Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #114
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Translator(s) note:
Hello, we are informing you of a translation change for ヴァハ (Vaha) appearing in chapters 112 and 113. We wrote it as Badb after seeing her skill, but we learned that ヴァハ is actually the Japanese spelling for Macha. We will change both chapters in polterglast soon...
Well, Author-sama seemed to have mixed Badb and Macha into this card.
This particular Celtic goddess have the [Goddess of Wrath and Destruction] skill, which is more in line with Badb of the mythology.
Yet, there is also a skill with the mention of ‘Red Mane’. The Irish goddess associated with red is the goddess Macha, and this card's story about being forced to race horses while near childbirth also fits Macha's legend.
Episode 114: Precious Everyday Life
Three
weeks had already passed since I started taking the Four-Star promotion exam.
On
this day, I had a meeting with Tono-san at a coffee shop in Hachioji.
The
subject, of course, was about the trade of Kimaris.
“---- Haa, thank you very much for taking time
out of your busy schedule to meet with me today."
Tono-san,
whom I hadn't seen in a while, looked slightly more haggard than before.
Given
the circumstances and his role as a dealer in this adventurer industry, it was
no surprise to see the deep weariness on his face. On top of that, a bald patch
the size of a ten-yen coin, a symbol of
stress, had even appeared on his deeply bowed head.
"So, you're willing to agree to the trade
for Kimaris?"
"Yes."
I
agonized over Kimaris for a while, but in the end, I decided to trade it.
Even
now, with Anna having acquired a new card useful for finding Garnet and the
number of cards capable of subordinate summoning increasing, Kimaris, with its
legion summoning ability, still holds significant value. In fact, it could even
be said that its value has increased further due to obtaining Nemain, a card
that can equip the entire party.
Nevertheless,
I decided to go through with the trade because there was a card that I desperately
want and... well, the fact that my compatibility with Kimaris just wasn't right
was probably the biggest deciding factor.
Over
these past three weeks, I actually tried using Kimaris to test things out, but
I just couldn't get the feeling that it was ‘my card’.
Kimaris
itself didn't seem to dislike me, but I could somehow tell it didn't
particularly like me either.
It
wasn't because I couldn't effectively utilize Kimaris. Rather, it seemed to be
because I myself don't really have a personality that devils favor.
They
prefer people who are willing to sacrifice even their own parents and siblings
for their own desires, or those who are so fixated on a single person that they
would offer their very soul.
I,
who am constantly running around for the safety of my family and friends,
probably didn't seem like a very interesting human to Kimaris.
I
guess our compatibility wasn't very good from the start.
People
with enough money and connections to acquire Kimaris are more likely to be the
kind of individuals devils favor, rather than someone like me.
Given
the situation, letting Kimaris go quickly was also for its own sake.
"Regarding the trade, as expected with the
world in its current state, we can't really put a value on the premium of it
being a tournament prize. However, the value of Kimaris itself has been
increasing even more, so we can trade it under even better conditions than
before."
With
the Angolmois approaching, added value like premiums has become almost zero.
However,
in Kimaris' case, its equip skill and legion summoning have caused its value to
increase day by day, to the point where it's actually higher than when it had
its premium.
"...Then, are you really okay with these
trade conditions?"
"Yes. ---- Seoritsuhime who has [Zero
existence] skill, and Shōtōren. That's what
I'd like."
Seoritsuhime
is a river goddess who purifies and cleanses impurities, and is equated with Hashihime and Suzuka Gongen
(Suzuka Gozen).
Though
somewhat minor, she is a legitimate B-rank card and, as you can tell from being
equated with Hashihime, is a potential rank-up for Suzuka.
Our
initial plan was to aim for a trinity deity, who would be Eliza's and the
others' rank-up, in the special type dungeon, and either Suzuka’s or Dress’
rank-up in the C-rank dungeon.
However,
contrary to expectations, we obtained Nemain, who is a potential rank-up for
Dullahan, in the special type dungeon. Because of this, I decided to focus
solely on a rank-up for Suzuka in the C-rank dungeon.
But
good results were hard to come by, and yesterday, with less than ten days
remaining, I decided to use Fate Manipulation if a promising boss appeared.
Right then, a boss that I really wanted showed up, so I ended up using Fate
Manipulation to acquire that card.
That
in itself was fine, but the problem is that this left me with no clear path for
Suzuka's rank-up.
That's
when I remembered Tono-san's existence and the idea of trading Kimaris came to
mind.
"Since the announcement of Kudan's
prophecy, even B-rank cards with the [Zero existence] skill have gone up in
price, but even with an extra item, Kimaris is still worth more than
Seoritsuhime. Besides, judging by your search for the Sanmyō no Tsurugi, you're
likely aiming for Suzuka Gozen. However, the Kenmyōren, the last of the Sanmyō
no Tsurugi, is the hardest to obtain. It's said that the Daitōren is C-rank,
the hōtōren is B-rank, and the Kenmyōren is A-rank. Only one has ever been
found domestically."
“Haha... Well, it's all about romanticism, the
romance. After all, who wouldn't want to ascend to A-rank? Besides, even just
the Shōtōren is plenty beneficial."
“Huhu(laugh)... well, if that's alright with
you, Kitagawa-san, then we're certainly grateful. Oh, by the way, regarding
that Seoritsuhime, we've confirmed that it reacted to both Daitōren and
Shōtōren."
Oo~h......! That's good news.
That means, if I can just get my hands on the Kenmyōren,
we can really perform [Spiritual recurrence] to Suzuka Gozen, huh?
...Well, that's the hardest part, though.
Ah, right.
"Tono-san, do you happen to have any
Arachne in stock?"
"Arachne? Ah, I see. It's been quietly
popular lately."
"Ah, I thought so."
"Yes, all production-type cards are
gradually increasing in price. It seems everyone is considering what might
happen if civilization collapses."
So everyone's thinking the same thing, huh?
"If you have any in stock right now, I'd
definitely like to buy one."
"Oh, if that's the case, I'd be happy to
give one away right here and now for you."
"Eh...?"
Give one away for me? Does that mean for free?
Is that really okay for a merchant?
"Honestly, when trading something as
valuable as Kimaris, a single C-rank card is just a rounding error. This trade
isn't very balanced right now, so please allow me to add this."
...For Tono-san to say that much, it really
must have been a losing trade for me.
I
did my best to research the market value before proposing the trade, but I
couldn't find any reliable prices for Seoritsuhime with the [Zero existence] skill,
so I can't deny that it ended up being a rather arbitrary offer.
Even
though I understood Kimaris' current value and even included the Shōtōren,
which is said to be as rare as a B-rank card, it seems it still wasn't enough.
Maybe
I can get another C-rank card or two... I
thought like that, but deciding that it's never good to be too greedy, I was
satisfied with obtaining Arachne and headed home.
『————
Professor Dakekuchi, what are your thoughts on the government's plan to
distribute cards uniformly to all citizens?』
『Iya~a,
you see, I really don't think that one E-rank card and five F-rank cards will
be nearly enough, mm. Once the Angolmois begins, monsters of D-rank and higher
will start appearing, you see.
Considering
that, I really think they need to distribute at least D-rank cards to all
citizens, or I don't believe they'll be able to stop the progression of the
phases, mm.』
『Hitei-san,
what are your thoughts on Professor Dakekuchi's statement just now?』
『I
am also against distributing E-rank cards.
In
past Angolmois events, there were not only casualties from monsters but also
crimes committed by misusing cards. During the Angolmois, when cards can be
summoned outside the dungeons, everyone who possesses a card could become a perpetrator.
We
have a few hours of leeway before D-rank monsters flood out of the dungeons. If
people go to shelters by then, they won't need cards at all. At the very least,
I think measures should be taken to temporarily collect all cards and magic
items at the shelters.』
『I'm
not so sure about that. I think it's unlikely that everyone will be able to get
into a shelter, you see, mm.
Guild
shelters are only located at relatively large stations, and most of them can
only accommodate around 50,000 and 150,000 people. Designated cities have a population of around 500,000, and core
cities have around 200,000, you see.
Since
not everyone can get into a sturdy and safe Guild shelter, I think we should at
least provide those who will be confined to temporary shelters like schools,
hospitals, and hotels with some basic means of self-defense, you see, mm.』
『Hasn't
it been decided to deploy one C-rank card and several additional D-rank cards
depending on the size of the location at schools, hospitals, hotels, and other
places designated as temporary shelters?
Up
to Phase 1, those cards should be enough to protect those who have evacuated. I
still believe we should be more wary of human malice than monsters.』
『You
really think one C-rank card and a few D-rank cards can protect hundreds of
people? I still believe we should distribute at least one D-rank card to every
citizen, you see, mm. If I were the Prime Minister, that's what I would do, mm!』
『Where
would we even get the financial resources to distribute D-rank cards to the
entire nation? And besides, over a hundred million D-rank cards... how would we
even prepare that many? Are you unaware of the drop rate for D-rank cards?
Frankly,
I even doubt the Angolmois itself. The word 'Angolmois' doesn't appear anywhere
in the prophecies!』
『Now
listen here! If you're going to say that, there's no basis for discussion!
We're talking under the assumption that the Angolmois will happen, and————』
Just
then, the TV channel changed.
"Sigh, all the programs have been the same
lately, no?"
My
mom muttered with a bored expression, placing the remote control on the table
while we were having dinner.
"I'm so tired of seeing this kind of thing~"
You're right, they keep saying the same things
over and over,
Dad
agreed with Ai's lament.
Indeed,
I'd also had the impression that the same kinds of programs were being repeated
every day lately.
Initially,
shows that gave realistic simulations of what would happen if the Angolmois
occurred were helpful, but even those became tiresome when the same scenarios
were repeated endlessly. Besides, those kinds of programs seemed a bit biased,
or rather, they appeared to be exaggerating certain dangers too much.
Oh
right, I called out to Ai,
"Ai, I heard they started a class at
school where you learn how to use cards?"
"Ah, un. We went to a dungeon with people
from the Self-Defense Forces and did things like summon cards and take turns
fighting monsters. Some of the dumb boys in my class were making their cards
battle each other and got yelled at so badly they cried."
Ai
said, "They're such idiots," and both Dad and I gave a wry smile.
Remembering
when I was an elementary school boy, I couldn't really laugh at those students.
Yeah,
if they're always watching shows like MonColo and then suddenly get handed a
card, there are bound to be boys who do things like that. That's just the
nature of elementary school boys.
"But still, isn't handing out cards to
even elementary school kids going too far? There are bound to be some stupid
kids who do dumb things."
If
kids in shelters start using their cards to cause trouble, it'll be a mild
hellscape.
"Hmm, it's a difficult issue, but those
same foolish kids will probably need cards to defend themselves. ...And it's
not just kids who do foolish things, after all."
Following
Dad's gaze, a news report about a group of young people being arrested for
swindling cards distributed to the elderly was aired.
True,
there are idiots regardless of age.
"Speaking of which, at Onii-chan's school,
don’t they have that kind of... oh. Right, you don't go to school..."
"Oi! Don't make it sound like I'm a
shut-in!"
I
protested firmly towards Ai, who awkwardly looked away.
I'm
not simply refusing to go to school; I have a legitimate reason for taking a
leave of absence.
Dad
looked at me with a complicated expression and asked,
"Hmm, given the situation, it can't be
helped, but are you planning on not going back to school at all?"
"No, I'll go."
"Oh? Is that so? Well, that's good then.
...You can only go to school during this time in your life, after all."
"…I know."
I
nodded solemnly.
Now
I understand just how much of a luxury it was to be able to go to school.
It's
late in the game, but I intend to cherish and live out the remaining precious
everyday life I have.
...Though, I wonder how much of the old normal
remains at the school.
Since
the promotion exams started, I've been completely hands-off regarding school
matters to focus on them.
In
reality, I had enough time to receive reports, but there wasn't much I could do
from outside the school, and I pretty much understood Anna's thoughts from our
previous conversation.
So,
I just told her to proceed after properly consulting with the other club
members and decided to leave it to them...
I
could only guess that the school I knew had changed drastically.
Faced
with the threat of Angolmois, few people could continue to live as carefree as
before.
When
walking through town, I've noticed more and more shops with their shutters
down, and I feel the former normalcy rapidly fading away.
School
probably won't be an exception.
...Well, I'll find out tomorrow anyway.
I
sighed inwardly and said to Dad,
"Well, all the exams finished yesterday,
so I'll start going back to school tomorrow."
My
three-week-long gacha run ended yesterday with the dropping of
Hephaestus
Hephaestus...
yes, a male card.
Despite
being a male card, the reason I obtained it, even passing over potential
rank-ups for Suzuka, was because I desperately needed this card.
Hephaestus
is the Greek god of blacksmiths and crafts
From
weaponry like Aegis, Artemis's bow, Hades's helm, and Achilles's shield, to
tools like Zeus's throne and self-propelled tripods (the ancient equivalent of
wheelchairs), and even Talos, the bronze giant, and the world-famous Pandora
Box.
Most
of the well-known items in Greek mythology are his creations.
However,
despite his exceptional abilities, his stories are summed up in one word:
misfortune.
Despite
being the first child of the goddess Hera, he was thrown from the heavens into
the sea for being ugly. and his wife, His wife Aphrodite disliked him for his
appearance, cheated on him, and then divorced him. Perhaps due to a lack of
female companionship, he even committed a bizarre act that even the most
extreme kimo-ota (creepy otaku) would not actually do: he lusted after
Athena when she came to his workshop and splashed her feet (a mild expression).
Because
he is this Hephaestus, when I tried to obtain him, Athena was vehemently
against it.
She
even went as far as saying that just being summoned together would lead to
pregnancy...
Considering
that in the myths, Erichthonius, a being with a human upper body and a snake
lower body, was born from the wool that Athena used to wipe away the white
fluid that had been splashed on her, it's not entirely paranoia.
By the way, Athena properly took in and raised
Erichthonius. That's admirable.
Even
so, the reason I went ahead and obtained Hephaestus, despite Athena's strong
opposition, is that it's not an issue unrelated to her either.
The
temple she strongly desires.
All
of that can be accomplished with just one Hephaestus card.
Hephaestus
is the god of blacksmiths and crafts. Naturally, architecture is included
within that scope.
Furthermore, Hephaestus can
summon the Kyklops, his B-rank monster
assistants, as subordinates, and the Kyklops can in turn summon C-rank Cyclops.
Cyclops
was supposed to be the English reading of Kyklops, but in many countries’
dungeons, they appear as different monsters. It appeared that the Kyklops were
a lesser deity with intelligence and excellent blacksmithing skills, while the
Cyclops were monsters with no intelligence.
Cyclops doesn't have crafting
skills but is perfectly suited for heavy labor. The Kyklops will supervise, and
Hephaestus will handle the design, construction, and overall command.
In
other words, a temple can be built with just one Hephaestus card.
Even
Athena, with a frustrated look, couldn't help but acknowledge this.
And
so, a male card was officially added to my deck for the first time.
However,
considering the potential negative impact on my Link, I probably won't Link
with him... or use him in combat.
In
other words, he’s purely a production personnel.
"...Oh! So you cleared a C-rank dungeon?! That
means Utamaro is a pro now!"
"Congratulations, you did it!"
"Onii-chan, you're amazing!"
My
whole family's faces lit up at my announcement that the exams were over. I
replied with a wry smile,
"No, I just cleared the practical exam, so
I'm not a Four-Star yet. Oh, that's right, here's a new card for you."
Saying
that, I handed Dad the C-rank card I had just obtained today.
"Hmm, sorry about this. Honestly, it's a
big help. But if you give me this many, will you have enough for
yourself?"
"It's fine. I'm only giving you the ones I
won't use."
I
said casually while putting some food in my mouth, but Dad still looked
worried.
“But you already give me more than 20
cards..."
Twenty cards... hearing it again, that's a surprising
number.
But
it's really okay. That's because the number of C-rank cards I obtained in these
three weeks is almost double that.
Here are my results for the
past three weeks:
・104
D-rank cards in total (42 of which are popular cards)
・48
C-rank cards in total (4 of which are popular cards)
Tsukumogami:
A special equipping-type monster. It's a really interesting monster, so of
course I'm keeping it.
Mormo:
A vampire and succubus from Greek mythology. Said to serve Hecate alongside the
Empusa. Has the ability to endlessly summon Empusa. I'm keeping it.
Succubus:
Definitely keeping this for Mea's use (in case of revival).
Dullahan
(2): One for Ai, the other for Dad. The Living Armor they both had went to Mom,
who spends most of her time at home.
・New
Purchases:
Arachne:
A spider monster from Greek mythology. Possesses the beautiful upper body of a
woman and the lower body of a spider. An exceptionally skilled weaver even
acknowledged by the deities, she can produce silk with a texture finer than any
other. Will be a production worker during the Angolmois. Purchased from
Tono-san today.
Kochū no Ten: It looks like a small pot, but
the inside is a magnificent building where the core hermit always welcomes
guests with warm meals and fine liquor. A cross-space type card. Taken to the
basement as a place of refuge for the family.
Mayoiga
(2): Again, considering what might happen if we get separated, one each for Ai
and Dad.
The
remaining 39 cards: Ten were already sold to fund the purchase of Mayoiga and
others. The rest were mostly given to the family. I left it up to them to
decide who holds which card. Since I gave everyone a Card Holder, there's no
fear of theft.
・1
B-rank card in total
Hephaestus
■Total
of 164 items dropped
・Rare
drops (13)
Bundle
of Blank Cards: Sold for 10 million yen.
Cold
iron (10 kg): A metal with the power to ward off evil. When mixed into walls,
it has the effect of blocking spirit monsters from passing through, and it's
now traded for more than the price of gold. Already sold for 140 million yen.
Babel Cuffs: Ai wanted them, so I gave
them to her. ...I'm a little concerned about how Maru sometimes looked at me
with pity when we're talking.
Medicine jug (2): Going
to the basement.
Card
Holder (2): I bought an additional one, so now each member of the family can
have their own.
Magic
stone bag (4): One for each member of the family.
Distress
Magic Card: I kept it.
Level
Up Magic Card: Going to the basement.
・Normal
drops (249)
Potions,
magic cards, etc. - all going to the basement.
・New
Purchases:
Budget
Card Gear (3): Now that they've finally become readily available, I bought Card
Gear for the whole family for communication during the Angolmois.
Naturally,
there was a trick for how such a large number of cards dropped despite only
spending a mere three weeks solo in the dungeons,
To
begin with, due to the True skills, the blessing of Renge's good fortune had
increased, and thus I had a drop rate that was ten times the normal.
When
I was diving with the Adventurers' Club, I would save that extra luck to avoid
them noticing the abnormal drop rate, and only use manipulation when enemies
that dropped good cards or items appeared... But during the exams, I was alone, so I raised
the overall drop rate without saving up.
This
had brought my C-rank card drop rate to 1%, but by also consuming one Garnet
per day on top of this, I had successfully increased the C-rank card drop rate
an additional threefold to an astonishing 3%.
Whether
about 40 C-rank cards for around twenty Garnets is a lot or a little is
debatable, considering that with a Hope Diamond, you can get one B-rank card
for seven Garnets... opinions would likely be divided. However, there would
also be situations where multiple C-rank cards would be more useful than a
single powerful B-rank card.
By
the way, I did not used the Hope Diamond for this drop rate increase because I
was afraid of 'accidents’.
Even
with Renge's blessing, there are extremely rare moments when my luck can swing
negatively. Considering the power of the Hope Diamond, using it in everyday
situations was strictly forbidden.
"Don't worry. Thanks to Renge, it's normal
to get this many drops."
"I see... Renge-chan is really amazing,
huh."
Then
we both looked at Renge.
Just
then, Renge, who had been making moves for Dress and Myra who couldn't hold the
shogi pieces, looked up.
"Ah? Did you call?"
"No, we were just saying you're really the
guardian deity of our household."
"Haa?"
Renge
looked at us with a slack-jawed face, but if you looked closely, her cheeks
were slightly flushed.
“Well well, let's see what you got.”
Dad,
having finished eating, eagerly moved to sit in front of the shogi board.
I don't think you'll have a clue even if you
look…
The
matches between Myra, who possessed tactical skills and made full use of a
multitude of standard moves, and Dress, who could play unexpected moves based
on her unique intuition, had reached a level that someone like me could barely
keep up with.
And
for Dad, who's even worse at it than me and just enjoys playing for fun, it'll
be even more incomprehensible.
He's
watching with a knowing look, nodding to himself... but he definitely doesn't
understand what's going on.
"What are we going to do today?"
Ai
asked Renge, who was now free after switching places with Dad at the shogi
board.
"One vote for Life
Game (a board game)."
『Mea
too.』
『Fufu,
today I shall be the victor.』
Hearing
Mea and Athena's words, Renge nodded once and turned to the other vision.
"Suzuka, is that okay with you?"
『.....Sure.』
Suzuka
nodded, clearly pleased inside while putting on a reluctant expression…
Seeing
that, I inwardly shed tears of happiness.
Suzuka... she's become able to join in
naturally.
Right
now, Renge acted as a go-between for Mea and Athena, but one day Suzuka herself should be able to ask
to join them.
A
sweet aroma made me turn my head toward the kitchen, where Eliza and Audrey
were being taught to bake pastries by Mom.
They'll
probably bring them out as a treat later when the Life Game gets lively.
Over
by the sofa, Yuki was explaining to Maru what it truly means to be a loyal dog.
Yuki... unfortunately, that stupid dog is a
lost cause.
And
so, in the Kitagawa household, another peaceful and calm, yet precious as gold,
time was passing by today.
***
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