A few days had passed since I’d been summoned by the lord. The town had erupted into celebration after hearing that the lord’s illness had been cured.
As for me, instead of enjoying the festivities with everyone who’d become slaves, I was sipping tea in style on a terrace with the scariest people in town.
To those who hold a grudge against these folks, just for today, please don’t come looking for revenge.
「Too bad. You didn’t get to become the lord.」
「Doesn’t matter. Me, a lord? Get real. Running around for the sake of the people sounds like torture unless you’re a masochist.」
「True. If you were ever working seriously for someone else, I’d probably laugh.」
「Tch. Got a mouth on you for a kid. So, how’d you actually get your hands on it?」
「Told you, I don’t know.」
There’s no way anyone would believe I just happened to make an holy elixir by chance.
Besides, I had a bad feeling about Darwin finding out.
「I’m curious too. But if you’d had it from the start, wouldn’t it have made sense to use it when Wendy was in trouble?」
「So you’re saying he learned to make holy elixirs?」
「I didn’t say that. Just thinking there might be something special we don’t know about.」
「There’s nothing. Didn’t Reinrich check my guild card? I can show it again if you want.」
「Oh? Confident, aren’t you, kid? All right, let’s see it.」
「Yeah, yeah. Just be satisfied if there’s nothing on it. Guild card, open.」
-0-
Shinomiya Itsuk: Alchemist Lv 1
HP: 55 / 55 → HP: 150 / 150
MP: 1020 / 1020 → MP: 2550 / 2550
STR: G VIT: G
INT: D → B MID: E → C
AGI: G DEX: B → A
Active Skills
Space Magic Lv 3
Alchemy Lv 9
Appraisal Lv 3
Passive Skills
Farming Lv 1
Cooking Lv 1
Active Auto Skill
Madness Lv 1
## ??? Skill Lv 3
-0-
「Oi oi oi oi oi. What the hell is this? Isn’t Space Magic supposed to be some kind of legendary power?」
「Ah…..」
Crap. I was so focused on the holy elixir, I totally forgot I had Space Magic.
「Well, well… Is that ??? skill something unique to drifters? Could it be related to all this?」
「Nope, not at all. Unfortunately, it’s a completely different skill.『Pocket Money』」
Five gold coins suddenly fell from the air and landed in my palm.
「Whoa. That’s five 100,000-nohl gold coins. So, how long until you can use it again?」
「Once a day. I wish I could use it more often.」
「Nah, that’s plenty. 500 thousand a day, and that’s with it still at level 3? How many coins do you get once it hits level 9?」
「I’m more curious about where they’re coming from… Are they being transferred from somewhere, or created out of nothing…?」
「Forget that. We’re here about the holy elixir, remember? You’re all losing sight of the goal.」
「Ah, right. Hm… So your alchemy’s already at level 9? That was fast.」
「Hah, it took me ten years to reach that point.」
「Drifters do grow faster. Still, that’s awfully quick.」
「Maybe it’s because Reinrich taught him efficiently?」
「Even so, it’s too fast. Normally, you’d hit level 3 in a year, level 5 in two, level 6 in three, level 7 in six, level 8 in seven, and level 9 after ten years. And that’s assuming you’re as talented as Reinrich-sama.」
Hmm… That means I hit level 9 in not even a year, more like just a few months? That’s way too fast.
That’s weird. I didn’t choose any kind of experience-boosting skill…
「Other than that, nothing else really stands out. Space Magic… I’d like to ask more about that, but it’s probably unrelated to the holy elixir.」
「Exactly! That’s what I was curious about too!」
Bam! The terrace doors swung open with a loud bang, and in walked the person at the center of all this: the lord herself.
Beside her, Wendy flailed in a panic, worried about the now-open glass door.
「No no no. They’re throwing a celebration for your recovery out in town right now. You shouldn’t be here.」
「Oh come on. Are you saying I’m a nuisance, onii-chan? After we got so close, that’s just cruel.」
「Hey, don’t sit on my lap!」
Ugh, seriously.
Shiro’s mouth dropped open in shock, like a perfect “O”.
I told her not to come over here because we’re having an important conversation right now!
「You came, huh, you masochistic lord.」
「Don’t call me that. I just want everyone in this town to be happy, that’s all.」
「Yeah, yeah. So why are you sitting on his lap?」
「Because there’s no seat for me. And I’m small, so this is the perfect spot. Oh, this snack is delicious.」
「You know, being a lolicon is an illness.」
「Wait a sec. She’s in her forties and that still counts as lolicon?」
「It’s about appearance. Whether she’s forty or sixty, if she looks like a kid, it’s lolicon.」
「You’ve got to be kidding… She’s way older than me…」
「Fufu. Not denying it, does that mean I’ve got a chance, onii-chan?」
Being called “onii-chan” by someone older than me feels weird.
Still, as long as I don’t think about her age, it doesn’t feel bad.
I had an older sister, but never a younger sibling. I always wanted one.
If I didn’t know her age, she’d be like the perfect little sister…
A woman in her forties sitting on my lap, holding my handmade sweets in both hands…
「Hmm? Onii-chan, want some too?」
「Nah, you go ahead.」
「Really? Yay!」
Ahh… Don’t go dropping crumbs everywhere.
They’re all landing right on my lap, you know.
「Oops, I dropped some.」
「It’s fine. You don’t have to eat the ones you dropped.」
「No way. Wasting food makes you go blind, you know.」
That’s what Grandma used to say!
And that was about rice, by the way.
Can you please stop poking at my knee?
And grinding your fingers in isn’t helping either!
「You two really look like affectionate siblings. As someone who’s known Origol for a long time, this feels… complicated.」
「Yeah.」
「So, the four of you have known each other since way back?」
「That’s right. We used to get into all sorts of mischief and get scolded by Reinrich.」
「You guys were little brats back then.」
「And they’d always run off and leave me behind, even though they were older boys. So I’d set traps and drag them down with me.」
「I knew that was your doing, damn it!」
「Of course. Blaming everything on me while standing off to the side laughing? No way I’d let that slide.」
Huh. So these four go way back.
But really, what kind of mischief do Yasis, Darwin, and Origol even get up to?
And targeting Reinrich of all people? That’s just stupid.
「So, what did you come here for?」
「Hm? I saw everyone from over there, so I came over.」
「That’s it, huh…」
Ah… The butler’s looking up at us from outside the gate.
「Wendy, could you let the butler know?」
「Ah, then could you tell him he can head home for the day? I’m going to relax here for a while.」
「U-Understood.」
「Wait, isn’t today your comeback celebration? Aren’t you supposed to be there?」
「Everyone just wants an excuse to party. The merchants want to use it as a reason to sell in bulk, and the common folk just want to start drinking at noon without guilt.」
You didn’t have to be that brutally honest about it…
Even if it’s just symbolic, they are celebrating your recovery.
「Besides, I drank too much already. Walking through town, everyone forced three drinks on me just for showing up. I just got better, now I’m about to die from alcohol poisoning.」
「You don’t look drunk.」
「Hmm, I am, though, look, see?」
She started bouncing up and down on my lap, but getting your thigh muscles pressed like that while sitting down really hurts.
「If you keep squirming like that, I’m putting you down.」
「Ehh… Don’t like how my butt feels, onii-chan?」
「No, it just hurts, that’s all…」
「Hey, watching you two flirt is getting on my nerves. Can we get back to the point?」
「Ah, right, right. Got a little off track there.」
「Because of you, yeah. So, what exactly does Space Magic let you do?」
Tch. He remembered.
And just when the topic had nicely veered off…
I held out my palm toward Darwin.
「What’s with the hand?」
「How much you offering?」
「Alright, I’ll just go sell this info to the Mage’s Guild.」
「I’m sorry, I was being cocky! Please! I’ll bow my head, just keep quiet!」
As I bowed, Origol leaned in with a little “Nn~” and puckered her lips, but I dodged her and bowed again repeatedly.
Then Darwin mirrored me and held his hand out.
「Tch… How much? Name your price.」
「Kidding. Just kidding. Come on, spill it, I’ll keep quiet.」
「Yeah, same here. I’ll even pay, just tell me, won’t you?」
「H-Hey Yasis, that’s dirty!」
「We’re talking about a legendary-tier spell. Who wouldn’t be curious? And don’t worry, I won’t tell Darwin-san anything.」
「No, it’s fine. Seriously. I’ll tell you, as long as you really don’t breathe a word to the Mage’s Guild…」
「I’m curious too.」
Even Reinrich?
So she was silently eavesdropping, huh.
You sneaky bitch.
「Well, it’s only level 3, so it’s not that impressive yet.」
「That’s fine, just tell us.」
「Alright. Level 1 is a skill called Input. To put it simply, it’s like a magical bag replacement.」
「Oh? How much can it hold?」
「Not sure exactly… but since you can store things together in one spot, it holds more than a small magic bag. It’s divided into slots numbered from 0 to 19.」
「That’s pretty damn good. A merchant would be drooling for that kind of skill.」
「Definitely. Especially traveling merchants, it would be a game changer for them.」
Ah, I see. No need to load up a wagon, and if you’re not carrying a huge load, you’re less likely to get targeted by bandits.
For a moment I thought maybe I should’ve been a merchant… but no, too dangerous out there. Not worth it.
「So, what about level 2?」
「That’s Output. It’s a little hard to explain, but it lets you release something with the same force it had when you put it in. Does that make sense?」
「Hmm. So, for example, if an arrow were fired at you, and you used Input to store it, you could use Output to fire it back with the same force?」
「I haven’t tried it, but probably. I haven’t really used it much. I mostly just thought the level increase expanded my magic storage space.」
「Hey, what do you think would happen if you used it with a weapon like a flail, something connected by chains?」
「No clue. Maybe because it’s not like a regular magic bag, even living things or complex shapes might work… but I’m too scared to try it.」
Yeah, what would happen?
Would just the tip disappear? Or would the whole thing, handle and all, go in since it’s considered one item?
Well, if I get the chance, I’ll test it.
But not with living things, if it ends up gross, I’ll seriously regret it.
「Doesn’t sound all that legendary, honestly.」
「Hey, not my fault. I picked it because I just wanted a better version of a magic bag. I figured if I was lucky, it might have teleportation or something too.」
「I see. So then, what’s level 3?」
「This one’s hard to explain too… hmm…」
After thinking for a moment, I activated Invisible Prison and made my teacup float midair, as if it were resting on something unseen.
「Whoa, what’s that? You can make stuff float?」
「Not exactly. It’s more like I can make a transparent box. Think of it as a jail cell, a coffin… or maybe a shield?」
「You’re not even sure yourself… But hey, if it can be used for defense, that’s pretty handy.」
「Right? Oh, and watch this.」
I picked up Origol, who was still sitting on my lap, and set her down on top of the Invisible Prison. She stayed seated in midair.
「You can even stand on top of it.」
「Oooh, that feels weird somehow.」
「Careful up there, Origol. That guy’s a pervert, he might try peeking up your skirt.」
「Hey, wait a sec! Since when did I become that kind of guy!?」
「You literally told your slave, didn’t you? About her chest, if I remember right…」
「Let’s just stop right there, Darwin. You don’t need to go any further.」
「As expected of customer-sama… I’m starting to question whether I should be selling slaves to you at all.」
「No, wait! I’m not doing anything weird! I swear!」
…Right?
Yeah. She’s not upset or anything. So it’s probably fine. Probably.
「Whaaat? If you wanted to see under my skirt, you could’ve just asked. I’d show you.」
「Too bad, you’re just not in my weight class. Come back when you’ve got some serious curves.」
「Muuu! That’s species-based discrimination!」
「He’s a picky pervert.」
「A refined pervert, you could say.」
「You guys, stop picking on my apprentice already. What if rumors start going around that my apprentice’s a pervert?」
Reinrich-sama!?
I mean, thanks for helping, but… you do think I’m a pervert, don’t you!?
「Alright, we should be heading out.」
「Yeah. Still got work to do.」
「The gem dealer should be arriving any minute now for me too. Oh, and I’ll let Dama know about the renovation, so don’t worry.」
「You’re all just pretending nothing happened… Dammit. You were messing with me!」
Adults!
This is why adults are the worst!
「Wait, Origol, you’re not leaving?」
「Nope. I haven’t done what I came here for yet.」
「You had a reason for coming!?」
「Aww, did you forget? We agreed to go into a private room, just the two of us.」
「「「……」」」
「…Could we all just take a deep breath here?」
「Later.」
「Time to go.」
「Excuse us. Enjoy your time.」
「Wait! Please, don’t leave! Hey, you loli, what’s the big idea!? At least let me explain! Just hear me out!」
Let me at least clarify that I’m not a lolicon!
Don’t just leave me here under a giant misunderstanding!
「…You know, calling me ‘loli loli’ all the time is kinda rude. Fine then, in that case, I’ll show you just how charming I really am, in that private room.」
「No, no, no! This is not the time for that! Hey, you! Can’t you explain things for me too!? Come on, Lord-samaaa!」
Ah, wait, they’re actually leaving!?
You’ve got it all wrong! I seriously thought she was just a kid!
I just thought we’d play or something, that’s all! AAAAAAAHHHH!
My desperate cries from the soul didn’t reach them.
The three of them left without a hint of mercy.
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