Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni
Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #137
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Translator(s) note: This chapter has A LOT of notes. Let us know if you find anything wrong~
Episode 137: Acquaintance
――――Down the flight of stairs,
we found ourselves in hell.
In a barren wasteland where
not a single blade of grass grew, countless Oni with the heads of oxen and
horses—Jigokusotsu (Jailers of Hell)— were tormenting shadowy human figures,
presumably sinners, in many gruesome ways.
The shadowy figures of sinners
also fought and killed each other, only to be resurrected immediately and
continue their endless battle.
Buddhist depicted a hell just
like this one: Tōkatsu Jigoku or Sañjīva (Hell of Repeated Revival), a hell
where those who wantonly took lives were said to fall.
The moment we stepped foot
there, the Jigokusotsu noticed our presence and surrounded us.
Just like the previous
domains, the shackles on these monsters, intended as trials, should have been
lifted. Yet, the Jigokusotsu attacked us without question or exchange of words.
Having passed through several
gates before, I knew that peaceful creatures tended to gather in the domains of
peaceful gatekeeper, and aggressive ones in the domains of aggressive
gatekeepers. Knowing that the Oni race was generally aggressive, I calmly met
their assault.
Eliza and Suzuka, acting as
guards, stepped forward. Behind them, Mea, who had undergone [Spiritual
Recurrence] into Hecate, and Dress, who had activated [Feast of Destruction,
Slaughter, and Victory], began summoning their subordinates.
The Lamia summoned by Mea then
summoned Mormo, who in turn summoned Empusa, causing their numbers to explode
exponentially.
In the blink of an eye, the
numerical disadvantage was reversed, and with Dress's Equipping Skill applied
to all of them, our forces overwhelmed the enemy in both quantity and quality.
As the subordinates swept away
the Jigokusotsu, we leisurely made our way toward the Gatekeeper.
When we finally reached the
gate, we were greeted by a pair of a man and a woman.
The man was a fearsome-looking
warrior in battle armor, and the woman was a beautiful demoness with a strong
scent of blood――――a couple known as the Rakshasa and Rakshasi.
Just as there are dungeon bosses that appeared as
a two-in-one entity, it seems Gatekeepers can also be multiple beings occupying
a single slot...
As I nodded to myself as I
came to this conclusion, the Rakshasa opened his mouth, glaring fiercely at us,
"You've been having quite a field day,
haven't you, human?"
"...You attacked us, so we fought
back."
"Hah! What a Rakshasa-like human, even
more so than a Rakshasa!"
At my reply, the pair, even as
their murderous intent intensified, laughed with amusement.
"We've been bored without a worthy
opponent! You're more than enough! Now, let's fight... with honor!"
With that declaration, the
Rakshasas charged at us, trampling and kicking aside the Empusas and the other
subordinates.
The Rakshasas' combat power
was 1800 and 1700. In contrast, the Empusas and our other subordinates, despite
having over 3000 combat power due to [Feast of Destruction, Slaughter, and
Victory], were completely outmatched.
It seemed the power gap was
being closed and even reversed by the Gatekeepers' buffs, their [Berserk]
skill, and most importantly, their combat skill and intuition.
Seeing this, I signaled Renge.
Renge nodded at my silent
signal and transformed into Kishimojin.
"That form?!"
The Rakshasas' eyes widened as
they saw the form of their own mother.
Their expressions twisted
greatly as they watched the countless mouths that had appeared in the space
around them devour our subordinates.
The Gatekeepers were suddenly
pushed into a disadvantage against our army of Rakshasa subordinates—the
high-level dependent bodies with self-awareness and skills equal to the original
monsters.
Still, they managed to somehow
slay a pair of subordinate Rakshasas, but just as they did, the damages were
returned to them, and the Gatekeepers fell to their knees.
"Kuh, ha ha...! I suppose we were
outnumbered. But we won't die for nothing! Don't you dare lump us in with these
low-class creatures!"
『…！ Athena!』
A chilling premonition struck
me, and I didn't hesitate to play the trump card I had held in reserve for an
emergency.
As our bodies were enveloped
in the light of Aegis, the Gatekeepers stabbed themselves in the chest, and a
shockwave ripped through the entire domain.
The subordinates who were
farther away from us and outside the Aegis's effective range, were instantly
shredded and annihilated.
Was that... the Rakshasas' [Mutual Destruction]
skill? What was originally supposed to affect a single target somehow became an
Area-of-Effect skill after evolving into a True Skill...?
A bead of cold sweat trickled
down my forehead as I grasped it.
"That was too close..."
Without Aegis, we wouldn't have been completely
wiped out by that single blow... but someone might have been Lost.
It seems having a True Skill really makes one
entirely different from those without it even if the race is similar...
"Master, we have recovered the Rakshasa's
loot."
"Ah, thank you."
As I was still shivering from
the realization of how dangerous True Skills are, Eliza and the others
collected the loot.
The monsters in a domain don't
drop cards, but they're guaranteed to drop Magic Stones and rare drops. The
Gatekeepers, in addition to those, also drop a white Magic Stone of the same
rank as them, as well as a Golden Disappointment Box.
The white Magic Stones, familiar
as a reward for conquering a dungeon, hold ten times the energy of a regular
Magic Stone of the same size and are indispensable materials for some skill
catalysts and the creation of artificial magic items.
Among the rare drops from domain monsters,
there are even magic items like the White Card1,
so the risk is worth the reward.
Well, I'll sort through the drop items
later...
"Let's move on first."
We then passed through the
gate, heading towards the next domain.
――――It was now the thirteenth
day since Angolmois began.
Over the past ten days, we have
crossed through 30 gates, including this Rakshasas’ domain.
Out of these, 21 were C-rank
domains and 9 were B-rank. We were able to pass through 24 of them through
negotiation, but we had to fight our way through the remaining six.
The battles were almost exclusively
with B-rank Gatekeepers, while nearly all the C-rank Gatekeepers were able to
be negotiated with. The exceptions were
Kamuy-Kotan, the Vampire, and one other.
That one other was an Oni-race
domain, just like this one, and they attacked us without any room for
negotiation from the start.
It seemed that depending on
the Gatekeeper's race, a battle may be unavoidable.
In addition to fighting
Gatekeepers, we also engaged in culling B-rank monsters on the surface as we
advanced, so a considerable amount of loot had accumulated.
Below is a list of the loot
I've acquired in the past few days:
■ Card Drops
・D-rank cards: 1,990 cards in
total (1360 of which are popular/production cards)
Heddon Hall House: A house in
Heddon Hall, England, said to be inhabited by a
Silky2. It boasts a size and food production capacity equivalent to
Mayoiga, with decent meals, and the core Silky reportedly takes care of various
things, making it the most popular among D-rank cross space-type cards, always
out of stock even before the prophecy was announced prior to Angolmois.
Winchester House (2)
・C-rank cards: 122 cards in
total
Ippon-Datara: A one-eyed,
one-legged yokai. A blacksmith yokai, also believed to be the fallen form of
the smithing god Ame-no-Mahitotsu. Possesses excellent blacksmithing abilities,
often considered the Japanese equivalent of a Dwarf. → For Ai.
Cironnup-Kamuy: The Ainu fox
deity. There's an anecdote that it warns of impending disaster by barking
loudly from mountaintops. It possesses complex detection skills that include
Presence Detection and Danger Detection. Highly popular as an excellent scout.
→ For Ai.
Bennia: A variant of Banshee.
Possesses a curse-type Equipping Skill. Curse-type Equipping Skill provides a
higher enhancement rate than other type of Equipping Skills, but comes with
some form of drawback. → For Ai.
Shee Orc: Despite having 'orc'
in its name, it is a beautiful fairy resembling a human. It is also known as
the Celtic version of an elf. Possesses Cross-Space Movement Skill. For some
reason, it can be evolved from an Orc, making it a highly sought-after card for
masters who've grown attached to their Orcs. → For Ai.
Griffin: One of the most iconic
creatures in fantasy, alongside Dragons. Possesses the infinite Subordinate
Summoning Skill to call forth D-rank Hippogriffs. → For Ai.
Leprechaun: A shoemaker fairy.
Possesses Treasure-hunting Skill that is rare for C-rank and below. While I was
away for my promotion exam, Anna used one to search for Carbuncles. → For Ai.
Nekomata3 Mansion: A top-tier C-rank
cross-space-type card, boasting the scale and comfort of a Mayoiga, combined
with defensive capabilities from its infinite D-rank Nekomata Subordinate
Summoning skill. Before Angolmois, it was highly desired but never available on
the market, making it unobtainable. → Swapped with Ai's Mayoiga.
Suzuhiko-hime: A yokai said to
be the Tsukumogami4 of a bell. She appears as
a beautiful woman adorned with a large bell hair ornament. Believed to be
modeled after the goddess Ame-no-Uzume5, who
played a crucial role in luring Amaterasu6
out of Ama-no-Iwato7, she possesses a skill
that forcibly cancels isolation states of Cross-Space Skills. Unlike normal
Tsukumogami, she cannot absorb items, but can be equipped simultaneously with
item-possession-type types. → I'll keep her.
Karkinos: A giant crab. It has
a tragic anecdote of challenging Hercules to save its friend, Hydra, only to be
effortlessly crushed. Perhaps out of respect for its friendship, Hera elevated
it to the constellation Cancer. A type of friend who achieves greatness after
death. Possesses a unique skill that takes the Lost of one ally upon itself. →
I'll keep it.
Zapam Zucum: A babysitting
yokai from South America. She is said to appear when rural mothers are working
in the fields, nursing children and playing with them. What stands out is her
appearance: a beautiful woman with wheat-colored skin, snow-white palms, long
hair, and captivating large eyes, described as the 'owner of unbelievably huge
breasts'. The origin of her name is also said to come from the sound *zapam...
zucum...* when her huge breasts jiggle against each other, emphasizing their
size right from her anecdotes. Furthermore, she is inexplicably always stark
naked, which seems like something a lecherous man would come up with while
drunk. At times, she appears in a giant form and abducts men with her breasts,
taking them somewhere unknown. She also has an aspect as the embodiment of the carob tree8, and the existence of a festival
dedicated to her lead some to speculate that she may be a minor earth goddess
or a fallen yokai of that kind. I found her walking around, naked and jiggling
her breasts, and used one Garnet to guarantee her drop. → I'll keep her.
Mayoiga: Found by chance, so I
used a Garnet to get it. → I'll keep it.
Arachne (8): Luckily found a
group, so I used one Garnet to triple the drop rate and hunted them. → I'll
keep them.
Dullahan (3): All for Ai.
Other 100 cards: All for Ai.
・B-rank card: 1 in total
Delphyne: Offspring of Typhon9, the strongest monster in Greek mythology,
and Echidna10, the mother of monsters. She was
the guardian of Zeus's tendons, which were taken after his defeat by Typhon.
Identified with Python, the monster slain by Apollo, she possesses three forms:
a beautiful woman, half-human half-dragon form, and a giant serpentine dragon
form. Dropped after Luck Manipulation with 14 Garnets.
■Total Item Drops: 923 (Rare
Drops only)
・B-rank Rare Drops (12)
Chiron's Necklace: Dropped by
Chiron. Grants a [Teaching] skill to a Card and increases skill acquisition
rate. Even humans wearing it gain some effect, improving memory.
Hydra's Poison: Dropped by
Hydra. When used, inflicts severe poisoned and regeneration inhibited status.
Difficult to detoxify with general skills. Can be used 10 times.
Ariadne's Thread: Dropped by
Minotaur. When used in a safe zone, it teleports you to the dungeon's entrance.
It does not disappear no matter how many times it is used.
Genie's Lamp: Dropped by a
Jinn. Rubbing it summons a Jinn (or Jinni if female) to fight for you. It can
be used three times
Thoth's Book: A grimoire
written by the Egyptian god Thoth. Grants cards the [Advanced-level Wizard]
skill and magic to preserve the remains of corpses. The utility of the latter
magic is somewhat unclear.
Phoenix
Tail Feather (2): Dropped by Phoenix. Can revive a Soul Card from Lost once.
Consumed two Garnets for guaranteed rare drop.
Golden
Apple (True): Dropped by Idunn11. A Golden
Apple said to grant eternal life to whoever consumes it. Eating it prevents
aging for ten years. The effect can be divided by consuming it in parts. Since
its effect can also nullify Urashima Taro's aging effect, it is in higher
demand among adventurers than among wealthy people, which is unusual for this
type of item. Consumed one Garnet for guaranteed rare drop.
Nectar: Dropped by Dionysus.
The divine drink of Greek mythology said to grant immortality to those who
consume it. It's said no finer wine exists in this world. Drinking it makes the
consumer one year younger and prevents aging for one year. The effect only
manifests if an entire cup is consumed. Consumed one Garnet for a guaranteed
rare drop.
Gram: Dropped by Fafnir
(Gatekeeper). Possesses special effectiveness against those with Dragon
attributes. This is a rare magic item that, even if broken, can be repaired by
a blacksmith, allowing it to be reforged. In terms of card combat power, it's
equivalent to 500.
Ambrosia (True): Dropped by
Ladon (Gatekeeper). A Golden Apple said to grant eternal life to whoever
consumes it. It's called Ambrosia to differentiate it from the golden apple
originating from Norse mythology. Its effect is the same as Idunn's Golden
Apple (True).
Rakshasa Blade: Dropped by
Rakshasa/Rakshasi (Gatekeeper). The Rakshasa is said to cut through worldly
desires with this sword. It completely blocks status ailments like Charm and
allows the wielder to maintain reason even while in a Berserk state. In terms
of card combat power, it's equivalent to 500.
・C-rank Rare Drops (887) + B-rank Normal Drops (24)
Bundles of Blank Cards (15)
Lottery Tickets (30)
Treasure Chests (34)
Magic Stone Pouches (24)
Card Holders (22)
Distress Magic Cards (41)
Various others (745)
■Carbuncle Drops
Total Garnets: 217 (21 used):
The discovery of a D-rank secret dungeon region allowed for a stable
acquisition of approximately 20 Garnets per day.
■Gold Disappointment Boxes
(220)
Bundles of Blank Cards (3)
Skill Orbs (4): 1
Self-Regeneration (used for Dress). The remaining 3 were left untouched due
signs that they contained negative skills.
Lottery Cards (4)
Treasure Chests (8)
Meat Man: A human-sized
humanoid made of meat. When consumed by a Card, it grants the [Superhuman
Strength] skill. Used by Dress.
Water of Youth: Water that
grants youth. Each unit makes the drinker one year younger. It's an Amrita
without healing effects.
Mouth of Truth: A torture-like
magic tool that detects lies. If you lie while your hand is in it, your arm
will be bitten off. It's likely modeled after the Mouth
of Truth in Rome.
Trojan Horse12: A colossal wooden horse.
When used, it allows infiltration into cross-space-type skills.
Magic Chessboard: A luxurious
chessboard with a gold board and pieces made of crystal and silver. The pieces
move automatically. One of the Thirteen Treasures
of Britain13.
Magic Pot and Plate: A magic
pot and plate that can conjure any desired feast (up to three times a day). One
of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain.
Magic Horn: A magic drinking
horn that can produce any desired beverage. One of the Thirteen Treasures of
Britain.
Heavenly
Maiden's Feather Robe14:
The source of the Heavenly Maiden's power. When equipped by a Card, it grants
flight ability. Female-only equipment.
Nameless Famed Katana15: No special effects. In terms of card
combat power, it's equivalent to 100.
Nameless
Famed Sword16 (2)
Nameless Famed Spear (2)
Nameless Famed Bow
Emergency Evacuation Magic
Cards (3)
Distress Cards (3)
Others/Duds (181)
Among these, the most
noteworthy might be the Delphyne.
Although less well-known, Delphyne
was a powerful dragon and the legitimate child of Typhon and Echidna, just like
Hydra and Chimera.
She was also identified with
Python, the monster slain by Apollo, and possessed three forms:
a
beautiful human form,
a
half-human, half-dragon Delphyne form,
and a
giant serpent dragon Python form.
In her beautiful woman form,
she lacked combat ability but possessed the power of prophecy and oracle17 skills. In her Delphyne form, she
specialized in defense as the 'Guardian of Treasure'. Lastly, in her Python
form, she had the [Titanization18] skill,
boasting a colossal body large enough to coil around our school building.
This made her a versatile card
capable of adapting to various situations by switching between her three modes.
Initially, I hadn't intended
to acquire Delphyne.
We had encountered other
useful B-rank races such as Idunn, and I was very tempted to use Luck
Manipulation to try and had them drop as cards, but ultimately, I decided to
conserve my Garnets.
Our fight with the Pied Piper
of Hamelin made me realize that if I hadn't been able to pull out Selene at
that time, we would not have been able to seal his Subordinate Summoning, and
we would've been checkmated.
Garnets are an insurance
policy in case if we ever encounter an opponent we have no counter for.
My thinking was that unless a
card, even a B-rank, was an absolute must-have, I should save my Garnets.
The reason I changed my mind
was Myra.
Delphyne is actually a rank-up
destination for Vouivre.
Myra's main selling point is her versatile
transformation abilities, but with most of the members now B or C+ rank, her
lower rank is starting to be noticeable.
Even with the Celtic Trinity Deities' Equipping
Skill boosting her combat power, her skills themselves are starting to lack
output.
However, simply evolving her to a Vouivre is a
downgrade since she would lose her transformation abilities.
But if I can obtain a card beyond Vouivre, then
it's a different story.
At B-rank, even losing five transformation forms
is a worthy trade-off.
[Race]
Vouivre (Myra)
[Combat
Power] 1250 (MAX!) (Initial Combat Power 400 + Growth 400 + Spiritual
Recurrence 100 + Spiritual Enhancement 250 + Vouivre Diamond 100)
[Inborn
Skills]
・Treasure Dragon's Orb
・Treasure Dragon’s Scales
・Treasure Dragon's Breath
・A Broken Mirror Will Never
Shine Again: This skill includes [Maid] and [Intermediate-level Storage]
skills.
[Acquired
Skills]
・Spiritual Recurrence → Zero
Existence → Spiritual Recurrence (CHANGE!): Hydra (850). The number represents
the initial combat power.
・Spiritual Enhancement
・Selfless Devotion
・Intermediate-level Wizard
・Strategy (CHANGE!)
・Vouivre Eyes
・Pierce of Resistance
・Magic Consumption
Reduction
・Intermediate Auxiliary Magic →
Advanced Auxiliary Magic (CHANGE!)
・Intermediate Status Ailment
Magic → Advanced Status Ailment Magic (CHANGE!)
・Loyalty (NEW)
I successfully managed to have
her carryover the [Zero Existence] skill, and after showing her every seemingly
relevant item from the drops I had on hand, she even managed to activate
[Spiritual Recurrence] into a Hydra.
It would be a lie to say I
hadn't hoped for the [Zero Existence] skill carryover, but actually getting it
and then immediately finding a [Spiritual Recurrence] target was a welcome
surprise.
Originally, the plan was to
have her rank up to a Delphyne directly, but with her new [Spiritual
Recurrence] skill, the situation changed. Since there's a possibility she might
gain Multi-Spiritual Recurrence as well, I intend to keep her as a Vouivre for
a while longer and search for other key items.
Below are her stats after activating
[Spiritual Recurrence] into a Hydra:
[Combat
Power] 1700 (Initial Combat Power 850 + Growth 400 + Spiritual Recurrence 100 +
Spiritual Enhancement 250 + Vouivre
Diamond 100)
[Inborn
Skills]
・Immortal Nine-Headed Dragon:
The reason Hydra is an immortal monster.
Possessing life force that can be called immortal; even if its head is
cut off, as long as the wound is not burned, the head will regenerate instantly
and continue to multiply (up to a maximum of 100). This skill includes Poison
Dragon’s Orb, Poison Dragon’s Scales, Poison Dragon's Breath and Multi-Headed
Dragon skills.
(Multi-Headed
Dragon: A dragon with multiple heads. Each head can think and act
independently, allowing for simultaneous use of breath attacks and magic.)
・Hydra's Poison: A potent toxin
so deadly that merely inhaling its breath can cause death, and its presence
alone can transform the surrounding area into a toxic wasteland. It ignores
resistances, inflicting a powerful poison and a regeneration-inhibiting curse
that is difficult to cure even with advanced recovery magic. It is particularly
effective against Greek-based races. This skill includes the Advanced Status
Ailment Magic skill.
・Blessing of Hydra
Constellation: Possesses the power of immortality as long as its weaknesses are
not exploited, thanks to the blessing of the Hydra constellation. The central
head is immortal. This skill includes Immortal and Fountain of Life skills. Can
be neutralized by destroying all heads except the central one.
・Advanced Attack Magic
[Acquired
Skills]
・Spiritual Recurrence
・Spiritual Enhancement
・Selfless Devotion
・Intermediate-level Wizard →
Advanced-level Wizard (CHANGE!)
・Maid
・Strategy
・Vouivre Eyes
・Pierce of Resistance
・Magic Consumption
Reduction
・Loyalty
Hydra's main selling points
were, undoubtedly, its Immortality and its Poison skills.
While B-rank skills like [Rain
of Amrita] could neutralize the poison, [Hydra's Poison] had no usage limit.
It was almost like a passive
skill, simply inhaling its breath or coming into contact with its scales will
cause poisoning.
Unless you had a skill that
completely prevents status ailments, you'll find yourself in a never-ending
cycle of whack-a-mole game, constantly curing only to be re-poisoned.
The typical strategy against
this type of opponent would be to defeat them quickly, then deal with the
poison afterward, but the Hydra's other selling point was its vitality.
Its primary combat strategy
involved slowly eroding the enemy's life with a potent poison that could not be
cured by generic skills while persevering with its immortality, refusing to die
unless all its heads are destroyed.
The only drawback was that the
Dragon-type skills it possessed, such as the Dragon’s Orb, were only C-rank,
which considered to be low for a B-rank Dragon. However, the Multi-Headed
Dragon skill ensured ample attacks and maximum firepower.
Even without evolving to
Delphyne, Myra would undoubtedly perform exceptionally well.
Overall, the journey progressed
smoothly, but there was a significant issue.
As we advanced, the number of
people I had rescued had exceeded the capacity of the cross-space cards I
possessed.
In the new area we visited, I
helped as many people as possible and brought along everyone who wanted to come
along.
Everyone who had seen the
power of my cards had asked to join, causing the number to swell rapidly, now
exceeding 500.
Here are the
cross-space cards I currently possess:
Mayoiga (3): Can produce food
for 50-100 people. Quite tasty (Michelin one-star class).
Nekomata
Mansion (1): Can produce food for 50-100 people. Quite tasty (Michelin one-star
class).
Winchester
House (2): Can produce food for 100-200 people. Not very tasty.
Heddon
Hall House (1): Can produce food for 50-100 people. Fairly tasty (at the same
class with a Western restaurant in town).
The default capacity for all
of these combined would be around 450 people. However, the Winchester House was
not suitable for residence and was currently used for other purposes due to
various circumstances, effectively reducing the actual capacity to only 250
people.
The current population already
significantly exceeded the default capacity, and we barely managed by using
Magic Stones for boost and by consuming ingredients created through skills like
Artemis's to conserve resources.
If we can provide our own
ingredients, the resource consumption will be minimal, so we can contain more
people when focusing on pure residential use, but that's not a permanent
solution.
The problem is that I'm accepting people
without a plan, and that new cross-space cards are hard to come by…
The former was because I was
emotionally struggling to abandon those seeking help.
The latter was because
cross-space monsters were rare to begin with, and even when I managed to find
one, most were in a domain, making it impossible to turn them into cards
forcefully.
It seemed cross-space monsters
tended to go into domains. The new cross-space type I had acquired were either
bought from the refugees or stumbled upon by chance, likely having just emerged
from some dungeons.
A B-rank cross-space monster,
on the other hand, would likely be a wanderer on the surface after being banned
from a domain by a Gatekeeper wary of a takeover. But finding a B-rank
cross-space monster so conveniently was unlikely...
If I keep helping people so
haphazardly, it's obvious that things will fall apart.
My prediction before
Angolmois, that helping more people than we have the capacity for would lead to
our downfall, is coming true.
Logically, I understood what I
had to do.
I need to harden my heart and refuse to take in
any more refugees. That's the only way.
But if possible, I don't want to do that.
Unless we've truly reached our limit, I think
we can accept just a few more.
Until then, I'll keep accepting as many as we
can...
No, if I do that, when we're nearly at our
limit and then meet a large group of refugees, I'll be forced to make the
difficult choice of who to accept and who to refuse.
I should start choosing whom to save and whom
not to save now.
But how can I possibly choose who deserves help
and who doesn't, especially when it's not clear if they’re bad people?
"What on earth should I do...?"
As I was holding my head,
racking my brains alone in my room at the Mayoiga――――
"Onii-chan, can I come in?"
A knock came from the door,
and Ai called out along with it.
When I opened the door, I
found Ai and Victoria-chan standing there, hand-in-hand.
Seeing the two of them, I felt
warm inside, thinking, “They've become such good friends.”
Victoria-chan, who was close
to Ai in age and as cute as a bisque doll, seemed to have won Ai's heart, and
since they met, Ai had doted on her like a true older sister.
Victoria-chan had also grown
attached to Ai, and their close bond was so strong that Athena, who was
completely smitten with Ai, secretly harbored a flame of jealousy.
"What's wrong?"
"There's a problem. Victor-san wants
Onii-chan to come."
"Again...?"
I couldn't help but let out an
exasperated sigh.
This was another issue.
When there were only about 30
people, Victor-san could manage everything on his own, but with the population
swelling to several hundred in just a few days, that was no longer
possible.
Minor disputes were left to be
resolved on their own, but there were some problems that required my direct
intervention.
Things like trading in
smuggled goods, opening gambling dens without permission, prostitution using
girl cards, as well as fraud and extortion involving cards and magic
items.
While fraud and extortion were
clearly unacceptable, I felt that business and gambling could be allowed if
done responsibly. The real problem arose when individuals arbitrarily sold off the
cards I had loaned or took them as collateral for debts.
The cards I distributed were
merely lent for safety purposes, never intended as their personal property.
Ideally, I wanted to banish all
those who took advantage of my goodwill, but that would effectively be a death
sentence. Instead, I decided to give Victor-san control of the Winchester House
and have all the offenders confined there for the time being.
Of course, there would be no
re-issuing of cards. If they died because of that, it was their own fault.
I also confiscated the cards
that were sold off or taken as collateral and didn't offer any compensation to
the buyers or the debt holders. Still, there was no end to the people buying
these cards or accepting them as collateral, and the number of people confined
to the Winchester House was increasing by the day, already exceeding twenty.
...Honestly, I felt like they
are taking me for granted, but a banishment that is practically a death
sentence is a difficult option. Perhaps they saw through this, since the number
of confined people began to increase after the first offenders were imprisoned
to Winchester House instead of being thrown out.
They must have concluded that
even if they misbehaved a little, they wouldn't actually be kicked out.
Still, considering the
situation outside, it might have been a silver lining that such outliers made
up less than 5% of the total population...
As I dealt with these
problems, a set of rules gradually took shape, reducing the frequency of my
direct involvement. Yet, my work never truly ceased.
Among all the problems, the
most frequent one was――――
"It's you again... REINA-san."
――――the commotion she caused.
Called by Ai, I headed to the
entrance hall. There, Victor-san was surrounded by a group of about a dozen
people in body armor.
At the sound of my voice, a
beautiful woman in her late twenties, who was at the front of the group, turned
around.
She had lustrous brown long
hair, a slightly sharp but beautiful face, and a glamorous, well-trained
physique evident even beneath her body armor.
The woman standing there was
none other than Reina, a professional adventurer once known as the 'excessively
beautiful martial artist', whom I had fought before.
"Ah, Kitagawa-kun!"
Noticing me, Reina let go of
the collar of Victor-san's shirt and greeted me with a smile.
"Perfect timing! This old man here isn't
getting anywhere with me. Hey, take us with you on tomorrow's expedition, will
you?"
Here we go again.
I sighed for the umpteenth
time.
A significant portion of the
commotion Reina caused was precisely this: requests to join expeditions or
permission to go outside.
I had a strict rule that none
of the refugees were allowed to go outside.
If they were to wander off and
go missing, I couldn't be bothered to go looking for them, and I don't want to
deal with the accusations of abandoning them.
As for joining my expeditions,
they would only be dead weight.
You might think applying this
rule, meant for defenseless refugees, to a professional adventurer like her was
being too rigid, but――――
"Pleeeease? We won't be a burden, I promise!"
Reina tilted her head
charmingly and begged, but I looked at her with a cold expression
"Even if you say that, Reina-san, you
barely have any combat power right now, right?"
"Ugh...!"
There was a good reason I
forbade even a professional like her from going outside.
Most of her B-rank and C-rank
cards, which were her mainstay, had been Lost.
I rescued her about six days
ago. It was the first Day of Rest.
That day, I used the Day of
Rest, the one when B-rank monsters enter their
dormant period19, to search an area I had been putting off due to the high
number of B-rank monsters.
According to the Card Gear's
information, the area only had D-rank or lower dungeons, so there shouldn't
have been so many B-rank monsters around that place.
There were more enemies than
there should have been. I could think of two main reasons for this.
One possibility is that a new B-rank dungeon
had unfortunately emerged in this area during Angolmois. The other is that many
people had relocated into an area with few dungeons, which in turn attracted
B-rank monsters.
If it’s the former, the chances of an A-rank
monster being present are high, making survival prospects grim. But if it is
the latter, there might still be some people who miraculously survived.
With that in mind, I scouted
the area. Finding no A-rank monsters and too few B-rank monsters for there to
be a B-rank dungeon, I concluded the case was the latter and went to search for
survivors.
That was how I encountered
Reina and her team, whose cards mostly became Lost in a battle with a B-rank
monster.
"I-I do have a couple backup C-rank
cards..."
"How many, specifically?"
"…Two."
Reina
mumbled, looking away. I gave her a pitying look.
"You know those aren't enough to be a
fighting force against a B-rank opponent, don't you?"
"B-But, at least we can prevent C-ranks
from interfering!"
Preventing interference, huh...
Why was she so persistent
about joining expeditions?
It was undoubtedly for a share
of the loot.
Her goal is to take down the C-rank and D-rank
monsters in the vicinity and acquire their drops while I deal with the more
dangerous B-rank opponents.
Sure, I suppose a reward like
that would be reasonable for supporting me in a B-rank fight, but it's another
thing when you're trying to force a favor on someone.
Honestly, the B-ranks were the
ones I needed to prevent from interfering in my fights, and since she didn't
have the strength to do that, having other people around was more of a bother.
"I'm sorry, but people who can't
coordinate would only get in the way."
"Th-then at least let me go out
tomorrow!"
Seeing that I wasn't budging,
Reina changed her approach.
"I'll gather a bunch of supplies for
everyone here! Tomorrow's a Day of Rest, so it’s safe. Isn't that okay?"
"Mmm..."
True, tomorrow is a Day of Rest when D to
B-rank monsters entered a dormant period.
Even with most of her main
forces Lost, a professional with C-rank cards should be relatively safe.
However, making an exception for her alone...
" If making an exception for only me is
the problem, how about you give permission for everyone who wants to go out
tomorrow?"
What?
When I looked at Reina, she
flashed a somewhat audacious smile and continued,
"Most of the buildings on the surface are probably
destroyed, but I bet there are still a lot of supplies underground. My team
alone can't bring all of that back anyway, so I think it'd be more efficient if
all the refugees went out together."
".................."
"You know that D-rank cards make it safe
against E-rank or lower-ranked monsters, right, Kitagawa-kun? And if anything
happens, I'll take responsibility and protect everyone!"
"Hmm..."
"Come on, please? Everyone here is bored
stiff with nothing to pass the time."
I glanced around and saw that
the other refugees, who had been watching our exchange from a distance, were
looking over here with hopeful eyes.
……………………I guess there's no helping it.
" Alright. For tomorrow's Day of Rest
only, I will allow everyone who wishes to do so to go out."
As soon as I said that, a
cheer erupted.
A chant of "Reina!
Reina!" started up.
Reina, being a professional
adventurer and a beauty, was highly popular among the refugees. She seemed to
be well aware of this and acted accordingly.
As I smiled wryly, a
worried-looking Victor-san approached me,
"Leader, are you sure about this?"
"Yeah. It seems like everyone's reached
their limit."
I was well aware that there
was a lack of entertainment here.
The fact that so many people
were ruining themselves with gambling or frequenting 'adult services'—even
going so far as to sell the cards I had lent them—was proof of that.
In this crisis, they probably
yearned for any power they can get, but with nothing else to do, they ended up
seeking out any kind of stimulation.
Even if I wanted to provide
other forms of entertainment, my trades with Hermes always had to prioritize
daily necessities, so I've already been thinking that we'd need to scavenge for
supplies from outside at some point.
Tomorrow's Day of Rest would
certainly the perfect opportunity for that.
Afterward, we held a meeting
to discuss the details of the supply gathering operation and began recruiting
volunteers.
First, it was decided that
every collected supply would, in principle, be collected by all. Naturally,
there would inevitably be some refugees too afraid to go out, so we wanted to
make sure they also received supplies in the end.
However, to give the
volunteers an incentive, those who gathered a certain amount of supplies would
be loaned an additional D-rank card. They could choose the card from a
selection, with priority given to those who collected the most. Among the
D-rank cards available for selection, I included a number of girl cards like
Empusa, as well as popular cards like Living Armor.
This should motivate everyone
to work hard, and fewer would try to pocket things after they collected a
certain amount.
Finally, I made it clear that that
any scavenging outside was done at their own risk, and I would take no
responsibility whatsoever.
Although this was a blatant
shirking of responsibility, there was no noticeable backlash, and most of the
refugees volunteered.
While part of this was because
the reward I offered was appealing, it seemed that many of them were just bored
and saw this as a sort of event.
Still, they would've felt
uneasy if they had to go out on their own, but the presence of Reina, a
professional adventurer, as their escort seemed to put them at ease.
Thus, time passed busily as we
divided the volunteers into groups, and the next day arrived.
".................."
I was the first to arrive in
the new area thanks to Eliza's Teleportation. I looked around.
Beyond the stairs was a
perfectly ordinary residential area.
Each house had a yard, the
houses were spaced far apart, and the designs were a bit dated, giving it more
of a rural feel than a city.
In the distance, the majestic Mount Fuji was visible, and I thought I could
faintly smell the scent of ocean, suggesting its proximity.
But the most important thing
was that, a lot of the houses were intact enough, allowing me to appreciate
such details.
I had already noticed this
when I peeked through yesterday for the teleportation, but the cityscape was
distinctly different from the other areas we had seen..
If there’s even a single C-rank dungeon, the place
should have been completely destroyed. There’s a high chance that this area
only has low-rank dungeons.
If that's the case, quite a few people might
have survived here...
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to cull
the B-rank monsters?"
Reina, who had just appeared
behind me, spoke, but I held up my hand to stop her.
"Hold on."
If there a lot of survivors here, starting a
supply collection right off the bat could lead to troublesome situation.
I should first scout the area...
"—!? Who are you people!?"
Just as I was about to send
Yuki and the others to scout, a harsh, challenging voice was directed at us.
Looking over, I saw a group of
men armed with helmets and bats, accompanied by low-rank cards.
"You lot aren't from around here... Are
you from the Solomon Faction!?"
Gripping their bats, they stood
there with an openly hostile demeanor. Reina and I exchanged glances, and I
replied to them,
" We came from another area, beyond these
stairs! Are you local residents?"
"You guys came from that door that never
opens?! How on earth?!"
I gave them a brief
explanation of the relationship between the stairs and spatial isolation, as
well as the Gatekeepers and domains. The men looked at each other, confused.
"Wh-what do we do?" "This, it's
not something we can decide on, is it? ...Besides, they look strong."
"Right. Let's just toss it to Leader." "Wait, isn't that
REINA?" "Who's that? Some kind of REIKA knock-off?"
"Something like that."
Having finished their
discussion, one of them, with his earlier bluster nowhere to be found,
approached us in a humble manner,
"Um, excuse me, would you mind meeting our
leader first?"
"Understood. I'm sorry, Reina-san, could
you wait here for a bit?"
"Uh, yeah... got it."
Leaving the refugees with
Reina, whose face was twitching slightly, presumably having heard the latter
part of their conversation, I decided to follow them.
Along the way, I asked them,
"Excuse me, where exactly are we?"
"Huh? This is Oragashima20,
in Kakūno City21."
"...And what prefecture is that in?"
"Shizuoka
Prefecture22 but... you guys, where are you really from?"
We continued conversing like
that for about ten minutes.
I was led to a building that
looked like a small village office, located at the top of a long sloping path.
Entering the perfectly
preserved lobby, I saw a young man who looked like an adventurer in body armor,
talking with a few other people.
Recognizing his familiar
figure, I involuntarily called out his name,
"Huh? …Friend--Yujin-san?"
"Huh? ...Who?"
The man standing there was
none other than the person whose name I couldn't quite recall—Yujin Sato.
【Tips】Day
of Rest
Unlike in the dungeon where
monsters are constantly active, monsters in Angolmois alternate between active
periods where they rampage aggressively and dormant periods where they remain
relatively still to conserve energy.
This dormant period is called
the Day of Rest, and a day when all monsters' Days of Rest overlap is called a
'Complete Rest Day'.
This cycle differs by rank, as
follows:
『F-rank Monsters: Active for 27
days, rest for 1 day.』
『E-rank Monsters: Active for 26
days, rest for 2 days.』
『D-rank Monsters: Active for 13
days, rest for 1 day.』
『C-rank Monsters: Active for 12
days, rest for 2 days.』
『B-rank Monsters: Active for 6
days, rest for 1 day.』
Note that this Day of Rest may
shift slightly depending on when the monster emerged from a dungeon, so it
cannot be relied upon completely and should only be considered a rough guide.
***
Notes:
1 白いカード (Shiroi kādo). Sorry, this is the first time this item is mentioned and we’re not sure yet what it can do. ↩
2 If you are interested, you can find out more in the 'Notes on the Folk-lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders' by William Henderson. ↩
3 Cat yokai that has multiple tails ↩
4 To refresh your memory, Tsukumogami is a spirit that inhabits an old, used object.↩
5 Shinto goddess of dawn, a master of merry-making, humor, and dancing. A statue of her can be found in Ama-no-Iwato Jinja, a shrine in Miyazaki Prefecture. ↩
6 The sun goddess in Japanese mythology. ↩
7 A cave made of rock that appears in Japanese mythology, where the sun goddess Amaterasu hid and caused the world to be shrouded in darkness. Remember the magic item Anna had that turned the field into night? The ‘Ama-no-Iwato Shimenawa’? The name also came from this cave. Added info, Shimenawa is the name of sacred ropes, traditionally made of rice straw. ↩
9 A winged giant of Greek mythology, said to be so huge that his head brushed the stars. He was man-shaped from the waist up with two coiled serpents in place of legs. He had a hundred serpent-heads for fingers, a filthy, matted beard, pointed ears, and eyes flashing fire. ↩
10 A monstrous she-dragon (drakaina) with the upper body of a woman and the lower half of a coiling serpent.↩
11 the goddess of youth and rejuvenation in Norse mythology. ↩
12 In Greek myth, the Greeks used a Trojan Horse (a large wooden horse) during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. ↩
13 a series of magical items found in late medieval Welsh tradition. The precious relics are mentioned in 15th and 16th-century manuscripts such as the Welsh Arthurian tale of ‘Culhwch and Olwen’. ↩
14 天女の羽衣 (tennyo no hagoromo). Hagoromo translates to 'feather robe', 'angel's raiment', or 'robe of feathers'. It refers to the magical garment worn by celestial beings, particularly the tennyo (heavenly women) in Japanese folklore. A statue of a heavenly/celestial maiden can be found on the shores of Lake Yogo (also known as Mirror Lake) in the northern part of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. ↩
15 刀= katana; refers to something that has a blade on one side. Generally, a Japanese sword has a blade on one side. ↩
16 剣 = sword; refers to something that has blades on both sides. ↩
17 The raw actually use the word 巫女 (miko) which literally translates to ‘priestess’, but ‘oracle’ is more in line with her mythology here since the myth said that she’s the guardian of an oracle called The Oracle of Delphi.↩
19 B-rank monsters stay active for 6 days and then went into dormant period for 1 day. ↩
20 小良ヶ島（おらがしま） 小 (o): small, little 良 (ra): good, fine ヶ (ga): a possessive particle (like 's or of) 島 (shima): island When combined, the meaning can be 'Small Good Island' or 'Our Island' (as 'Oraga' is an informal way of saying 'our'). This should be a fictional island. ↩
21 仮空野（かくうの）市 仮 (ka): temporary 空 (kū): sky, empty, void 野 (no): field, plain 市 (shi): city When combined, the meaning can be 'Temporary Sky Field City' or 'Temporary Empty Plain City'. The pronunciation of 'Kakūno' itself sounds very close to 架空の (kakū no), which means 'fictional' or 'imaginary'. This should be a fictional city. ↩
22 Shizuoka Prefecture is located on Japan's Pacific Ocean coast. Mount Fuji is partially located in this prefecture. ↩
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