The Mystery of the Bundle of Papers
Satou here. Encryption technology is sometimes necessary in game production. It’s useful for preventing tools that hack save data or duplicate the product itself. But I’ve never been any good at decryption.
After the aide was taken to jail, the old witch and I went to meet with Count Kuhanou in the drawing room.
First, the count gave the old witch a somewhat roundabout apology for allowing the viceroy’s aide’s conspiratorial actions to go so far. After that, talk turned to the subject of a reward for me.
I’d honestly been expecting a punishment for interfering in the execution, but that wasn’t the case.
“So your name is Satou? It seems you’ve been through quite some trouble. What would you like for a reward? Goods? Money? If you should wish to be employed by the government, that is within my power as well.”
I wasn’t sure how to answer the graying count.
I didn’t have much use for more money or goods, and I wasn’t really in the market for a job, either.
“This may be forward of me, but if I could receive permission to purchase Magic Scrolls and spell books within your territory, I would be most humbly delighted.”
“I suppose as an acquaintance of Mistress Witch, it’s no surprise that you should have such a thirst for knowledge. Very well, then, I shall issue you a permit.”
I hadn’t been expecting much, but the count generously agreed.
That seemed to be the end of his business with me, but since I hadn’t been given permission to leave, I stayed to listen to his discussion with the witch.
They talked about the hydra in the mountains along the southwest border and how he wanted her to make an antidote for its poison to help the soldiers who would be searching for it.
He avoided specifically using the word hydra, but since he mentioned a report from the constable of Noukee, there was no doubt in my mind what he meant.
Apparently, a hydra had attacked about three years ago, damaging both Sedum City and the surrounding villages, meaning it must have destroyed the abandoned village after all. The count darkly explained that it was one of the monsters that had crossed the border from the Muno Marquisate some twenty years before.
When his discussion with the old witch was finished, Count Kuhanou informed us that he had a meeting to discuss countermeasures against the hydra, so we took our leave.
The count offered to treat us to a lavish dinner at the viceroy’s castle, but since the beastfolk girls wouldn’t be able to join us, I politely declined.
Once I’d received my permit from a staff member, we left the government office behind us.
“Mr. Satou, I would like to thank you for your help from the bottom of my heart.”
“Um, thanks… A lot…”
At the corner of the city hall, Ine and the old witch gave us their thanks.
“Still, I must confess I was surprised. What sort of magic did you use to complete the task?”
The old witch gazed at me inquisitively. It seemed like she was simply curious, not trying to feel me out or anything. I supposed it was clearly impossible for someone of Ine’s level and magic power to complete twenty rounds of alchemy.
“The trick is simple. I recovered the potions from the broken bottles and the bottom of the crate, that’s all. We just had to put them in new vials.”
“Ah! Now that you mention it, we only made about fifty potions!”
My “Fabrication” skill helped me spin a plausible explanation, and the simpleminded young Ine reinforced my story.
“Yes, Ine worked hard and drank lots of magic recovery potions.”
“Yup! They were sweet and yummy, too!”
I went along with the flow of the conversation and complimented Ine, too.
I’d apparently convinced the old witch, who patted the girl’s head and thanked her appreciatively.
“Mr. Satou, there must be some way I can thank you for your help. Is there anything you might desire?”
As our conversation wound down, the old witch brought up the subject of a reward.
But I’d really been meddling only because I wanted to, and I’d already gotten a lot of knowledge from the old witch, so I didn’t feel like I should ask for more.
“I was only helping a friend. There’s no need to do anything in return. If you’ll let me come visit the Forest of Illusions and have a long chat again sometime, that would be more than enough.”
My request came out a little snobbier than I intended, but I was being honest. Talking about alchemy with the old witch really was fun.
“Well, you are welcome at any time. Please do bring Lady Misanaria and the other young ladies along with you, too.”
As she spoke, the old witch smiled the gentle, pleasant smile of an old lady sitting on a porch with a cat on her lap in early summer.
“Now then, a toast to our successful delivery!”
“““Cheers!”””
For some reason, we were having an after-party in the pottery studio.
When we came to return the potter’s wheel and other tools we’d borrowed to make the vials, I asked the owner if he knew any restaurants that allowed demi-humans, but he informed us that there were none.
Instead, he proposed that we use one of the unused workshop rooms in the studio as a dining hall, and I took him up on his offer.
Of course, we also invited not only the old witch and Ine but also the owner and his cat-people slaves. The studio’s apprentice had already gone home, so he didn’t participate.
We arranged on a long table the food we’d bought from stalls. Since the workshop owner didn’t drink alcohol, our beverage options were tea or water flavored with fruit juice.
“This grilled bird is truly superb. You can enjoy all the flavors from the head to the tip.”
“The rabbit skewers are delicious, too, sir.”
“Everything’s so tastyyy!”
The beastfolk girls were enraptured by the meat dishes. I’ll have to remind them to eat their vegetables afterward, too.
“Yum.”
“Mia, this fruit and vegetable stir-fry is good, too.”
“Mm.”
Since Mia was the day’s MVP, I rewarded her by doling out food on her plate.
“Excuse me, Master! You’re doting on Mia too much!”
“Hmm?”
Jealous that I was devoting so much attention to the elfin girl, Arisa piped up discontentedly.
“Oh, Arisa, you’re too much. Master, this stew here is delicious, too. Would you like some?”
“Sure, thanks.”
“Master, this baked parcel is of excellent quality, I report.”
Once I tasted the stew Lulu had given me, Nana offered a dish baked in a pastry wrapping.
The radish and fish stew was stellar, so I recommended it to the old witch and Ine, too.
“This here is really good.”
“Why, thank you, Lord Satou.”
“Mistress, you should try this, too!”
“Oh dear. You’re spilling food everywhere, Inenimaana.”
The old witch took out a handkerchief and wiped the food off Ine’s clothes.
“You’re awfully popular, aren’t you, young master?”
“Well, these good relationships go both ways, you know.”
I responded to the studio owner as the cat-people girls bustled about, diligently waiting on him.
Still hungry for more, the master took a hefty bite out of a bone-in rabbit leg.
The cat-people girls were eating only roasted nuts and berries, so I suggested the meat skewers and grilled bird to them, too.
They still hesitated despite my suggestion, but when the studio owner put some on their plates, they timidly began eating.
“S’good, sirrr.”
“Verrry yummy.”
“Mmf, mrrf…mmm!”
With choruses of approval in broken Shigan language, the girls cleared their plates in the blink of an eye. One of them was so moved by the delicious meal that she started crying while she ate, but I politely pretended not to notice.
“This is good, too, ma’am.”
“This toooo?”
Pochi and Tama put their favorite meals on some smaller plates and brought them over to the cat-people girls.
“I highly recommend this,” Arisa added, offering them a plate of roast rabbit.
Watching fondly as the younger girls freely doted on the catfolk, I enjoyed my own food and conversations as well.
Time flies when you’re having fun, of course, and the banquet ended when the supply of food was exhausted.
Everyone looked full and contented. The cat-people girls had even started thanking us with a gratitude that was a little too much like worship for my comfort.
The next morning was the ninth day since we’d left Seiryuu City.
We all went out to see off the old witch and Ine, who were returning to the Forest of Illusions.
As a parting gift, Ine gave me something that looked like a lantern with a shade.
“This is a thank-you gift, Mr. Satou.”
“Is it a lantern?”
Ine shook her head at my question.
“It’s a magic tool. My mistress helped me make it.”
“Really? That’s fantastic. Thank you, I’ll use it with care.”
“Yay!”
With my “Analyze” skill, I learned that it was a tool that used “light drops.” It worked like a lantern that used magic instead of oil to produce an LED-like light.
“Well, I look forward to meeting again someday.”
“Lord Satou, here is a gift that I once received from my grandmother, to keep you healthy.”
The old witch made a complex gesture over me that was apparently a protective charm without a chant.
It didn’t have any particular buff effect or anything, but that didn’t matter as much as the sentiment behind it.
I gave the old witch my thanks, and we waved to the pair as they departed.
The broken living armors and the elder sparrow sitting in the back of the panther constructor–drawn carriage was a distinctly fantasy-like image.
Ignoring the whispers and stares as they left the city, the old witch and her apprentice headed home.
> Title Acquired: Friend of the Witches
As we rounded out our stay in Kuhanou City, we continued sightseeing and started preparations for our next journey.
We met a merchant heading toward Seiryuu City, so I entrusted him with a letter to Zena. I felt a deep appreciation for postal systems.
Writing the letter was a bit difficult. I had no idea what kinds of manners and idioms were expected in letters in this world, and I turned to my merchant friend for advice as I struggled through the writing process.
I asked if Pochi and Tama wanted me to write a letter for them, too, but they said they wanted to write it themselves, so I respected their wishes.
Unfortunately, the impenetrable defense of Mia and the others had prevented me from going to any brothels, but I did frequent the tavern several times, which enabled me to collect some information about our next destination, the Muno Barony.
The more I heard about this place, the more I wanted to get through it as fast as possible without stopping to see the sights. If anything, I wanted to go around it, but in order to get to the Ougoch Duchy without going through the Muno Barony, we’d have to backtrack all the way to Seiryuu County and go around the royal capital.
Since that would take so much time, I was reluctant to choose that route.
The Muno Barony was a new territory founded by some incumbent nobles of Ougoch Duchy, who’d taken up the Muno family name and territory after Zen destroyed the Muno Marquisate.
It had always been an impoverished territory, but in the past three years the state of public order had become significantly worse, I’d heard. It was now in a condition of near-anarchy. Thieves were rampant, the officials were corrupt, and soldiers did as they pleased.
Normally, the lord of the territory or neighboring kingdoms would send in troops, but Count Kuhanou was too preoccupied with the kobolds, and Ougoch Duchy was in the middle of a very tense situation with the weaselfolk empire and the small country to the east, so they couldn’t risk it.
Since it sounded best to avoid the villages and towns, I stocked up on nonperishable food so we could make it through the territory without stopping for supplies. For our group, about a month’s worth should be fine.
I also found out why I’d spotted the aide at such a common tavern.
The owner hadn’t known that he was the viceroy’s aide, but he’d mentioned the man had been coming to drink Muno territory liquor for about a month now and that, like himself, the aide was probably someone who’d had to relocate from Muno.
Because the Muno Barony seemed unsafe, I used the leather armor I’d bought in Seiryuu City as a model to make some for all our members.
I gained the “Armor Crafting” skill after my first attempt, which led to them turning out pretty nice. For our vanguard, I sewed in some iron plates to increase their defense capabilities. I made sure to build the helmets particularly sturdy.
Since my merchant friend had told me mounted guards were good for warding off thieves, I purchased two horses with harnesses, and we all practiced horseback riding.
I quickly received the “Horseback Riding,” “Taming,” and “Animal Training” skills as soon as we started practice, and soon I was able to ride without a problem.
Mia could even ride bareback, but the only other member of our group who could make it at a quick trot was Liza. Walking was the best the others could manage.
Since I’d bought two horses for now, Liza and I would be acting as the cavalry for a while.
I received a summons from the town hall regarding the matter of the small-time crook and learned that since he’d been a man of little means, his assets had come to only ten gold coins after he became a slave.
I didn’t really care about the money, so I paid the processing fee and signed the documents.
Apparently, the villain would be sent to work in the silver mines under attack by the kobolds. I knew he was getting his just deserts, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him nonetheless.
Well, since he was such a determined, gutsy lowlife, he’d probably survive no matter what the circumstances.
The aide had been spared execution, too, and was now working as a slave in the count’s castle in Kuhanou City. As far as I could tell from the information on my map, the count had him hard at work as an educator.
Considering how prideful the man was, he might’ve preferred death over this, but personally, I thought he ought to work hard to atone for his crimes.
On a whim, I searched out the aide’s younger siblings on the map.
They were closer than I expected. I turned my head, and there were two people in the uniforms of low-ranking public office workers enduring a lecture from a woman who appeared to be an instructor.
The public office must have hired them, then. I was glad to see that they weren’t wandering lost on the side of the road or anything.
The day after I received my permit, I purchased some scrolls and spell books and learned some new magic.
I spent a few leisurely days practicing chants and analyzing spells in the textbooks.
“Master, I’m returning this book. May I borrow the Foundation Magic one next?”
“Sure. How was that intermediate spell book?”
I accepted the intermediate Light Magic volume from Arisa and handed her the Foundation Magic book from the Garage Bag in exchange.
Even though I’d given her permission to take out and read whatever she liked, she insisted on being conscientious.
Since we’d started having reading time after dinner, the others were enjoying their choice of books, too. Nana was helping the beastfolk girls with theirs.
“To be honest, figuring out Shigan language is more difficult for me than the contents themselves.”
“It’s still impressive that you were able to learn to read them at all in such a short period of time.”
I remembered struggling to read technical programming books in English back when I was in Japan.
The other girls had all learned to read every one of the one hundred study cards. Aside from Nana and Mia, who’d always been able to read them, Arisa was the only one who could read entire books on her own.
Lulu and Liza could read simpler things like picture books, too.
Pochi and Tama were still struggling with the differences between spoken and written language. Since they’d learned to read numbers now, it was probably time to teach them arithmetic next.
“What are you reading, Master? …A menu?”
Arisa peered over my shoulder, surprised.
In fact, I was reading one of the bundles of paper I’d gotten from that sketchy stall before.
I was trying my best to divine what secrets they were hiding, but all I’d found so far were things like weekly dinner plans, complaints to colleagues, and journal entries speculating about the author’s wife’s infidelity, all in completely random order.
The only thing they had in common was that they were always dated, and the writing was as neat as if it had been made with a typewriter.
But since they weren’t in chronological order, and the topics were so all over the place, it was hard to understand what was going on.
There was probably a secret behind the order they were in, but I just couldn’t figure it out.
I was pretty disappointed in my “Decryption” skill.
“Holy…Sword?”
Arisa muttered aloud, contemplating the paper.
“Where does it say that?”
“I just read it vertically instead of horizontally, of course.”
Vertically? So even in a parallel world, they still do the same sort of thing you’d find on BBS forums in ours?
She handed the paper back to me, and sure enough, she was right. The words were different, but it was pronounced the same way as Holy Sword.
I sorted them in order of the dates via Storage and tried reading them that way.
…So this is why it was worth more than two hundred and fifty gold coins.
“Brilliant, Arisa!”
“Hee-hee. But if you’re going to praise me, do so with your actions!”
I hugged Arisa tightly and spun her around and around.
“Wah! Hey, not so…suddenly!” Arisa shrieked in an odd voice, but oh well.
Seeing us spinning around, Pochi and Tama started running in circles around us.
Written in the bundle of papers…
…were instructions on how to create man-made Holy Swords.
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