Chapter 3 - The More the Merrier! Double the Joy, Half the Sorrow

There were various quests posted on the guild's board. Some involved

monster hunting, while others involved gathering herbs or even investigating

strange places. There were also a few rather simple ones, like babysitting or

doing chores.

Since we'd completed multiple quests already, our rank had increased just the

day before. And so, our cards had become purple, which signified that we were

no longer mere Beginners.

Basically, that meant we could accept higher level requests. We were no

longer restricted to Black quests, since we could do Purple ones as well.

Still, we couldn't let our guards down. We could end up failing the quests, and

depending on what the mission was, that could also spell death. We really

needed to keep it together.

"Northern... ruins... hunting quest... Mega... Slimes?" I tried reading one of

the Purple quest listings. With Linze's help, I had finally made it to a point

where I could read some simple words. The reward for the quest was... eight

silver coins. Well, that didn't sound too bad at all.

"Hey, so how about this one..."

"Absolutely not." The girls refused in unison.

Well, okay then. They both had completely disgusted expressions on their

faces. Really? Was it that bad? As it turned out, the girls just couldn't stand

being near sticky, slimy creatures.

"Those things dissolve clothes, y'know? We're definitely not going anywhere

near them!" Elze basically barked at me.

That'd be... so good...

"How about this instead? A request to deliver a letter to the capital. Travel

expenses covered... The reward is seven silver coins... What do you think?"

"Seven silver... we can't split that evenly between us."

"Well, we can just spend the leftover amount on something for all three of

us," I replied. That made sense to me.

I went to confirm the details of the mission that Elze had pointed out. The one

who posted the request was named Zanac Zenfield... Hold on, is it the same

Zanac? I checked the address, and surely enough it said «FASHION KING

ZANAC» on it. Well, there was no mistaking that.

"How long does it take to get to the capital from here?"

"Hm... about five days by carriage, I guess?"

That was quite a long way off... The mission was looking to be my first long

journey since I arrived in this world. But hey, I always had the option to make a

[Gate] for the return trip, which wasn't so bad. Plus, if I visited the capital even

once, I'd be able to return there any time I wanted thanks to that handy little

spell. I had a feeling it would be an asset in the future.

"Okay, let's go for this one, then. I happen to know the guy who put out the

request."

"That so? We'll take it, then." Elze ripped the request notice down from the

board and took it over to the receptionist. When she came back, she told us

that we'd hear the specifics of the request when we went to meet the person

who posted it.

Looks like I'll be meeting him again after all.

"Ah, hello again! It's been a while. How've you been?"

"Quite well, thanks to your help that one time."

As soon as we'd entered the store, Zanac spotted me and called out. When I

mentioned that we were there in response to his guild request, he led us into a

room in the back of the shop.

"For this job, I would like you to deliver a letter to Viscount Swordrick in the

capital. If you mention my name, he should know what it's about. I would also

like you to return with a response from the viscount."

"Is this an urgent matter?"

"Wouldn't exactly call it urgent, but it'd be problematic if you left it too long."

Zanac said that, then took the letter out of a small tube and placed it on the

table. It was sealed with something like wax and bore some strange insignia.

"Also, here are your travel expenses. I might have included a little bit too

much, but you don't have to return what's left over. You may use the spare

change to go sightseeing around the capital, if you'd like!"

"Thank you very much."

Upon receiving the letter and the money for our travel expenses, we set right

out to prepare for the journey. I procured a carriage, Linze went out to buy food

for the trip, and Elze returned to the inn to retrieve any items we might need

along the way.

An hour later, our preparations were complete, so we set off for the capital.

We were riding in a rental carriage, but it was really more like a cart than

anything else since it didn't even have a roof. Still, it was far better than walking

all the way.

I couldn't control the horses at all, but luckily the twins were experts. They

told me that they had been around horses from a young age because one of

their relatives owned a farm. As a result, the two girls took turns sitting in the

driver's seat and I just stayed in the cart, allowing myself to be rocked about the

whole time. I kind of felt bad about not being able to help out there.

North, north, north we went. The trip went smoothly along the main road,

and we sometimes exchanged pleasantries with other carriages that passed by.

We left Reflet behind and passed straight through the next town over, a place

called Nolan. After that, it wasn't long before we arrived in the town of

Amanesque, making it there just before the sun had begun to set. I figured we

should spend a night at the inn there, but... Hold on a second, I totally forgot...

Can't I just use [Gate] to travel back to Reflet and spend the night at the Silver

Moon? I can just cast it again tomorrow to return here, so it's no big deal, right?

Unfortunately, when I proposed the idea to the girls, they flat-out rejected it.

Why...?

According to them, it would've been a waste of a trip.

"You just don't get it. The nice things about a journey are visiting unfamiliar

stores in unfamiliar towns before spending the night at an unfamiliar inn. That's

what traveling is all about!" Elze was shocked that I'd even suggested the idea.

Even if we'd had no money, there were the travel expenses that had been

given to us. She seemed to firmly believe that we might as well use the money

out of courtesy to the one who gave it to us in the first place. Was that how

these things worked...?

Well, with that settled, we went and found an inn before the sun went down

completely. We took the opportunity to stay in a slightly more upper-class place

than the Silver Moon. The girls took a double room to themselves, while I

rented a smaller single room.

With our lodging sorted out, we tied up our cart and went out to dinner. The

man at the inn had told us that they made great noodles around these parts. I

wondered if they served ramen anywhere...

Just as we were looking around for a good place to eat, we noticed a scuffle

taking place nearby. A bunch of onlookers had gathered around, so it seemed

like there was quite the ruckus.

"What's that?" It caught our attention, so we decided to go check it out. We

pushed our way through the crowd to find the source of the commotion. What

we found was a foreign-looking girl surrounded by several men.

"...That girl... she's wearing some pretty strange clothes."

"...She's a samurai!" I could only utter that brief explanation to Linze.

The girl wore a bright pink kimono with a dark blue hakama, white split-toe

socks, and a pair of sandals with black geta straps. A pair of daisho blades hung

from around her waist. Her long, flowing black hair was tied up into a ponytail

and was cut with a straight fringe that leveled just above her eyebrows. Her

ponytail was also cut straight across at its end, ending just above her shoulders.

The simple little hairpin she wore suited her well.

I had said she was a samurai, but she really looked a bit more like the main

character from Haikara-san, that shoujo manga about Japan in the 1920s. Still,

she definitely resembled a samurai on a base level.

Around ten men surrounded the samurai girl, each with a dangerous look in

their eyes. Some of them had already drawn their swords and knives.

"We're here to show our thanks for that little incident earlier, girlie!"

"...Whatever might ye mean? I've no recollection of any such thing, I don't."

What was with that way of talking? She was like a movie character!

"Quit playin' dumb! Don't think you can get off safe after doin' a number on

our buddies like that!"

"...Aah, you must be the companions of those ruffians I handed over to the

town guard earlier today. That incident was entirely their fault, verily. They

should not have been going around drunkenly flaunting violence in the middle

of the day, indeed."

"Shut yer trap! Grab her!" The men charged all at once, as if his words were

the signal they were waiting for.

The samurai girl nimbly dodged every single one of their attacks before

grabbing one man by the arm, swiveling around, and throwing him. The man

fainted in agony as his back slammed straight into the ground.

She moved in step with her opponent, broke his posture, and then threw

him... Was that... Aikido? Jujitsu, maybe? The girl tossed a second man down,

then a third, and then staggered a bit. Her movements had grown somewhat

sluggish.

Spotting an opportunity, one man approached her from behind to attack her

with his sword. Watch out!

"Come forth, Sand! Obstructing Dust Storm: [Blind Sand]!"

I reflexively spouted an incantation and channeled my spell.

"Augh, my eyes...!" the man screeched.

It was a simple spell I'd learned just recently. All it really did was throw sand

in the opponent's eyes. It wasn't much, but it was good for getting out of a

pinch.

While the man with the sword was blinded, I hit him with a dropkick. The

samurai girl was surprised by the sudden new challenger who had joined the

fray, but she seemed to have judged that I wasn't an enemy, so she returned

her attention to those before her.

"Aah, geez, why do you always have to stick your nose where it doesn't

belong?!" Elze let out a bemused comment as she joined the fray with a swift

but heavy gauntlet-clad punch. But for all her complaining, she sure was smiling

a lot.

It didn't take long before all the men were flat on the ground... half of them

beaten into the dirt by my good friend Elze. She terrified me.

The town guards finally arrived, so we left the rest to them and left that area

of town.

"Truly, I am in your debt. My name is Kokonoe Yae. Ah yes, Yae is my given

name and Kokonoe is my family name, it is."

The samurai girl, Kokonoe Yae, introduced herself and bowed her head

deeply. Her self-introduction gave me a sense of deja vu.

"Oh, are you from Eashen?"

"Indeed, I am. I have come here from Oedo, I have."

Oedo? The old name for Tokyo? Eashen is seriously that similar to Japan?

"I'm Mochizuki Touya. Touya is my given name, and Mochizuki is my family

name."

"Ooh! Touya-dono, you are from Eashen as well, are you?!"

"Ah, nah. It's a similar place, but I'm actually from somewhere else entirely."

"Huh?!" The twin sisters behind me were surprised by my response. Oh,

right... Explaining where I'd come from was a pain, so I'd just let them believe I

was from Eashen.

"Never mind that... You seemed a bit unsteady on your feet in that fight back

there. You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

"No, I am unscathed, I am. However... as much as it shames me to admit, I

have dropped my traveling funds. Therefore..." Grrrrooowwwwllll

As if on cue, Yae's stomach let out a massive rumble. Her face turned beet red

almost immediately and she shamefully curled her shoulders inward.

And so, the starving samurai joined our party.

◇ ◇ ◇

We'd been looking for a place to eat anyway, so we decided to take Yae along

with us. Yae responded by saying something about not wanting to take

advantage of people's kindness, so she didn't even entertain the thought of

taking us up on our offer.

"Fine then, tell us stories about Eashen. In return, we'll treat you to food. This

isn't charity, it's give-and-take," I proclaimed. She said that was acceptable, and

proceeded to order something... That went easier than I expected.

"...I see. So, Yae, you're on a warrior's journey in order to get stronger?"

"Yes... munch... indeed. Mine has been a warrior family for generations, they

have. My elder brother is to inherit the house, and so, I have left on a journey

to improve my skills. Yes, indeed."

"Whoa, sounds rough. You're pretty good to your family, huh?" Elze gazed at

Yae, clearly awestruck by the girl who was noisily chowing down on beef

skewers. I was pretty much indifferent hearing her story; I just wished she'd

either talk or eat, pick one and do the other later!

"So, Yae, got a battle plan going forward? Like, is there anywhere in particular

you're headed to?"

"...There is someone, in this country's capital, who did a great deal to help my

father in the past. I was, considering going, to meet this person myself, I was."

Yae answered my question between several pauses as she slurped away at her

bowl of what resembled kitsune udon.

Oh, come on girl, didn't anyone ever teach you not to speak with your mouth

full?

"Well hey, ain't that a coincidence? We're actually heading to the capital on a

job request. Wanna tag along with us? There should still be room for one more

in the wagon. That'd be easier for you too, right, Yae?"

"Do you speak, the truth? I could not ask for, a more appealing offer, I could

not... However, are you fine, with someone like myself?" Yae responded to

Elze's suggestion while her cheeks were stuffed with something resembling

takoyaki. Wait just a second. Exactly how much had this girl even eaten so far?!

"You don't mind, do you, Touya?"

"Me? Nah, I don't really mind, but..." I appeared to be the only one present

who was worried that the average cost of our meals would jump exponentially

with this girl in tow.

Yae seemed to be satisfied for the time being, having devoured seven slices of

bread, beef skewers, yakitori, kitsune udon, takoyaki, grilled fish, a sandwich,

and beef steak, so we took care of the bill and left the shop. Damn it... I never

accounted for this in our travel budget...

On the way back we decided to meet up again the next day just before

departing. Right as the twins and I were about to return to the inn, something

crossed my mind. I asked Yae one last thing before we split up.

"Yae. Where are you booked into for the night?"

"Oh, well, I was planning on sleeping outdoors, I was..." Of course she was.

The girl didn't have a penny to her name.

"Sleeping outdoors, seriously...? Look, come stay at the same inn as us. We'll

lend you the money, so just pay us back later."

"It's dangerous to sleep outside by yourself..." Linze muttered lowly.

"Not at all, I couldn't possibly place myself further in your debt, I couldn't."

Everything down to her overly-polite nature made her seem more and more like

someone who had really just come from Japan. Even if we tried giving her the

money for the inn, she'd just politely refuse to take it. I had to come up with a

solution... An idea suddenly popped into my head as I thought over the

situation.

"Yae, would you consider selling me that hairpin?"

"My... hairpin, is it?" Yae took her hairpin in hand. It had a pattern on it with

yellow and brown spots.

"That's a bekko hairpin, right? I've actually wanted one for a while. I think it'd

be a good gift for someone I owe a lot to."

"Bekko? Whassat?" Elze butted in, apparently seeking an explanation from

me about the unfamiliar word.

"It's an accessory made from a tortoise shell. They're pretty valuable things

where I come from." I wasn't actually certain about that, but I was sure I'd at

least heard something like that in the past.

Of course, the part about me having wanted one for a long time was utter

hogwash. It was just an excuse so that I could get this girl to accept some

money. Elze and Linze both caught on fast, and decided it would be best to play

along with my tall tale.

"If you truly want a humble trinket like this, then I do not mind, I do not..."

"Alrighty, it's a deal! Here, I'll buy it for this much." She passed the bekko

hairpin to me, and in exchange I took one gold coin out of my wallet and forced

it into her hand.

"Th-This is far too much! I cannot accept this much for it, I simply cannot!"

"It's fine, it's fine. Look, Touya's been searching for one of those things for

ages, you know? That's probably just how much it's worth to him. Now c'mon,

let's get you to that inn."

"No, wai— Elze-dono?!" Elze seized Yae by the arm and dragged her off. As

their figures gradually faded into the distance, Linze came up to talk to me.

"...Is that hairpin really valuable?"

"Who knows? If it's genuine, then it'd be pretty valuable back where I come

from, but I'm no real expert in the going prices for jewelery."

"You don't know its value yet you paid one gold for it...?"

"Well hey, it seems pretty well-made. Even if I don't know its price, I'm sure

it'd go for a fair bit. At the very least, I don't feel like I've made a poor trade

here, right?" I smiled before slipping the hairpin into my pocket, then the two of

us headed back to the inn as well.

Yae was able to book a room for the night, get herself a good night's sleep,

and join our motley wagon crew the very next day.

We departed from Amanesque and headed even further north. The country

we were in was the Kingdom of Belfast, located on the western part of the

continent. It was also the second largest among the countries occupying that

area. Maybe because of that, it didn't take long after leaving a town for all

buildings to completely vanish out of sight. Soon enough there was nothing but

mountains and forests on the horizon. Perhaps the population just wasn't big

enough to fill out the overabundance of land.

We ran into maybe one person or wagon only once per couple of hours, and

sometimes we didn't even encounter anyone over the course of an entire day.

That would change as we got closer to the capital, supposedly.

I warmed my seat in the wagon as usual, sometimes taking peeks at Yae, who

was up in the driver's seat. She was good with horses too, she had said, so the

three girls had decided to take turns holding the reins. I felt almost ashamed at

my lack of experience. I was beginning to understand the feelings of those

characters that would always just be left warming the wagon...

As if to make up for that — well, partly, anyway — I sat in the back and

engrossed myself in my magic studies. From my lessons with Linze, it had come

to light that I was able to use various kinds of spells that fit under the Null

category, that is, magic without an element.

Our first hint came when I tried mimicking the [Boost] spell that Elze used,

and it activated for me without so much as a problem. Later, I heard more

about a spell called [Power Rise] from a fellow guild adventurer who could use

it, and it went off without a hitch when I tried it out.

Put simply, what that meant was that as long as I knew the spell name and its

effect, I could use just about any kind of non-elemental magic. The twins were

long past being surprised by any of my abilities, so they just treated it like one

of my character traits at this point. Well, whatever. It was pretty handy, so I had

no complaints. Thank you, God.

Nevertheless, there were a few problems. Null, or non-elemental magic, as a

category was almost entirely personalized magic. Basically, each individual spell

could easily be something nobody but the users themselves had heard of.

In that sense, it was like their trump card. There were obviously some people

who would want to keep something like that hidden, otherwise people would

be able to account for it in advance. On the other hand, there were people like

the adventurer who taught me about the [Power Rise] spell, people who

assumed that others wouldn't be able to mimic it anyway, so there was no

harm in telling people. Sorry about stealing your spell, [Power Rise] guy.

Still, despite their rarity, there were plenty of Null spells that were more

widely-known. I had bought books on non-elemental spells recorded

throughout history, and had set out to study them to try and acquire as many as

I could.

Now, the next problem. There were far too many. Even the known nonelemental spells were enough to fill a phone book.

Because the majority of non-elemental spells were personalized magic, there

were all sorts of spells with extremely limited usage. Magic for keeping incense

sticks burning longer; magic for making the color of tea look more appealing;

magic for smoothing out the surface of splintered wood... The list went on and

on, and those types of mundane spells made up the majority of them.

In addition, there were plenty of spells that had similar effects. Even [Power

Rise] and [Boost] overlapped a bit. Both were spells used to physically fortify

the user after all. Still, [Boost] was more user-friendly since it also had effects

like boosting jumping ability or granting explosive levels of power in physical

attacks.

Since I had no way of knowing what spell would be useful in which situation, I

figured I'd just go through them all one by one. But even if God had improved

my memory, I still wasn't confident that I could memorize a whole phone book

of spells.

Looking through that phone book in front of me for spells that seemed useful

was a pain in the neck. It was like searching for needles in a haystack. It was

boring! Then again... it wasn't like I had anything better to do. I was skimming

through the book when one spell in particular stood out. Oho...

"A spell that allows the caster to retrieve small items from afar, eh... Wonder

if I can use this one."

"Why not test it out?" Linze peeked over at the page. Good point, it seemed

simple enough to test.

"[Apport]!" I exclaimed.

However, nothing happened. Huh? I'd definitely felt the sensation of

something being drawn toward me...

Elze called over to me when she noticed that the spell had failed to activate

properly.

"What'd you try to grab hold of?"

"Yae's katana. Figured I'd try giving her a bit of a small fright. Hmm... Oh,

maybe it was too big? It does say it only works on small items, after all." I tried

once again with a clearer image in mind.

"[Apport]!"

"Fwah?!" I heard Yae's startled voice coming from the driver's seat.

In my hand was the ribbon she had been using to tie her hair back.

"Looks like it worked. Could be a fairly convenient spell, but it's also quite a

fearsome thing as well," Linze warned.

"What's fearsome about me using that spell?"

"I mean, it grabs things without leaving a trace behind. With a skill like that,

someone could pickpocket all they wanted."

"I see... That's actually kinda scary, huh? You could use that power to freely

steal all the money and jewelry you wanted."

"...Don't you dare use it for that."

"...Please don't use it for that..." Elze and Linze both met me with scornful

eyes. What a rude accusation.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'd never do that! Oh... I wonder if underwear's a valid

target for this spell..." Elze and Linze both bolted upright and moved a bit

further away from me. Oh, come on, it was a joke!

"Uhm... my hair is kind of flying everywhere in the wind right now, it is..." Yae

turned to face me, quite clearly asking for me to return her cord so that she

could tie her hair back up. Whoops, forgot about that for a second there.

◇ ◇ ◇

We had passed through several small towns since then, and before long three

days had passed since we initially set out on our journey.

I confirmed on my map that we were just over halfway to our destination. It

felt like more people and wagons had been passing by recently, too.

As for myself, I had been continuing my staring contest with the phone book

of spells. Through my efforts, I had managed to master two new interesting

ones. One which drastically reduced the effects of friction against the ground

for a short period of time, and one which expanded the user's senses to cover a

much wider range of detection.

The great thing about the spell that expanded my senses was that if I really

focused, I could home in on specific events happening up to a kilometer away

from where I was.

Now, before talking of the dangers of this spell, I only decided to learn it

because I felt that the ability to see, hear, and investigate things without having

to go there directly was obviously useful. The girls, however, vehemently

demanded that I swear never to use it for peeping on women. Just what kind of

person did they see me as...? I was testing out the effects of that spell, [Long

Sense], and confirming everything within one kilometer when I noticed

something odd.

This is... Was it... the smell of blood? My heightened sense of smell picked it

up quite clearly. When I turned my vision to where the smell was coming from, I

saw a high-class carriage, surrounded by armor-clad men... They looked like

soldiers, I thought. They were being attacked by a pack of what I could only

describe as Lizardmen wearing leather armor. Though there was also one man

in black robes among them.

Half of the soldiers were already cut down and laying on the ground. The

remainder fought to protect the carriage from the Lizardmen, who were

marching toward it, clearly armed with spears and curved swords.

"Yae! There are people being attacked by monsters! Full speed ahead!"

"Ah...! Understood, yes!" Yae whipped the horses and we sped up. I kept my

vision linked to the area as we drew closer, so I could keep an eye on the

situation. The Lizardmen cut through the soldiers one by one. There appeared

to be an injured old man and a child inside the carriage. Would we be able to

make it in time...?! There they are...!

"Come forth, Fire! Whirling Spiral: [Fire Storm]!" Linze cast a fire spell from

inside the wagon. Some tens of meters away, a tornado of fire burst to life in

the center of the pack of Lizardmen.

With that as our signal, we leaped from the wagon as it passed the monsters

by. First out was Elze, followed by me, with Yae bringing up the rear. We left the

reins in Linze's hands.

"Kshaaaaa!!!" A single Lizardman turned our way, darting straight at me. I

focused my energy in order to cast one of the new spells I had just learned.

"[Slip]!"

All friction between the Lizardman's feet and the ground vanished in an

instant, which sent it into a backflip so ridiculous that it would've even been

ruled out of a comedy show.

"Gurghagh!!!" I dealt the killing blow to Lizardman A, then mowed down

Lizardman B as it leaped to attack me.

Nearby, Elze had caught Lizardman C's curved sword with her gauntlets,

which Yae used as an opening to slice into the monster's flank. Nice teamwork.

While my attention was on that scene, a spear of ice flew past me and

impaled Lizardman D, who had been sneaking up on me while my back was

turned. That must've meant that Linze had managed to stop the horses and join

the battle.

With the flow of the battle in our favor, we cut the Lizardmen down one after

another. Still, there was something odd about the whole situation... There were

far too many enemies in one place, right...? We had already cut down a great

deal of them. Lizardmen by themselves weren't particularly strong monsters,

but it was a pain trying to deal with so many at once...

"Come forth, Dark! I seek a scalebound warrior: [Lizardman]!" The blackrobed man was behind the Lizardman army, and he was chanting. When he

finished, several more Lizardmen came crawling out from the shadows around

his feet. What the heck was up with that?!

"Touya, it's Summoning magic! That man in the black robes is the one

summoning all the Lizardmen!" Linze yelled in my direction.

Summoning them... So he had been using Dark-type magic. No wonder we

hadn't been able to cut down the Lizardmen's numbers. He would've been able

to keep on calling monsters for as long as his magic held out, what a pain... All

right, then. My course had been set.

"[Slip]!"

"Gah?!" The robed man's feet flew out from beneath him and he was thrown

to the ground with a loud thump. He scrambled to get back up, but collapsed to

the ground once more right away.

"Grr...!"

"Steel yourself." Yae leaped in with impossible speeds and cleanly severed the

man's head. Whoa, little bit gruesome there... The man's head fell to the ground

and rolled a bit before it stopped. Rest in peace.

Since the summoner had been taken care of, the remaining Lizardmen simply

faded away. I assumed they'd gone back to wherever he'd pulled them out

from.

"Looks like it's over... Everyone alright?"

"I'm doing great," Elze replied.

"I-I'm alright as well," Linze meekly muttered.

"As am I, I am." We made it out alright, but the people who had been

attacked had suffered great losses. One of the remaining soldiers made his way

over to me, leg dragging behind him.

"Th-Thank you... you saved us..."

"Don't mention it... What's the casualty rate?"

"Of ten bodyguards... they got seven of us... Damn it! If only we'd noticed

sooner...!" The man trembled in frustration and clenched his fist. I felt the

same, in a way. If only we had shown up a little bit sooner... but there was little

point in dwelling on such things any longer.

"S-Someone! Is someone there? Gramps... Gramps is...!" We all turned to face

the carriage when we unexpectedly heard the voice of a girl. Crying and

shouting, a little girl with long, blonde hair clambered out of the carriage. She

looked to only be about ten years old.

We ran over to the carriage, and next to the white clothed little girl lay a grayhaired old man in a black formal outfit. Blood flowed from his chest as he

wheezed in pain.

"Please save Gramps! He was hit by an arrow...!" The girl, face soaked in

tears, begged us for help. This old man must've been very important to her. The

soldiers brought the old man down from the carriage and laid him down on the

grass.

"Linze! Can't you use your Healing magic on him?!"

"...I-I can't. The arrow must have snapped, and part of it is still lodged in the

wound. If I heal him in this condition, the arrowhead will get stuck inside his

body... E-Even that aside... my magic wouldn't b-be effective on a wound this

dire...!" Linze's words were laced with apology and regret.

As soon as the little girl heard what Linze had to say, her face clouded over

with despair. She gripped the elderly man's hand tightly as she wept, and it

looked like she would never stop crying.

"Young miss..."

"Gramps...? Gramps!"

"I am afraid... that we must part here... But please know... the days I spent

with you... were among the happiest of my— ghh! Ack...!"

"Gramps, that's enough!" Damn... the old man was coughing and sputtering.

Was there really nothing we could do? I had never tried out major Healing

magic before, but I had read about it in the tomes Linze had let me borrow. I

knew the incantation, too. It wasn't impossible for me to cast... probably.

Should I take a gamble here? But even if I heal him up with the broken arrow

still lodged in the wound, there's no telling what might happen. The wound

healing up might even make the arrow sink in deeper, which would make it

pierce his heart... Wait... if I could just pull the arrow... out of the wound...

That's it!

"Please, move out of the way!" I hurried the soldiers aside and knelt down by

the old man. After that, I quickly pulled one of the other arrows out from the

side of the carriage and committed the shape of the arrowhead to memory.

Then, I focused on the image strongly in my mind.

"[Apport]!" In an instant, a blood-soaked and broken arrowhead was firmly

gripped in my hand.

"Amazing! You used the spell to retrieve the arrow!" Elze looked at my hand

and almost screamed with joy. But I wasn't done yet, there was one more step.

"Come forth, Light! Soothing Comfort: [Cure Heal]!" As I cast the spell, the

wound in the old man's chest gently began to regenerate. It was almost like

watching a video rewind itself. It continued like that until the jagged opening

had closed up completely.

"...What is this? The pain... is receding? Whatever is happening, it... doesn't

hurt? It doesn't hurt... I'm healed?"

"Gramps!" The old man sat there, completely baffled, but upright and

unharmed, as the little girl threw her arms around him. She cried countless

tears of relief, refusing to let go of the old man all the while. Watching the sight

made all of us let out our own relieved sighs. We slumped to the ground.

"Phew..." Well, I was just glad it had all worked out.

◇ ◇ ◇

We helped make graves in the nearby woods for the seven soldiers who had

died. Couldn't very well have left them lying there, but bringing them with us

wasn't an option either.

Of the three survivors, the youngest soldier dug graves in complete silence.

Apparently, his older brother had been among those that had passed away.

When we finished making the graves, he bowed deeply to us. The old man

stood next to him and bowed as well.

"Truly, you have been the greatest of help to us. How can we ever even begin

to repay you...?"

"Please, don't worry about it. More importantly, I healed your wound, but

you've still lost a fair bit of blood. You really should be taking it easy right now."

I tripped over myself a little bit as the old man kept his head bowed. It was like

this with God too, but it really did seem that I was weak against old men.

"Thanks, Touya! You didn't just save Gramps, you saved my life as well!" The

little blonde girl fired words of gratitude at me as though she were the queen of

the world. I gave a wry smile and thought to myself that she must be the young

daughter of some noble or other.

The carriage was of far higher quality than Zanac's. Plus, there was a large

number of bodyguards, a family servant-looking old man, and the haughty little

girl, so it felt I probably wasn't far off the mark.

"Apologies for my belated introduction. My name is Leim, and I am a servant

of the noble Ortlinde household. The young miss is the duke's daughter, Sushie

Urnea Ortlinde."

"I am Sushie Urnea Ortlinde! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" A

duke's daughter? Guess I was right on the money. She did seem like nobility,

after all.

As I internally confirmed my theory, the twins and the samurai girl at my side

all stood deadly still as though turned to stone.

"...What's up?"

"How can you be so casual like that?! This is the duke's daughter, you know!"

"...D-Duke is... the highest social rank that can be bestowed... Unlike the other

titles, duke is usually only given to members of the royal family..."

The royal family... Huh?

"Yes indeed! My father is Duke Alfred Urnes Ortlinde, younger brother of His

Majesty the King!"

"So, I guess that makes you the king's niece. That's pretty amazing."

"...You do not seem surprised. You must be quite the accomplished person

yourself, Touya." Huh? I turned around to find the twins and samurai girl down

on both knees, bowing their heads to the ground.

What, prostrating ourselves now? Is that how I'm supposed to react here?

"Uhh... Miss Sushie? Should I be... on the ground with them?"

"You may call me Sue. We're in no formal setting, so you needn't bow. You

needn't speak formally, either. As I said before, I owe you my life. If anything, I

should be the one to bow my head. All of you, please rise." The girls stood back

up and raised their heads as Sue had instructed. It seemed some of the tension

in the air had been relieved, but they still held stiff expressions on their faces.

"So, what's the daughter of the duke doing in a place like this?"

"We were on the way back from grandmother's place... on my mother's side.

There was a matter we were looking into, you see. We stayed for a month, and

were traveling back to the capital."

"And then you were attacked all the way out here... Doesn't really sound like

it was just any old group of thieves that attacked you."

I couldn't really picture thieves attacking with Summoning magic. Plus, while

there were a lot of Lizardmen, there had only been the one man in a black robe

commanding them. It made the most sense to assume that the assailant knew

the duke's daughter was in this specific carriage. In that case, his motive was

likely either assassination or kidnapping...

"Well, the assailant is dead now. We have no way of knowing who he was or

upon whose orders he was acting."

"I do apologize, I do..." Yae hung her head despondently. Oh, right, Yae had

been the one to send his head flying. It certainly might've made more sense to

try and restrain him for interrogation. After all, there was always the possibility

that we could've found out who had sent him or unraveled some big old

conspiracy that was going on or something.

"Pay it no heed. I told you, I am grateful to you. You have my praise for

vanquishing that menace."

"Such kind words... you waste them on me." Yae bowed once again.

"Well then, Sushi— er, Sue. What do you plan to do next?"

"Regarding that matter..." Leim, who had retreated to somewhere nearby,

spoke up in an apologetic tone.

"Over half of the guards have been felled, and if we are attacked again, I fear

we may not be able to keep the young miss safe. Would you consider lending us

your services as bodyguards? I shall see to it that you are paid adequately as

soon as we reach the capital safely. Will you assist us?"

"Bodyguard work, eh..." Well, we were all heading to the same place anyway,

and I couldn't bring myself to just leave them there. I didn't really mind, but I

needed to know what the others thought.

"Sounds fine, right? I mean, we were going that way anyways," Elze stated

plainly.

"I don't mind at all."

"I am already but a passenger, so I shall leave the decision to you, Touyadono." Seemed like we were all in agreement.

"Alright, we'll take the job! To the capital, then?"

"Indeed! We shall place ourselves in your capable hands!" Sue's face broke

out into a broad smile.

So, both of our vehicles carried on. The old wagon trailed along behind Sue's

carriage, and out in front of both were two soldiers on horses, leading the way.

The remaining soldier had taken his horse and rode off ahead to deliver a

letter that Sue had written explaining the situation to the duke's family.

I rode along in the carriage as Sue's personal bodyguard. Since I was proficient

in both magic and swordplay, it was decided that it was the best possible

position for me.

I sat in a completely unfamiliar high-class seat, and directly in front of me sat

Sue, Leim by her side all the while.

"...And with that, the valiant Momotaro slew the wicked Oni and took various

treasures back to the village."

"Ooh! Amazing!" Sue clapped her hands as she listened to my tale. I

wondered if this was okay. I had been told to talk about something, so calling it

a heroic tale passed down in my hometown, I recited the tale of Momotaro. I

didn't know how she would react to it, but Sue seemed pleased enough.

Sue spoke quite strangely for someone of her age. Apparently her speech was

like that because she kept trying to mimic her grandmother, so her

grandmother must have been someone of quite high status as well.

"Would you permit me to hear another tale, Touya?"

"Well, alright. Let's see... Long ago, in the castle town of a kingdom far, far

away, there lived a girl named Cinderella..." I never thought I'd be telling stories

featuring witches or wizards in a world where magic really existed... Still, Sue

seemed happy enough, so I didn't really mind.

After that, I exhausted myself by reciting every fairy tale imaginable, and

before I knew it, I found myself telling the stories of famous manga and popular

anime movies.

I almost leaped out of my boots when Sue yelled about wanting to embark on

a hunt for the Castle in the Sky, but Leim managed to calm her down.

It seemed the young lady was particularly fond of adventure stories. What a

strange girl.

And so, we passed the time peacefully in the carriage as we headed onward

to the capital.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Ooh, we're almost there! It's the capital!" Sue let out a shout as she peeked

her head through the window. I looked outside myself, and in the distance I

could make out a white castle surrounded by tall walls, framed by a large

waterfall behind it.

The Royal Capital, Alephis. Located on the bank of Lake Palette, a large body

of water that formed at the base of the waterfall, it was also known as the Lake

Capital.

Situated on the western part of the continent, the Kingdom of Belfast had a

comfortable climate. That plus the fair rule of the reigning king made it a

relatively peaceful country. The silk goods made in the Killua region of Belfast

were renowned as some of the highest quality in the world. They were light and

soft, sturdy, and beautiful. The goods were popular among nobles and even the

royal families of other countries, so the business was the pride of the kingdom,

and supposedly an indispensable source of income.

Come to think of it, didn't Zanac have some silk clothes up for sale in his shop?

As we grew closer and closer to the capital, I was shocked once more at the

sheer size of the castle walls. Just where did it all stop? It was very much the

picture of an iron fortress designed to keep any enemy out. Not to say it was

actually made of iron or anything.

Several soldiers were conducting inspections at the city gates before allowing

people passage into the capital. However, we were allowed through as soon as

the guard caught a glimpse of Sue and Leim's faces. Seemed they were pretty

well known around those parts. No doubt the duke's family crest on the side of

the carriage played a part as well.

The carriage continued straight on toward the castle, crossing a stone bridge

which spanned a large river below along the way. There was another

checkpoint in the middle of the bridge, but we just rolled right on through once

more.

"Beyond this point is the nobles' residential district." I gave a little "I see" to

Leim's explanation. Then the capital was divided into two areas: the commoner

district, and the noble district. Which meant the place we just left must have

been the commoner district.

We traveled through a street filled with rows of beautiful buildings and

arrived in front of a massive mansion. The walls around here were huge, too.

When we finally pulled up in front of the entrance, five, then six soldiers slowly

opened the very large, presumably heavy doors. Only now that we were directly

in front of it did I recognize the crest on the door as being the same one on the

side of the carriage.

So this was the duke's estate. It was huge. Everything from the garden to the

house was needlessly huge. Why was everything so big?

The carriage pulled up in front of the foyer, and Sue swung the door open

with great gusto.

"Welcome back, young miss!"

"Why thank you!" A wall of maids appeared and bowed their heads in unison.

I simply sat in the carriage, completely dumbstruck until Leim urged me to step

out. I felt... completely and utterly out of place. When we stepped into the

foyer, a man came running down the red-carpeted staircase in front of us.

"Sue!"

"Father!" Sue made a beeline for the man and jumped up to embrace him.

"Thank goodness... Thank goodness you're safe!"

"I am fine, father. Did I not write as such in my letter?"

"When that letter arrived, it felt as though my heart had stopped in my

chest..." It seemed like the man was Sue's father. He was Duke Alfred Ortlinde,

brother to the king. He had a head of blond hair, and a strong body that told of

his good health at a glance. But despite his sturdiness, he had a gentle face

which made him appear to be nothing but kind.

Eventually, the duke parted from his embrace with Sue and made his way

over to us.

"...You must be the adventurers who saved my daughter. You have my

sincerest gratitude. Truly, thank you so much for all your help." I was surprised.

The duke approached us only to bow his head. The king's brother was bowing

before us.

"Please, there's no need to bow your head. We only did what anyone would

do in that situation!"

"I see. You're quite the modest one, aren't you? Nevertheless, you have my

gratitude." After he finished speaking, the duke took my hand in his and shook

it firmly.

"No doubt you know already, but allow me to formally introduce myself. My

name is Alfred Urnes Ortlinde."

"I'm Mochizuki Touya. Oh, Touya is my given name and Mochizuki is my

family name."

"Oho, might you be from Eashen?"

... Please. Not this again.

"I see... So you came to the capital on a guild request to deliver a letter?" We

sat out on the second floor terrace overlooking the garden, enjoying a cup of

tea.

Though the only ones actually enjoying their tea were the duke and I, as the

other three were all tense and sat like planks of wood. Sue had left her seat and

wasn't there anymore. I wondered where she'd run off to.

"If you hadn't accepted that request, Sue might very well have been

kidnapped or murdered right about now... I'm thankful to whoever asked you

to come out here."

"Do you have any idea who could've been behind the attack?"

"I almost wish I could say that I didn't... But considering my position, I'm sure

there's no end of sordid individuals who see me as a bother. There may even be

some amongst the nobles who would seek to kidnap my daughter and use her

as leverage against me to make me dance to their every whim." The duke made

a bitter face and sipped from his tea as he said that. Sounded like there were all

sorts of people even among nobility.

"I'm back, Father. Sorry for the wait." Sue came out on to the terrace. She

wore a dress with pale pink frills, and in her hair was an headband fitted with a

matching pale pink rose. It suited her very well.

"Did you talk with Ellen?"

"I did, yes. I kept quiet about having been attacked, however. I did not wish to

worry her." Sue came out and sat herself down next to the duke. Leim came out

not a moment later carrying more tea with him.

"Ellen?"

"Yes, that would be my wife. I'm sorry she couldn't come out to meet you,

even though you came to our daughter's rescue... She's quite terribly blind, you

see."

"Your wife is blind, is she?" Yae spoke up, a heavy heart clearly behind her

words.

"She came down with an illness five years ago... They managed to save her

life, but not her vision." The duke let his gaze drop as he spoke his sad tale. Sue

noticed, and placed her hand on top of his. She must have been concerned for

her father. She really was a lovely little girl.

"...D-Did you try treating it with magic?"

"I called out to practitioners of Healing magic throughout the land, but... it

was no use. They said that if it had been caused by a physical injury, then magic

might have helped to some degree, but that it would have no effect on the

after-effects of an illness." The duke listlessly answered Linze's question.

So even healing magic couldn't help with it... I had thought we might be able

to heal it with [Cure Heal] or something, but... Moments like those were where

I felt my own powerlessness more than ever.

"If only grandfather were still alive..." Sue whispered in a small, regretful

voice. He must've noticed my curious expression, because the duke spoke up to

explain.

"My wife's father... Sue's grandfather, that is, my father-in-law could use a

very special kind of magic. He was able to cure any abnormality within the

body. The reason Sue originally left on a journey was to find out more about his

magic and try and find a way to recreate it."

"If we had grandfather's magic, we would be able to heal mother's eyes. Even

if we couldn't use that magic, there was the possibility that knowing more

about it would have allowed us to substitute it with a spell from a different

school of magic. That was what I heard from the court magician, at least. Else

we could try to find someone who could use the same magic as grandfather..."

Sue clenched her fist in frustration.

"She said that the possibility of that was very low indeed, Sue. Non-elemental

magic is primarily personalized magic. There are almost no two people who can

use the exact same non-elemental spell as each other. But I'm sure there must

be someone out there who can use a similar spell. I'll definitely find that person,

one way or another..."

"AAAAH!!!" "AAAAH!!!" "AAAAH!!!" The three girls sitting beside me

suddenly leaped out of their seats and let out some seriously loud noises.

Whoa, that scared the life out of me! What the hell, what's going on?!

"It's Touya!"

"Touya, that's you!"

"Touya-dono, that must be you, it must!"

"What are you talking about?" The girls fired out their fingers at me in rapid

succession, and I reflexively pulled away from them.

You guys are seriously scaring me... Did all that tension go to your heads and

make you snap? Look, the duke and his daughter are pulling away, too. You're

freaking everyone out here!

"You might be able to use that spell!" Elze exclaimed.

"Non-elemental magic is primarily personalized magic... meaning no two

people can use the exact same spell. Except...!"

"Touya-dono, you can use any kind of Null spell, can you not?!"

"Hmm...? Oh! So that's what you were all yelling about!" I finally got it! Right,

if the spell wasn't elemental, then...

"Whatever... are you talking about...? Do you mean that you can...?"

"Touya! Can you really cure my mother?!" Sue exclaimed. The duke looked at

me with an expression of sheer bewilderment on his face. Meanwhile, Sue was

clinging to my arm like she was never going to let go.

"Honestly, I won't be able to say either way without trying it out first. But

there is a chance... Just so long as I know the spell's name and the details of

what it does."

"Oh my, do we have guests?" The lady sitting on the bed in the room we

walked into strongly resembled Sue. Looking at her almost made me believe I

was glimpsing into Sue's future. The only difference was that she had light

brown hair in contrast to the blonde of her daughter.

Her white blouse and pastel blue skirt gave her an air of transience. To

compare her to a flower, she was less like a rose or a lily, and more like a

baby's-breath. She was still young, too. Probably wasn't even thirty yet. But I

felt as though her youth only drew more attention to her blind eyes. Her eyes

were still open, but it felt like her gaze never quite settled on anything. It almost

made one wonder exactly where those eyes were gazing into.

"My name is Mochizuki Touya. It's a pleasure to meet you, Duchess Ellen."

"The pleasure is all mine. Darling, is this young man a friend of yours?"

"He is. He's someone that looked out for Sue while she was on her journey...

and upon hearing about your eyes, he said he would like to see what he could

do."

"My eyes...?"

"Mother, please relax for a moment." Sue said. I quietly raised my hand and

held it in front of Duchess Ellen's eyes. My mind focused entirely on them as I

cast the spell I had learned a moment ago. Come on, please work...

"[Recovery]."

A soft light flowed from the palm of my hand into Duchess Ellen's eyes. When

the light faded, I pulled my hand away.

Her gaze wandered for a moment before gradually settling down. After

blinking her eyelids a few times, she quietly turned to face in the direction of

her husband and daughter.

"...I-I can... see? Darling...! I can see!" Tears began to flow from Duchess

Ellen's eyes.

"Ellen...!"

"Mother!" The three of them clung to each other and started crying. Finally

seeing her husband and daughter for the first time in half a decade, Duchess

Ellen smiled brightly through her tears. She simply continued gazing at their

faces through tear-stained eyes. The faces of her beloved family.

Leim, who had been quietly watching the scene from nearby, turned his face

upward and began sniffling as well.

"Uwah... I'm so happy!" Elze choked out.

"I'm so glad for them as well..."

"I'm really pleased for them, I am...!"

Wait, why are you girls crying?! Huh? Hold on, does this make me a horrible

person for being the only one not to cry? I'm feeling pretty moved by this whole

scene too, you know! It's just that I was under so much pressure to make sure it

worked that I'm more relieved than happy right now... Ah, forget it.

For the time being, we just warmly watched as the family rejoiced.

◇ ◇ ◇

"I am greatly indebted to you. Really, you have no idea what this all means to

me. You not only saved my daughter, but you even cured my wife... Thank you,

thank you so much." The duke was bowing to us again. I really wasn't good with

situations like that. I couldn't stand to keep making this man bow to me.

Sue was still in Duchess Ellen's room. We had been brought out into the

parlor, where we sat in luxurious chairs opposite the duke.

"Please, don't mention it. Sue is safe, and your wife is cured. I'm just glad

everything's alright now."

"No, I cannot possibly leave it at just that. I really must show you the

appropriate level of gratitude. Leim, bring it over."

"Of course, sir." Leim brought over a silver tray with several objects laid out

on it.

"First of all, take this. It's your reward for saving my daughter. As well as

escorting her home safely." Leim handed me a bag that I assumed had money

inside it.

"You should find forty platinum coins within."

"Huh?!" "What?!" "Eh?!" The girls seemed to grasp the situation immediately,

but I wasn't sure what the duke meant. I knew about all about gold coins by

that point, but what was a platinum coin? I asked Elze, who was sitting next to

me.

"Hey Elze, what's a platinum coin?"

"...It's a level of currency one step above gold coins. A single platinum coin

equals ten gold ones..."

"Ten gold?!"

From my time in this world so far, I know one gold is roughly equivalent to

about one hundred thousand yen... So if one platinum is one million yen, then I

have... forty... million... yen...?!

"W-Wait, I can't accept this! That's way too much!" After I realized just how

much was being given to us, I hurried to refuse it. There was no way the job we

accepted was worth anywhere near that much.

"Don't say that, please, just accept it. If you plan to make a living as

adventurers, I'm sure you'll reach a point where you'll find yourself in need of

money like this. Think of it as funds to stash away for when that time comes."

"Well..." He had a point, the money would probably come in handy. I hated to

admit it, but there were things in this world that could only be solved by moving

money around. Besides, from what I knew of the duke's personality, he wasn't

going to let up until I accepted the reward.

"In addition, I would like to give each of you one of these." The duke lined up

four medals on the table in front of him. Each one had a diameter of about five

centimeters. The medal's design featured a shield in the center and a pair of

lions facing each other from the side. Wait... isn't this...

"They're medals featuring my family crest. With this, you will be able to pass

through any checkpoint with relative ease, and you will also be able to use

facilities normally exclusive to nobles. Should anything happen ever happen,

they will act as guarantee that my family will provide support to you. They are a

form of identification, I suppose."

According to the duke, such medals were normally given out to the family's

exclusive merchants or other such important figures. Each of the medals had

our individual names carved into them, along with a single word, which meant

there could be no duplicates made. That was apparently to make sure they

could never be abused if we ever lost them.

My medal carried the word "Tranquility," Elze's was "Fervor," Linze's was

"Philanthropy," and Yae's was "Sincerity." Tranquility, eh... Well, peace is the

best after all.

Anyway, these certainly did sound like useful things to have. They made it

easier to visit Sue again as well, actually. Being stopped at checkpoints all the

time sounded like a royal pain. Although in an emergency, I could always just

cast [Gate] to bypass all the checkpoints anyway.

We split the money evenly between us, ten platinum coins each. Still, one

platinum was ten gold, so that was one million yen... I had to make absolutely

sure I never, ever dropped any of these.

We decided that it was too much of a risk to be walking around with that

much money, so we each took a single coin and had the duke deliver the rest to

the guild for us. Apparently it was set up so that we could withdraw our money

from any guild office in any town. I figured it was like this world's equivalent of

a bank.

We decided it was about time to be getting on our way, and when we

returned to the foyer, Sue and Duchess Ellen had come to see us off.

"Come visit again soon! That's an order, you hear?!" A passionate farewell

scene behind us, we hopped in our wagon and headed to deliver that letter to

Viscount Swordrick's estate just as Zanac had asked of us.

"Eh? That letter you were asked to deliver was for Viscount Swordrick, it

was?" Oh, had we not told Yae about that yet? I curiously met Yae's startled

gaze as the wagon swayed us side to side.

"Do you know him?"

"Do I know him? He's the very man I mentioned before, he is. The one who

helped my father in the past, he is the very man I'm here to meet, he is!" Huh,

that was a huge coincidence. Small world after all.

We were tossed around in the back of the wagon as Elze led us down the

high-class street, following the directions the duke had given us before drawing

to a halt outside the viscount's estate.

It may sound rude, but having just come from the duke's estate, the

viscount's seemed much more... snug, comparatively. Still, there was no

mistaking that it was quite a grand place. It felt quite old, or rather, rich with

history. I'd heard that quite a few of the nobles with property in the capital also

owned land elsewhere, so this might even have just been the viscount's villa.

When we gave Zanac's name to the gatekeeper, he said he would arrange for

the viscount to meet us. Before long we were led into the building, where a

man I took to be a butler led us to the parlor room.

Once again, compared to the parlor in the duke's home, the place was a bit...

well... Impolite thoughts ran around in my head as we waited, when out came a

red-haired hero of a man. This guy... was strong. I could tell even through his

clothes that his muscular form was well-trained. Even his eyes were sharp,

surveying us like a falcon pinpointing its prey.

"My name is Carlossa Galune Swordrick. Are you the messengers that Zanac

sent?"

"We are. We're here to deliver this letter to you upon his request. We were

also asked to receive a response from you to take back with us." I handed him

the tube containing Zanac's letter. The viscount took it and removed the wax

seal with a knife before reading the contents.

"Wait here a moment. I shall write a reply." After he spoke, the viscount left

the room. As he left, a maid entered the room and made tea for us, but

compared to the tea we'd had at the duke's house... No, that was enough of

that. No need to disrespect the viscount. I shouldn't have been comparing him

to the duke in the first place.

"Sorry to have kept you." The viscount returned with a sealed letter in hand.

"Alright, please give this to Zanac. Also, hold on a moment. Before you go..."

Even as the viscount handed me the letter, his gaze drifted over to Yae.

"I've been wondering since I first laid eyes on you... Have we... No, I don't

think we've ever met before. Still... What is your name?" The viscount tilted his

head as if he were trying to remember something. Yae looked straight at him

and gave her name.

"My name is Kokonoe Yae; Daughter of Kokonoe Jubei, I am."

"...Kokonoe... Oh, Kokonoe! I see. So you're Jubei's daughter!" The viscount

slapped his knee, let out a broad smile, and gave Yae a once-over with a happy

expression on his face.

"Yep. There's no mistaking it. You're the spitting image of Nanae. I'm just glad

you take your looks from your mother and not your old man!" The viscount

laughed as though he had suddenly been put in a great mood, and Yae simply

smiled without a word.

"Uhm... so how do you know Yae...?" I asked.

"Hmm? Oh, right. You see, her father, Jubei, used to be an instructor of

swordplay for the Swordrick family. Back when I was still a sniveling brat, he

really put me through the wringer. It was a real challenge, I tell you. Hard to

believe that was twenty years ago now."

"My father always talks about how, among the swordsmen he trained, none

were nearly as wise or talented as you, Viscount-dono."

"Ohoho? I'm pleased to hear that! Even if it's mere flattery, it's heartwarming

to know that my old teacher speaks so well of me." The viscount smiled happily,

true to his words. But Yae continued talking to him with a serious expression on

her face.

"He also told me that should I ever get the chance to meet you, I should

request your advice in matters of swordplay, he did."

"Oho..." The viscount narrowed his eyes, apparently enthused by Yae's words.

Huh? What's with this change in the atmosphere all of a sudden...?

◇ ◇ ◇

The viscount's garden had a dojo in it.

Upon entering, I couldn't restrain my surprise. After all, it looked exactly like a

Japanese kendo dojo.

A polished wooden floor, several wooden swords hanging on the wall...

complete with an actual home shrine.

"This building was planned by Mr. Jubei, and it was built by my father. It was

designed to have an Eashen aesthetic, as you might be able to tell."

"It reminds me of the dojo back home... It makes me feel nostalgic, it does."

That makes two of us, Yae. Going to Eashen just got a whole lot higher on my

bucket list.

"Choose the wooden sword that suits you best. They're lined up by the size of

their grip." After changing into his training attire, the viscount fixed his sash and

took hold of a wooden sword. Yae, on the other hand, took a few swords and

tried swinging each of them several times before deciding which one suited her

best. Shortly after that, she stood face-to-face with the man.

"Are any of you familiar with Healing magic?"

"...We know one or two spells." I replied by raising my hand and looking at

Linze.

"Then there'll be no need to hold back. Come at me with all you have." When

he said that, we went to sit down at the edge of the dojo so we wouldn't get in

the way of their fight.

Struck with a sudden idea, I took out my smartphone. Alright, now...

"What are you doing...?" Linze spoke up, looking all confused.

"Just a little something for future reference." While I replied, Elze took on the

role of the referee and took her place between the fighters.

After confirming they were fully ready, she signaled the start.

"Now then... begin!" As Elze's voice rang throughout the dojo, Yae dashed

toward the viscount with the speed of a bullet. He stopped the first strike headon and neatly parried each of the numerous attacks that followed.

Yae momentarily backed away and attempted to adjust her breathing.

However, despite the golden opportunity, the viscount didn't attack her.

Instead, he just watched her movements.

Facing one another, they closed in on each other as if drawing an inward

spiral. Little by little, the distance between them shrunk until it reached a point

that summoned another exchange of wooden swords... beginning another

vicious chain of blows.

However, Yae was the only one actually attacking. The viscount merely

parried, evaded, and deflected, not showing any sign of going on the offensive.

"I see... So that's how it is." He shifted his sword into a lower position. Yae

fixed her aim and breathed as her shoulders moved up and down in quick

succession. It was apparent that she was running out of stamina.

"Your swordsmanship is proper. I would even go as far to call it exemplary, as

I don't see even a single wasted movement. It's just like how Jubei taught me."

"Is there a problem with that, is there?"

"Not in the least. However... you don't have anything beyond that level."

"Wha—?!" The viscount shifted his sword into an overhead position and

displayed his first act of aggression. Even I could feel his electric aura.

"En garde!" He took a step forward, and before I even noticed, quickly leaped

and closed the distance between him and Yae. The sword he held above his

head quickly went down toward her head. Yae responded by positioning her

sword above herself.

However... the very next moment, she fell to the floor with a highly

unsatisfying sound. I could hear her moan as she held on to one of her sides.

"E-Enough!" Elze proclaimed the end of the match. If this was a real battle,

Yae would have been neatly split in half.

"Guh..."

"Please, refrain from moving too much. I probably broke some of your ribs. If

you give them the chance, they may pierce your lungs. You there! Come and

heal her."

"Ah, right."

As Yae writhed in pain, I placed my hand on her side and cast a Healing spell.

Sooner than later, likely due to the fading pain, her expression turned calm.

"I'm fine now, I am..." After thanking me, Yae stood up and gave the viscount

a sincere bow.

"I am grateful for your guidance, I am."

"Your swordsmanship has no real dark side to it. You mix feints and actual

attacks, charge and back away when needed... It's both fierce and open-ended.

However, a proper manner of the sword like yours doesn't break the limits of

dojo training. Now, I'm not saying that's a bad thing. After all, true strength

differs person by person." The viscount's sharp eyes pierced Yae.

"What do you seek from your blade?" She offered no answer to his words.

Instead, she just looked up at her wooden sword.

"That is the first thing you must learn. Then, you will find your true path. And

when you do, feel free to come back to me." With those words as his last, the

viscount left the dojo.

"Hey, well... You shouldn't mind it too much! Battles are all about luck. If you

lost, you were probably bound to lose anyway!"

"...Elze-dono... you are not helping at all, you aren't..." Yae looked at Elze with

a stern expression, which made her let out a dry laugh.

Linze took control of the carriage to get us to the checkpoint through which

we could leave the noble district.

"What're you gonna do from here, Yae? We're headed back to Reflet," Elze

proclaimed.

"What is it I should be doing, I wonder..."

Damn, she looks seriously low. Reminded me of some useless salary man who

had lost all hope. Sitting on the side of our luggage, Yae was looking at the

distant sky with her chin resting on her hands.

"If you've got nowhere to go, you should come with us to Reflet! Then you

can join our guild, form a party, and even train with us sometimes!"

Sometimes? Well, I kind of understood what Elze was going for. We became

good friends, so it would've been a bummer if we split up at that point.

"That may not be a bad idea, it may not."

"Alright, it's decided!"

"My, you're so forceful..." Elze's forcefulness made me adopt a wry smile. She

took full advantage of Yae's downer... or maybe she was just being considerate

in her own way? As I thought about that, our carriage reached the checkpoint.

The soldiers at the post came up to us, and when Linze shyly showed them the

medal we got from the duke, they didn't hesitate to let us through. Man, the

duke sure is something.

"The world is a very big place, it is... I did not think I was facing someone that

strong... I have a long path ahead of me, I do..." Yae slowly muttered those

words.

So she was still hung up on that... Must've been quite a shock.

"The final strike especially... I do not understand how it happened, I don't. I

thought I was going to parry the sword as it came from above... but it somehow

hit me on my side..."

"That was something! I was right next to you, but even I didn't see what

happened! It was like I blinked and you were suddenly lying on the floor,

y'know?" To help Yae process it, Elze started excitedly explaining what she saw.

"It is such a shame... If only I could see that attack one more time, if only..."

"But you can," I explained.

"...Excuse me?" My nonchalant words made Yae put on a rather silly

expression and blink repeatedly.

I took out my smartphone, brought up the match I just recorded, and played

it for her.

"Wh-What is this?! Ah! W-Wait! That is me! And Viscount-dono! Elze-dono,

too, she is!"

"Whoa, what the hell's this?! It's moving! But I'm right here! Eh? Wait, is that

actually Linze?! Sis?! No, she's right here, too! What's going on?!"

"Calm down."

"Ow!" "Ouch...!" I dropped a light chop on the top of their panicked little

heads. They really needed to calm down. Not like it wasn't funny, though.

"This is... sort of like my personal Null magic that allows the recording of

events so you can see them again later. I used it to record your match."

"That magic is amazing, it is!"

"Eh? What's that spell called?"

"Ah... smartphone, I guess?"

"Smawtforn... never heard of that one before. Well, whatever. It is nonelemental magic after all." Elze folded her arms and tilted her head. Yae, on the

other hand, took my smartphone and intently gazed at the screen. Soon

enough, she got to the scene where she was defeated.

"Right here, yes!" The sword that was supposed to go down on her head was

actually going for her side the whole time. Huh? I was quite sure it was an

overhead strike...

"What does this mean...?"

"Dunno..." I asked Elze, who was watching it by my side, but she seemed as

clueless about it as I was.

"T-Touya-dono! Is it possible to see it again, is it?!"

"It is, yeah. As many times as you like. Should I go from the start? Or just

before you were defeated?"

"Before I was defeated!"

I set the start point and handed the phone to Yae. The viscount approached

Yae and hit her straight on the side. He never did go for her head. But I was

quite sure that...

"Shadesword..."

"Shadesword?" I was confused by the word she quietly muttered.

"It's a technique that turns high fighting spirit into a blade. Being an illusion, it

doesn't have any substance. However, since it is made of spirit, it has a

presence you can feel, it does... That's why, before you realize it, you

acknowledge its existence. The viscount likely set the shadesword to attack

from above while he struck his real blade into my side. The shadesword was

clad in a distracting amount of fighting spirit... while the real one, which I

couldn't feel, came from the side, it did! Yes... I took the bait that he set, I did!"

So she was shown an illusion? I'd thought a cold dose of reality would make

her even more depressed, but she was actually smiling. And it didn't look like

the smile of someone who gave up... It was like she had come to realize

something. Her muttering seriously creeped me out, though.

"My swordsmanship has no dark side, it doesn't. Now I see what he meant,

yes. Sometimes, you don't wait for openings in your enemy, but create them

yourself... That is interesting, it is..."

"Hey, Yae. You okay?"

"I am, yes. Thank you, Touya-dono. You truly helped me, you did." Since Yae

looked satisfied, I took back my smartphone and placed it in my pocket. Well, it

was good to help her cheer up.

"I shall train lots and grow even stronger... With all of you by my side, I will!"

"That's more like it! I wouldn't have it any other way!" Yae and Elze

exchanged a high five. Ah, the joys of youth.

"H-Hey, don't forget about me..." A slightly bitter voice came from the front

of the carriage. Oh. I-It's not like we really forgot about you! Sorry, Linze.

◇ ◇ ◇

Since we were already in the Royal Capital, we decided to not waste the

opportunity. We certainly weren't short on money, so we decided to spend

some time shopping. Or, rather, that was decided for me. I lacked what it took

for me to resist the will of the three girls.

We left our carriage at the inn, though it cost us because we weren't planning

on staying the night, and decided that we'd gather there in three hours.

The three girls went somewhere together, but I chose to do something by

myself. I really didn't want to be their baggage handler. Not to mention that

there was something I wanted to buy for myself, as well.

So I took out my smartphone, found where I was on the map and... realized

the Capital was huge. Wouldn't have expected less, really. Is there a search

function? Alright, a-r-m-o-r-s-h-o-p...

Soon enough, several pins fell on the map, showing the locations of the armor

shops in the area. The closest one was... right in front of me? I raised my head

to see an armor shop with a shield sign in front of it. I didn't even have to

search for it...

"Welcome!" I entered the shop to see an absolute bounty of shields, armor,

gauntlets, and helmets. Behind the counter at the far end of the room, I saw a

friendly-looking shopkeep smiling at me.

"Excuse me, can I have a look around?"

"Please, feel free! Try on anything you like, as well." Permission granted, I

started intently looking at the armor pieces. I was set for weapons since I

bought a katana for my first guild assignment, and I kind of postponed getting

armor at the time. But being here gave me the perfect chance, and I wasn't

about to miss it. It was the Royal Capital, after all, so I figured I might as well get

something good.

Alright, now... I valued mobility a lot, so I didn't think I'd be suited for any kind

of metal armor. Moving in full plate was probably bound to be a nightmare.

That'd leave me with lighter types of armor, such as leather...

"Excuse me, what's the best armor you have? Ah, non-metal, I mean."

"Non-metal? That'd probably be this spotted rhino armor."

"Spotted rhino?"

"Exactly, a rhino with spots on it. Armor made from its hide is tougher and

longer-lasting than ones made from standard leather." I tried rapping my

knuckles on the armor and it felt very tough, indeed.

"And it's still weaker than metal armor?"

"Well... unless it's enchanted in some way, that's how it is most of the time."

Enchanting... That's the thing where they add magic effects to equipment,

right...? I'd heard that some highly coveted enchanted items could be found in

ancient ruins, but the magic kingdom in the Far East actually produced them in

large numbers.

"Do you sell enchanted armor?"

"Sorry, but we don't. Equipment like that is really expensive. I think Berkut,

the armor shop on the eastern avenue, sells things like that, but it's exclusive to

nobles." The shopkeeper replied with a troubled expression.

Exclusive to nobles, huh? Quite a predicame— Wait. "Would they let me in if I

showed them this?"

"What is this...? Th-This is the duke's...! You are close to the duke, sir?!" Upon

seeing the medal I got from the duke, the shopkeeper instantly changed his

expression.

"Everything should be fine, then. If the duchy approves of you, there will be

no trouble at all." I tipped him with a silver coin to make up for the time I had

wasted, then left the shop. After that, while referring to my map, I went off

looking for that shop named Berkut.

Walking through the Royal Capital, I couldn't hide my surprise at all the nonhuman races that were roaming about here and there. There were many nonhumanoids, all with their unique traits, but what really caught my eye were the

beastmen.

I didn't see a single one back in Reflet, but here, you couldn't miss them if you

tried. Those beastmen weren't the ones with human bodies and animal heads,

like, say, the minotaur— they were like the fox beastgirl walking in front of me.

Ears and tail aside, she was no different from a normal human. Long, blonde

hair with fox ears just as bright except for the black tips. A large, fluffy tail with

a white end. She also had another pair of ears. Human ones, just like ours. Linze

said something about both pairs having a main-sub relationship, but I didn't

really understand the details...

Oh? That foxgirl seemed really lost and confused... Was she looking for

someone? Her expression looked really troubled. And yet no one was helping

her. The big city folk here seemed just as cold as the ones in my world.

Alright, guess I'll talk to her.

"Er... is everything alright?"

"Y-Yesh?! What ish it?!"

Whoops, I startled her so hard that she forgot how to pronounce words. She

looked at me with wide open eyes. Had to get her to calm down. After all, I

wasn't some weird pervert or anything... At least, I thought I wasn't. With her

being so scared, I began to lose confidence in that conviction.

"Well, it seemed like you were in a bit of trouble. I just wondered what was

up."

"Ah, u-uhm... I-I... lost my companion..."

Ah, so she was lost after all.

"W-We decided where we'd meet if we ever got split up, b-but I don't know

where the place is..." The little fox's voice gradually turned weak. I could swear I

just saw her ears and tail sag in a profoundly sad manner.

"What's the place called?"

"Uhm... I think it was a magic shop called Luca...?"

Magic shop named Luca... got it. I took out my smartphone, ran a search on

the map... And there it was. Right on the way toward Berkut as well.

Convenient.

"I can take you there. It's on the way to where I was going, anyway."

"Really?! Thank you sho much!" Oh, she mispronounced again. What a

charming little thing. She was probably younger than Elze and Linze. Twelve,

maybe thirteen years old...?

Following the map, we walked through the streets. On the way, I found out

that her name was Arma.

"Are you a tourist here, Mr. Touya?"

"Nope, had some work to do. Already finished with it, though. What about

you, Arma?"

"My sister had work to do here, and I joined her. I wanted to see the capital."

Arma let out a bright smile. It was almost like the troubled expression from

before had never even existed.

As we made the simplest of small talk, we soon arrived at the magic shop.

There was a beastgirl standing in front of it. Upon noticing Arma, she quickly ran

up to us.

"Arma!"

"Ah, Sis!" Arma ran straight into her big sister's chest. The lady instantly

hugged her back. As obvious as it might seem, she was also a fox beastgirl.

Clearly older, too. Likely an adult. The aura of dignity around her made her

seem somewhat soldier-like.

"I was so worried! How could you get lost...?!"

"I'm so sorry... But it's okay! Mr. Touya helped me get here." Finally noticing

my presence, the lady gave me a sincere bow.

"You helped my sister? Thank you so much."

"It's nothing, really. I'm just glad to have met her."

She offered to repay me, but I refused because I had business to take care of.

What I did wasn't worth any kind of repayment. After a short introduction, I

took my leave. Arma just couldn't stop waving her hand at me as I walked away.

As I headed toward Berkut after leaving the two behind, I couldn't help but

notice that the buildings and shops around me were gradually becoming

fancier. After a while, I finally reached my destination.

"Damn, this place looks real expensive..." The formal, brick-built building

made me feel a bit timid. It was like some brand name shop.

I didn't feel like I belonged. It seemed like they'd even take an entry fee. Well,

not like there were guards or anything. Knowing that standing around wouldn't

get me anywhere, I took a deep breath and walked in.

Upon passing through the grandiose door, I was quickly greeted by a young

lady.

"Welcome to Berkut. Is it your first time here, sir?"

"Ah, yes. Never been here before."

"Well, then. Might you have something that proves your social standing or an

invitation permitting you to shop here?"

I see. No chance customers allowed, huh? Nobles and those invited only. I

took out the duke's medal and showed it to the shopkeeper. Unlike the man

from the previous shop, the lady wasn't perplexed in the least and merely

bowed her head.

"All is well, then. Thank you very much. Now, on what business have you

come here?"

"I'd like to take a look at your enchanted armor."

"Understood. Right this way, please." I followed her to one corner of the

shop, where I was met with an array of various armors, from shiny plates with a

mystifying glow to cheap-looking leather gloves that didn't seem special in any

way at all.

"Are all of these enchanted?"

"That is correct. For example, this Silver Mirror Shield is enchanted to reflect

offensive spells, while this Gauntlet of Demi-God Strength has a muscle

enhancing enchantment placed directly on it." ...Well, I could certainly feel

magic coming from them. Now, when did I become able to perceive that?

Probably God's meddling. Shouldn't overthink it.

"Sir, what exactly are you looking for?"

"Ah, something non-metal... Basically, armor that's light, yet durable."

"In that case... might I suggest this leather jacket? It's enchanted to resist

blades, flame and lightning." Hmm... That sounded nice, but the design was

just... The word lame didn't begin to cover how gaudy it was. Also, the draconic

embroidery on the back was just embarrassing.

Suddenly, I noticed a white coat hanging at the corner of the shop. It was a

long coat with fur trimming on the sleeves and collar.

"What about that one?" I said as I pointed toward the coat I noticed.

"It is enchanted with blade, heat, cold, and strike resistances. Also, it has a

notably high resistance to offensive magic, but there's a bit of a problem with

it..."

"What's that?"

"The resistance to magic only works for the magic affinities the wearer has.

Not only that, but it makes them take double damage to affinities they don't

have."

...So, someone with Fire affinity would be highly resistant to fire, but if he

didn't have Wind affinity, the lightning resistance would not only be ineffective,

but also make him take double damage... A true double-edged sword. It'd work

wonders if the wearer fought monsters of the same element, but when they

went beyond that, the risks were far too great...

Well, not like it matters to me! After all, I have an affinity for all the elements!

Score!

"Can I try it on?"

"Go ahead."

I took the coat, examined the texture, and put it on. The size was just right. I

tried moving a bit, and it didn't seem to impair my mobility, nor did it feel off in

any way. I liked it.

"How much for this one?"

"We will make it cheap and sell it to you for eight gold coins."

Each one was about as big as a five hundred yen coin, and had engravings of

something resembling a lion. And that was after making it cheap? Damn hard

on the wallet, if you ask me... Might have been fair, though, considering the

effects. My sense of the value of money was really getting warped...

"Alright, I'll take it. Here's the payment."

"One platinum coin, understood. Please wait here a moment." She returned

to the counter and came back with a money tray holding two gold coins. I took

them, placed them in my wallet, and walked toward the exit.

"Thank you very much for your patronage. We eagerly await your next visit!"

She bowed her head and saw me off as I left Berkut.

And so, I finally got some good armor. Cost me an arm and a leg, though...

◇ ◇ ◇

After buying the coat, I had a meal at a nearby restaurant and went back to

visit the magic shop, Luca, that I left Arma at. However, neither she nor her

sister were there anymore.

After looking around for a while, I bought a book on Null magic. When it came

to the six elements, people normally bought books of the appropriate affinity,

learned the spells, practiced, and made them theirs. However, Null magic was

unique to individuals. Wasn't there something peculiar about such a book being

sold?

It even had a dictionary listing all of the mysterious spells to ever be recorded

in this world. And, of course, an overwhelmingly large part of it was nonelemental. It was a real treasure for someone like me.

Rather cheap, too. But that was only obvious. After all, it wasn't really meant

for teaching magic. Wouldn't have been surprised if it was written with leisure

in mind.

Afterward, I bought a souvenir for Micah — an assorted box of cookies — and

returned to where I was supposed to meet the others. It was getting dark.

"Ah, he's finally here. You're too slow!" Elze said, clearly chiding me.

"Huh? You're all early. It's not even the time we agreed on yet." The three

were waiting for me at the inn, next to our cart, clearly hauling a bigger load

than before. Just how much did they buy?

"Oh? What's with the coat, Touya?" Elze spoke with an impish tone and

began examining my purchase.

"Ah, this coat's enchanted. It lowers the effects of all offensive magic... and

gives resistance to blade, heat, cold and strike attacks."

"Resistance to all offensive magic? Wow... How much did it cost?"

"Eight gold coins."

"Eight?! You've been ripped o— Wait, actually, considering the effect, that

might be fair..." Apparently Elze's monetary senses weren't the best, either.

With all of us finally gathered, we got on the cart and took off. Yae took the

reins and, since we were a bit overloaded, I decided to sit next to her.

We could use a [Gate] to instantly return to Reflet, but I didn't want us to

stand out too much. Therefore, we decided to use it after we left the Royal

Capital.

When leaving, we didn't even have to show our medals as we crossed the

checkpoint again. Casually riding the carriage, I waited until the Capital looked

really distant before I told Yae to stop.

"What is it we're going to do here, Touya-dono?" Clueless about [Gate], Yae

asked me with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Should I aim for one of the roads near the town instead of the town itself?"

"Yeah, that makes more sense." Upon hearing Elze's confirmation, I imagined

the place where I wanted to appear and concentrated my magic.

"[Gate]." A giant door of light appeared before us. I reshaped it so the cart

could fit through.

"W-What is this, what is it?!"

"Right, move along, move along." Ignoring Yae's perplexed look, I rushed her

to move the cart through the [Gate]. Once we passed through the portal, we

were met with the view of a large evening sun hidden behind the mountains

west of Reflet.

"This magic is so useful... I can't stress it enough!" Linze proclaimed.

"It reduces a five day journey to a single moment, after all."

"A shame you can't go to places you haven't visited before, though..."

"Will someone finally tell me what's going on here, will they?!" As Yae was

losing herself in utter confusion, we were overwhelmed by the relief of finally

making it back home. It was already dark, so we decided to leave reporting to

Zanac for tomorrow.

We stopped before the Silver Moon and walked in to inform Micah of our

return. As obvious as it might seem, the place hadn't changed a bit. After all,

five or six days wasn't long in the least. However, there was one change that

truly stood out.

"Welcome! Ya stayin'?" The person greeting us from behind the counter was

a tough-looking man with a red beard.

Huh? Who's this?

"...Uhh, we were staying here... and we just returned from a job..."

"Ahh, so ya were here before, eh? Sorry, first time seein' ya an' all."

"Umm, where's Micah?"

"Huh? You're back already? You sure work fast." An apron-clad Micah came

walking out of the kitchen.

"Micah... who is this guy?"

"Oh right, you haven't met him yet, have you? This is my dad. Right as you

left, he got back from a long-distance restocking."

"Name's Dolan. Nice to meet ya."

"I... see." He extended his hand, and I reflexively reciprocated.

Well, he and Micah did share the hair color. And it looked like they might

share a lot of character traits as well... Like the lack of care for the little details,

for one. But honestly, I was just glad that she didn't inherit his face. Apparently,

Dolan was out buying spices in the southern lands. It was hard to get salt,

pepper and other seasonings locally, so he often went and bought lots —

enough for all the shops here.

"Ah, Mr. Dolan, could you prepare a room for this girl here?"

"Yes'm."

I gently pushed Yae in front of the counter. As she went through the

registration process, we began taking our stuff up to our rooms. Elze left to

return the cart.

"Oh, Micah. I got you a souvenir."

"Wow, thank you! How was the capital?"

"It was huge. Had a ton of people, too." I gave her the cookies and jokingly

gave her question a straightforward answer.

We left the place pretty quickly, after all. Didn't even spend a day there. I

always had the option of going there again with [Gate], so I considered making

a more proper visit next time.

Micah celebrated our safe return with a filling dinner. We all ate a lot of what

she gave us, but none of us could hold a candle to Yae, who ate several times as

much as any one of us. Her metabolism was truly something extraordinary.

Even Micah and Dolan were at a complete loss for words.

In the end, Yae was the only one to have food expenses added on to her

lodging fee. Only fair, if you ask me.