At dawn, they left the City of Kyradea and arrived at their destination, Avery Village, in the early afternoon.
"We arrived pretty early."
"Because we walked fast. It usually takes a whole day …"
Niels replied with a bitter smile to Ryo's comment.
All four had training their stamina in particular, so these long-distance travel times were significantly reduced.
The duration a person can sustain high performance … that was a very important factor, whether they're an athlete or an adventurer.
Long live stamina.
The dwellings were concentrated in the center of the village, but the cleared fields were spread over a fairly wide area outside the village.
Some villagers were working there, but when they saw the four of them, they approached them.
The reason was the Swordsman who returned to the village.
"Niels? Oh, Niels! It's been a long time!"
"Niels~ Welcome back~"
Looking at the villagers waving at Niels with a smile, Ryo commented with a reassured expression.
"Niels wasn't banished because he was hated by the villagers. That's great."
"Why would I be banished?"
Nils retorted with a half-exasperated tone rather than an angry tone.
"Because Niels looks like you would be a neighborhood bully or rather a rambunctious kid … weren't you a rascal?"
"Uh … I can't deny that …"
"It's customary for those people to be kicked out of their village and become adventurers."
"Why is Ryo so assertive on that matter …?"
"Does Ryo have such an acquaintance?"
Etho and Amon whispered about Ryo's assertive tone that was actually based on his light novel knowledge.
"An-anyway, let's first greet the village mayor and Baba-sama." (TLN: Baba-sama is just a title for an elderly grandmother, usually those in power similar to a village elder.)
Forcibly changing the topic, Niels strode toward the center of the village.
The other three also followed after him.
The square in the center of the village. A large house was built next to it.
The building itself was made of wood, but the inside seemed to be quite spacious.
"Boulan, are you home?"
Niels entered without hesitation after opening the door.
However, as expected, the three others hesitated.
Niels might be able to do as he wished as he was familiar with them, but the three of them were different.
They ended up looking into the house from outside of the door.
It was a very large space as if it were used as a meeting place.
After waiting for a few seconds, a man in his fifties with a big body and thick muscles similar to Niels came out from the back of the house.
"Oh, who … are you Niels? Is it really Niels?"
The man called Boulan examined Niels over and over again, from head to toe, as if he had seen something unimaginable.
"Yeah, it's me."
"You're really Niels? … I can hardly recognize you."
After he said that, they hugged each other firmly.
"Hardly recognize? … I think it's only been less than a year since I left the village."
"Well, that's right … you somehow give off a sense of credibility now … When you left the village, you were just a rascal …"
"Pft."
When they heard that, the three people behind him burst out laughing all at once.
"Wow, Boulan, don't say that. Oh yeah, these three, Etho, Amon, and Ryo are my party members."
"Nice to meet you."
The three bowed and greeted him all at once.
"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm the village mayor Boulan. Well, we shouldn't be talking while standing, have a sit."
Prompted by Boulan, the four sat down.
Just then, a woman who seemed to be of the same age as Boulan came out from the back with cups on a tray.
"Niels, welcome back. Welcome, everyone."
"Ranran, I'm home."
A woman called Ranran smiled, placed cups of something in it, and immediately withdrew.
"Now then, Niels came at this timing so …"
"Yes, we accepted the request from the village to the guild."
"I see … hmm? But that request was to the Adventurer's Guild of Kyradea, and it was quite a high-ranking request, right?"
"Nobody picked it up anymore at Kyradea so it was transferred to the City of Rune. Well, I managed to somehow increase my rank and take it."
When Niels said so, Etho and Amon smiled bitterly.
"I see … well, having Niels would be better than having strangers."
After speaking thus far, Boulan took a sip of a glass of water.
Seeing that, Niels asked.
"I heard that Boulan didn't cooperate with the adventurers who came the second time. What happened?"
"Oh … that's, well, the core of this request …"
"Honestly, I don't know where to start, so I'll explain from the beginning. It might take some time."
Boulan started talking.
"We first saw skeletons six months ago. Around … the eastern forest. And three months ago, we found goblins. This was also at the southern part of the eastern forest …. I was the one who saw them, but I haven't seen them since then. If someone else saw them, I could be sure that I didn't mistake it but we couldn't find any even after looking for them."
He stopped talking and drank some water.
"The skeletons would always be around the small opening in the forest. We finally gathered enough money to make a subjugation request. Well, I thought it would be nice if the goblins could also be subjugated, so I wrote that as well. So, when the first party came … did you hear about the results?"
"Yeah, two were seriously injured."
"Yes. It seemed that they were surrounded by more than 20 skeletons, so the party returned to the city. The problem was the battlefield."
Boulan frowned.
"Did they perhaps enter … the depths of the eastern forest?"
Niels must have had an idea. He asked boldly.
"Yeah. The battle desecrated the depths of the forest. So when the second party came, some villagers tried to chase them away. I understand that it would be impossible to choose the location if it was a life-threatening battle. But at the same time, I understand why the villagers chased them away as that is a place we've been told about for generations and they might even taint it with blood. It's a difficult topic …"
"Yeah, you're right …"
At that point, Niels looked to the other three.
And he confirmed that they did not understand.
"I'm sorry, you guys probably don't understand. But this is about the secret of the village … I can't speak about it without the permission of Baba-sama and the general meeting. Please wait a little longer."
Niels explained and bowed to the three.
After that, the four moved to Niels' birthplace in the village.
Currently, the family estate was held by his younger brother and his wife, who lived there, and he was delighted to tears about Niels' return.
And the three apart from Niels had to wait in the house for Niels to persuade the villagers.
Meanwhile, Niels' younger brother Niroy and his wife Sana welcomed them.
"In other words, when Niroy became an 18-year-old adult, Niels gave up the family estate and farm and left the village to become an adventurer?"
"Yes. My brother didn't like farming since he was little … but our parents died just before he grew up, so he had no choice but to take over … Originally, he planned to leave the village right after he reached adulthood. But he remained behind to raise me."
His younger brother, Niroy, was a very gentle young man whose face was similar to Niels, but whose body size and personality were not similar at all.
"Niles may look like that, but he's good at looking after others."
"Niels-san truly did a great job."
Etho and Amon praised Nils.
Of course, Niels wasn't there.
He would have denied it with a bright red face if he was present.
"Now, Niels …"
"He's in a general meeting of villagers held at the village mayor's house. They're probably discussing various things there …"
It seemed that it was being held in that space where Ryo the others talked to the village mayor Boulan earlier.
"Villages have all kinds of conventions and traditions …"
Amon, who grew up in a village and just recently left, said understandingly.
"Yes. But this time, my brother and the people he trusts came as the subjugation team, so I don't think there will be anyone who opposes the subjugation. The previous party was chased away because they completely ignored the conventions and tried to enter the forest …"
"Oh, I could guess that was what happened."
Etho nodded and said.
No one would report something disadvantageous to them. They would omit or deliberately not touch the subject … that was often the case.
I didn't lie. You just didn't ask, so I didn't answer.
The boss would have to ask the right questions … but that's unusually difficult.
As a result, the client and requestor were left dissatisfied.
The world was full of difficult matters.
"Oh, I'm back."
Niels returned from the general meeting when five people, including his brother's wife Sana, were chatting.
After a break, Niels began to explain.
"In conclusion, we received permission to subdue the skeletons. Tomorrow night. So, before that, I thought of investigating the goblins in the daytime tomorrow. They would lead us to the place they saw the goblins. Well, it's just a gamble to see if they would appear there once again and we might not find them. So about the skeletons …"
Nils gulped down the water in one go.
"I got permission at the general meeting to talk about everything, but of course, don't say anything to anyone else. Is that okay?"
"Okay."
"Yes."
"Got it."
Etho, Amon, and of course Ryo nodded.
"This village is a little special. There are two special aspects. First, the guardian beast of the village lives in the depths of the eastern forest. To be frank, I have not seen it before. Only the village mayor and Baba-sam have met it before. So I don't know what the guardian beast looks like and we don't really know if it's still there …"
"Guardian Beast …"
"Sometimes there are villages with that kind of folklore … Niel's village is the same …"
Amon was surprised as usual while Etho was more surprised in an academic manner.
(Guardian beast … what a fantasy!)
Ryo was the only one feeling excited.
"Today, the village mayor and Baba-sama will meet the guardian beast to explain. That we would investigate the goblins and subdue the skeletons. Well, because of that, I was told to avoid bleeding in the eastern forest but … I told the general meeting that we would try our best."
"Skeletons don't bleed anyway."
"It's okay as long as we don't get hurt, right?"
Etho and Amon give their impressions.
(That guardian beast would get corrupted by evil gods or cursed, go crazy and attack us. And there's a high chance that it would be a new mission to release it from that corruption!)
Ryo was imagining a light novel-like development.
"Ryo, are you thinking of something strange?"
Niels' question that hit the mark was fired at him.
"N-N-O, I-M-N-O-T-T-H-I-N-K-I-N-G-O-F-A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G."
Niels stared at Ryo.
"Well, the guardian beast is the first one, and the village has another special aspect?"
Ryo changed the topic to somehow divert his pursuit.
"Sheesh … The other is a shrine."
"Shrine?"
It was the priest Etho who reacted.
"Yeah, but it's hard to explain, so Baba-sama said that she'll explain it herself tomorrow. I don't know how to explain it. Sorry but wait till tomorrow."
-x-X-x-
Dawn the next day. The day after arriving at Avery Village.
Last night there wasn't a welcome banquet for Niel's homecoming in the square.
(It is a convention for reincarnation stories in another world for such celebrations … but I guess it's not the norm …)
Ryo was the only one feeling dispirited.
It wasn't as though Ryo liked alcohol or banquets.
He purely just expected it as a story convention.
Ryo was a man like that.
When the four went to the square, the village chief, Boulan, was talking to an old woman.
"Oh, you're here. Etho, Amon, and Ryo. I'd like to introduce you. This is Nasu-sama, our village adviser. So-called Baba-sama."
The moment Boulan said that, the cane held by Nasu-sama, or Baba-sama, was swung toward Boulan. Boulan twisted his upper body and avoided it with a sway.
"Why would anyone explain to guests that I'm addressed as Baba-sama? Fool. My apologies, guests. Including this Boulan and Niels, this village lacks etiquette."
"Why me too …"
Niels was included for some reason.
"Well, let's conduct the goblin survey for the time being."
Boulan quickly chimed in.
Boulan may be an excellent village mayor, as he easily dismissed the elder's rebuke.
The place was a 15-minute walk from the outer edge of the village.
"It's pretty close to the village"
Niels said, looking in the direction of the village.
"Yeah, children sometimes come to play around here. I mean, I banned them from approaching after encountering goblins … but there are children who break the rules everywhere…"
The village mayor, Boulan, looked at Niels and commented.
"No, well, I used to do such things in the past … it's possible … maybe … I don't really recall …"
"You definitely did."
Boulan nailed down Niels who was trying to gloss over the claim.
"I knew it, Niels, from young …"
Ryo folded his arms in front of his chest and muttered with a nod … no, it was louder than a mutter.
As if he intended the person to hear it.
"What do you mean you knew it? And you make it sound like I'm still the same even now."
Etho sniggered when he heard that, and Amon smiled wryly.
Nobody could claim that 'That's not the case right now'.
In actual fact, Niels rarely broke the rules now, but he gave off that image after all.
The place village mayor Boulan encountered them was after about another 15 minutes walk.
There, they suddenly found more footprints that seemed to belong to goblins.
"This is … no way."
Etho thought of the worst assumption.
That assumption was held by not only Etho but also Niels.
"A goblin nest … or maybe a village has been created."
Adventurers commonly divide goblin settlements into 『nests』, when about 20 gather to live in a place, and 『villages』, when they congregate on a larger scale.
When Niels was speaking, Ryo suddenly looked up.
"What's wrong, Ryo."
"Niels … more than ten goblins are heading here. We'll encounter them in five minutes."
Then Ryo pointed to the south.
"That a great detection ability. Then … we'll leave one and hunt all the others."
Niels gave instructions immediately.
"Follow the one kept alive, find the nest, and hit it."
Ryo confirmed.
"Yeah, I think it would have been better to investigate and gather people … but if they're coming, we no longer have that option."
"Hey Niels, there's ten. Will you guys be okay?"
There was no problem with one or two, but numbers was power.
When double the number of the five people present was approaching, Boulan was a little worried.
"It's okay because Ryo is here. Ryo, please stop them. I'll leave the method to you."
"Roger that."
(I'll try my new creation here … Kukuku)
Ryo floated an evil smile in his heart.
"Ryo-san …"
"That's the smile when he's planning something."
Ryo intended to only smile in his heart, but it also showed on his face.
Seeing that, Amon and Etho muttered quietly.
He can't keep secrets …
Five minutes later, ten goblins came out from the depths of the forest.
When all ten of them appeared in a slightly more open space, Ryo made a mental image and chanted in his heart.
(
After chanting, a string of water entwined around the goblins' hands and feet, instantly freezing and restraining their movements.
"Let's go, Amon."
"Yes!"
Seeing the goblins stuck, Niels and Amon jumped out and dealt a lethal stab to each one.
After they defeated eight, Ryo undid the ice bind of one goblin.
Naturally, the unbound goblin escaped at full speed in the direction they came from.
Goblins weren't very intelligent … it didn't consider the possibility that it was intentionally released.
After killing all nine others, the village mayor Boulan and the four from Room 10 followed the escaping goblin.
Boulan was really surprised at the way they defeated nine of them skillfully without taking any damage.
And he was deeply moved by Niels, who he had seen since he was little but had now grown up, and his companions.
After running for ten minutes.
"Ahead."
A small hill was visible in front of the eyes of the five people.
"There are ten on the outside. And there is something that looks like a cave. We can't tell how many of them are inside."
"Okay. For now, let's defeat the ones outside first in the same way as before. Although it's a haphazard method …"
Niels frowned and commented.
(Sheesh … this method would not be possible without Ryo. Really, a magician with water attribute is amazing.)
Despite some misunderstandings, the four switched their consciousness to continuous combat.
(
It was a one-sided trampling by Niels and Amon again.
Just as Niels defeated the tenth, he saw three goblins coming out of the cave.
(
The three goblins that came out were soon tied up by chains of ice and could not move, and Niels and Amon dealt the final blows.
Among them was a Goblin Archer, but it didn't matter.
And then, the big game finally appeared.
Not only Ryo, but all four from Room 10 noticed its presence.
"Something big is coming. Amon, stay alert."
"Yes!"
Niels and Amon readied their swords again.
What came out …
"Goblin General …"
Niels's mutter was unexpected.
Three of these generals appeared in the Great Tidal Bore that took place in the City of Rune.
However, such generals rarely appear.
At best, archers could be found in goblin nests or villages built near human villages.
Even if you gave some concession, it would only be mages.
The Goblin General, unlike the Goblin Mage and others below it, has an exceptionally high individual fighting ability.
It is so strong that only a B-rank adventurer can barely manage to control it one-on-one.
E-rank Niels and F-rank Amon were not its opponents.
If it was a normal situation.
"
Ryo's voice echoed, and even the general was trapped in ice chains, just like the goblins up until now.
Naturally, it tried to tear off the chains, but its hands and legs did not move at all.
Moreover, the general was lying on its back on the ground facing upward.
As though it was telling them to defeat it.
"Eh? What?"
Niels made a hysteric voice.
"Niels, aren't you going to stab it?"
"Oh, yeah … stab."
Then Niels approached the collapsed General and decapitated it.
Thus, one of the crises that were imminent for the Avery Village was removed.
"I'm glad we were able to defeat it without any sacrifices. We also obtained a magic stone from the general. And it's quite dark. Did it stay there for a long time?"
Ryo said happily.
"O-oh."
Somehow, Niels was walking down the road to the village, with a slightly unconvinced look on his face.
Etho and Amon were honestly happy because they obtained the general magic stone.
"Ge-Ge-General, Gob General ♪"
"Everyone together, Gob General ♪"
For some reason, they were walking while singing an improvised song.
"Niels and you guys are amazing …"
The lines of admiration that Boulan muttered in a soft voice did not reach the ears of the four.
Many villagers were gathered in the village square.
"Niels, village mayor! How was it?"
"We have safely wiped out the goblins."
"Oh~!"
When the village mayor Boulan announced that, they cheered.
"Wow!
"You guys did a good job too."
"Here, it's fried wild boar meat, eat it."
After the cheers subsided, the villagers gathered around the four and tapped their shoulders to thank them and gave them food.
"No, wait, they can't drink. There are still skeletons at night."
"Ahh..."
Boulan quickly stopped the villagers who rushed in and brought sake.
Although it was atypical, everyone had lunch in the open space.
"Boulan."
"Oh, Baba-sama. The goblins have been subdued."
"Umu, I heard. Good job. If so, it would be better to take those four to the guardian beast early in the afternoon. The guardian beast wanted to talk, right?"
"That's right … I'll tell the four. Let's go after lunch."
Such a conversation was heard by Ryo.
(Audience event with the guardian beast! There is a possibility that it will be a battle with a corrupted guardian beast …)
Ryo was unconsciously smiling.
The two who saw it …
"Ryo is planning something disturbing again …"
"Ryo-san, feels evil."
Niels commented with a terribly disgusted face while Amon smiled as usual as he said looking at Ryo.
At that time, Etho was looking at Baba-sama.
To be precise, at the decorative string and accessory that Baba-sama attached to her staff.
(That is … the Earth Mother Goddess if I'm not mistaken …)
Etho thought while exploring his memory.
The guardian beast was located about an hour's walk after entering the eastern forest.
"In this eastern forest, villagers are not allowed to enter the depths. However, Niels, who was a mischievous kid, went in many times and was scolded by me and Baba-sama."
"I knew it!"
"What do you mean you knew it!"
Ryo was convinced by the explanation from the village mayor Boulan.
And Niels was not convinced.
"Baba … no, Nasu-sama, that accessory is …"
After hesitating many times, Etho finally decided to talk to Baba-sama.
"You can call me Baba. Only the guardian beast calls me Nasu now. Accessory … oh, the accessory attached to this staff? You should be able to tell since you are a Priest of the light?"
Baba-sama raised her staff a little to make it easier for Etho to see the stone carving of about 5 cm in diameter.
"Yes. Isn't that the crest of the Earth Mother Goddess?"
"Umu, you studied hard. So the Temple of Light still teaches it …"
"Earth Mother Goddess?"
The question that Ryo muttered questioningly seemed to be heard by both Etho and Baba-sam.
"That's right. Now there's almost nobody left … but the elders of this village worshiped the Earth Mother Goddess."
"The Goddess of Light and the Earth Mother Goddess, which we believe in, are gods who were enshrined as one of the seven gods. However, many things that happened over a long time..."
"Now, when you say 『temple』 or 『priest』, it is unconditionally the 『Temple of the Goddess of Light』 or the 『Priest of the Goddess of Light』. The other six gods have fallen."
Baba-sama said with a bit of self-deprecation but also a little loneliness.
There was no atmosphere of regret or sadness. Rather it seemed to Ryo that it was closer to having given up.
"Faith is not something that is imposed on people. If it disappears, that is the reason of this world."
Clear … that was the word that fit nicely with how Baba-sama was feeling at the moment.
Then, Ryo suddenly had a question.
"Baba-sama … In other words, can those who believe in the Earth Mother Goddess use the magic of light attribute?"
Yes, the light attribute magic … In other words, the magic of the recovery system that is the proprietary patent of 『Priests』, but is it only 『Priests of the Goddess of Light』 or can it be used by priests of other gods? That was the question he had.
"Magic of light attribute?"
"Yes, wound healing or something like that."
"Umu, they can. But it's different from what the priests of light use. Etho, right? Do the Priests of light chant?"
"Yes? Yes, of course."
Etho, who received the unexpected question from Baba-sam, answered with surprise.
"Those who serve the Earth Mother Goddess do not chant. Rather, there was no such thing as chanting in the first place. From some time ago, chanting and the like began to spread as a matter of course."
"… Yes? … Eh?"
Eto is more surprised than the previous question.
Rather, he was frozen in shock.
The sight of Etho freezing in shock was a very interesting event for Ryo, as it was rare except for when Rihya was around.
With Etho, who kept walking with his expression frozen, the party finally arrived at the cave in the depths of the forest where the guardian beast lived.
-x-X-x-
Guardian beasts.
Non-human creatures that inhabit the land.
They often built symbiotic relationships with the people who lived there in various ways. That was why they were called 『guardian』 beasts.
They fundamentally can't be found in crowded places like a city but in places rich in nature such as mountains and forests.
Also, their existence were rarely made public, and in most cases, only the villagers involved knew.
Therefore, it was not well understood how many guardian beasts existed, what kind of guardian beasts inhabited the area, and what kind of relationships they had with people.
"Guardian beast-sama, this is Nasu. I brought Boulan and the four people here for the subjugation request."
From the outside of the cave, Nasu, also known as Baba-sama, politely called out to the inside.
With that voice, Etho, who had been walking while in a daze, rebooted.
Looking sideways, Ryo was relieved.
If the guardian beast was corrupted, as Ryo was anticipating, it would be a sudden battle.
In that case, it would be fatal if Etho could not act immediately.
But …
"Um, good work."
What slowly came out of the cave was …
"Fenrir …"
Ryo heard what was muttered by Etho.
It was about 3 meters long. A wolf whose whole body was silver.
The wolf's feet were atrophied, and it felt as though it was considerably weakened.
However, its gaze was firm and the words it spoke were clear.
(It seems that it wasn't corrupted … Damn, the event didn't happen.)
Both Niels and Amon saw the flicker of disappointment across Ryo's face.
And at the same time nodded. He was thinking about something weird after all …
"Hmm, a Priest of light? If you have a priest, you won't be pushed back by their numbers. I'm not exactly Fenrir … well, I am something similar."
Then the guardian beast laughed faintly.
"A Priests of light, two Swordsmen … and …"
The guardian beast stared at Ryo directly and continued.
"I am called Nkusin. What is your name, Magician of Water there?"
"It's Ryo."
When asked for his name, Ryo answered with a little surprise.
However, Baba-sama and the village mayor Boulan, who were next to him, were more than a little surprised.
"Guardian Beast-sama gave its name …"
They were surprised that the guardian beast named itself.
That had never happened before.
In fact, both Baba-sama and Boulan found out that the guardian beast's name was 『Nkusin』just then for the first time.
"It's a name that's hard for people to pronounce. I didn't approach it until now. But the Magician there… did you say it was Ryo? I have to tell Ryo. It's dishonorable not to state my name."
"Dishonorable?"
Ryo asked back while tilting his head.
"Umu. How should I put it … I am like a relative to fairies. For such beings, you are … yes, it is very comfortable to be near you."
It was something that Ryo didn't really understand.
The teacher of Ryo's sword was the Water Fairy King who looked like a Dullahan.
He also received a sword and robe from the Fairy King.
Looking at the robe, the Elf Sera commented that 'You're liked by the Fairy King'.
And the guardian beast that was a relative of the fairies in front of him said that it was comfortable to be near Ryo.
Taken together, Ryo seemed to be liked by fairies … but he didn't know what fairies were at all.
(When I get back to the City of Rune, I should ask Sera. She said that Elves were like half-fairies so I'm sure she can tell me a lot.)
"If it is pleasant to you … well, thank you?"
It felt that his answer didn't match the situation.
When Ryo said that, the guardian beast burst into laughter.
"I should be thanking you. Thanks to you, it seems that my life has been extended by a thousand years. Actually, my life was about to expire in about 10 years … Nasu too, you brought an interesting person."
"What …"
Baba-sama was speechless.
It was shocking that the guardian beast's life was about to expire in another 10 years, but it was even more shocking that it was extended by 1000 years by bringing Ryo.
"Ryo is amazing …"
"It probably doesn't have any benefit to myself though …"
Niels was impressed but Ryo shook his head and remained confused.
Having its life span extend by 1000 years just by encountering him … Ryo felt he could understand that a guardian beast was really a mysterious being.
"Well then, regarding the subjugation … because the last ones started without permission, it seems that various matters have become difficult."
Although it had the face of a wolf, the four people from Room 10 somehow understood that the guardian beast had a troubled look.
"Before I knew it they were in a battle with skeletons … I apologize for them polluting the forest with blood."
The village mayor Boulan apologized to the guardian beast.
"Umu, that can't be helped … it was for survival. But … if even those weak 30 beings were tough for them, they wouldn't have been able to complete the subjugation anyway."
The guardian beast exhaled a little as though it was sighing.
(The number has increased from 20 … Well, by the way it phrased it … those weak 30 beings were probably skeletons … but that means there are other stronger ones?)
Ryo analyzed the words of the guardian beast.
"Is there anything else to subdue other than the 30 skeletons?"
Niels asked the question on Ryo's mind.
As expected of a party leader.
"Umu. There's only one strong one. It is the same type but bigger. I don't know what you call it among humans. I captured the strong one in the shrine near the entrance … If you defeat the 30 weak beings, I will release it and you can defeat it."
"Guardian Beast-sama captured it …"
Baba was impressed and surprised by the explanation of the guardian beast.
"Umu. It seemed to have been bound by the spiritual power of the shrine. I used the rest of my power to capture it … Recently, my life span has been greatly reduced due to the extraordinary need to sustain that power."
Then, the guardian beast laughed again.
Could it laugh at its life span because it's a strong being or because it had lived a long time …
The guardian beast could not move from the cave, so the party traveled to the shrine.
"This size is more of a 『Hidden Temple』 rather than a shrine …"
Etho says to Baba-sama.
"Umu … I don't know the definition in that area … we used to call it a shrine for generations in the village. However, skeletons began to appear about half a year ago … Since then, we've not been able to get close and could only look at it from a distance … Moreover, Guardian Beast-sama says that there is another thing in the shrine … what the hell is going on?"
After saying that, Baba-sama sighed loudly.
"Etho, what is a 『Hidden Temple』?"
Ryo was wondering, so he decided to directly ask him.
"The Temple of Light has a few 『Hidden Temple』too, but basically there is an altar installed behind the door. If you are a priest, you can perform a ritual immediately … In the case of a 『Shrine』, there isn't anything large installed that can be called an altar. The door would also be small. The knowledge of when and what it was made for has been scattered and lost, but some older ones were made more than 1000 years ago …"
Etho's explanation was very interesting to Ryo.
His wording was also more polite than usual, probably because Baba-sama was also listening.
"As far as I know, the door of the shrine has never been opened. Nobody alive now knows what's inside."
Baba-sama commented and shook her head a little.
"In the past, Guardian Beast-sama said that the cave seemed to have some power flowing in. So, Guardian Beast-sama whose power had weakened moved to live in that cave … The source of that power may be this shrine."
"It's possible. There is a theory that the 『Hidden Temples』 were built on ley lines where energy from the earth gathers. If that is the case, the energy gathered from the 『Hidden Temple』 might flow through that cave."
Etho presented his theory while thinking.
Author's note:
Finally, the foreshadowing from the Dragon Ruwin in Chapter 0025 can be collected.
TLN: Ruwin's thoughts in Chapter 0025:
<
-x-X-x-
Before entering battle with the skeletons, the four from Room 10 had a detailed meeting.
"The problem is the 『strong and big one』. If it is a type of skeleton, it can be a Skeleton General, a Skeleton King, or an Arch Skeleton. Other more common situations would be, for example, if a bear carcass becomes a skeleton … for such cases, the method to deal with it would be the same as a normal skeleton so there's no need to discuss that."
"Etho, which is the most troublesome among them?"
"The Arch. All magic is ineffective on Archs."
(Immune to magic … I've heard that phrase somewhere recently …)
Ryo traced his memory as he heard the exchange between Niels and Etho.
But he couldn't remember when.
(Well, it doesn't matter.)
"In the first place, sword attacks work poorly on skeletons, so just attacking with a sword …"
"Well, Amon and I only have swords …"
Amon thought about Etho's explanation.
"Etho, how about striking with a hammer?"
"Yes, that's the most effective."
When Ryo proposed from his knowledge from light novels, it seemed that it was the correct answer and Etho nodded in agreement.
"Then it will be fine. I'll stop it, so we can have Niels and Amon strike it with big hammers from afar."
"From afar?"
"Big hammers?"
Ryo confidently said while Niels and Amon tilted their heads in confusion.
"Then, let's first wipe out the skeletons in front of the shrine."
Etho began chanting in a soft voice.
"Return the unclean souls to God's side and I pray that their sins are forgiven
When he chanted the final trigger word, the 30 skeletons in Etho's line of sight evaporated one after another.
(Return the unclean souls to God's side, such a cool chant! The person who made it must have Chuunibyo!)
The last skeleton disappeared into the sky while Ryo had a rude thought.
For Etho, an E-rank adventurer, Turn Undead seemed to use a great deal of magical power.
Or was it because he turned 30 at one go? He was bent over catching his breath.
"Are you okay, Etho?"
Ryo passed Etho an ice glass filled with delicious water.
A glass of water was irreplaceable at such times.
The human body worked in strange ways.
"Thank you, I'm okay."
Etho drank the water in one go and answered.
Meanwhile, Niels and Amon were approaching the shrine door and preparing.
It was finally time to open the door.
Since the guardian beast had captured it, the 『big and strong skeleton』 would not pop out suddenly, but the two still opened the door carefully.
After the door was opened and the dust settled, they could finally see inside.
To find a single skeleton over two meters tall.
"Arch Skeleton …"
"The troublesome one that is immune to magic!"
Etho commented and Niels verified it.
Niels and Amon distanced themselves from the door and held their swords up.
"
After Ryo chanted, ice hammers were created by covering the swords held by Niels and Amon.
"Ooo. It's pretty big. Ryo, so you meant this when you asked us to whack it from afar."
"Each strike seems like it would be quite heavy."
Niels and Amon brandished their hammers and swung them, testing their usability.
"Yes, I will stop it when it comes out to the clearing, so please strike it hard and shave down its durability."
"All right."
"Yes."
Niels and Amon stood surrounding the clearing designated by Ryo.
"
He created a path with the ice walls connected from the door to the clearing. With that, they would be okay even if it suddenly deviated from the path and attacked.
"Then, let's notify the guardian beast to release it.
He named the skill as an opposite of fireworks that were called 'Fire Flowers'.
Sparkling lumps of snow were launched into the air from Ryo's raised right palm.
When they reached a considerable height, the snow clumps burst.
Diamond dust spread from the core and sparkled brightly under sunshine. Furthermore, the lumps burst a second and third time, raining down diamond dust in the sun.
The party was momentarily fascinated by that scene to the point that they forgot they were in the process of subduing a monster.
"It's beautiful."
Baba-sama's mutter was very soft, but it still entered Ryo's ears.
"Now then, the Arch is coming."
Ryo warned loudly.
That brought the party's consciousness back to the subjugation at hand.
"Come!"
Niels' shout may not have been a signal that caused it, but the Arch Skeleton began to move, probably because the guardian beast removed its constraints.
The undead hate the living.
The reason is not clear, but they are attracted to the living and try to kill them and lure them to the same cursed fate as themselves.
Likewise, the Arch exited the door and began to walk towards the party.
It moved slowly and when it came out to the clearing … it walked into the ice wall in front of it which blocked its path.
"
Even if magic doesn't work, whether it's an Ice Wall or Ice Bahn, you just have to not target the Arch itself.
It can't escape from physics … yes, like slipping on ice.
The Arch Skeleton skated wildly on the Ice Bahn.
It tried to get up many times but it couldn't do so.
"
"Ooh! Amon, let's go."
"Yes!"
Niels and Amon close the gap to the fallen Arch.
And … slammed Ryo's special ice hammer into it.
Gakin
"So hard."
"Yes, but it seems to be doing a bit of damage."
Niels and Amon verified their thoughts with each other.
"Okay. Then let's keep going."
"Yes!"
Strike, strike, strike.
The two continued to hammer the Arch that could not get up.
Ice Bahn had a radius of about 2 meters and their hammer length was slightly less than 3 meters …. They could keep hitting without fear of taking any damage from the Arch which did not possess any projectile attacks or offensive magic.
However, since it was E-rank Niels and F-rank Amon, the damage done by each blow was by no means large.
It was unavoidable that it took a considerable amount of time to defeat it.
As the Arch continued to take damage, albeit minimal, it began to crawl on all fours.
It had given up on standing and tried to move on all fours.
"Well, that's what they usually do, but it's the same. You're standing on special ice. It's really slippery."
As Ryo said, even if it crawled on all fours, the Arch couldn't move forward.
It kept slipping on the Ice Bahn.
Why does it slip on ice in the first place?
It's not because the surface of the ice had a film of water.
It would slip regardless of the melted water on the ice surface.
This was not a law of thermodynamics.
Of course, the water did make it even more slippery.
Water molecule H2O. The reason why these water molecules stick to each other is due to the intermolecular interaction called hydrogen bonds.
One hydrogen H is hydrogen-bonded to the neighboring oxygen O, another hydrogen H is hydrogen-bonded to another neighboring oxygen O, this oxygen O is hydrogen-bonded to another next-door hydrogen H, and yet another next-door hydrogen H. This state with 『four hydrogen bonds and five water molecules』 is one set, which is the most common state of ice.
The most common state equates to the most stable state, the most stable form.
The lower the temperature, the harder the 『ice』.
Conversely, in the same 『ice』, the number of weak hydrogen bonds would increase as the temperature rises.
On the surface of ice, that is, where it is in contact with water or air, there are many water molecules with only three or two hydrogen bonds.
And this 『water molecule with two hydrogen bonds』, that is, the structure of one water molecule hydrogen bonded to only two other water molecules, is the cause of slipping.
These two hydrogen-bonded water molecules move around the surface of the ice and act like ball bearings.
Suppose you spill a lot of pachinko balls and marbles on the floor … it's impossible to walk on them with shoes or slippers, right?
If you think of the pachinko balls and marbles as these『water molecule with two hydrogen bonds』, it may be a close representation.
And the ice sheet that Ryo created with Ice Bahn took advantage of that property.
That was possible because he made a lot of bonds at the molecular level in the Rondo Forest.
He created ice with a lot of 『water molecule with two hydrogen bonds』that are made by sticking three water molecules together … forming ice that makes it impossible to move on even by driving the toes and heels into it but still retaining its rigidity … this may only be achievable by Ryo, who had knowledge of both magic and science.
Anyway, on such an Ice Bahn, even if it crawled on all fours, the Arch couldn't move forward and continued to be beaten by Niels and Amon.
Finally, the Ark shifted from crawling on all fours to crawling on its front.
"From two feet to all fours and finally crawling on its front … true, that increases the contact area and increases the friction coefficient, but it's the same. You can't move or, of course, jump."
For more than fifteen minutes, Niels and Amon had been hitting the Arch without rest.
Although recently they have been training especially on stamina, Ryo felt tried just watching from the side.
(I wonder if I should replace them …)
Ryo was thinking of taking over the role of hitting, but that seemed to be a groundless worry.
"It's almost over!"
The moment Niels struck it while saying that …
Bakkin
With a snap, the Arch's neck bone broke and the red light shining in its eye socket disappeared.
Finally, they defeated the Skeleton Arch.
"Finally ..."
"So tired ..."
Niels and Amon fall onto their rears.
Niels drank from a water bottle from his waist while Amon fell back and lay spread-eagled on the ground.
-x-X-x-
Undead do not leave behind magic stones.
It was not known if they even had magic stones.
Therefore, even the Arch Skeleton which gave them such a hard time did not drop a magic stone for them.
"I-I know it as a fact … but it still sucks."
"Yeah ..."
When Ryo reported that there wasn't a magic stone, Niels and Amon replied with their heads hanging low.
"Everyone, you did well."
During the battle, Baba-sama watched from behind the backline and came over with Boulan.
"I wonder if I can try entering the shrine?"
"I don't think anything still moves inside."
Ryo answered Baba-sama's question.
Upon hearing that, Baba-sama entered the shrine with Boulan.
Behind them, Etho and Ryo entered as well.
Niels and Amon, of course, were still resting outside.
The inside of the shrine was about the size of a 25-meter school pool.
At the end of the room directly in front of them was what seemed to be an altar.
The space was empty, despite its size.
"Just … an altar?"
"I heard that 『Hidden Temples』 only have an altar inside …"
Etho whispered to Ryo after hearing him mutter..
On the altar was a statue of a woman about a meter tall with a black crystal-like orb that was cracked and partially chipped.
(That orb …)
Ryo remembered seeing it.
It resembled the 『orb』 that they encountered at the stairs going up from the 40th floor to the 39th floor of the dungeon in Rune.
The orb was smaller here, and it was chipped too …
"There's a chip …"
Seeing the chip on the orb, Baba-sama muttered.
"Baba-sama, what is that …"
Boulan looked at the orb and asked Baba-sama.
"I don't know exactly … but the previous generation shrine maiden told me about it. There used to be a shining orb in the shrine, but at one point the orb turned black and broke after a while. That black orb is probably this …"
"It used to shine …"
Listening to Baba-sama's explanation, Boulan muttered and stared at the black cracked orb.
"The shrine will be off-bounds as before. I can't do anything with my power. I'll entrust it to the next generation shrine maidens."
"The next generation shrine maidens?"
Ryo turned to Baba-sama and asked.
"You've met her. Sana, the wife of Niels' younger brother Niroy, is the first candidate. Others of similar age have the qualities of shrine maidens too. If they aspire to do so, they can become a much stronger generation of shrine maidens than my generation with me alone."
Baba-sama answered happily.
"Apart from that, regarding the cave the goblins lived in. Like Guardian Beast-sama's cave, the power from here may have seeped out there."
"I see. That is a possibility."
Etho agreed with Baba-sama's reasoning.
"This village has been attacked by goblins many times since ancient times …. Until now, we couldn't find their nest, but it may be the cave that you guys subdued. If I make a sealed shrine in the cave with my technique, the power will probably not leak to the surface anymore. I'll have Boulan take me to the site tomorrow."
It seemed that some of the problems that they had had for a long time were solved today … Baba-sama seemed happier than ever.
Five days after leaving the City of Rune, the four people from Room 10 successfully completed the request and returned to the City of Rune once more.
Nothing special happened on their way home …
It was evening when the four entered the City of Rune.
Naturally, it was a busy time for the adventurer's guild …
"Isn't this … more crowded than usual?"
"Yeah, it's crowded …"
"This is troubling..."
Niels, Etho, and Amon sighed, looking through the door into a guild that was more crowded than usual.
"Let's go take a bath first."
It was a waste of time to wait, so Ryo suggested that as they were discussing.
"I guess we could?"
There were quite a few public baths in the City of Rune.
Even near the Adventurer's Guild there was a bathhouse that could accommodate four people.
In that large communal bath.
"It's about time …"
"Yeah, it's about time."
Niels and Etho were having a conversation with hidden meanings.
"I know, Niels. You're finally going to confess to Miranda-chan on Flower Street."
"No. Who the hell is Miranda-chan?"
Ryo's maximum effort deduction was completely off the mark.
"We're talking about how both Etho and I are approaching 300 days from registering as adventurers."
They could live in the guild dormitory within 300 days of being registered as an adventurer.
But after that, they had to leave the dormitory.
"Oh … is that so?"
Ryo nodded with a small sigh.
The good times were nearing the end.
Ryo was also thinking about various matters.
(I might need to push forward my plans.)
"Hey, Ryo, Amon. Etho and I are thinking of buying or renting a house after we leave the dormitory. So … why don't you live with us?"
Upon hearing the invitation, Amon was speechless.
Both Amon and Ryo could still live in the dormitory for more than half a year.
However, Amon was in a party with Niels and Etho, so the benefits of living together would be great.
Amon quickly came to a decision.
"Sure, I would love to."
Amon answered without hesitation.
"Oh, that's great!"
Niels nodded and clapped Amon's shoulder with all his might.
Etho smiled happily.
"How about Ryo …?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I'll buy another house because I need a lot of land to experiment with magic and alchemy."
Ryo replied a little downheartedly to Niels' question.
"Oh, I see..."
Nils replied a little dejected too, but he did not forcibly invite him many times.
He might have considered that would be the case.
Etho looked a little sad too but he smiled and said.
"But if we have a difficult request like this time, please help us."
"Yeah, of course."
That night, the four from Room 10 talked until late at the guild cafeteria.
About this request, about what they had done until now, and about what is to come.
-x-X-x-
The afternoon after the four people from Room 10 returned to the City of Rune after completing the request for Avery Village.
Hugh McGrath, the Adventurer's Guild Guildmaster, came to the lord's palace.
After finishing his report to the lord, he headed straight to the Knight Captain's office.
As usual, two Knights stood in front of the office.
"I would like to meet Neville-dono, is he in?"
"Yes, he is."
Then one of them knocked on the door.
"The Adventurer's Guild Guildmaster, Hugh McGrath, wishes to see you."
"Enter."
A man's rough voice came from inside the room.
Hugh entered the office.
The interior was about 20 tatami mats in size, with a fairly simple design with a large office desk coupled with a reception area, and a cupboard with liquor bottles.
Neville Black, the commander of the Knights of the Margrave of Rune, sank his large body in the office chair and was writing something.
"Sorry, just sit there for a while. I'll finish writing right away."
He said only that and returned to focus on his writing.
As usual, Hugh sat and waited without worrying about it at all.
After waiting for about three minutes, Knight-Captain Neville apparently finished writing and stood up, took out a bottle and two glasses from the cupboard, and sat opposite Hugh.
Then, while having drinks together, they discussed some matters.
"Neville, that magic stone, are you sure you want to add another one?"
Hugh first sought confirmation for the question he had in mind.
That magic stone was, of course, the Wyvern magic stone that Ryo and Abel brought to the guild.
One was already bought by the lord's mansion, and at first, Hugh thought that the lord would only purchase one but …
"Yeah, we're buying another one. It's not as though I'm going to use it. The guys from the 『Workshop』 who saw the first magic stone came to me crying and asked me to get another by any means. They even told me that they would let me reduce their pay as long as I can buy another so …"
Neville smiled wryly when he said that.
"I'm sure such quality would not appear in the market for some time, right? Perfect size, intensity, and above all, it is a Wind magic stone. It met all the conditions."
"For that … ship?"
Hugh asked with a very quiet voice.
"Yes, that 『ship』. Far from spending a lifetime to build it, parent and child developed it over two generations so they would want to buy it even if it was excessive. Of course, the lord also supported it positively. That's why we bought it for 600 million Florin, the same as last time."
"All right."
Just as Hugh was about to stand up after there was nothing else to discuss, Knight-Captain Neville mentioned a surprising name.
"Hugh, that adventurer Ryo, who is he?"
First, Hugh was surprised that Neville mentioned Ryo's name.
He didn't think there was a point of contact between Ryo and the Knights.
"Why do you know Ryo's name?"
"Don't answer a question with a question."
Neville laughed when he said that.
"Well, Ryo has been coming to our training ground a lot lately. I heard about him from there."
"Ryo visits the Knight's Training Ground? What is he doing in such a place …"
"What else can he do in a training ground apart from mock combat?"
Hugh was terrified when he heard Neville's answer.
This was because he remembered the story of him defeating the Demon Prince in the dungeon on his own.
However, there was one more thing he remembered.
Now that he thought about it, he recalled Ryo telling him that he was having simulated battles while they were in his carriage previously.
"Don't tell me he broke the equipment …"
"No, don't worry, that's not the case, because our training ground also has a magic barrier that is always on."
"Then, what …"
"Well … that's …"
Neville stopped speaking and seemed to find it a little hard to say. This was extremely unusual for Neville, who was clear-cut and straightforward.
"Actually, he's having mock battles with Sera-dono."
"...What?"
Hugh replied with a stunned voice to Neville's unexpected words.
(Ryo has mock combats with Sera? No, Sera is an adventurer, and Ryo is also an adventurer … it's okay to have mock combats, but why do they know each other? And it's not at the guild training ground but the Knight's training area? Was it because, as Neville said, it's more convenient because of the magic barrier …?)
A flurry of thoughts swirled in Hugh's head, but the words that came out of his mouth had nothing to do with them.
"You address Sera with an honorific –dono but you don't do so for me or Ryo?"
"That's natural. Sera-dono is an influential power in this lord's mansion. You can even say that she has the highest power apart from the lord. Besides, it's still –dono for me, but all the knights call her Sera-sama."
Neville laughed happily.
"Well, that Ryo is evenly matched with Sera-dono in their mock combats. I've seen their fights too and it's amazing. I can understand why the knights are entranced by it. Furthermore, it's at a level where I don't understand about half of what's happening."
Neville laughed as he remarked, imagining the scene of their mock combat.
"Our knights are also trained by Sera, who has the role of their instructor, but she doesn't even utilize her Wind Equip … but it can't be helped, since there is a drastic difference in level just with pure sword technique. I felt that it was a pity for Sera that no one could make her exhibit her best …"
"Can't you just face Sera?"
"Don't be stupid. I can't even reach her feet. Yes, how about the hero McGrath face Sera once in a while?"
Knight-Captain Neville taunted him.
"Fool. I'm retired because I injured my arm so there's no way I can do it. But I don't think I can face her in her Wind Equip form even during my heydays.
Having said that, Hugh suddenly came up with the idea.
"I've heard that Sera's magic is amazing, but I've never seen it … so Ryo is as amazing too?"
"Hmm? I've never seen Sera's magic either."
"Eh?"
It seemed that the conversation between the two was not connecting.
"Isn't their simulated fights conducted with magic?"
"The mock battle between Sera and Ryo is a mock battle with swords?"
"...Hah?"
Once again, a sound of disbelief came from Hugh.
After taking a breath, Hugh squeezed out the words.
"Ryo is … a Magician …"
"...Hah?"
This time, it was Neville who made the sound of disbelief.
For a while, silence lingered between the two.
And it was Neville who finally opened his mouth.
"Well, it seemed that the simulated battles between the two were a good stimulus for the knights, so I just wanted to tell you that I want them to continue …"
"Oh … I understand."
The both of them decided to abandon any further thoughts on the matter.
Hugh met Sarah, who looked very happy, on his way back to his carriage after leaving the Knight Captain's office.
"Hey, Sera."
"It's been a long time, Master McGrath. Were you having a meeting with Neville?"
"Yeah. By the way, I've just heard that you're having mock battles with Ryo?"
"Yup. I have the permission of the lord?"
Sera replied with a tilted head.
"No, of course, I'm not complaining. Neville also said it was a good stimulus for the Knights."
"I see! That's great."
Sera smiled.
Hugh was also a man. For a man, Sera's smile was very stimulating.
However, he desperately gazed at Sera's smile, remembering the lord's grandson Alfonso Spinazora, who succumbed to his desires and tried to push her down and ended up with a crushed shoulder.
"Master McGrath should come too if you want to have a serious mock battle. There are also excellent priests in the training ground, so minor injuries can be treated."
Sera said before leaving.
"Nope … I don't want to step one foot into that battle …"
Hugh's mutters didn't reach anyone's ears …
-x-X-x-
Afternoon the day after the four people from Room 10 returned to the City of Rune after completing the request for Avery Village.
Ryo ate curry with Sera at 『Houshoku-tei』 for the first time in a long time.
Then, Sera returned to the lord's mansion while Ryo headed to 『Golden Wave Pavilion』.
(Abel still owes me a few favors. The one week's worth of dinner that he promised in the dungeon … I haven't even had him treat me once. Oh yeah, I didn't freeze that Fire Magician in ice for Abel's sake. Yeah, I have to get him to help with this!)
The time was 2:00 pm.
The people who had lunch at the Golden Wave Pavilion were almost all gone.
Meanwhile, a B-rank Swordsman was sitting on a chair in the dining room reading a book.
It was a very convenient development since Ryo was thinking he had to ask the reception to call him.
"Abel, I came to get back what you owe me."
"Hmm? Ryo? Don't surprise me. I mean, what do you mean … Did I borrow something?"
"In the dungeon, you promised me dinner for about a week."
"!"
Abel seemed to have forgotten.
"O-o-o-of course I didn't forget. I just lost the timing to invite you because Ryo seemed to be busy. It's true."
"Hah …"
Upon hearing Abel's excuse, Ryo deliberately sighed.
And then, he sat opposite Abel.
"I would like you to help me with something instead of a week's dinner."
"Eh … what's that? I have a feeling it will be more difficult than dinner …"
Abel asked about Ryo's offer with a sense of fear.
"Actually, my roommates Niels and Etho are about to leave the dormitory soon since 300 days have passed since they registered as adventurers. It seemed that they decided to buy a house and Amon would be staying with them too. So, I also decided to leave the dormitory and get a place of my own …"
"You don't wish to live with the other three?"
"Yeah. I want to do a lot of magic and alchemy experiments, so I want to live in a house with a large garden."
"Hmm, how much money did you get for those magic stones again?"
Abel asked as he remembered after Ryo spoke about getting a house.
"When I checked this morning, there was an amount that appeared to indicate that another one was sold."
"I see. One of them was bought by the lord's mansion right away, so maybe it was sold somewhere else … Gilmas is really good at it."
Abel nodded many times.
"That's why I came today intending to have Abel help me find a house."
"I see. If that's the case, leave it to me."
After all, Abel was the face in the City of Rune.
Not to mention his overwhelming popularity among adventurers, he was well known to the people of the city as one of the few B-rank adventurers.
If he had the support of such a person, he wouldn't be fooled, and he thought that the real estate agent that Abel introduced would be reliable.
"Lands and buildings are also handled by the Adventurer's Guild, you know?"
It seemed that the Adventurer's Guild also had a real estate department …
In the end, the two of them traveled to the Adventurer's Guild.
"I didn't expect it to be handled by the guild …"
"Apparently there are even properties that the guild handles exclusively. Well, the reality is that adventurers often buy or rent vacant homes. Perhaps it is related to the fact that only new adventurers can stay in the dormitory for up to 300 days."
"Underhanded! The higher-ups are underhanded!"
Ryo shook his head many times to Abel's possible reasoning.
"Ah, but like Abel and others, there are parties that stay at inns without renting or buying."
"Stay … We're paying regular fees to stay there too. Well, I don't want to say it like this but we can do so because we have reasonably high rewards as B-ranks."
It was like the presidents who lived on the top floor of luxury hotels in modern Earth …
Ryo thought to himself.
If the inn did all the cleaning and washing, and if you could order drinks and light meals and have them brought to your room immediately … you could certainly lead a comfortable life.
As long as you have money!
"If Ryo also lives in an inn … oh right, you said you needed a house with a large garden because of your experiments …"
"Yes. As a standard in such cases, if you spend a certain amount of money, you can buy an old aristocratic mansion or a cursed aristocratic mansion at a bargain price … I think there should be such a development."
"What are you talking about …. standard or development …"
Ryo's expectations for a light novel-like development seemed to be unfamiliar to Abel.
Well, of course.
"Ryo, this is hard to say, but I don't think that's possible …"
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry. Even with Abel-san's introduction, aristocratic mansions can only be purchased by those with aristocratic rank."
"Eh..."
"Well, that's how it is."
Replate, the head of the Adventurer's Guild real estate department, responded but … Ryo was tragically struck by reality.
"Then, my large garden …"
"No, it's not even yours yet. Replate-san, for the house that Ryo needs, he just wants a large garden no matter what. To experiment with magic and alchemy. He's rich so any price is okay to a certain extent."
Ryo wondered if it was necessary to say that much and that would he be taken advantage of.
"Abel, that's …"
"It's okay. Replate-san is the most proper employee in the guild. If you give him all the necessary information, he will find a property that really suits you."
It seemed that the department head, Replate, was enthusiastic after he was praised so much by the popular Abel.
He nodded happily and said.
"I see. But … there aren't any properties I have that meet Ryo-san's requirements … How about waiting for a day? I will visit the real estate agents in the city to gather properties that haven't been gathered here or new properties. Why don't you come again tomorrow afternoon?"
The face of the department manager, Replate, was the face of a man who took pride in his work.
Facing the request of a man with such an expression, Ryo could not refuse.
"Okay, thank you then."
-x-X-x-
"Three o'clock … It's still a little early to have Abel treat me for dinner."
"You're choosing the activity on the premise that I'm going to treat huh … I recall you said that we would be even because I'm helping to find a house …"
"Even though I didn't kill that Explosive Blaze Magician on the shores of Whitnash for Abel's sake … Now you nitpick on lending and borrowing …"
"Ah, ah, okay. That's right, thank you for that time. Look, I'll treat you to an afternoon snack, so we can go to whichever store you like."
With a half-resigned expression, Abel said to Ryo.
"Even if you say that … I don't know of any delicious afternoon snacks. Do you know somewhere good?"
"In that case, there is a delicious cake and coffee shop right there. Should we go there?"
"Coffee!?"
That was Ryo's first time hearing the word 『Coffee』 since he came to 『Phi』.
No, of course, he heard of 『Coffee Maker』but …
"Ryo knows about coffee?"
"It's the drink that's black like the devil, hot like hell, pure like an angel, and sweet like love, right?"
"There were a lot of words I didn't understand, but I guess that's it. It's a black drink."
Ryo was overwhelmed emotionally by the reality that Talleyrand's famous words became 『black drink』" when it was applied to Abel.
"This menu …"
The store where the two of them entered was "Cafe de Chocolat Rune".
However, even though the store name had chocolate in it, there were no cakes made with chocolate.
There weren't but …
"Mont Blanc, strawberry shortcake, Rindo tart …"
"I'll have a Mont Blanc. As for coffee, I'll have Blue Mountain."
"Coffee too … Blue Mountain? Kilimanjaro? Mandheling …"
(What is this déjà vu … This is not the level achievable with just reincarnated people …)
"Have you decided?"
A lovely lady came to ask for their orders.
"I'll have a set of Mont Blanc and Blue Mountain."
"I-I'll … have strawberry shortcake and Kona."
After hearing their orders, the lady left.
"Ryo knows about cake too? I don't imagine the Rondo Forest having them …"
"Because my hometown had them …"
"I see ..."
The cake and Kona coffee that came out were very delicious.
Even if this café was opened in modern Japan, it wouldn't be a problem because it was recreated so perfectly.
However, the Kona coffee wasn't the 『Hawaiian Kona』 that he used to drink when he was on Earth.
Ryo concluded that the coffee was just given an arbitrary name.
However, the taste was …
"It's amazingly delicious …"
"Isn't it? It's just a stone's throw from the guild, but it's delicious here."
"Absolutely, did Rihya bring you here?"
"Cough."
It seemed that it was a bull's-eye.
"Well, it's delicious, so it's okay."
"Ryo should also come for a date. With Sera."
He sounded like he was trying to dig up something.
"My relationship with Sera is not like that."
"When did you stop addressing her with -san …"
"She heard that I don't do so for Abel, so she requested I do that for her too … It was an unavoidable compromise."
Then Ryo shook his head a little.
"Sera mentioned Ryo's teacher but … how are the two of you acquainted in the first place? You didn't have any contact with her. Sera doesn't even show up in the guild, and she's the instructor of the Knights ..."
"She taught me various things in the North Library."
"I see, the library huh?"
Ryo's explanation finally resolved Abel's long-standing question.
Actually, it was only about a week.
"Also, recently we've been training with swords, such as before her training with the Knights."
"Mock battle with Sera using swords …?"
"Yes. She's insanely strong. I lost all matches."
Ryo laughed casually.
It was proof that he had not yet approached the level of regretting his losses.
Ryo felt that there was such an overwhelming difference in strength.
"Her 『Wind Equip』 is amazing. Sera's wind magic is perfect. It raises all her speeds. Her original sword technique was already superb, and with the added speed and weight from 『Wind Equip』, it's horribly troublesome."
"Sera, uses 『Wind Equip』?"
"Yeah. That's what I said. Abel, you have to listen to people properly, okay?"
Then Ryo drank the remaining coffee.
(No no, fighting Sera when she's using 『Wind Equip』, he must be mistaken … I am barely equal with her when she's not using 『Wind Equip』… No, can I even fight her evenly without it? Honestly, I'm not confident … Ryo is supposed to be a Magician, but why is he honing his sword skills so much … what is he aiming for …)
What he's aiming for … Ryo himself probably didn't know…
The two had another serving of the cake set.
For adventurer men which was a physically-demanding job, one cake set was not enough.
Well, that said, the idea of filling the stomach with a cake set was wrong.
"In the first place, I didn't know that there was such a store near the guild."
"This is … I think it was last year that a store opened in the City of Rune. It's a long-established cafe in the royal capital. If I recall correctly, it had a history of about 40 years …"
Abel replied, remembering.
(No matter how I think about it, this cake and coffee set is definitely the idea of a reincarnated person … If the reproduction of the taste is perfect, the person didn't only input the idea but was also involved in manufacturing … Did they come to 『Phi』20 years before me? No, that's not the case, because when Michael (pseudonym) greeted me in that white world, he said 'It's been a long time since I had a visitor'. Would he consider 20 years as 'a long time'? he was an angel-like existence after all.)
No matter how much he thought about it, Ryo couldn't find a consistent answer.
And the next question from Abel cut off his thoughts on the reincarnated.
"Ryo, about the incident at Whitnash …"
"Yes?"
"You tried to kill the Empire's Oscar, the Explosive Blaze Magician. If Ryo actually followed through, he would have been killed. How serious were you?"
"Oh … well it was tit-for-tat, isn't it? Does Abel think there was such a huge gap between me and him?"
Ryo replied while eating the last piece of the second cake.
Finally, he called Oscar 'him'.
"Yeah, it seemed that way."
"But in fact, I don't think there was that much of a difference. At that time, he was in a state of attack and I was defending, so it may have seemed that there was a difference in power as I intercepted everything. ... but I think that even if I was in the opposite position and attacked while he defended, I don't think I could easily break through his defense."
Ryo replied, remembering that time.
Water magic was good for defense.
He even thought that Ice Wall must be the strongest and hardest defensive magic.
Of course, it was still sometimes broken.
"And it's also related to my attribute being water and his attribute being fire. Doesn't water extinguish fire? Any fire can be extinguished with a lot of water. It was probably an issue of affinity."
Ryo continued as he remembered.
"As for magic generation speed or construction speed … that guy was surprisingly fast, right? That's why I think it's highly likely that even if I launched an attack, he could intercept it."
"Why did you continue to taunt him then?"
"I must have been upset. My mood was probably elevated because of the festival."
Then, Ryo finished his second cup of coffee.
"Yeah, I came to understand that Ryo is a dangerous guy."
"Compared to Abel, I still have much to learn …"
"Why's my name dragged into this!"
-x-X-x-
The next day.
In the morning, Ryo did some research with Sera at the North Library, ate lunch at Houshoku-tei, and arrived at the Adventurer's Guild at 1 pm, the time he promised Abel.
Abel was already there and was talking to a girl he had seen somewhere near the reception.
It was the girl who noticed Ryo enter the guild rather than Abel.
Natalie of the Court Magic Group, the only other Water-Attribute Magician Ryo knew.
When Abel noticed that Ryo had arrived, he bade farewell to Natalie and came over to Ryo.
"Ryo, right on time."
"Were you done with Natalie?"
Natalie bowed toward them and left the guild.
"A letter from the royal capital was addressed to me and she brought it to me."
"Ilarion?"
Ryo recalled that the letter Natalie brought to Abel before was from a person named Ilarion from the royal capital.
"You only remember such strange details."
Abel smiled wryly and was kept what seemed to be a letter from Ilarion in his chest pocket.
"Welcome, Abel-san and Ryo-san."
When Abel and Ryo entered the real estate department, the head of the department, Replate, stood up and greeted them.
They were led straight to the reception room.
"I found only one property that meets your needs …"
After tea was served to the three of them, Replate jumped straight to the topic but he had difficulty finishing his sentence.
"I guess that means it's not a property that perfectly meets the conditions."
When spoken that way, often it meant that the target was mostly met but with some minor setbacks.
"Yes, the problem is the location."
"Location?"
The two of them asked at the same time.
"Yes. The property I am introducing is outside the city."
"!"
As expected, both Abel and Ryo were surprised at this.
Ryo thought it would be necessary to compromise on the size of the garden or the houses around him, but it was unexpected that he would be introduced to a house outside the city.
Previously, when he first came to the City of Rune from the Rondo Forest.
He once had a panoramic view of the City of Rune from the top of a small hill with Abel.
The City of Rune was nestled in a golden sea of grown wheat.
However, he remembered that there were quite a few houses built within the golden sea.
People engaged in agriculture had moved from the city to the outside of the city.
And due to the footfall, the gates of the City of Rune would not close even at night.
"Is the house you wish to introduce, a farmer's house?"
"Yes. I saw it yesterday and it's a property I can confidently recommend, except that it's located outside the city."
Ryo's question was answered firmly by the department head, Replate.
"Let's go see it for the time being."
When Ryo said that, both Replate and Abel stood up.
"I have applied for the use of a guild wagon, so please wait at the front."
Replate then headed to the garage behind the guild main building.
"There are guild wagons?"
"Yeah, there's three if I recall correctly. Commonly known as guild carriages. Although one is basically exclusively used by Guilmas …. Like now, if the guild staff decides that it is necessary, permission can be given for usage. Adventurers can't rent them though."
"That's a shame."
Abel shot down what Ryo was thinking.
After the three of them boarded the guild carriage, the carriage ran north on the main street.
It was the same carriage that Hugh made him ride on previously, on the way back from the lord's mansion.
After riding for a while, they reached the center of the City of Rune, the double-walled square at the entrance to the dungeon.
They turned right there and headed east on the Eastern main street, in the direction of the East Gate.
Ryo was familiar with that area.
The reason being his favorite restaurant, Houshoku-tei, was nearby.
The fact that the property was close to the East Gate was a plus point for Ryo.
Even if it was equally 『outside the city』, he was much more thankful it was there compared to the south gate or the west gate.
The carriage went through a simple procedure at the East Gate.
Confirmation of Abel and Ryo's guild cards, and Replate and the coachman's Guild staff cards.
However, since the confirmation only took a few seconds per person, there was almost no stress.
They left the East Gate and arrived at their destination in about five minutes.
The first thing Ryo noticed when he got off the carriage in front of the house was the large front yard.
From a distance, he saw the wooden fence that marked the boundary of the yard.
The yard was about 400 meters long and 400 meters wide … It was large enough to easily accommodate three soccer courts.
And turning his head to look, he could see the constructed house.
It didn't appear to be a typical farmhouse …
"Do farmers live in such houses?"
The house was a one-story building. However, it had considerable floor space.
There was an entranceway in the center built with a magnificent double door.
In addition to the central door, there were two other doors … alternative entrances.
There were what seemed to be windows, but the shutters were closed.
The area was reminiscent of Ryo's house in the Rondo Forest.
"This is a farmhouse, but it seemed to belong to a fairly affluent house. The only son was recognized as an expert in the royal capital and raised to an aristocrat so his parents were also called to live in the royal capital. Because of that, this house and farmland were put up for sale."
"From an expert to an aristocrat, he must be quite talented."
Abel commented and nodded to the explanation of the department manager Replate.
"Other farmers bought the farmlands that were scattered around, but this house and the front yard that came with it hadn't had buyers for almost a year."
"The grass is cut quite cleanly despite a year of no activities."
Ryo noticed that both the front yard and the side of the shed were cleanly mowed.
"Oh, that's probably because there is a vacant house maintenance request for E-ranks and F-ranks, isn't it?"
Abel replied.
"The thing is, there was no request put up to the guild for this property. That's why it wasn't checked by the guild's real estate department. I'm sorry."
Replate, the head of the department, bowed to Ryo. He apologized for the fact that the property was not registered when Abel and Ryo first went to the real estate department.
If the guild was requested to take care of the unoccupied house, the real estate department would have had it on record.
"Hmm? But it's maintained so beautifully … Oh, perhaps the cleaning company?"
"Yes. This is a property managed by Schmidthausen-dono's company."
Replate confirmed Abel's conjecture.
"Is the cleaning company you're talking about run by former adventurers?"
"Ooo, yeah that's it. You know him too, Ryo? He has a scary face but he's a good person. You can hire them if you want to request for cleaning. It seems that adventurers will get a discount."
Ryo knew because the receptionist Nina told him when he first went to the dormitory.
The dormitory was cleaned by the former adventurer's cleaning company.
They surveyed the house briefly.
It was well cleaned and seemed that he could move in immediately.
The doors other than the central door they first saw were ordinary doors that connected the inside and outside of the house.
It may be because it was inconvenient to have goods enter and exit with just the central door.
They were probably side entrances.
There was a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a few bedrooms, some large storage rooms, and even a room that looked like a study even though it was a farmhouse.
"So this is how it will be like for a wealthy farmer."
Ryo muttered softly.
What surprised him in the house was the kitchen counter.
It was a huge black countertop that seemed to be granite, and it was a countertop that would be very easy to use for those who cook.
The facility clearly showed who had the most power in this house.
A brief walkabout …
However, Ryo noticed something.
He couldn't help but notice.
"There is no bath …"
Ryo turned into a sculpture with 『Despair』 engraved on his face.
"T-that's true … By any chance, does Ryo-san need a bath …?"
"Yes..."
『Despair』 was engraved on the face of the department manager, Replate, who noticed his oversight when he saw Ryo overwhelmed by despair.
Yes, despair was contagious.
"Can't you just make it yourself?"
Only Abel was unperturbed and gave a perfunctory reply.
But those perfunctory words revived Ryo.
"Yeah! I can make it myself! Replate-san, do I have to get a permission of some sort to remodel my house?"
"Oh no, there's no need for that. That's also why I recommend this property. In the city, you will have to get permits from all the relevant parties … you even need to seek permission to repair the wall of your house. But outside the city like this, you can do whatever you want as long as you don't touch the road. So, of course, it is possible to attach a bathroom. If necessary, we can arrange for the carpenters too."
Once Ryo's question was answered by Replate, and the despair that covered his face disappeared.
"I'm glad. So, the price of this house …?"
"Yes, how about 50 million Florin, inclusive of the property and the cost of the formalities. I've rounded it to a clean sum."
"I'll take it."
Ryo made a prompt decision.
For Ryo, being outside the city was not a problem.
He hadn't done any model adventurer activities such as receiving requests every day in the Adventurer's Guild. He doesn't even go to the Adventurer's Guild.
Ryo knew that there were many popular but above-standard delicious restaurants near the East Gate, including 『Houshoku-tei』.
Also, there were bonus points for having the North Library and the lord's mansion closer compared to his current lodgings.
And above all, the large yard.
It was bigger than the barrier around his Rondo Forest House.
He naturally didn't expect a yard of this size would come with it.
It was a pity that there was no bath, but there was no problem if he made one.
Ryo had no reason to decline a property with such favorable conditions.