Chapter 32 – I Don’t Even Hesitate!
That ruin is something that is forgotten from the people’s memory and even not recorded in history.
It wasn’t clear whether that ruin was forgotten by the people will or because it got buried by the natural flow of time.
But it was indeed there. Unchanged since the time it was buried.
“To open a door which haven’t been opened for decades. Adventuring a forgotten ruin. That was exactly the very romance of a treasure hunter. Adventurous spirit is something important that should never be thrown out!”
“That’s right desu Renya-oniisan! To let it being left buried and forgotten like this is just too pitiable desu! The crystallization of the wisdom from our ancestor, even if it is impossible to spread it to the ma.s.ses now, we have a duty to fulfill their cherished dream they put into their creation desu!”
Since they decided to explore the ruin, the tension of this two had been climbing up without stopping.
It was Renya and Therese who keep on getting all excited. Although the two have their own different reasons for it.
For Renya, it was because his adventurous spirit, that every other man should also possess bigger or smaller, gets stimulated strongly by the subject presents.
For Therese, it was her desire to pursuit a practical use from the ancient technology, as well as her own mecha-fetish disposition.
They don’t know how big the ruin will be like so they carefully getting their preparation ready to face any danger that they might encounter in their expedition. Renya and his party split the job and go into the business district to gather their necessities. The party knows how much Renya is hyped for this. And by the way, Renya is shopping together only with Therese now.
In the first place do they really need such exaggerating preparation like this? Renya and Floria is a G.o.d! And in dangerous situation they can just flick their divine power to thwart it can’t they? Such question rose among the party. Well they did can do something with their divine power by the way.
If they really can do with their G.o.d powers then why bother doing this kind of preparation then? When asked that Renya just answer that it was for the sake of enjoying the whole activity. It was said that preparing for the festival is even more fun than doing the festival itself. That was the mental state that Renya wish to achieve. Renya himself had gotten some cheat cla.s.s preparation as well just in case but he will only use it accordingly so it wouldn’t ruin the fun of exploring.
The reason he done this entire troublesome thing is because he desires the fun that it will bring after in the exploration.
In truth it was hard for a modern age man to deal with the everyday life in fantasy world. There is a lot of inconvenient things here be it in the hygiene department, society department, and almost all department have their own unsuspected difficulties to deal with.
That kind of inconvenience can be somehow be supplemented with his knowledge and technique. But there also time where only knowledge and technique couldn’t cover up the inconveniences or when it can, but it requires a lot of time to get it work. In such time, Renya would just use his divine power to solve every problem he had.
Renya is such person that doesn’t shrink back being such a double standard.
That’s why, the unknown ruin exploration in which originally a dangerous life risking activity only is considered as a fun camping expedition for him. Seeing his carefree att.i.tude when shopping shows how much his confidence is as a G.o.d.
Normally it would take 8 days to do one way travel to the ruin. But because they don’t know how much time will spend for the exploration, Renya planned to just ‘jump’ there with his divine power. He can fly already so why he still desires that flying ship is what most people would think of him. But it was an ancient ship and a flying fortress at the same time. How could it not tickle Renya’s romance?
He also has a very honest answer regarding his behavior now for over preparing. That reason is that because he is after all feel bad just taking the prize money from the king like that so he wants to at least return some of them into the market to make business thrive. With that, he can feel a bit better with receiving the reward. But then again, that reason is somewhat cheap for a divinity like him. Well, again, he was a human once so it can’t be helped.
They buy preserved food, water, and camping goods. The one that they have been using until now is replaced with a new one and if there anything that they didn’t have enough then they will supplement those. Especially for tools useful in exploration, they managed to collect a good amount of useful items thanks to Therese knowledge. Anyhow at the moment, Renya party had never really done any dungeon exploration before so they lacked knowledge in this area. The most that they have done is just around subjugate monster or brigand hiding inside a small cave only.
But what differed Renya party with the other is that they also buy fresh perishable food as their stock. Renya can’t help feeling down if he keeps eating those preserved food that doesn’t have any taste in them and there is no concept regarding ‘time’ in Renya’s world. if he were to keep those perishable food there, then it will be kept fresh no matter how long Renya kept it. If Renya were to join in an army march, then there won’t be a downfall in morale caused by lack of food that’s for sure.
“Now that I think about it, the girls in our party each and every of them can really cook well right?”
“N-No that’s not right desu! My cooking is nothing close if compared to Elvira-oneesan desu!”
“I don’t think so, Therese. If it was limited only to food cooked under the circ.u.mstances of camping in the wild then I think that Therese cooking is number one you know?”
“Hauuuu!?”
Indeed like what Therese said, Elvira’s cooking is among the best if compared to the other girls. As she is from a race that has long life, she had perfected her skill through long years of training. And the facts that she herself like cooking and have a meticulous personality just add more punch to her cooking. There is no one else that can stand head to head with her in front of her vast variation cooking recipes. Even when she only use common cheap ingredient that were sold in the market, the taste is comparable, if not better, to the most luxurious feast that the royalty usually had. The first time Elvira presents her cooking to the party everyone can only gasp in awe.
For Brenda, she had a sloppy master as her guardian who can’t even cook decent meal. Feeling unsatisfied with it, she tries to improve her everyday diet and eventually being adept at cooking without even realizing it herself. In Brenda case she never give her cooking any weird arrangement as she mostly only sincerely follow the recipes that proven to be decent. The most that she do is only adjusting the seasoning a bit to fit her tastes and that’s all. Brenda cooks with integrity so her food is ‘safe’ although a bit to the plain side.
For Floria… she is the number one oddball in the party. She is after all a G.o.ddess that has knowledge that transcendence many parallel worlds giving her much bizarre knowledge where she mixes them all into her cooking. She doesn’t abide to any rules or technique. She only uses her own instinct and creativity into her cooking that make it seems dynamic. And the scariest thing is that, she never fails with her cooking ever. Renya even began to wonder whether it was because she is a G.o.ddess that her cooking will always comes out good. So one day, he asked her about it.
[I don’t use any ingredient that can’t be eaten and I also don’t put things that don’t mix well together so of course it will naturally come out good]
It was the person herself pet phrases about her cooking. Because of that, even when she cooked a same kind of food, it always tastes slightly different from each other. It was in itself a bizarre kind of cooking and Renya also seems to approve it.
And then the last person, who humbly lower herself before, Therese, has her own peculiar cooking technique. That cooking technique or maybe cooking disposition seems to be pitched forward to cooking persevered ingredient and spices where she can truly prove her worth in cooking.
She, who is the youngest among the other party member, is unexpectedly have the most experience regarding camping outside compared to other party member. Because of that, she can do everything related to camping perfectly starting with doing the campfire, choosing the right spot to camp, and even using camping related tools.
Since Therese joined the party, Renya party had experienced a great deal of improvement in their camping department that is for sure.
Therese also especially takes importance in managing the party food stock. Eventually she mastered the art to pull the maximum effects from only using a minimal ingredient. Her ability toward preserved food and her variation of camping food is really indescribable by words only.
Renya is happy because he can eat good food every day. He never really realized it before but he realized that the happiness he felt now is priceless. There should be nothing else that can make him feel blessed like this. After all Renya is somewhat a picky eater who won’t feel happy when eating bad food.
“But well, I won’t rank whose cooking is superior. You girls have your own peculiar tastes and I am already satisfied with that”
“Yes desu. But then again getting praised by oniisan made me happy desu”
“Therese really is a good honest girl as usual. Okay, then as a reward, let me pat your head”
“Fue!? T-t-t-t-t-t-that’s okay desu! That’s too embarra.s.sing desu! Wa!”
Therese immediately hides her head with both of her hand.
What kind of cute creature is this? Renya have had the same kind of feeling toward Therese for who knows how many. And when Renya feel like that, he can’t stop, he don’t want to stop.
“It’s okay right? Permission granted right? Okay! There there~”
“That’s wrong desu, that’s wrong desu! Oniisan guessed wrong desu~!”
But rampaging Renya is unstoppable. Even when he shouldered a heavy luggage with one hand, he still skillfully uses his left hand to pats Therese cute head even when she is running around to avoid him. Eventhough he was a total herbivore who don’t know how to treat a lady when he first come to this world, he had matures so much that he now can be a.s.sertive when treating a lady.
A man changed because he grows accustomed to something.
“Uuuu…… Even when oniisan pats me forcefully like that I can’t even hate it desu… I feel ashamed to myself desu……”
“Come on, this is not that embarra.s.sing isn’t it?”
“It is because I feel that oniisan treated me like a kid desu, I don’t want that desu”
“That was a shallow thinking you know Therese? There are different ways to treat a lady, and each of them has their own matched treatment. Don’t you know that Therese? If I had to say, Floria is the type who would enjoy a pat on the head while reversely a pat on the head will make Brenda furious”
“Eeh?”
“And for Elvira I guess she enjoys comforting skin ship. And in that regard, I think that for Therese who is cute and full of energy, a pat on the head is the best way to express my feeling. Anyway in the first place did Therese hate it?”
“I don’t hate it but that is why I feel conflicted by it desu……”
“So if I not having feeling of treating you like a kid then would you obediently accept it?”
“U-n… I understand! If that’s how it is then I don’t have any problem desu! Ehehe~”
Seeing that cherubic smile on Therese made Renya feel healed inside. While shouldering a big leather bag in his shoulder, the two of them happily returns back to their inn.
=*=
Returning to the inn, Brenda is sitting in one of the chair that furnished the room while reading a book. The afternoon sunlight shines upon her blonde hair making her look breathtaking like she is an illusion that coming out alive from a masterpiece painting.
Renya quickly sort the things he bought. He wants to quickly store the perishable food into his own world (inventory) so he could keep the freshness at its best. But because of his action it made him made quite a lot noise. Therese who had been peeking at Brenda’s condition quickly turned to Renya while putting her index finger on her lips signing Renya to keep the noise down.
(Onee-san is resting desu)
Hearing that, Renya also looks at her. Sure enough when he looks at Brenda closely, she is nodding off while still maintaining her reading position. In this few days she had been working hard to learn and research new magic by secluding herself in the library so she must be tired. Not wanting to disturb her, Therese is being tact and leaves the room silently. There is still some time before it gets dark so she wants to spend some time at the royal library.
Therese leaving means that it’s only the two of them left behind inside the room. But Renya had gotten used to being around the ladies so this situation doesn’t get him fl.u.s.tered at all.
After finishing sorting and storing his item, Renya got nothing left to do so he just sit close to Brenda and look at her thoroughly. He erases his own presence using his divine power and even mutes his footstep sound. In this condition now, he is the perfect stalker.
(She really is a gifted magician blessed with many talents and yet she still work hard like this……)
Renya don’t know the standard of the magician in this world so once he asked someone from the magician guild about how much Brenda true capability was.
The answer that he got at that time is saying that Brenda is an outstanding talent that might be or might not be seen once in 50 years.
To add to that, Brenda’s teacher is also a powerful being that ability even rivals the guild master meaning that her learning environment is also one of the best there is. Not stopping at that, she is also a hard worker that can even be considered greedy in excelling her skill. With her being like that, a lot of people can’t help but to expect great things from her. Of course envy, jealousy, and even scorn also come with her being young and also a woman at that.
But well, that was in then end only a mere thought from a mortal. For Renya who is a G.o.d, a magician as strong as Brenda is reduced into a mere beautiful girl in his eyes. She is dependable, the number one wisdom bag of the party, Renya’s stopper when he is about to get wild, and she still has many other good factor to prove her worth in the party. But even if she is a very capable party member, Renya can’t deny that the most important factor for him is her beautiful appearance. Her expression was usually cool and calm unperturbed by anything so seeing her unusual innocent sleeping face like this reminds Renya of that fact.
Even if they sleep together in one big room nowadays, Renya is bad at waking up in the morning. He always wakes up the latest from other party member so he can’t examine their sleeping face like this.
(Ooo-kay…… such defenseless Brenda…… soo tempting……)
That is of course a normal reaction if you watch someone sleeping face too close like that. To make it worse, that sleeping face belongs to Brenda who is a super beauty at that so it can’t be helped really.
Renya is trapped by that rhythmically breathing. His focus came down to Brenda’s luscious lips. It was a normal reaction from a normal healthy guy so it can’t be helped. Yes, it really can’t be helped, as Renya making an excuse to himself as his face is getting closer and closer towards her like a moth unconsciously attracted to fire. But when his face almost touches hers…
“…… e?”
“e?”
Suddenly Brenda opens her eyes.
Is she awakens because of Renya’s wicked thought? That is something that he will never know.
Their eyes gaze at each other at point blank range.
No matter how one look at Renya’s posture, it is surely like he is going to take advantage of her while she slept.
Renya a.n.a.lyze his situation from an objective point of view in an instant. And the result is:
(Okay, there’s no doubt about it, I definitely guilty!)
And that conclude his a.n.a.lysis. He doesn’t feel like making any excuse for it. It is the truth that he is giving in to wicked thought so he will accept anything that will befall him. ‘Will I get blown up? Oh please blow me up without holding back’ is what Renya thinks inside steeling himself. He then keeps his silent waiting for Brenda reaction.
“Just in case, I’m willing to hear your explanation”
“I can’t help giving in to wicked thought in my heart and get charmed by your sleeping face. Sorry”
He came out stupidly honest.
“…… Sigh……. I understand, I already understand so get back okay. Haa…… I don’t even feel like getting angry over it”
“Eh? Isn’t this where I would usually get a slap in the cheek and then get scolded?”
“If that’s what you want then I will not hold back you know? Of course while using a full powered strengthening magic at it”
“No, please, even for me that combination is already hurting a bit. Please forgive me……”
Renya hurriedly get back sitting on his chair but Brenda’s face is all red. And that redness seems to be not only coming from anger. Even when her expression gets back to her usual cool and calm one, there’s a faint trace of a blooming maiden delicate emotions hidden within.
It was impossible to not fretting over when the guy she has interest in suddenly appears in point blank range in front of you. And from the look of it, that guy almost kissed her so that even gives more strain inside her heart. But she managed to get herself together almost without panicking. That shows how strong her self-control is. Brenda then casually put the book she was reading aside and once again looks back at Renya.
Her expression is somewhat bashful and her gaze is like shouting her protest but it is instead looks cute for Renya. He doesn’t say it out loud though, as if he were to say so he will definitely receive punishment from Brenda this time.
“You don’t have to push yourself too hard like this you know?”
“Even if you say that…… The other member beside me, all of them are extraordinary. I don’t want to be everyone baggage you know?”
While listening to Brenda, Renya took a glance to the books that Brenda put aside. Those were a few quite old books and most of them are book regarding magic. Renya don’t know whether she tries to widen her variety of magic or trying to strengthen her magic quality but he does know that she has been doing her best at it.
Brenda’s magic nature can only be said as the versatile type. She doesn’t incline toward only one kind of magic category or elements. This kind of magician can make themselves useful in many situation as its name suggest, versatile. But as their mastery is spread evenly in all the magic category and elements, they have tendency to lack pure fire power.
That pure fire power is like the destruction power of offense magic, or the hardness of defense magic, or to what extend the injury can heals if it was restoration magic, and other such things. Because there is just too much to master, most of them just become a jack of all trades and a master of none.
But among those ordinary jack of all trades, Brenda can exhibit high effects with her magic even when she commands a wide range variety of magic. She had the talent to even beat those specialist magicians in their own game. Renya even feel amazed by how she work so hard then he even teases Brenda how far would she really go with her talent like that.
“Even if I master one technique bit by bit, there is simply no end for it. So if you ask me how far would I go even I don’t know because I can’t predict anything from something that is ‘endless’”
That is how she returns his question complete with a bitter smile decorating her face.
In Brenda’s case, this hard work doesn’t come from her feeling of inferiority inside the team but it comes from her own feeling of responsibility as a party member so Renya don’t stop her. But if she went too far and affect her health because of it then even Renya would remonstrates her.
In the first place Renya really likes woman like Brenda who could voice her own opinion while another thing regarding battle ability and such are just a secondary. On top of it she also has a beautiful appearance. In the worst, even if she doesn’t have any power as a magician, he will still ask her to work for him as their strategist or some kind of it.
“Well, it was also thanks to you getting fatigued from your hard work that I can examine your sleeping face closely like that so I guess all is well”
“What are you saying after we have been spending our times together in this big room for some time? And also I can’t find examining a sleeping girl face so closely like that as admirable”
“I really thought it was bad, I swear I was. But… you know……”
“But…… what?”
“There is a cute beautiful girl sleeping in front of me so of course I would look! And without any hesitation at that!”
“D-Don’t just say cute or beautiful casually like that!”
Brenda is used to being praised as beautiful. But that praise all of them seems shallow or even artificial. It can’t be compared to Renya’s straight compliment that is plastered all over with his own l.u.s.t which he doesn’t even try to hide. Renya’s straight compliment stuck deep and wriggle deep in her heart tickles her insides. Even worse is because she knows that his word all came straight from his heart.
“Please…… I feel like I want to scold you with many things but why did I forget them all……”
“This meek Brenda is also cute <>
“I know it okay! And then! How about your shopping? Is it over?”
“You feel that much of embarra.s.sment that you even forcefully change the topic?...... Okay then from now on let’s tease you - I’m sorry it’s only a joke, it’s only a joke okay? So please withdraw your magic power okay? Okay?”
“As long as you understand that alright, as long you understand…”
In truth, with only Brenda ability, she can’t possibly be a worthy opponent to Renya. Both of them understand this. But even with that understanding, Renya still can’t help but t lower his head to Brenda. Somewhere inside his head, no matter how much he is way stronger than Brenda, he still doesn’t feel like winning from her at all. He doesn’t know when or why this kind of feeling toward Brenda had born.
In common sense, he is just like a husband that is dominated by his wife. But the two concerned person doesn’t even realize this fact.
“So next time I compliment you, I must take consideration to the mood too right? Now I understand”
“You don’t understand anything at all!!”
The pink in Brenda’s cheek turned madly red because of Renya further remarks. She then retaliates to Renya like a little girl throwing a tantrum by hitting Renya’s chest again and again. Therese who just get back from borrowing some books from the royal library incidentally saw the scene and can only tilted her head cutely in confusion.
Author notes: Rather than saying Therese is a heroine, she is our mascot! Even I as the author just know this when I update this chapter today.
I was first writing the talk between Brenda and Renya to be a serious talk about magic and other related things. But that would be too boring so I rewrites it and it comes out to be like this. How could this happen?