voice alone entered my ears.
It grabbed me and would not let go. The sound of fate.

Isekai Ni Kita Boku Wa Kiyoubinbode Subaya Sa Tabi c1-365

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Isekai Ni Kita Boku Wa Kiyoubinbode Subaya Sa Tabi c1-365

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Isekai ni Kita Boku wa

Kiyoubinbode Subaya-sa Tayorina

That day was just the same.

Is the inside of the store alright?

No problems. No customers. After 3 in the morning, people are really few.

I continued to pick up garbage to some extent, and bent my back to gaze

Aaaaah……!! Eh, I wasn’t mistaken was I?

「Welcomeー good eveningー」

It’s a convenience store robbery.

My mind stops. A short. Eh? What?

「Did you not hear me? Take out the money」

「U…..m….., wha, eh?」

「There’s a safe in the back right? That too.」

「The, mana…ger, has the pa.s.sword. I, don’t know it.」

「Ah…., gu, a……a……lie……」

「It’s a lie. You saw my face, so you have to die. 」

「Tch……Be a hindrance will you.」

The robber steps on me and escapes to in front of the register. With no

This is it……No help can save me now…….

I thought I would have had a better life…….

Gradually my consciousness faded. My limbs felt incredibly hot.

Ahh……mou, it’s useless……my consciousness……

「What……the? Where is…… this place?」

Right, before this I was supposed to be in a convenience store. Together with

Basically someone or something, for reasons I don’t understand, decided to

Transferred to another world.

Well, it would be pretty embarra.s.sing if this turned out to be the j.a.panese

For the time being, I have to do something. I wonder if it’s early

How did I, 『Kamiyas.h.i.+ro Asagi』get thrown here without any

I promptly walked to the forest.

That must be it, this confirms the ability of my unique skill.

I understand, this guy…… is a Goblin.

「This is…… the end!」

I remember the Nata that the goblin was holding. If I remember

The Goblin I had previously defeated appeared again. A whole crowd of

I quickly decide what to do. The trick is to do everything quickly. I run

Seriously, this is no joke. A transfer to another world is supposed to come

Well, after this. I should be able to manage if I make it to a town. This is my

I wouldn’t be able to move if I stopped walking. I continued onward as if

I listened to the sounds of rus.h.i.+ng water for several hours as I walked.

Something was here.

Ahhhh…I am satisfied… Looking into the flickering flames started to make

Some time pa.s.ses after that. Fortunately, no monsters attacked me as I ate

“Hmm, what could it mean…”

I stay cautious of my surroundings as I stand at the edge of the forest. With a

“What is it!? What’s happened!?”

“It’s a pack of forest wolves! A traveler is being attacked!”

“Hey, you! Over here! Come inside!”

W, water…! My throat was so dry as I forced myself to breathe and then

“Now, you sit right here, chicken liver.”

“What is with you guys… This is important. Let me go.”

I didn’t understand… So those numbers were nothing serious to them? Or,

“Ah, yeah. I stole it from a goblin.”

“Well, I didn’t have anything else.”

The gangly man stared at me doubtfully.

I asked Russell about all sorts of things.

There were more important matters.

“Oh, are you big in this town then?”

“So, you were a captain. That’s really impressive.”

“A hill around these parts…you must mean the Hill of Mist.”

“Russell… Thank you, for everything.”

According to Russell, there is a job known as adventuring wherein you kill

According to Russell, anyway.

“Thanks, Russell. I should go now.”