Episode 36 ~I decided to consult my wife~
[My my, that was delicious.]
[Indeed. Except for the black bread, everything is fine. The spring rabbit stew was exquisite.]
After finishing our lunch at a restaurant I thought appropriate, Fram and I were now strolling around the street of Alfen, the capital city of Karendil Kingdom.
The lunch menu I bought for the both of us consisted of black bread and stew made of a monster called spring rabbit.
Spring rabbit meat had a similar texture to that of chicken’s thigh. The flavor, coupled with the boiled vegetable and exquisite saltiness made for an enjoyable meal.
[Alright, next is to the adventurers guild.]
[Yes, understood.]
Accompanied by Fram, I got busy once more.
There were general stores as well as weapon and armor shops around the adventurers guild, not to mention the commercial guild just across the street, so of course the area was a bit crowded.
Back in my original world it would be a place where people had to be careful for pickpockets or molesters.
[We’re getting too much attention here.]
[It’s because Master is the Hero of this country.]
The crowd somehow avoided us. Apparently they recognized my face and realized that I am the Hero.
It was also pretty crowded back at the restaurant, but nobody dared to ask for the table we occupied.
[They shouldn’t have recognized me so easily since I’m wearing common clothes and I didn’t even bring my trademark sword. Most likely, people were first attracted by Fram, only to put the two and two together when they saw me walking together with you.]
At my deduction, Fram said nothing and merely smiled. So she didn’t deny that possibility, but, oh well, not like it mattered.
It’s not that there’s barely any maids around here. I don’t know whether they’re here to buy food or for another errand, but it’s not exactly a rare view.
Was it because of Fram’s appearance? She is certainly beautiful, and pretty tall for a woman, which probably contributes to her to be standing out especially in her maid outfit.
[Oh well, let’s get this over with quickly so that we can go home.]
A told Fram as I turned towards the adventurers guild. Hoo, I felt like Moses, parting the sea that was the crowd of people as I passed.
We entered the guild while pretending that nothing happened, only for the originally bustling activities that filled the hall to cease immediately. Why are you guys staring at me like that?
I could only try to ignore it and headed to the material purchase counter. Why did you all look so relieved? Weird receptionist.
[Welcome to the adventurers guild, Hero-sama. What do you need today?]
The clerk who greeted me on the material purchase counter was a sharp faced handsome man with slicked back silver hair.
[I’m just a D rank adventurer, can you just treat me normally?]
[How could I, to someone who pushed back the flood almost single-handedly? Moreover, there is a talk about giving Hero-sama a promotion to become an S class adventurer.]
[Really now… well, you do as you wish then. I want you to look into this for now. What do you think?]
That said, I dumbed the demon dragon’s corpse as well as its two long limbed black monster companions to the counter.
The silver haired handsome clerk gave the corpses some look, prodding it all over, and took a blood sample before mixing it with some kind of reagent. Afterward, the clerk closed his eyes and fell into deep thought for a while.
[…..these corpses.]
[What’s with them?]
[I have no idea what they are.]
I mentally facepalmed.
The other adventurers present started to gather around the counter to have a look at the unknown corpses. They also had the same ‘no idea’ look on their face.
[At least be up to par with your good look! Oh, it’s like that, isn’t it? Don’t tell me you only got this job because of how good-looking you are?]
[It shames me to say this, but I do not know what they are. But what I’m at least very sure of is that these monsters aren’t normally found in this continent. Can I ask Hero-sama where did you defeat these monsters?]
The handsome clerk replied with an apologetic look on his face.
Muu, there is no way I can tell him that I killed these fellows in the beastkin village. I need to give a convincing lie.
[I made a request to the guild to investigate Vyette village since I had an acquaintance there. So I went to see the village myself. After the investigation was completed, these monsters attacked me on my way back.]
Maybe I should also tell him the impression I got when fighting them.
The black monsters were too weak to get any impression from, but the demon dragon was pretty tough and could even use some sort of magic.
[Tough, capable of self regeneration, and can even use some sort of magic?]
Taking note after hearing my testimony, the handsome clerk muttered to himself.
Actually I was quite surprised that it survived my kick. Even without magic, my kick should be able to shatter rock after all.
[May I ask Hero-sama to leave the corpses here to see if there was prior report about these monsters? We will of course reward you appropriately once we find anything about it. Will it be fine?]
[Yeah, that’s fine. Please subtract the dismantling fee from the reward then.]
[As you wish.]
The silver haired handsome clerk ordered the other employees to take the demon dragon’s corpse to the back.
I’m looking forward to the material I’ll get from this. Since it’s very sturdy, maybe I can use its hide for leather armor, and its regenerative power for potion? I wouldn’t know until I try.
[So what will we do next?]
[Right, we’ll drop by Peron-san’s place for a bit.]
[Something stronger than mithril, huh?]
Peron-san had a difficult look on his face after hearing my request. Fram said nothing, opting to stand behind me.
[You should know this since you also can forge weapons. Asking for anything stronger than Mithril, then it will be either Orichalcon or black steel. If it’s metal anyways.]
[Well, you’re right.]
Black steel is durable, and extremely resistant to magic, which makes it a good material for armors. But it’s not suitable for warriors like me who use magic to attack or to strengthen ourselves, as it’ll inhibit the magic that is released from our body.
Meanwhile Orichalcon is sturdier than black steel, albeit with slightly lower resistance to magic. The plus side was that orichalcon does not inhibit its wearer from releasing magic.
However, processing orichalcon took much more time and effort.
Furnace temperature control needs to be precise, and so does the hammering. If the heat is too weak it’ll be difficult to form, but too strong heat will cause the orichalcon to harden too much, it’s impossible to be forged anymore.
If you hammered it with too much force, either the hammer, the handle, or even the orichalcon itself may break.
Yes, orichalcon can adjust its own hardness as a reaction to an external impact. Makes me think that it’s a living organism instead.
It has good magic reception, and it’s durability makes for a good weapon and armor. But processing it was a bitch.
Eh? So why not melt it and cast it, you ask? Because it becomes very brittle if processed that way. It might still be better than iron, but the quality wouldn’t surpass steel.
[I don’t like black steel because I’m a magic user. Orichalcon on the other hand is too troublesome.]
[Troublesome, huh? I can handle it, but I prefer not to. The hammering part will probably drive me crazy.]
Firstly, there were very few craftsmen who could handle processing orichalcon. Since once they start forging orichalcon, they have to continue until it’s over, and it usually takes quite a while. That’s why any equipment made from orichalcon was usually very expensive.
I thought that I could make some profit by forging one myself before, but gave up when I realized how much of a headache the process is.
[Here is what I’ll suggest to you.]
I took out the godsilver metal from my inventory.
Peron-san grabbed the godsilver metal and took a good look at it, then checking its weight as well as hitting it a few times with a small hammer.
[Mithril… not exactly. It’s heavier. And it feels like I’m hitting orichalcon…?]
[It’s an alloy of Mithril and Orichalcon that surpass both in terms of magic receptiveness, hardness, weight, and durability. The processing time still takes a while, but it’s more forgiving than orichalcon.]
Peron-san stiffened upon hearing me.
Is there something wrong?
[Y, you… do you even understand what you just said? If what you said is true, then it must be the godsilver alloy that the dwarves have been painstakingly trying to create?]
What the hey, so someone else had already come up with the same name for that same item? Well, it’s not like that name wasn’t obvious enough.
[That’s right. And the recipe to create it is a secret, as something else needs to be added.]
[I would call bullshit if I haven’t seen it myself… well, no more surprises. Bring it on.]
Taking that as a cue, I dumped the materials I had accumulated from dismantling the dragon to the front of Peron-san who sighed in defeat.
Hides, bones, scales, fangs, nail, the tail tip, and even the webbings on the wings. When did I even dismantle the dragon? Well, it’s as simple as using the ‘dismantle’ function of my inventory.
There is no way I would waste time in dismantling that stupid dragon myself.
By the way, although I gave off some of the meat to the beastkin, I did still keep some leftovers.
[I did say that I won’t be surprised anymore, but this is a bit too much. There are stories that the Hero had slayed a dragon recently. I guess it’s true.]
[Yeah. Can you process these into armor?]
[Why of course. Dragon’s materials are some of the finest material. Even so, there are quite a large number of them here. What do you want me to make anyway?]
While saying so, Peron-san started to look at the material I had piled up on the counter, checking for its quality.
[Armors for me and Marl. I want a new battle dress made from godsilver for Marl. I’ll leave everything to Peron-san. If possible, I want two types of armor; one that stands out, and another that doesn’t. That’s why I presented a lot of materials.]
[Then you won’t need to pay me. These are more than enough for an extra pair of armor.]
[What will Master do after this?]
On our way out, Fram suddenly asked from behind me.
[Ha? Going back home of course.]
[No. that’s not what I mean. Is master going to spend a lot more time staying in Karendil kingdom?]
[Ah, about that. This city makes for a good base, so I will most definitely stay around here for a while. But that doesn’t mean I’ll be staying here forever.]
I want to help manage the beastkin village, and also investigate the cause behind the great flooding. Of course, I want to visit Marl’s hometown Miscronia kingdom as well. Might as well visit the northern forest where the elves live and mount bass where the dwarven kingdom is.
[I see….]
Fram’s expression sunk for some reason. What’s wrong?
[What’s the matter?]
[No, I… nevermind.]
Fram went silent afterward. Nnー? I wonder? Ah, that’s gotta be it.
I took Fram’s hand and pulled her closer to me. To the so-called couple’s hands hold.
[Will Fram follow along?]
[Eh?]
[No, Fram is my slave, and I am her master. Normally I’d want to keep you around me. No, she can stay at home if she want. I will still return back home often with my transfer magic anyway.]
[No, no! I will follow you!]
Fram’s voice sounded fluttery and joyful. Uーn? I’m just muttering that to myself, so why was she so happy? Did she feel stuffed with having to stay in the mansion all the time?
I don’t think Maybell or Jack-san are the kind of people who would bully others either.
[No, Jack-san and Maybell never did anything bad to me. It’s just that, even after everything, I’m still not good at any house chores. But those two never complain about me and continue doing their jobs instead…]
Ah, well, those two are professionals in their field.
Jack-san obviously was. Maybell, despite her age, already did perfectly as a maid. Jack-san said that she still needs to improve herself some more. Well, she’s perfect in my untrained eyes.
When she stepped on――I mean, massaged me.
[Then I should probably ask Peron-san to make extra armor for Fram. Would dragon leather armor do?]
[No, no need to be that grand… regular armor would do]
Fram promptly waved her hands in front of her chest frantically. I was quite amused on how cute she looked when panicking like this.
[No no, it’s not something that can be compromised. Fram’s weapon needs to be made of either mithril or godsilver.]
[No, I just received a wonderful sword last time. By the way, isn’t the godsilver the alloy that the female dwarf mentioned? There is no way I can accept that.]
[But that was only an iron sword, wasn’t it? As I thought, I should get you a mithril sword.]
[But Master, mithril sword is usually only wielded by high rank adventurers and army commanders, right?]
[But, I’m a big shot myself. End, of, discussion.]
[No, that’s not what I mean…!]
It was fun to play prank at Fram like this, so I ended up teasing her all the way back home.
We’ve arrived, but…
[Welcome back, Taichi-san]
Standing in wait at the front of the door was Marl.
[Is there something wrong?]
[How come you left me out to play around with Fram?]
[But, I didn’t.]
[Then what’s with that couple’s hand hold?]
[That has nothing to do with that]
[It was a date, wasn’t it!? Unfair! Soーーーunfair! Meanwhile I have to desperately negotiate with those sly foxes of oldmen since the morning!]
Marl marched forward and tackled me with great momentum.
Oi, stupid, you don’t have to go as far as putting magic on your feet like that. Look at what you did to the ground. Would you please stop?
[Uboo—!?]
I was knocked down by the tackle to the waist.
My butt and back that landed on the paveway were asking for a rub. What are you doing? Maybell had painstakingly washed these clothes.
[…..there is a scent of a woman other than Fram and Maybell.]
[Gaah!? No, no, that is…]
Is it from when I was at the beastkin village? Who was it? Sherry? Or that fluffy dogkin?
[Fufufu, Taichi-san. How about we 『TALK』about it in more detail? Actually, there is this good place in the inner wall. Apparently they also serve delicious sweets, so Taichi-san can relax in the private room.]
[Marl-san, that’s fine and all, but see, my clothes are dirty.]
I desperately tried to find a way to escape.
[But, Taichi-san could just clean it with magic, right?]
[Yes.]
It was in vain.
[Take care on your way. Marl-sama, please return him to me once you are done.]
Fram, already moving away from us, sent us out with a smile. I’ll remember this.
Afterward, Marl took me to a shady looking restaurant(?) in an alley inside the inner wall.
[Ku, I won’t talk if you keep this up!]
Marl was staring at me with a suspicious smile from across the table.
As a man, there is no way I’ll let myself be bullied all the time.
[Fufufu, then just out with it already.]
[Never! I will not lose so easily to Marl!]
[Enooooough! I can’t handle it anymooooore! I’ll talk, I’ll taaaaaaaalk!]
Turned out, I couldn’t win against Marl…
[But I haven’t even done anything though]
[Would you please cut that out already!?]
As a result of Marl’s ‘passionate love’, I decided to spit it out. However, I kept the information regarding the location of the beastkin village to myself.
I kept my promise, okay? Although I was dangerously close from breaking it.
In the so-called private room――there were many dubious looking tools――but at the same time, the tea set, sweets, and furniture seemed to be expensive.
[Doing something drastic once again… are you sure?]
[Un, I’m sure. Then, shall we go with the plan to seize the territory?]
Hearing my words, Marl groaned as she looked at the ceiling.
[I don’t think there will be a problem from the Karendil Kingdom’s side. But it’s a different matter to ask permission from the Miscronia kingdom. The forest that separates Crossroad and Miscronia has always been a buffer zone since ancient times. If we were to turn it into our territory, I believe we will have to ask permission not only from Karendil Kingdom, but also Miscronia Kingdom.]
[Then what about that? What’s the prospect in doing so?]
[It’s a delicate matter. However, Taichi-san already has the track record of repelling the great flood under his belt, even if it’s in another country. And if Taichi-san marries me, you’ll become a member of the royal family, so I think it’s not completely impossible. But…]
Marl’s face became clouded.
[At present, both countries consider that forest as a 『place we don’t have to worry about』. But if Taichi-san is to make that land his territory, both countries will find the need to keep track on Taichi-san’s land.]
[In other words, there is not enough benefit for all the trouble we will have to go through?]
[That’s the most extreme case, but yes, it is.]
I sipped the tea alongside Marl.
This place certainly looked shady, but the quality of their stuff is really another matter. The sweets were luxurious baked goods with plenty of honey and sugar.
[What about providing a secure trade route? If we build a secure road cutting through that forest, we’ll be able to provide a shorter trade route compared to the existing roundabout road.]
[That won’t do. The new trade route can also be seen as a military threat, and the establishment of a shorter route will reduce the distribution wave along the old route. Conversely speaking, it may cause a huge impact to the already established domestic economy.]
[Gununu…]
I was thinking of providing my weapons as an export commodity, but I have a feeling that the business would fall apart if I’m away.
[Even if we plan to establish a new trade route, will it be that easy? With stories about the monsters lurking inside the forest floating around, won’t it be hard to convince anyone to settle there in the first place?]
[That part I can handle. I could use my magic to mow down the forest to create the road. As for safety, I can also erect barriers around the houses.]
The ruins where we fought the assassins were inlaid with barriers that prevent monsters from coming in.
I should be able to cast the same barrier if I raise the level of my barrier magic.
[Uーn, why don’t we just keep it small, like a village maybe, so that it won’t attract too much attention? We don’t know if we can actually benefit from the forest, and whether we can support ourselves anyway. Let’s just do our best to gain ownership of that forest first.]
[…..you’re not against it?]
[?? Do you want me to?]
Do I? I responded to Marl’s question by tilting my head.
[I want to aid Taichi-san in whatever things he wants to do, follow him wherever he wants to go.]
[I’m really glad to hear that, but doesn’t Marl also have something she wants to do?]
[But I’m fine with doing things together with Taichi-san. Everyday is a lot of fun now. If I didn’t run away from home back then, I would’ve been forced to marry that stupid idiot… uwa, the very thought alone gives me goosebumps.]
Marl squirmed her body excessively. Something about the prince of Geppel kingdom roused my killing intent. Should I just get rid of him if he could give Marl a sense of unease even from far away?
Anyways, Marl’s words really made me happy. It’s like I was drowning in her love.
[Thank you. I’ll have to rely on Marl for the negotiation, sorry.]
[It’s fine, but if you plan on having a date, then put me on the highest priority.]
[Okay.]
I nodded obediently, which elicited a satisfied chuckle from Marl.
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