Shizue's gear was restored to a decent degree. It looked worn but there was no other damage remaining. Even the broken mask was restored. Buku was not only dressed as Shizue, but assumed her appearance to the best of her abilities.
With the excitement of playing her greatest role yet, she made a few last preparations. Although she actually didn't need to eat or drink, supplies were needed to not raise suspicion. Using her inventory openly also was out of the question. Her plate armor set and divine tier sword were safely stashed inside it, but all the other supplies were put in a sturdy leather backpack.
While she did one last practice round before the mirror, Solution arrived with a knock. Unlike her usual, rather provocative maid's outfit, she was dressed in full-body heavy leather armor with basic plating over it. Even her french curls were straightened out and her hair was tied in a tail.
She politely bowed and said. "Lady Bukubukuchagama, I am ready."
"My name is Shizue, and you shouldn't address me so formally." Buku said, responding in Shizue's voice.
"My apologies sensei, but I thought we would assume our roles only outside the Great Tomb."
"Practice never hurts, Sally. After all, One slipup can blow our cover. Did you memorize your backstory?"
"My name is Sally Weber and I come from the village of Meissen. I knew about sensei from the tales my father told me. When I met sensei for the first time, she showed me how to train with long knives. When sensei visited a few weeks ago I asked her to help me become an adventurer and she agreed. Sensei Shizue is like an older sister to me." Solution said in the voice of an excited teenager.
"Very good. Is your supply bag prepared as well?"
Solution took off a leather bag from her shoulders and opened it. "I have enough food for three weeks and fifty silver coins to pay for inns and guild registration."
"Looks like we are ready. Remember, if anything poses an actual threat to us then you can drop the act, but don't go all suicidal on me. I am a lot stronger and much sturdier than you."
"L… Shizue, but it is my honor to help and protect sensei."
"I know, but do you think I could look Momonga in the eye if I lost you during my travels?"
"But…"
"No buts." Buku said sternly using a lower and more menacing tone. "I don't want you risking your life needlessly, and that is an order, understood?"
"Yes, Lady Bukubukuchagama." Solution replied with a bow, startled at her superior's stern tone.
"Good. Now let's get back into our roles and meet at the western border of Tempest." Buku said and teleported to the previously agreed location. Solution appeared a moment later by using spatial movement. Like most others who had the skill, the dutiful maid had visited pretty much every spot of Tempest to have the ability to travel through it freely.
Both of them started their journey towards the human lands though the bug dominated part of the forest. Predictably, Solution was overly eager to protect her mistress, disposing of all attackers with ease. After the sixth attack, Buku had to mentally restrain herself to not intentionally trip the maid, so she could have some fun and fight as well. Ultimately she kept her composure and let Solution do her job. The burdens of a leader were, indeed, heavy ones.
After a few days, they reached the border of Blumund. Both of them returned to Nazarick for the night as Buku had promised her children she would not be away for too long. Aura was getting especially anxious at her creator's absence.
They resumed their journey the next morning. Luckily, Shizue's reputation preceded her and in almost every single place they stopped at least someone recognized her. Some more adventurous young men tried to flirt with Solution, but Buku was held in a reserved reverence.
Still, the flirty men caused her enough stress. Not because she felt particularly jealous at all the attention Solution got, the cause of stress was the maid herself.
{ No you can't secretly consume any of them. People would notice. } She once again reprimanded Solution after she was practically drooling at the idea of consuming a young, good-looking man who had offered to show her the local village.
{ But mistress, no one would notice. }
{ I said no. You can eat bandits if we run into some, but we can't risk the disappearances of villagers. }
{ As you command. } Solution responded and then politely declined the young man's offer.
Once no one was around, Buku said to her companion. "You can't consume random citizens. People get suspicious if someone just disappears. We don't need that kind of attention."
"I know, mistress. It's just they all want me so much. I can see it in their eyes. It would be so easy to get one of them inside me, especially since they all want to get inside me."
"They don't want it in the way you are describing it." Buku dryly remarked, getting a sadistic smirk from the Solution as a response.
'Why does it only bother me in terms of us getting discovered? We are talking about human beings here. Fuck… I'm turning into a monster.' There was no denying it. The lives of those outside Tempest meant nothing to her. The only exceptions were the people Shizue once considered close to her as her feelings were now Buku's.
The revelation was not that surprising, but she still needed to admit it to herself. At last, she didn't even need to flinch when Solution consumed a group of bandits that they encountered on their way to Blumunds capital, Rondo.
There the true test would begin. She needed to speak with Fuze and be convincing enough to not make the guild master suspicious.
Buku and Solution reached Rondo in the early morning and got inside the city with relative ease. Shizue's legendary reputation helped them once again.
Reaching Blumund's branch of the Free Guild was easy enough. The walk through the city itself was a novel experience. It was like walking through a fantasy scene. Even with having Shizue's memories, experiencing it was on a different level. Compared to the misery that was on Earth, people here seemed happy and prosperous.
Some people who recognized her waved happily. 'It's Tempest all over again.' The fame wasn't hers. It could be argued she inherited that fame when she consumed Shizue, but that was beside the point. She shyly waved back, playing the former legendary adventurer to the fullest.
‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›
"So did you find what you were seeking?" Fuze asked her as both looked outside the window facing the backyard of the guild building. Solution, or Sally, was fighting a hunter hound to get an E rank in the guild. For Buku, it was easy to see just how much she was holding back.
"Not exactly. I think I found a solution to the problem, but it is very dangerous. I hope you understand that I can't reveal details." Buku said in a soft gentle voice, perfectly mimicking Shizue.
"I see. At least you found a new student."
"She is talented. I hope she will have a long and prosperous career as an adventurer."
"Let's see which rank she achieves first. Are you returning to more active adventuring by chance?"
"No. You know my time has passed. I'm not a young girl anymore." Buku said with a sigh.
"Still, not that many can travel through Jura on their own."
"It wasn't easy."
"Did you find anything the guild should know?" Fuze asked with a slight smile, watching as Sally engaged in the next challenge. The dark goblin that the tester summoned was not an easy foe. D rank may still be a low one, but for a beginner, it was nice enough to jumpstart a career and get invites into more experienced groups.
The girl surely was easy on the eyes as well. Her motions were precise and fluid. Considering how many such tests he had performed himself, he could see that the girl was well within B rank.
This was the riskiest part. How much could she reveal? Since Dwargon knew about Tempest, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the civilized world would find out as well.
"I found some hobgoblin tribes but they were not overtly hostile and just wanted me to leave them alone."
"A tribe of hobgoblins? Where did you see them?"
"Deep inside the forest. If I had to guess, it's not far off from where the Storm Dragon is imprisoned."
Fuze scratched his cheek, remarking. "Stronger monsters usually avoid that area, but I guess they could have evolved from the local goblins. You say they weren't hostile?"
"They just wanted me to leave them alone, but otherwise showed no hostility. I think they were just afraid of humans trying to kill them."
"Makes sense. In any case, I should report that to headquarters, but likely no one will care enough about hobgoblins to make a fuss out of it."
The girl meanwhile had slain a giant bat, earning a C rank. Fuze motioned to one who performed the test to not summon the next challenge as the girl was alone and a lesser demon was meant as a group challenge.
"She is a good fighter. I see your instincts are as sharp as ever. Are you leaving her in our care?" he asked hopefully. A strong adventurer like her would surely be a great asset.
"Sorry, but I promised her father to take her to Ingrassia. She has not seen the world, and some travel under my guidance could give her useful experience."
"I see." Fuze said, trying to hide his disappointment. "Well, if you find more people like her on your travels, bring at least some of them back here."
"Deal." Buku said with a soft, melodic chuckle.
"Looks like your student is done with the test, but it will take some time to finish the paperwork. Might I treat you to another cup of tea while you wait?"
"How can I say no to an old friend?"
‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›
"Good job on keeping a low profile." Buku complimented Solution once both had reunited and left the Free Guild building.
"If that was a serious test then these adventurers are not even worth considering a threat."
"Some might cause trouble. Still, antagonizing the entire human world is not a wise idea for now."
"I will leave such decisions to my superiors." Solution said.
Both of them walked towards the inn that was endorsed by the guild. Tomorrow they would set out to their next destination, but today Buku wanted to return home and spend at least a little bit of time with her children.
Buku's attention was suddenly set on a group of three that approached them. A girl in her late teens followed by two older men. The girl was wearing a white leather corset over a red dress and holding a wooden staff, while both of the men were dressed in simple but sturdy clothing of mostly brown color, with one of them having a shoulder plate.
As they clearly looked like a group of adventurers Buku motioned for Solution to ease up. She pulled up the mask and waited for them to approach her.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but are you Shizue Izawa, the Conqueror of Flames?" the girl asked in a nervous voice.
"I am. Did something happen?"
"No. I just… You are a legend. It's such a pleasure to meet you in person."
Buku shyly smiled. "I hope I have shown a good example. Are you an adventurer, young lady?"
"Yes, I am. I'm Eren, this is Kabal and Gido. We are only B ranked…"
"Only? B is a high rank. The guildmaster personally sends us on missions!" Kaval interrupted Eren. "Obviously we are not yet legends, but we can make it. Anyway, maybe we can treat you to dinner ladies. Eren is a big fan of yours and would like to hear some of your adventures."
"Hey, I can speak for myself; you don't have to be a jerk."
"Can you two not do this in front of a living legend." Gido scolded the two before Eren could wack Kabal with her staff.
"Ahm, yes." Eren bowed to Buku, "We would like to treat you to dinner and maybe hear some of your tales?"
"Sure. We were heading to have a meal. This is Sally, she is a student of mine."
"You are so lucky." Eren said to Solution.
"I know. Sensei is a great teacher." The battle maid answered with a genuine smile.
Buku couldn't help but smile at the antics of the energetic group.
'Just like when we were in the game. I guess for them it's not a game. I better play along. Shizue would have done so.'
To watch the trio eat was amusing to say the least. Even during a meal, they could not stop bickering and had seemingly endless gluttony. Then again, maybe they just returned from a mission. To sustain on dried food and water for weeks must be taxing, and she would likely do the same in their situation. While everyone was eating, she retold one of Shizue's memories of a battle with a demon.
The starry-eyed look from the young girl was a reward in and of itself. She clearly idolized Shizue.
'Those aren't mine achievements but need to remain in the role. Although the memories feel like mine… Maybe part of her lives on through me.' She wasn't just Akari anymore, but an amalgamation of her old self, the monster she became, and the woman she consumed and made part of her soul.
Memories were one thing, but interacting with humans made her realize that she may not care about the human race in general, but would not wish harm upon individuals. If it came down to the worst, she would not shy away from slaughtering humans. Yet individuals like this girl could be befriended and maybe even made to realize that monsters and humans were not that different.
Only time would tell how things would play out.
Edited by Edgy.