The transmutation of nitroglycerin didn't consume any sulfur, and I didn't feel fatigued from additional transmutations. In total, I made three bottles of nitroglycerin (for now). Hopefully, they don't explode in my item box. By the way, even though I made nitroglycerin three times with the same procedure, only the sulfur was left over. That should come in handy. Conversely, the glycerin and nitric acid I made randomly were used up perfectly, which is probably a benefit of the alchemy lab.
With preparations for counterattacks complete, I took a short break and then went to the moat where I had built a bridge during my escape.
The hole I had made in the wall to build the bridge was temporarily covered with wooden boards. I couldn't see what was on the other side of the wall, but I had a sense of what was going on. It seemed there was no one there for now.
I retrieved the bodies of the three people from my item box and placed them inside the compound. I knew instinctively that I could retrieve items from my item box even if I couldn't see the exact spot. Similarly, having a sense of things in unseen areas is likely a benefit of my skills, though I'm not sure which specific skill it is. Perhaps there's a synergistic effect between my skills.
I pulled the three bodies out of my item box and adjusted them to lie on their backs, then placed a bottle of nitroglycerin (provisional name) on each of their chests. This way, if anyone moves the bodies, the bottles might fall and explode due to the impact. If the other party isn't an idiot, they should get the message that messing with me will have consequences. If they still don't get it, I'll just have to make a bigger statement.
Hmm, my thoughts seem to be getting more aggressive. Is this because of being thrown into another world or was I always like this? Whatever, it doesn't matter.
Might as well live how I want from now on! Actually, I've been pretty free up until now, so I guess I'll just be even freer than before.
It's been quite a while since the three o'clock bell rang, and the sun is starting to set, so it's about time to head back to the inn for dinner.
By the way, how far can I reach with my item box? It feels like I can store and retrieve things from quite a distance. On my way back to the inn, I tested the range by storing and retrieving pebbles from the roadside. Roughly speaking, it seems that both storing and retrieving items works within a radius of about 100 meters centered around me. The only issue is the distance; whether something is in my line of sight or not doesn't seem to matter, as I confirmed earlier with the bodies.
That means, can't I do just about anything? If I want to, everything within a 100-meter radius could be considered mine. For example, I can somehow tell that the wallet in the pocket of the guy walking in front of me contains four silver coins, three large copper coins, and six regular copper coins.
If I wanted to, I could store that money in my item box. But nah, I won't do that.
While trying out various things, I headed back to the inn and heard the 6 PM bell ring. I immediately went to the dining hall for dinner, which, as you can imagine, wasn't exactly delicious.
After finishing my meal and returning to my room, I was about to close the window before lying down on the bed when I heard a loud "BOOM" from far away. Looking over, I saw a gray mushroom cloud rising into the twilight sky. It was coming from the direction of the building I had escaped from. My condolences. Nitroglycerin wasn't supposed to be a high-performance explosive, but it seems it was more powerful than expected.
Feeling like I had finished a big task, I was tempted to go to bed early, but I knew I'd end up waking up in the middle of the night. Still, I couldn't fight off the sleepiness.
Meanwhile, here are the three high school girls who were summoned to another world.
Yamada Keiko and Tahara Kazaha, both with brown hair, have been classmates since middle school and are still in the same class as high school sophomores.
Sanzenin Hana, with her long black hair styled in twin braids, goes to the same high school but is in a different class with almost no interaction with the others. The fact that all three were summoned together was purely coincidental. Of course, Iwana Zenjirou, who was also summoned with these three, was also summoned by coincidence.
After undergoing an assessment of their professions and skills, Iwashiro Zenjirō, who had neither, was moved to another room by the soldiers. There, the old man explained why the three of them had been summoned.
It turned out they were summoned to retrieve a secret treasure hidden at the bottom of a certain dungeon. Although there was currently no way to send them back, the old man added that the secret treasure would enable their return.
Following this, the three received an explanation about the facility they were in. The place was called the Akina Shrine, and the old man was its highest-ranking priest, the Grand Priest.
While Yamaoka Keiko and Tarahashi Kazaha seemed to accept the Grand Priest's explanation, Sanzenin Hana couldn't believe the words of people who kidnapped others for their own purposes. She doubted that even retrieving the secret treasure would guarantee their return to their original world.
After the Grand Priest finished speaking, the three were led by a shrine attendant to the room where they would be staying. Unlike shrine maidens involved in religious ceremonies, these attendants were responsible for taking care of high-ranking individuals within the shrine.
"Here is my room, huh?"
"Spacious, bright, and clean."
"I'll take this bed."
Saying this, Yamaoka Keiko climbed onto one of the beds.
Seeing this, Tarahashi Kazaha did the same,
"Then I'll take this bed."
She climbed onto the bed next to Yamaoka Keiko's.
"Wow, this bed is so fluffy!"
"So comfy!"
In the room, there were four beds lined up, but without consulting Hanasakai Kaya, Yamada Keiko and Tanahara Kazuha claimed the two beds by the window as their own. Still, Hanasakai Kaya didn't say a word and chose the remaining bed furthest from theirs.
"By the way, that old man earlier had no skills or job—hahaha," Yamada Keiko mocked from her bed.
"We did transfer to another world, right? And he said he had no skills or job—what's up with that? It's over for him—hahaha," Tanahara Kazuha joined in, ridiculing Iwanaga Zenjirou.
Hanasakai Kaya, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, felt uncomfortable hearing their mocking laughter but didn't want to stir up trouble, so she remained silent.
Meanwhile, that "old man," Iwanaga Zenjirou, was planning his escape in the basement.
That evening, a dinner party was held in the temple's grand hall. During the meal, the High Priest informed them that starting tomorrow, they would begin their studies to gradually get used to this world and its skills. However, Yamada Keiko and Tanahara Kazuha, who were drinking wine despite being underage, barely paid attention to what was said.
Hanasakai Kaya, who listened carefully, tried to gauge the temple's intentions beyond artifact recovery. But having never encountered stories about reincarnation or world transfers before, she couldn't quite imagine what was coming.
In the midst of all this,
Boom!
A loud noise suddenly echoed. Fortunately, the glasses on the table didn't fall, but some screens in the room did tip over.
"What happened? An explosion?"
Luckily, that booming sound was a one-time thing.
"Calm down," said one of the priests as he hurried out of the hall. Then, another priest rushed in and reported to the high priest in a rush.
"We're not sure of the details yet, but part of the temple has been damaged. But it's okay now."
Hearing the high priest's words, Yamada Keiko and Tanahara Kazaha felt relieved.
On the other hand, Sanzenin Hana wondered what "damaged" meant. If the building was damaged, did that mean it was blown away by an explosion? If so, there might be an organization or individual opposing the Great Temple, and even using force. She couldn't feel reassured just because someone said it was "okay" when she had no idea what was going on.
Regardless of Sanzenin Hana's concerns, the maids cleaned up the hall, and the dinner continued as if nothing had happened.
The next morning.
After dawn, breakfast was brought to their rooms by the temple's maids.
Yamada Keiko and Tanahara Kazaha, who were suffering from hangovers, finished their breakfast with just some water. Of course, Sanzenin Hana enjoyed her breakfast properly.
After breakfast, the three of them were taken to a room that looked like a conference room for their first lesson on the history of the Akina Shrine, taught by a priestess from the shrine. As they sat in their chairs to listen, Yamada Keiko and Tahara Kazue immediately closed their eyes and started dozing off.
The teacher continued her lecture, focusing on Kasuga Hanako, who was paying close attention. After lunch, the lessons resumed, and even though Yamada Keiko and Tahara Kazue had eaten well, they started dozing off just like in the morning.
After finishing their lessons for the day, the three returned to their room and took a bath. Each of them had a servant to wash their bodies and hair. They also enjoyed massages after their baths and changed into fresh clothes.
Dinner followed, with the meal brought to their room by the servants. While not as extravagant as the previous night's banquet, it was still quite luxurious, complete with wine. However, Yamada Keiko and Tahara Kazue wisely chose not to drink any alcohol.
Having slept plenty during the day, Yamada Keiko and Tahara Kazue stayed wide awake at night, laughing and chatting loudly in bed until late.
Kasuga Hanako, thinking about the next day, tried to go to sleep early, burying her face in her pillow and eventually drifting off.
The next day brought more lessons, and once again, Yamada Keiko and Tahara Kazue dozed off during class while time passed.
A new morning has dawned. A morning of hope!
Joking aside, I slept soundly through the night without waking up once or any feared raids. I wonder if those guys got my message.
I went down to the dining hall and had a not-so-delicious breakfast. I really need to figure out the food situation soon.
"Hey, ma'am, isn't there a big mansion or temple over there?"
I decided to ask the serving lady for some information. Gathering intel is important.
"Oh, you mean the Akina Shrine? They say there was a huge noise yesterday evening, and one of the shrine's roofs blew off."
The power of nitroglycerin (provisional name) is impressive, isn't it? I must have set off three bottles under the roof at once. The blast would be even stronger in an enclosed space.
"That's the Akina Shrine, huh? I could see the smoke from my room. Wonder what happened."
"Well, I don't know, but maybe some divine punishment struck. Oh, and keep this between us."
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.
Hey, ma'am, can I ask you something else?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Is there a place around here where people can sell stuff, like an open-air market or something?"
"If you're talking about an open-air market, there's a square just five minutes' walk from here. As long as there's space, anyone can sell their goods there."
"Thanks!"
I quickly finished my breakfast. Next on the agenda: making some money.