Arc 10: Everyday Life #2
Chapter 75: The Search for Babylon, and The Katana Production Commission
「I do not particularly mind it, you know? Master leaving me behind, quickly returning back and so, not even in a slightest. Right, not in a slightest」
s.h.i.+zuka’s smile is scary… In spite of not expressing much emotions ordinarily, why only at a time like this such a smile appeared…
「Thanks to that, I was able to discover Master’s new fetish called “Abandonment Play”. Sooner or later it will come to a point of leaving me nude in the park at night, to serve his perverted neglecting play. Possibly to be seen by someone, possibly to be a.s.saulted, he wants to enjoy himself and watch me nervously frightened at such thoughts. Indeed, master truly possesses such a refined hobby」
「 I did not think about that for even 1 millisecond!」
I definitely did not have such intentions! No, it wasn’t totally our fault! Out of habit, we always returned after a subjugation using [Gate].
「Let’s just leave it at that. It seems he is properly reflecting on that, or do you really want to know his true intentions?」
Rin interrupts while drinking black tea that s.h.i.+zuka brought on the terrace facing the garden.
「Muu. That would be troubling. Well then, if I were to receive a present of indecent underwear of Master’s preference, I shall forgive him」
「The hurdle is high, you know!? Indecent is out (of question), you know!」
「It was a joke」
Lowering her head, s.h.i.+suka leaves the terrace.
Good grief, can’t we do anything about Robogirl-san’s thought patterns!? Rin’s glance is turned towards the leaving s.h.i.+suka.
「However, it is amazing. That pattern of thinking」
「In what way those ero thoughts are!?」
「Aah, not about the character. It is about things like that girl’s sulking behaviour, and flexibility of even telling jokes. She is like a genuine human being. I wonder if it is possible to do that with [Programming] or not… 」
Do not speak much about such a thing. In the corner of the terrace the small stuffed bear is sulking. Doing things like having its hands behind its back and looking bored while kicking pebbles, I however think that it is amazing… To think it can have that much antagonism.
「With this, our task for today is? 」
「Oh well, it is about the rest of Babylon’s transfer formations. At present, there is no reliable information about them. 」
「Eh? We’re going to look for them? 」
「Eh? We weren’t? 」
Both people are showing surprised faces. Honestly speaking, I don’t have an interest in it. I already have my hands full with s.h.i.+zuka alone, to have them increase… The professor herself too, said that there is no problem whether I discover them or not.
「It is that I do not have a reason to search for them… 」
「But why! Do you not think about wanting to know about an ancient knowledge or lost technology!?」
「I don’t」
「Kuu, you kids have no dreams!」
In that case, I am a youngster compared to you. Still, even the professor said that it is not necessary to have too much power in this era.
However, I am worried about the Fureizu. If you consider that rare possibility, it might be better to obtain the power of Babylon in advance.
Well, since the transfer formations have not yet been discovered, there’s nothing we can do about it.
「Let’s consider the case when some information about transfer formations comes up. If you find something I’ll cooperate」
「… Promise? If you break it I’ll have you buy me some indecent underwear」
「Please forgive me!」
Placing my head on the table, I earnestly request that I wanted it to stop with just that. If I buy something like a lewd underwear for a small girl, my life will end in a different meaning. I don’t even know if there are things like that!
Rin who was satisfied with the agreement, took Pola and returned to the royal palace. Dear me, I hope it doesn’t become too troublesome…
「There were two mithril golems… I’m sorry. There seems to be a mistake in our investigation」
Saying so, the guild receptionist onee-san is bowing her head. There is no mistake in regards to the contents of the request about golem subjugation, but if it was about the liberation of the mine, then it should have been written that it was a subjugation for two, I think.
「In this case, it was exactly a two-part subjugation too -degozaimasu, because it is still an oversight on our side, the payment will be twofold, please accept 10 white gold coins as payment. Of course, the guild card points will also be doubled」
Ah, that is helpful. Or rather, it’s only natural.
She puts on the counter the 10 white gold coins, lines up our cards as usual, and stamps on them with pon-pon-pon.
「With those points all your guild rank was raised. Congratulations」
Our guild cards were returned with Yumina’s being blue and the others changed to red. Ooh, with this, tentatively we have also become first-rank adventurers.
Aree? There is a newly appended symbol next to the [Dragon Slayer] symbol. A square silhouette of what looks like a cracked golem’s head.
「Furthermore, in accordance with the subjugation this time, the proof of golem subjugation, please accept the t.i.tle of [Golem Buster] awarded by the guild」
I see. This is a symbol mark of the [Golem Buster]. It seems its privilege is a 20 percent discount from the stores affiliated with the guild, but with the 40 percent discount from the [Dragon Slayer] there was not much meaning to it.
Going out from the guild as it is, we divide with Lindsey and Yumina are going towards magic shop and Elsie going to train with General Leon. Kuroyou and Sango are accompanying Elsie and Kohaku follows Lindsey group. With this, if anything happens we will be able to make contact. I was thinking that the telepathic communication with the summoned beasts would become unusable when separated, but it seems that is not the case. This could be a subst.i.tute for cellphones.
(tl: didn’t he already confirmed this some time ago?)
The plan is for me to go to the blacksmith with Yae. I thought I could have a katana made for Yae using the mithril we obtained, but no ordinary blacksmith could make something like a katana. As i thought, when speaking about katana, we’d need to go to Ishen for this.
Opening a「Gate」, we go to Oedo。
Originally I should have gone to see Yae’s parents first, for the [Give me your daughter] stuff I had to do, but with how recent that is, there’d probably be some resistance. Since we’re not even getting married yet it would be better to do the greetings when things have settled down a bit more, is what I told Yae herself.
Yae’s house being in the opposite direction, it seems there was also a skilled swordsmith on the western side of Oedo. When we faced towards that direction and were walking through the downtown street, occasionally, Yae’s eyes would turn in my direction, taking a peek at me.
「? Is something wrong?」
「Fuee! ? Ah, No, That…. I-, I am the fiancée of Touya-dono -degozaru, right?」
「Eh, Ye~, Yes. It is so」
When you say fiancée it feels like someone from the olden days when parents decided the betrothal, the implication is not wrong. It’s really embarra.s.sing to be reminded of that.
「In~, in that case, -degozaru…, that…. hand, hand, walking with holding hands, somehow…」
From the face up to her ears becoming bright red and looking down, Yae speaks of such a thing.
What is this!? So cute!
There is no man who can ignore such a request from a shy beautiful girl. No, there is none. Even I can’t ignore this.
Gently extending my right hand, I grasp Yae’s left hand.
「Ah……」
I grasped it that time I used [Recall] too, but her hand is soft as usual.
When Yae raises her face to me, she laughed with a tee-hee while looking shy, then tightly and firmly grasped my hand. Such conduct startled me. (tl: makes his heart go ‘toki-doki’)
With just walking and holding hands with the girl that you like, it is obvious that you can reach the feeling of happiness like this… That is how the couples of the world are flirting. It’s not a crime.
Finis.h.i.+ng our short date upon reaching the blacksmith on the western edge of Oedo, we peek inside of the shop, from which the sound of a hammer hitting with ‘Kan-Kan’ comes.
「Excuse me, is there anyone~? 」
「Ha~i, what is it? 」
From inside the shop with light footsteps came the woman who was in her early twenties wearing an ap.r.o.n. With black hair collected behind in one strand, she was wearing sandals on her feet. Is she a shop-a.s.sistant, I wonder.
「We would like to have a katana made, but are you doing commissions?」
「Katana, is it. Yes, we can take that. Please wait for a moment. Anata~, we have a customer, you know~? 」
She calls out to someone at the back of the workshop. I thought that she was an a.s.sistant, but apparently she was the proprietress.
From the inner part of the shop, a man about 30 wearing what looks like work clothes and a towel on his head wrapped like a bandanna came out. His looks give out a tender impression, even with his bearded face. A good-natured giant… Though it is a good comparison I can’t say that.
「You want a katana, yes? Which one of you will use it?」
「Ah, this girl here. We would like to request that it is made with mithril as the raw material…」
「MITHRIL!? That is some luxury, isn’t’ it! Are you the son of some feudal lord?」
The head blacksmith is staring in surprise. The wife was looking similarly surprised too.
「No, we have obtained it after defeating a mithril golem. And I decided to use this material to make a weapon for her」
「Aah, I see. Mithril golem… Despite your appearances, you fellows are strong」
The master breathes out in admiration. After that he says that he wants us to show him Yae’s katana and short sword, and then while taking a good look at them in the hand, he starts to talk.
「I will finish it in one week. Will that be okay?」
「Yes. Please do so. So, how much will that cost?」
「I don’t need money」
Eh? What is the meaning of this? Are you saying you are okay doing this free of charge? It is said that there is nothing more expensive than free, that is a bit scary. It’s the story about it is too good to be true, a beautiful rose has its thorns, there is nothing more expensive than free, but, that is how Obaa-chan in our home used to say.
「I don’t need money, but instead of that won’t you share the rest of the mithril that you are holding? In Ishen, occasionally the Hihirokane is being circulated, but Mithril is rare. I would be charged like a fool if I order it from the west. 」
Aah, so that is how it is.
「It is no problem, but the fact is I don’t have the slightest idea how much it should be offered, since I don’t understand the market price」
「Is that so… Then, prepare it in proportion to the making for this time’s katana and short sword. When they are completed, pay us with mithril」
「I understand. Let’s do it like that」
I will check the market price for mithril in advance for the next time we come. I open [Storage] and take out 2 lumps of mithril the size of a softball.
「Will this do?」
「Aah, it is a little bit too much」
The boss takes the mithril in his hand, in order to check its weight, and shakes it up and down.
「Well then, see you in a week」
「Thank you very much」
While the voice of Okami-san is seeing us off, we leave the blacksmith.
When I proposed to return home with [Gate] from some deserted place, Yae seizing the hem of her coat, looked at me with upturned eyes.
「A, ano… More, just a bit longer, with the two of us… 」
When she says it her face becomes red again. Aah, Mou! I would have already hugged her if we weren’t in town!?
Holding her hand again, with Yae smiling out of embarra.s.sment, we start walking through the town of Oedo.