Part one of two of the releases.

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Tl: SpecterZe

ED: Torianna

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Chapter 24 

<<Magic… is not enough…>> Midori mutters while we are in the carriage and heading back to town.

When I check her status, her MP is completely depleted. Perhaps, MP is necessary for <Special Medicine Mixture>. On the other hand, she doesn’t need any material for <Special Medicine Mixture>, or perhaps she could provide the material by herself.

<<Jin… come here… please…>> Midori says via telepathy.

By the way, Midori just calls me “Jin”. Maria was angry and told her to “Call him Jin-sama!”  At first, she tried to do that, then she said, “Jin… sama… Too long… Please let me just call you… Jin…”
I get closer to Midori as she asked.

[Like this?] I ask.
<<Please… Show me your hand…>> Midori requests.

I put my hand out. Midori holds my hand and… puts my finger into her mouth.

[Wow!] I exclaim.

[W-What are you doing!?] asks Maria.

Maria shouts. Eh, my MP is decreasing. Is she draining my MP?

A: Correct.

[She doesn’t have enough MP, so she uses MP drain.] says Mio.
[No, you should use <Engage Link> to transfer those…] I say.

In addition to that… Seeing a small girl sucking my finger like this is bad.

[Midori, why do you suck my MP like this?] I ask.
<<This is… the most… delicious…>> says Midori.

I don’t understand about MP’s taste, but from the delightful look of her face, I can tell she is really happy. However, the conversion rate is worse than <Engage Link>. It took three to recover one of Midori’s MP. and it is a lot slower.
Because this is troublesome, I transfer my MP to Midori directly with <Engage Link>.

<<So wasteful…>> says Midori.

She lets go of my finger obediently, but she looks slightly disappointted.

[That’s right, Midori. Could you use <Special Medicine Mixture> again?] I ask.

Nectar is really useful, and another of its effects is great, too.

<<Could you… not watch me making it?>> asks Midori.

[Okay, I won’t.] I reply.

<<Understood. I will do my best.>> says Midori.

She really doesn’t want anybody to see it. She is completely embarrassed about it, but what the hell is she doing? No, I have a feeling it will be dangerous, so I don’t want to know about it.

[Come to think of it… Coming to Torte Forest is the best chance for gathering potion ingredients] says Sakura.

[That’s right. What do you think about it?] I ask.

Sakura talks while I wash my finger with water magic.

[Well, we might have a chance to make a special potion from this forest’s herb before we know it.] says Sakura.

[I’m certain we are too early for that.] I reply.

[But Master, special medicine can’t be made easily. Their value will be really high when we sell them.] says Sera.

Sera joins the conversation. Midori’s medicine is really effective but hard to obtain, so we could easily get more than ten million in gold from the auction. It isn’t hard to earn money, but it is hard to deal with the problems that follow. When I think about it calmly… Well, isn’t that the same as directly damaging myself?

[It is too good, so I guess we should keep it to ourselves for now.] I say.

[I think that is a good idea.] replies Sakura.

[And Jin-sama also has [Revival] that can regrow the missing limb like the effect of <Special Medicine>, too.] says Maria.

[You are right. Master and Sakura-sama’s special ability could handle all of that, too.] says Mio.

<<My… position… is shaking…>> says Midori. 

<<Please cheer up~>> says Dora via telepathy.

Everybody joined the conversation. We have become a large family. Oh! Tamo-san didn’t participate, or perhaps, didn’t say anything.

We are mainly traveling around, but we should have our base soon. We can use<Portal> to return anytime, but we can’t let the public know about that. If our numbers are increasing, we can’t fit everybody in just one carriage. Having several carriages isn’t a good idea, either.

While we are discussing about this, we arrive at Konoe Town safely. There are only few monsters and thieves. You could say it is because this is an adventurer’s town.

I take Maria with me and go to the guild for reporting. Everybody else is shopping for necessities for the trip to next town. Since we are already prepared, there isn’t much to buy.

[The request is done, and here is the proof.] I say.

[Yes.] says the receptionist.

I hand the proof to receptionist-san. <Identification card> has a wonderful function: it will update all members when the representative of the party submits the report.

For rank-up condition, you need to complete ten consecutive requests as a G-ranked adventurer in order to become F-ranked. However, let’s do that in another town because it is hard to obtain good quests here.

[That’s right. We should give a report to Sora-san, too.] I say.

[Why?] asks Maria.

[Well, I will tell her that Yurika went to the forest on her own and became lost. There might not be anyone else who will accept her potion-making request.] I reply.

[Well, we already know what happened……] says Maria.

[We should lie properly. It isn’t strange for us not to tell her what we know.] I say.

We don’t have a problem, but I don’t want to make a wrong decision because we were rushed.

I visit Sora-san’s shop and ask the store keeper to call her for us.

[Oh my! Why are you here today? Shopping?] asks Sora.

[No, I think I need to tell you about something that has happened.] I reply.

[Huh?] Sora says.

I told her that Yurika went to the forest on her own after the request was done.

[I think scouting the forest that has an anomaly was beyond Yurika’s ability. However, I think you should know that she might not return soon.] I say.

[Uh… Why did you tell me this?] asks Sora.

[The person who always takes the potion-making requests is gone, and we are going to be leaving this town soon. I mean we originally decided that the potion-making request would be the last request we would do in this town.] I reply.

[So…] Sora begins.

Sora-san starts thinking about something.

[Nee, why didn’t you run after Yurika-chan?] asks Sora.

Oh, here it is, but Sora’s tone doesn’t criticize me.

[Because I have no intention of letting my companions suffer a selfish sense of justice from another person.] I reply.

I say it clearly. Sora sighs as she hears my words.

[You are right. That girl… She has a strong sense of justice, but she has no ability. Not suitable for being an adventurer, yet she still wanted to be an adventurer.] replies Sora.

Her face becomes more and more regretful as she kept talking.

[This is an adventurer’s town, so a lot of adventurers come. Among them are children who die young, like her. I tried to make her become a pharmacist, but you know… It was no use.] says Sora

[It isn’t like she is dead now.] I say.

I’m lying now, but I’m going to resurrect her.

[That girl is certainly fast, but it is hard to use that speed in the forest. However, nothing is confirmed until her corpse is found. She might unexpectedly return… For now, thank you for bringing me this news.] says Sora.

And then Sora-san returns to her post.

[We are back. Should we depart for the next town?]

[Yes.]

We move toward our carriage. Since we didn’t stay in the hotel, our carriage is parked near the gate.

[Thanks for today. You were unexpectedly slow.] says Mio.

Preparation has ended, and everybody is relaxing in the carriage. Mio is drinking a cool beverage that was taken out from the refrigeration “room”, and she passes some to the rest of us.

[Th-Thank you. I went to report to Sora-san.] I say.

[Thanks. We just told her that the adventurer who can make potions is gone from this town.] says Maria.

Cold orange juice? It’s definitely a juice. It was made from the fruit we secretly collected in Torte Forest. It is quite rare and hard to find, but it increases MP recovery with no bad side effects, at all. Did I say MP recovery is important?

So I set up a <Portal> inside Torte Forest — just in case I need to go there again.

[Then, let’s depart. I’m sorry I can’t get a new request, but we registered as adventurers and the number of our companions is increasing.] I say.

[You are right. Since Erudia was too cruel, I think it was a good decision.] says Sakura.

[That is true, too. This place is a lot better than that place.] I say.

[Master and Sakura-sama hate Erudia so much…] says Sera. 

Well, we are already beyond that level…

[Then, let’s move.] I say.

After we finished our preparations, Maria starts driving. Sera is sitting next to her, and Mio takes a spot nearby, ready for a fight in case a monster comes out. The <Monster Taming> bait works really well for her.

[I forgot to ask. What kinds of monsters does Mio want to tame?] I ask.

[Come to think of it, you just raised the level of <Monster Taming> skill only… You didn’t tame any monster……] I say.

I converted half of the skills we couldn’t use from Mio’s kill into <Monster Taming> for her. So Mio has <Monster Taming>, too. However, I never saw her use it, at all.

[Oh! It is because Master could tame monsters unexpectedly easy that I decided to wait. The carriage’s size is limited, too. We will run out of room immediately if both of us tame monsters.] Mio says.

I’m certain I shouldn’t tame carelessly.

[Sorry for that. Because of my taming, Mio has hard time finding a chance.] I say.

[Well, I’m your slave, after all. I have to take it into consideration. Besides, Master is going to increase the number of subordinates in the future, too, right? What are you going to do if the carriage is full? Consequently, I have to act according to that situation, although I want to tame some, too…] Mio says.

I guess this is a good chance for us to talk about this.

[I intend to set up the base soon. Since we have <Portal>, we can return anytime. It isn’t strange to have a base, but I want to do it in the remote area away from Erudia. I guess we still don’t have steady income to sustain that.] I say.

[A base of operation will be necessary in the future if the number of companions is increasing…]

[It will be hard to do that for now. I guess Mio-chan’s plan to create an army has to be postponed for now.]

[Don’t worry. It isn’t hard for us to obtain a large sum of money, after all.]

[Well, I will take care of that by myself……]

Though Mio is shocked, I intend to take care of that by myself… With the exception of taming.

I could just sell special medicine or use <Revival> to heal lost limbs. With Sakura’s <Magic Creation>, we have a lot of ways to earn money.

[I think we need to restrain ourselves…… Our current object is to obtain enough money to create a base.]

[That’s right… We have to do it soon if our number of companions is going to increase in future……]

I have to set up the base of operation soon, so I will let Mio handle the taming.

The next stop is Atarime Town. Dried Squid Town? Who named this town?

A: The same hero who created Konoe Town.

Oh, that’s right. Well, Konoe is okay, but Atarime is a little…… A favorite dish? I know the heroes in the past had freedom in various ways, and I could eat rice because of that, too. 

Atarime Town is four days away from here. The reason we chose this town is because it is the quickest way to the capital. Although I didn’t have good memories of Erudia’s capital, I still want to see Kastal’s capital.

Two days after leaving Konoe Town:

[Jin-sama, a thief.] Maria shouts.

There are fifteen thieves when I check with <Map>. They are quite courageous to be this near an adventurer’s town.

[Well, what are you going to do?]

They are easy to defeat. Really easy.

[Jin-sama, could you leave them for us?]

[Us?]

[Me, Maria-san, and Mio-san. We need the experience of fighting humans.] explains Sera.

[Sera-chan doesn’t know this, but we had a fight with a butler before. We can’t avoid the fight, even if we don’t want it, right?]

I think fighting with human opponents is necessary, but we can’t start to do that on our own.

[I-I’m…] says Sakura.

Sakura is hesitating. She is merciless when fighting with monster opponents, but it is still impossible for her to fight against human opponents.

[Oh, sorry. This is too much for Sakura to do.] I say.

[Really?]

[Yes, Jin-sama decided to let us experience a fight with human opponents. This isn’t too much. First, let’s confirm what each of us can do. Dora and Sakura-sama don’t need to kill the opponents. You have to remember we are still your slaves, after all.] says Mio.

I think that’s right to the point, too. I guess Maria has nothing to say about this. However, Mio has to participate, too. Although she is a former high school girl, her mindset is completely familiar with this world after living here for a long time.

[Understood. Please leave it to us. Even if you want me to kill someone, I will do it without blinking.] says Maria.

[Thank you, but I don’t think I have a problem with it.]

[I guess I’m fine with a bow. Do you want me to do it up close and personal?] asks Mio.

[I’m fine, too. My sense of value has been changed a lot after becoming a slave.] says Sera.

Does the hesitation to murder decrease when you live as slave? I guess they were on the brink of death and that lowers the value of other people’s lives in their eyes.

[That carriage! Stop!]

We encounter a thief after our carriage has been advancing for a while. Maria stops, according to the thief’s command. It is our way of dealing with this event.

[What is it?] asks Maria.

There are about ten thieves who look like soldiers. Although I know they are thieves from the <Map>, but for people who don’t know, they might be mistaken for soldiers.

[We have to collect a tax from anyone who is using this road, by the order of the feudal lord who is ruling this area. Now, pay half of your property.] demands the thief.

Wow! Even though they’re disguised as soldiers, this is too absurd.

Well, it is fine either way, isn’t it? Act as knights and extort money and goods under the pretense of a tax. It might go smoothly. If that fails, you can take it by force. It is better, especially for thieves, to get money and goods without a fight.

Those soldiers are completely armed. They might just come and rob us directly with those weapon.

<<Maria, please tell them, “We will use different road then.]>> I say.

I use telepathy. I want to see what is going to happen next.

[I will use a different road then.] says Maria.

[No, you can’t. You already entered this road. You have to pay the tax, even if you want to go back.] says the thief.

As expected.

<<Please say, “I will give half of our property.”>> I say.

[Understood. Then I will pay half of our property.] says Maria.

[Yeah, We are ordered to take young girl as tax too. I will take half of the women.] – Thief

As they speak, they look at Sera with indecent eyes. So…? Does it turn out like this? Well, let’s end this farce. I won’t let anyone to put their hands on my companions. But this situation is a little interesting. Let’s see how it is going to go.

<<I guess fighting is unavoidable. Let’s do it.>> I say.

<<Understood. Sera-chan, Mio-chan, let’s go>> commands Maria.

<<It is okay>> says Sera.

<<I’m ready!>> says Mio.

As I give a signal, Maria jumps out and attacks the thief in front of us, drawing her sword and beheading that thief without hesitation, at all.

The rest of the thieves are surprised by that turn of events. Maria clears the way and moves to the right side while Sera moves to the left side. Three people on the left side were killed by single sword sweep from Sera. Two on the right were killed by the sword and dagger in each of Maria’s hands. As for the two people who approach our carriage from the rear, Mio just puts arrows through their throats.

Everything happened in five seconds. Those thieves didn’t even have time to pull their weapons out. Totally wiped out.

The rest of the thieves were also killed before they could take out their weapons. Those soldier-like thieves also were sniped down by Mio, too.

[It is completely fine, after all.]

[It isn’t different from monsters, at all.]

[I think I could do it naturally if we repeated this for two or three more times.]

Those are their impressions after the battle. It looks promising.

[Now, how should we deal with those corpses. I could put them in <Inventory>, but that many corpses inside is really bad.]

Putting corpses in is okay, but it became too many before I noticed. And I also have monster’s corpses, too…

Oh! I have an idea.

[First, store them with <Inventory>.]

[Are you going to store them, after all?]

It hasn’t ended yet.

[Next, dig a hole with <Earth Magic>.]

[A hole? Why?]

Since we can’t dig a hole in the middle of the road, we dig it off the side of the road.

[Remove all items with <Inventory>.]

[I think I understand what you are going to do now…]

Clothes are unnecessary. Only metal is worth collecting.

[Next, put those corpses in the hole.]

[Even if you say it cutely, this is looking really cruel.]

There are fifteen corpses here.

[Burn the corpses!]

<<Fire~>>

It burns really well.

[Cover the hole with soil.]

[You stripped them of any valuable completely, burned them and buried them.]

[Yeah. And it was done without even touching those corpse once.]

I have no hobby of collecting the corpse. I have no intention of reviving those thieves with <Necromancy> when I obtain that skill.

Why? Aren’t I going to make a slave army? Well, they are still a living army, after all. Hey, it’s about my appearance.

[Come to think of it… You are going to exterminate the rest of them in their hideout, but what are you going to do with the repurchase?]

Come to think of it… Sakura is the only person who participated in thieves’ extermination.

I know the location of their hideout from <Map>. <Map> can show me anything.

We might have an unnecessary problem this time because we are adventurers now. We can’t use “We aren’t adventurers.” as an excuse like before.

It will cause more trouble during the trip, so I want to refrain from any repurchases.

[Let’s hunt the rest of them in their hideout. I don’t have plan to report stolen goods since it is absolutely troublesome.]

[Understood. Could you leave this to us again this time?]

[Yeah, I will leave it to you. Please don’t be careless.]

[[[Yes]]]

Sakura looks uncomfortable.

[I should work harder, after all…]

[Don’t overdo it. Those slaves choose to do it themselves. Please stop taking it too seriously because I can’t force you to do that, after all.]

[Understood… Thank you…]

Even killing a bad person is still a high hurdle for her. It will drive her mad if I force her to do it. Me? I have nothing to say about that.

As for the thieves in the hideout… Their hideout was a cave. My slave army attacked them and killed all of the thieves there. I also handled them in the same way as I did a little while ago. Well then… What is the treasure?

For my enjoyment, I decide to set <Map> not to show the detail of an item except when it is a dangerous material. Although the motivation for my first time was Dora, but this time, it is just for fun.

[Oh! There is something like this here, after all.]

When we open the door of the treasure room, there are several slightly dirty children there.

Like the treasure room in Black Wolf’s hideout, there are wooden boxes and barrels, but here there are also several children, wearing only rags and locked in chains in a corner of the room.

I couldn’t say this was for my enjoyment, anymore. I turn on <Map> indicator. It seems they aren’t dead. There are eight of them, and all are between ten and twelve years old. Three of them are male, and the rest are female. Their titles are “Temporary Slaves”, and that means they don’t have a master yet.

[They’re temporary slaves, aren’t they? I guess those thieves earlier were slave traders.]

[I guess so. Because I don’t see any abuse on them, I think they just came here.]

[But their HPs are decreasing. Uh… Is that because of hunger?]

[Does hunger cause that? As expected from Sera, you are a starving expert.]

[Master also saw my HP decrease steadily, too.]

I think HP is decreased when they become hungry. Like a survival game.

[Just treat them with <Heal> and let them eat energy pills during that.]

A food pill. Sera’s staple food which was made by MP.

Because it has too many calories. Only Sera alone could eat it safely……

[Understood. Let’s treat them.]

I heal each of them with <Heal>, and I create some energy pills.

I put those pills into their mouths while healing them. I also give them some water. They should wake up in a few minutes. During that time, should we check out our loot?

There are a several good things. Like Black wolf, these thieves have some unexpectedly good treasures. Is public security bad? Well, the extermination of thieves is good income. Let’s do it as much as we can. And of course, ignore those repurchases…

HP Potion x 5

Worn protection gear

Various miscellaneous goods (Possible repurchase goods.)

This area is no good, no matter how I look at it.

4,000,000g (Actual money)

Slave collar x 2

This area is nice. I don’t have any slave collar, either. I wonder how could I use it.

Treasure Sword – Everlasting Darkness

Class: One-handed sword

Rarity: Artifact Class

Note: Can use powered-up blow once a day, Auto repair.

A jackpot, this time. It is a considerably powerful weapon, but it’s a fact that Frozen Orange is better. I guess I will have Maria use it.

~fin Leaving Adventurer Town and Thieves Again