Vol.7 Chapter 2: Makoto Takatsuki Is Attacked

Chapter 2: Makoto Takatsuki Is Attacked

"Let's go," the exotic beauty proclaimed. Her body was exuding a

billowing orange aura.

The Hero of Incandescence... Olga Sól Talisker, Sól's chosen hero...

Meeting Great Keith's hero and priestess was at least technically our goal in coming to the country. You could argue that we were working toward our introductions at this moment...but the fighter in front of us didn't look willing to have a peaceful chat.

I let out a gasp; Olga's fist was closing in on my face.

D-Dodge!

I dodged, and it was close...well, I was close to actually dodging, that is. The fist impacted my shoulder and I went flying.

Ow!

"Takatsuki!" Sasa yelled.

"Oh...that hit?" the hero asked, head cocked.

You're the one that punched me! Don't look so confused!

"What are you doing?!" Sasa demanded. leaping at her.

"Wah, that's a shock." Despite calling it a shock verbally, she sure

didn't look surprised as she handled the oncoming attack. Seriously, Sasa wasn't managing in close quarters?!

"Guh," Sasa grunted in a panic.

"Water Magic: Ice Needle," I cast, trying to help her. With no

elementals around, that was about all I could do!

"Hm?"

Olga dodged it like it was nothing?! I'd cast it right in front of her

eyes...and she dodged just from seeing the spell for a split second?

"Annoying," she declared flatly. For some reason, despite Sasa's attacks, she'd been totally focused on me.

Dodge!

I let out a cough as a strike hit my stomach. I couldn't dodge her attacks at all—she just adjusted her aim when she saw my skill activate.

"Knock it off, you little!" Sasa yelled, using Dash from her Action Game Player skill set.

"Hmm... You're pretty strong for being so cute," Olga commented,

easily countering.

"Argh!" Sasa cried. She...went flying! Her body smacked into a

nearby house.

"Aya!" Lucy yelled.

Damn, what kind of monster is she?! Is Sasa okay?

"What's going on?" I heard someone say as a crowd gathered.

"Lady Olga is rampaging."

"Again? Who's she up against this time?"

She was a repeat offender?

"Hero Olga! Cease this!" Princess Sophia demanded sharply. The hero's movements stopped immediately.

"Hmm? Oh, Sophie!" She smiled and waved at the princess.

"What were you thinking?!" Princess Sophia demanded. "Why would you attack my hero and his companions?!"

"It was just a little greeting," Olga replied with a grin. With that smile, she didn't look like she had a bad bone in her body.

Why did she come after us as soon as we arrived? She was clearly

gunning for me.

"When I heard he defeated Gerald and the demon lord, I just thought he might be some fun. Aww, what a letdown. See youuuu." Olga squinted, almost sneering at us, and then jumped up, vanishing into the air.

"What in the world...?" Furiae asked from her hiding place.

Ah... Sorry, Furiae, for forgetting you despite calling myself your guardian knight... I apologized mentally.

"Sasa!" I yelled out, rushing over. Lucy was tending to her. She didn't

look injured at least...

Sasa peered up at me and spoke quietly. "I'm sorry... I lost."

"It's not your fault," I replied. "She's just crazy." Sasa didn't need to

worry about that. I was just glad she was safe.

"Hero Makoto, we are drawing a crowd," Princess Sophia pointed out. "We should move to somewhere more peaceful."

"Right, we need to let Sasa get some rest."

After that, we carried on toward our lodgings with heavy feet. Once we arrived, myself, Princess Sophia, and her guardian knight gathered in a big room. Sasa must have still been in shock—she'd shut herself away. Lucy and Furiae were currently cheering her up.

I'll have to go check on her later.

"Hero Makoto...I must apologize. The Roses family has issued a

formal complaint against Hero Olga's earlier actions." Princess Sophia's shoulders were shaking. I was angry as well, but apparently, she was even more so.

As I replied, I kept Calm Mind set to 99%. "What was she after, attacking so suddenly?" I was almost certain that Olga had witnessed our arrival. That's how she'd been able to attack us as soon as we set foot in Gamelan. It just...didn't make sense to assault a group containing a princess...even if you were a hero.

"The attack...was likely due to Great Keith's superiors," Princess

Sophia replied, letting her eyes drop.

"What do you mean?" Why were the leaders of the country trying to

pick a fight with us?

"Sir Hero," the geezer interjected, his tone vexed. "Great Keith is the second largest country on the continent... This is only an assumption, but a weaker country like us defeating a demon lord likely does not sit well with them. They may see it as a slight against them that the weakest country in the alliance succeeded against a demon lord first."

Sophia pursed her lips. "Great Keith apologized for their hero's rude actions... However, there are rumors in the street that go along the lines of 'Makoto, the Hero of Roses, was no match for Olga.

Defeating the demon lord was just luck.' This narrative is being

spread by the citizens."

"Then me losing wasn't good for Roses..." I mused, slumping. It wasn't like there was much I could do here anyway...not without water elementals.

"N-No!" Sophia countered hurriedly. "Your accomplishments in

halting the demon lord's resurrection are no less important!"

"Indeed, Sir Hero," agreed the guardian knight. "Besides, Princess Noelle's friendliness with our nation has been spreading all the

more. That is also likely to have influenced Great Keith's actions."

"Highland and Great Keith have had a contentious relationship

militarily for many years," Sophia explained. "Roses getting in the middle of things...probably spurred on Great Keith."

"Man, what a pain..." I didn't want anything to do with international diplomacy between other countries, but as a State-Authorized Hero, avoiding it was probably a pipe dream.

"Sir Hero, I want to ensure that you are aware... Did you know that a large part of Princess Noelle's friendliness toward our nation is due to your own friendship with the Hero of Light?"

"Is me being his friend really that big a deal?" I asked. Sakurai and I

were just neighbors back in Japan.

"Hero Makoto..." Princess Sophia began with a somewhat

exasperated sigh. "He is being treated as the reincarnation of the Hero of Light. Simultaneously, he claims you as his greatest friend. Your relationship is already known across all six nations."

Whaaat? Well...we are old friends, I guess.

"However, I had not foreseen things becoming like this. My apologies...we should not have come to Great Keith... We can return to Roses right away."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you don't need to apologize," I told the princess. "They're the ones in the wrong." Seeing her slump like that, I wanted to quickly cheer her up. "Besides, if we go now, it'll look like we're running—that'll make things even worse. We're here, so we should try and get something out of it."

At least...that's what I said, but the main reason I wanted to stay was more personal—I was pissed at Olga for the sudden attack and for

making Sasa sad. I wasn't going to be happy if we just left things be.

Princess Sophia paused for a moment, mulling over my words, then said, "Very well. However, please stay within our lodgings for the time being."

She might have intuited the actual reason I wanted to stay here, so I just nodded obediently. I wasn't going to go off half-cocked for revenge. I needed to get information first.

Besides...

I'm exhausted... I'll go see Sasa and then head to bed.

Yet, when I stopped off at Sasa's room, it seemed like she was already asleep, so I didn't get to talk with her.

The next day, Fujiyan and Nina barged into my room.

"My esteemed Tackie!" Fujiyan exclaimed. "I heard you were badly injured against Lady Olga! Are you well?!"

"Mister Takatsuki'h! Are you so wounded you cannot leave your bed'h?! We brought an elixir'h! Hurry and drink it'h!"

Uh? The rumors were getting a bit out of hand...

"Fujiyan, I'm fine," I assured him.

I was pretty sure an elixir—the highest level of potion—cost around a million gald. It was a drinkable medicine...and I kind of wondered what it tasted like.

"Oh..." he murmured. "I had heard that you were gravely injured and

unconscious. That was false, then. Thank goodness..." "Yeaaah, they're really going ham with the rumors," I replied.

So now I was having to fight off information from the citizens of Great Keith as well... They were all really pissing me off.

I did feel bad for making Fujiyan and Nina worry, so I explained everything that had happened.

"I see..." Fujiyan remarked once I'd finished. "So the relations between Highland and Roses have caused this. I suppose there are rumors about you defeating a demon lord... And, of course, there's the idea that the 'reincarnation of the savior' is linked to Highland. These things in combination would seem rather threatening to the other nations."

"The...rumors?" I asked after a pause.

"Oh? Were you unaware? Within Springrogue, stories abound of your gallant appearance alongside the Crimson Witch to save the country from certain destruction."

Hang on! Now there's way too much exaggeration on both sides. I ended up turned to stone at the end of the battle with the demon lord...

"The information comes from Springrogue, and they're known for not having much to do with other countries'h. The merchants are all taking it as fairly credible'h," Nina added, ears flicking as she did.

I had no idea...

I hadn't talked much with Fujiyan lately, so I was lacking on the information front. I needed to pay more attention to intel gathering in the future. Fujiyan and I spent time exchanging info while Nina went to check on Sasa.

"That must have been quite the burden," Fujiyan murmured

earnestly.

"Well, yeah."

We were chatting over some tea Nina had brewed for us. We'd started out by catching each other up, and now we were just shooting the breeze. Looking at him, I felt a weird sense of discomfort. It might have been tiredness due to traveling, but something seemed off about him...

"So, you said you had things you needed to do here, right? What kind of things?" I asked.

For once, Fujiyan gave no answer.

"Can't you say?" I pressed.

"Well...it is just normal business," he replied.

He was hiding something. That wasn't like him. "Are you in trouble?"

In response, silence.

"I'm not going to try and force you to talk, but..." I probably wouldn't

try and get anything more out of him.

"Well...I would not say I am hiding something, per se."

What was it then? He hesitated to speak for a while, and I just waited quietly.

Eventually, he spoke, words heavy. "In truth...it seems that a classmate of ours is enslaved in the city."

Ouch, that's worse than I expected. Enslaved...

The existence of slaves was not exactly rare on the continent, though I'd hardly ever come across any. The reason was that Roses didn't have a system of slavery, which was apparently a policy handed down from the royal family.

Mako, I hate slavery, Eir chimed in.

So it was because of Eir's distaste... Roses was a theocracy, so their policies reflected their goddess's feelings.

I-I hate slavery too!

Noah...you don't need to compete.

Oh? Were you thinking of picking yourself up a cute little slave girl and raising her to your liking? Noah asked me.

Dirty Mako! chided Eir.

No! What are you both on about?!

Anyway, we'd gotten off topic. Slaves didn't exist in Roses, but what

about the other countries?

Highland, Great Keith, Cameron, and Caol Ilan all had systems in place for it. The purposes were varied. Some were for labor, others

for military matters, and others still were for sex work. It really

wasn't the nicest thing to consider. "So...who is it?" I asked hesitantly.

I only really had Fujiyan and Sasa—and Sakurai, I guess—as friends within the class. Fujiyan had a much wider circle, though.

"Lady Keiko Kawakita," he proclaimed.

Who's that? I couldn't remember ever hearing the name.

"What, Keiko?!" Sasa's voice came through the door. She must have

been walking past.

"You good, Sasa?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry, I just fell asleep last night. Anyway! Fujiwara, Keiko's a slave?!" she demanded, rushing through the door and shaking his shoulders.

"P-Please, calm yourself, Lady Sasaki. She was initially living in Highland, but an ill-natured noble deceived her into a massive debt... Thus, she fell to slavery and registered for a soon-to-be-held sale. I simply happened to see her name."

"Th-That's awful!" Sasa looked stricken at his explanation, and

Fujiyan looked pained as well.

The mood took a grave turn. At this point, I could hardly say, "I can't even think of what she looks like," so instead, I turned to Sasa and asked, "You were friends?"

"Yeah, we hung out sometimes. She was a bit much but not a bad

person."

"Indeed...the two of you were friends," Fujiyan mused.

Well, if Keiko was one of Sasa's friends, then we couldn't just leave her. "You want to save her?" I asked Fujiyan. That certainly seemed like how things were going.

"Right!" Sasa yelled. "We need to rescue her! But...how?"

"Sasa, you can free slaves with money." I turned to Fujiyan. "Right?" It wasn't a natural thought for those of us from Japan, but here, you could effectively buy a person. So, with Fujiyan's riches, we should be fine...

"That...may not be feasible." His face darkened as he explained— apparently, the powerful skills possessed by otherworlders made them sell for exorbitant sums. She had a rare skill, so the price followed suit.

"Slaves are usually sold in an auction format, so the person who

makes the largest offer becomes their owner. However, Lady Keiko's owner has already been decided by the nobility. Actually presenting her is solely to demonstrate their influence."

"What the...?"

Sasa's face soured further at that. This "hobby" of slavery definitely wasn't the best.

Keiko...Kawakita... Nope, I didn't remember her at all. There had to

be something...

Noah then piped up to jog my memory. Makoto, don't you

remember the three stooges mocking your stats in the temple?

Three stooges?

The only people I could think of who'd mocked me were Kitayama,

Okada, and...

Oh! That's her. The gyaru-looking one that was with them! She was the type of person I couldn't deal with or get close to at all. So that was Kawakita. She'd ended up a slave...

Still...

"You were friends with her?" I asked Fujiyan.

Sasa was sociable so that was one thing, but game addicts like

Fujiyan and me were pretty much Kawakita's exact opposite.

"Lady Keiko lived in my neighborhood, and I've known her since preschool. We'd barely spoken since entering high school, but I cannot simply pretend to ignore her enslavement..."

"Oh yeah! You went to the same junior high as her. You're childhood friends!" Sasa exclaimed, smacking a fist into her open palm.

So that's how they knew each other.

That was like me and Sakurai... Wait, it'd be the other way around for us—I'd probably end up the slave. And then Sakurai would come dashing in gallantly to save me. Yeah, that was scarily plausible...

Either way, this wasn't the time to be making up weird situations.

Well, at least we know what we're doing. "Let's get a plan together, Fujiyan!" I said.

"Yup! Let's save her!" Sasa exclaimed. "Oh, also, Takatsuki—I need to talk to you later..."

"Huh? Uh, sure."

What would it be about?

"P-Please wait a moment! Both of you." Fujiyan seemed sufficiently flustered. "Lady Keiko is to be owned by one of the most famed nobles in the country. There are many rumors surrounding them. I fear this rescue may be significantly dangerous—"

But Sasa cut him off. "Fujiwara! We can't be scared of what-ifs! We're saving our friend!"

Sasa was as brash as ever.

"We're friends, Fujiyan. We're helping," I agreed.

"Sir Tackie, Lady Sasaki... I shall remember this debt."

We all nodded at each other.

"So, how are we doing it? Can I sneak in and get out with her?" Sasa

asked. She started off at the most extreme scenario...

"That will not be possible. Slaves are collared and their restraint requires a twenty-digit code to remove. The slave master is the only one that knows the code," explained Fujiyan.

"Aww. Guess that's not happening." Sasa slumped.

"That's a bit much for security." This world was similar to Earth's Middle Ages...so I'd expected something laxer!

"Slavery is strict in this world. After all, these are 'lives' being sold, to one degree or another."

"I don't even know what to say." I sighed. Real life wasn't as easy as

games.

"Therefore," Fujiyan continued, "we can only save her once ownership has been transferred to the noble."

"They're a pretty bad example of nobility, though, right?" asked Sasa. "Indeed. They are said to crave attention and have the strength for

it...along with being quite avaricious."

Sasa and Fujiyan's expressions darkened as they talked it out.

Hmm...

I tried to put everything together. Our goal was to save our classmate. Our enemy was a wicked noble. Legal methods wouldn't work.

So...

"All right, Fujiyan," I announced. "We know what we can do." "Oh?"

"You've got an idea?"

Fujiyan and Sasa waited with bated breath for what I'd say. With all the factors together, there was only one method. "Our solution...is assassination!"

Silence followed.

Uh?

"It most certainly is not." "Nope."

Are you an idiot? Even Noah had joined in with them.

W-Wait, it wasn't a good idea? Well, I guess not. Sorry, game brain. I'd have to think of something else...

"Kidding, kidding," I said, scratching at the back of my head.

Then, a soft voice drifted down from the heavens. Makoooo, let me know if you want to kill someone☆ I'll tell Sól and we can deal with it ahead of time! No worries☆

"Um...?" I said after a long moment. Eir had spoken the same as she always did, as if we were just chatting about the weather.

Um, Eir?

What's up?

So even if I assassinate someone...it won't cause issues?

Nope! It'll be fine.

Fine, huh?

Though it'll cost you☆

Are you planning on being unreasonable again? Noah interjected.

Just so you know, he's not converting.

But then I can let him assassinate whoever.

Well, that's...

Yeah, these were definitely ruling goddesses, but they sounded like kids. It was like they were angling for their personal interests while deciding life and death.

"Sir Tackie?" "Takatsuki?"

My face had taken on a serious cast—I'd apparently worried the other two. It also seemed like Fujiyan's Mind Reading couldn't hear the goddesses.

"Ah, my bad. I was trying to think of a good plan."

I'll take that suggestion under advisement, Eir. Though...don't ask me

to convert.

Yup. Roger that☆

Makoto...you need to be careful not to bargain too much with the other goddesses, warned Noah. You'll end up in ruin.

R-Right, Noah. I'd be careful. Bargaining with goddesses was a real

trump card, but I could definitely end up destroying myself with it.

So instead, I focused on the people in front of me. Both of them were silent in thought.

"Why not ask Sophie?" Sasa suggested.

"That might work," I agreed. She might not be from this country, but a royal request wouldn't be dismissed out of hand.

"That...may be worth the attempt, but the noble in question is close with Great Keith's royal family. Even the Roses family may not be able to get results. And if things go poorly, it could even lead to problems for Roses as a whole..."

"Right..." Yeah, the Roses royal family definitely had a weaker influence outside of their own country.

"We will therefore utilize a spy to gather information," proclaimed

Fujiyan.

"A-A spy..." Sasa murmured, eyes wide.

Fujiyan was way beyond a high schooler now.

"So we find a weakness and negotiate with them?" I asked. Threats like that were probably illegal too, but I guessed less so than assassination.

"That would work poorly. They are highly placed nobility and doing so will simply invite retribution. I am aiming to find out what they desire. Judging by the noble's character, it is unlikely that Keiko herself is the aim. She is merely a piece of a grand collection. If I suggest something more desirable, actual negotiation may be possible."

"I-I see..."

"That's our Fujiwara."

Sasa and I could only marvel. His viewpoint was completely different from someone like me, who was an amateur at this kind of thing.

We'd have to leave the planning to him. "What's this noble's name, by the way?"

"He is the third son of the Bunnahabhain family, Martin Bunnahabhain. The family has produced a great many mariners. However, Sir Martin himself is unaffiliated with the navy and lives a libertine lifestyle..."

I hadn't heard of the family, but considering how Great Keith was a military nation, I'd been told to avoid interfering with those connected to the military. This was going to be tricky...

"I might not be able to do much, but I'll try and think of something," I

said.

"Yup, me too!" cheered Sasa.

Fujiyan gave an apologetic thanks at that. A famous noble family... I

couldn't treat things as casually as dungeoneering.

Suddenly, I had a thought. "What did you want to talk about again, Sasa?" I needed to ask before I forgot.

"I shall take my leave," Fujiyan said.

"Nah, you can stay. Well..." She scratched at her cheek, speaking haltingly. "I...think I need to get stronger..."

"Sasa..." I began. I guess not being able to do anything against Olga was actually weighing on her. "She attacked because I'm the Hero of Roses—you're a victim there. Besides, the rumors about the loss are all about me."

"But if I hadn't lost so easily, I'd have been able to help. That's why I want to get stronger," she declared.

"Even so, Lady Sasaki, you cannot simply challenge Hero Olga...even if you do gain strength," Fujiyan asserted. "She is an important figure in Great Keith, and not someone we can easily procure an audience with."

"Right." I nodded in agreement. "There's no point if you can't have a rematch."

"That's fine!" said Sasa. "I heard from Sophie that the tournament winner gets to fight an exhibition match against the Hero of Incandescence. See?"

"Huh... Olga's not joining in?"

"Ah, no, she's not," Fujiyan confirmed. "I am aware of that due to how much it has been spread. Since she emerged victorious from the last three instances of the tournament, its popularity waned and she was forbidden from entering. However, the spectators still wish to see her. Thus, the exhibition match."

"I-I see..." She really was monstrously strong. "So...what do you think?" Sasa asked.

I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was really motivated. She's always stubborn when she gets like this. I probably couldn't stop her.

Welp, only one thing for it, then. I locked eyes with Fujiyan and he returned a nod. We're probably thinking the same way.

"Fujiyan, it is finally time."

"Indeed. I thought it would never see the light of day."

Sasa looked questioningly at us.

"Takatsuki, Fujiwara? What do you mean?"

"Sasa, let's get you leveled up... Time to punch her!"

𝘘

Sasa, also known as Aya Sasaki.

Her reincarnation had transformed her into a lamia. She was level 35, and her stats easily surpassed even Nina, who was a gold rank adventurer. Sasa had also done absolutely no training since her arrival—she'd just been strong from the start.

After surviving Labyrinthos, she'd started a bit of back-and-forth training with Nina to learn some basic martial arts. She also wielded a weapon from the Roses royal family's vault—the Fierce Deity's Hammer—but she rarely used it to fight and mostly kept it as an accessory.

Lucy trained for five hours a day (until her focus ran out); I trained for twenty hours (or any time I wasn't passed out). Sasa's training time...was zero.

She labeled herself as "behind the scenes," which involved carrying all our gear, cooking, and supply replenishment. Essentially, she was full-time support.

Even so, Sasa was, without a doubt, our strongest party member.

While Lucy had learned king rank magic, her control was still awful. As for me? One flick from Sasa would send me flying. In other words...

Who knew how strong Sasa could be if she trained properly?

"It's freezing!" Lucy complained, glancing at me. She was shivering

and hugging herself over her normal thin attire.

"Well, look at what you're wearing," I replied, shrugging off my

jacket to lend her.

"So...my knight. Why are we here?" Furiae was wrapped from head to toe in blankets, with only her face peeking out. I'd get a slap if I said she didn't look quite so refined in that getup...

Presently, we were a few dozen kilometers away from the capital. The area was called the Giant's Chair and was home to several massive flat-topped table mountains. These formations jutted up around a thousand meters from the ground, with sheer cliffs that were impassable on foot. Unlike the sweltering wasteland that made up the plains of the country, here in the high-altitude mountains, the temperature had plummeted.

"How picturesque," Fujiyan commented. "It's definitely some view," I agreed.

He and I peered down from the cliffs, admiring the vast orange expanse beneath us. Fujiyan had—along with his airship—been our ride here. As we took in the view near the cliff's edge, Sasa and Nina both called out for us to be careful. Maybe we'd gotten a bit carried away...

I turned back to Sasa and announced, "Let's get you leveled up!" "U-Uh, sure..." she stammered. "How?"

Oh. Guess I'd just dragged her here without explaining anything.

"Allow me, Lady Sasaki!" exclaimed Fujiyan. "Normal adventurers cannot tread on these table mountains due to their prodigious height, and many rare monsters inhabit this environment. There are over a hundred of these mountains, and the one we are standing on offers a unique opportunity for rapid-leveling: a whole nest of platina lizards!"

"If you take out a bunch of them, you'll hit the level cap in no time! Ain't that great?!" I asked enthusiastically.

"R-Right..."

While Fujiyan and I were all excited, Sasa seemed oddly reserved. Why?

"How do you know that, Makoto?" Lucy wondered.

"Come on, Lucy! Learning the prime grinding spots is a basic strategy for playing RPGs." I let out a sigh and gave a disappointed shake of my head.

Furiae stared at me coldly. "You seem awfully excited, my knight.

How tiresome..."

Maaan, tough crowd...

"So, where are they?" Sasa asked, looking all around. At a glance,

this plateau contained only sparse shrubbery and not any creatures.

"Oh, that's right'h," Nina said. "It will take us most of the day to even find them'h. Plus, the lizards are so timid that they rarely ever show themselves'h. That's part of why no adventurers bother to train here'h..."

She seemed a bit worried, but I just chuckled along with Fujiyan. She

didn't have it quite right...

"Lucy. Fire, if you would. Lots of it," I requested.

"Huh? I mean, it's cold, so fine... Fireball." She swung her staff and a

ball of flame the size of a shed appeared in the air.

"What now?" she asked.

"Just keep it up for a bit. Princess, could you cast some Charm Magic?" I asked, pivoting to Furiae.

"Me? On who?"

"The platina lizards love the heat. We're here, though, so they'll be too timid to come out. I want you to call them up with your charms."

"You really are a slave driver... And all this after you abandoned me

when Olga attacked."

Ack, crap. She's not happy.

"No way, I didn't do that," I countered. "I thought you'd be safe since you were hidden."

"Hmm, really? It seems to me like you're consistently forgetting that

you're my guardian knight."

"It's all good!" I assured her. "I'll be guarding you properly." "Hmph. You'll regret it next time."

Well, I seemed to have more or less gotten her on my side. Without another word, she flung away the blankets she was wrapped in.

"Whoop'h!" Nina exclaimed, rushing to catch them.

"Here I go," Furiae announced. "I'll be using my voice, so everyone cover your ears... You needn't bother, my knight."

"Will you be okay?" Sasa asked.

"You don't need to cover your ears?" Lucy added. Both of them looked at me cautiously.

"It's not like the charm will affect him anyway," said Furiae. "You're not just trying to tempt him?" Lucy prodded suspiciously. "You can't do that, Fuu!" exclaimed Sasa. "No getting ahead."

"I'm not!" Furiae yelled before backing away from them. "Quit looking at me like that. You two are scary! Anyway, here I go."

She took a deep breath, put her hand on her chest, and began to sing.

Her voice sounded clearly across the plateau, chiming along the wind. Just hearing it almost had a bolstering effect. It was far more beautiful than the harpy queen's voice we'd heard in Labyrinthos.

That's Furiae all right...

Before we knew it, birds and bugs had gathered around us in response to her voice. Then, a few dozen small shining lizards crawled out from the crag. They were soon warming themselves beneath Lucy's fireball.

"Oh, here they are. What a haul." I smiled, turning to Furiae. She

looked back at me with a flat look.

"That was the pinnacle of charm songs. It once let me control a dragon. And still, it did nothing to you?"

"Well, it wouldn't be a good thing if it did," I returned. "If only it at least did something," she complained.

I really wished she'd stop trying to get me with Charm Magic any

time she could. It wasn't like she was Noah...

After that exchange, I turned to the others, who still had their ears covered, and tapped Sasa on the shoulder.

"Get them, Sasa."

"R-Right. I feel kinda bad... Still, I need to get stronger!"

Her face turned to an expression of certainty as she hefted her Fierce Deity's Hammer. Suddenly, she vanished—a combination of her Dash skill from Action Game Player and Stealth.

In an instant, all of the platina lizards were dead.

She leveled up all at once!

We had just returned from the table mountains. As I was training in

the inn's courtyard, someone approached me from behind.

"Hero Makoto," Princess Sophia called out. "I heard that you

traveled somewhere to work on your levels? Should you not rest?"

By the way, since this was an inn where the Roses royal family occasionally stayed, there were several artificial ponds and fountains in the courtyard that some water elementals were enjoying.

Unfortunately, unless you were right next to water like this, there weren't any of them around. I was sitting on the lawn and talking with the elementals while practicing my magic.

Sasa, Lucy, and Furiae had gone for a bath—the inn had a huge one—and then they were going to have a girls' night. Fujiyan was off somewhere working with Nina.

"May I sit?" the princess asked. "What? Uh, sure."

She sat in the same way as me, right on the grass. On top of that, she was practically leaning against me, her back to mine.

"U-Um?" I could feel her soft skin against my back. "You left me behind...but took everyone else."

Because of how we were sitting, we couldn't see each other's faces. At least, that's what the princess seemed to think, but I used RPG Player to check on her expression just in case.

She's really sulking...

I mean, I had left a message for her. Maybe I should have told her in person.

"Did it go well?" Pouting expression aside, her voice was cool and

even.

"We got thirty levels today." Those lizards really were walking XP.

The steady increase in level was utterly ridiculous.

"Th... Thirty?!"

Apparently, she couldn't keep calm in response to that, and she whipped around to look at me. Her long hair slid against the back of my head. I turned around as well and met her eyes up close.

We looked at each other silently for a few seconds.

"S-So Aya must have grown considerably stronger," she said. While

her cheeks were pink, her voice was strong.

"Not yet, unfortunately. We haven't caught her up with Olga."

The fight with Olga hadn't lasted long, but according to Sasa, she knew she couldn't match the hero even slightly. I thought the two of them were way too strong, and I couldn't even see the difference.

"Will she be ready for the tournament?" Sophia asked in concern.

There was around a fortnight left until the tournament began. We'd let the princess know that Sasa would be participating. Sophia had been a little worried, but she hadn't refused. The tournament was— to some degree—set up like a sporting competition, with safety in mind, so Sasa's life wouldn't be at risk.

Princess Sophia's guardian knight had been all depressed that I wasn't participating. But I had no intention of doing so when I couldn't use the water elementals.

"We'll do as much as we can over the next two weeks," I proclaimed. "I do have some tricks up my sleeve, though."

"Very well. I shall look forward to it." Her expression softened but soon morphed back into a serious look. "On to other matters. I heard of this from Lord Fujiwara... One of your comrades is to be sold as a slave...to the Bunnahabhain family..."

Keiko Kawakita.

"Yeah. We're waiting for Fujiyan to finish investigating," I said.

"I apologize... They are strong nobles with much influence in Great

Keith's military. In addition, they offer Roses support when we suffer

losses from monster attacks, so I cannot come on too strongly..."

Her face had fallen into sadness. The Bunnahabhain family really was too powerful.

"It's not your fault," I assured her. "Although, on that note... Could we go through Sakurai or Princess Noelle?"

Those two were the reincarnation of the savior and Highland's next monarch respectively. I doubted they'd be ignored. Yet, Princess Sophia's face remained clouded.

"While Highland and Great Keith are of different strengths overall, they compete militarily. Great Keith is currently aiming to get more out of the northern front and become the overall leader on the

continent. At this point, any negotiations would be fraught..."

"I see..." Well, Fujiyan would have long since thought of that. Things

just weren't going well.

The last resort is bargaining with Eir. But...

I remembered Noah's warning: careless divine bargains invite ruin. Counting on her for too much would be risky. We'd just have to keep going. At the moment, there was nothing else I could do...

"Are you heading off soon?" I asked. "You'll probably want your beauty sleep." I was going to keep up training for a bit longer, but suddenly, I felt her grab my arm.

"Hero Makoto, your excessive training is bad for you. Sleep soon." "Ah, I'll just keep up— Hey, don't pull!"

She tugged me over with incredible strength. I mean, my stats are

stupidly low...

There was no way I could beat Eir's priestess in a contest of strength,

so I found myself shut up in my room.

The days after that were spent leveling up Sasa. At night, we investigated ways to help our enslaved classmate, gathering information in bars and such.

Five days had passed since we'd arrived in Great Keith...and Sasa hit

level 99.

𝘘

"Hi, Mako! Well done on getting Aya to level 99," Eir cheered, smiling

and waving. I sighed.

"Thank you, Eir."

Did she spend all of her time in the Seafloor Temple? This was

Noah's space, and the goddess in question had an odd look on her face as she stood at her compatriot's side.

"What's wrong, Noah?" I asked.

"The other goddesses are getting interested in you as well."

I couldn't understand what she meant for a moment and struggled

for an answer. The other goddesses?

"Well, you defeating Bifrons settled it. Althena and Sól are interested in you now. Nice going, Mako!"

"You ratted him out! Why would you do that?" Noah demanded with a glare.

"Come on, Noah, calm down. They're just keeping an eye on him." I paused. "Is that...okay?"

Noah was treated as a wicked deity in this world. Being both her apostle and under observation made me think the inquisition was going to come knocking on my door.

"Well, you're on the same side now, so it's probably fine."

"Despite that, Sól's hero certainly seemed eager to attack me," I

pointed out.

"Hmmm, that's just her personality...and the will of Great Keith's brass," Eir explained. "Attacking you was not something Sól told her to do."

So Princess Sophia was right.

But that wasn't good either. They might even try something in the

tournament...

"Hrmm, I doubt that, Makoto."

"Yeah, Mako. Sól's the goddess of war, but she's really earnest and

hates subterfuge."

"Oooh." That certainly sounded good. Sasa would never manage to win if Great Keith interfered with the tournament, but it seemed like things would be run fairly.

Eir snickered. "Can she even win, though?"

"You're a nasty one," Noah snapped. "Makoto came to us because he's got something to ask. Right?"

"Right." Seems like the goddesses had seen through my intentions.

The party had all talked today when Sasa hit level 99. Even though she was much stronger now, she still didn't think she'd be able to win against Olga. At this point, what could we even do?

Eir chucked. "Olga's level 99 too. She's a battle maniac, after all."

"That's not all," added Noah. "She can convert heat into aura. It's just like how the Hero of Light can convert sunlight to bolster and strengthen his aura—the hotter it is, the more powerful she becomes. She's got the definite home-field advantage in Great

Keith."

Their explanations made our situation seem even more ridiculous and daunting.

"Then we've got no other choice..." I muttered.

I recalled something else that we'd figured out during the party

conversation earlier.

It was Fujiyan who pointed it out—Sasa had several unique skills, including Action Game Player, Transform, and...

Evolution.

Those were the skills listed in Sasa's Soul Book.

We could pretty much guess what would happen. After all, it was an evolution—just like a lowly Magikarp evolving into a mighty

Gyarados, Sasa's skill should make her stronger as well.

"The problem is that you don't know how it'll affect you," I said to

Sasa.

"Yup. Even Fujiyan and Princess Sophia don't know anything. Lucy and Furiae had no idea either," she replied.

Monsters were mysterious to begin with, and though she'd been human once, Sasa was technically a monster in this world. We'd looked into her abilities, but unfortunately, the adventurer's guild and the library had no information about Evolution.

I was brought back to the present by Eir.

"Okay, Mako?" she asked. "So, Evolution needs an item—" "Ah bah bah! Quiet." Noah cut her off. "He came to see me!"

"Guys, please don't fight." We weren't getting anywhere! I needed

to know.

"Okay. Makoto, listen up." Noah raised her finger and started

lecturing. "Evolution requires magicite. If you use a piece containing mana from a particularly strong monster, she'll be able to evolve."

"Magicite..."

I fumbled around in my pocket and pulled out the red magicite I'd

collected after defeating Bifrons. Could I use this?

"Nope, not happening!" Eir exclaimed, grabbing onto me from behind.

"Whoa!" She'd been in front of me a minute ago.

"Not that," Noah told me. "Use the stone from the lamia queen you got in Labyrinthos."

"Uh, but..."

"'Surely, this one is much stronger?'" Eir must have read my mind

because she whispered my thoughts into my ear.

"If you use that, you'll turn Aya into a demon lord," Noah explained

calmly.

"And then you'll have to take her out," Eir added with a giggle. "Wha?"

What the hell?!

"Well, that result isn't totally set in stone," Noah said, "but a demon

lord's magicite is too strong. You shouldn't let her use it."

"Right," Eir agreed. "If things go bad, her personality might change." "S-So it could fail?" I hadn't even thought of that possibility.

"Well, if you give a lamia the lamia queen's magicite, it won't fail," Noah told me. "They're the same race after all."

I sighed. "Phew, that's a relief."

"Do you know how to use it?" Eir whispered into my ear.

Guess she was being friendly now. "No. How does it work?"

"The timing is the first thing to take into account. Midnight is best. Evolution is a skill that allows you to discard your old self and be born anew. The ceremony should take place when the world is full of death—in the depths of night."

"Also," Noah interjected, "she needs to purify her body as much as she can. And wear as little as possible. The main thing is to be 'as you were born.'"

I listened carefully so I wouldn't forget anything. "I see. Thanks for the info."

"Then," Noah continued, "once everything's ready, she needs to eat the magicite."

"E-Eat it?!"

"Yep. If she's not in a position to evolve, then the mana will engulf her," Eir warned. "But, Aya's definitely ready to accept it."

Noah nodded. "She's maxed-out her level, so she'll make a great lamia queen."

I chewed over their words—the method, the conditions, and the item.

Okay, got it. Now I could tell Sasa how her skill worked.

"Thank you, Noah, Eir," I said with a deep bow. While I had my head

down, I realized something.

If I were to eat the demon lord's magicite that's in my hand...

"You're welcome... But, Makoto, you won't evolve even if you hit level 99 and eat it." Noah scoffed.

"You want to be a demon lord?" Eir asked at the same time.

Yeah, they were reading my mind again.

"I guess not." A joke! Just a joke. I didn't even have the Evolution

skill...unfortunately.

"Noooaaah, Mako just naturally jumps straight to the riskiest stuff."

"He's just like that," Noah replied. "Makoto, if you eat that, your body won't stand up to the huge amounts of mana. You'll die. Don't you dare."

"R-Right..." I'd die? Man, I had this rare item and no way to use it...

Eir sighed. "I sure am glad I've got him under observation. He's always causing problems."

"Hm?"

"Huh?"

Noah and I looked at her in unison.

"Oops."

"What was that, Eir?" Noah asked. "Did you just say observation?"

Eir giggled and smacked her head. She was wearing a cute, awkward

expression, but now really wasn't the time for that! "You haven't noticed, Noah? That's why I'm here." Noah's lip curled in displeasure.

"Well, kinda. Originally, it was probably Althena's suggestion," she said, casually dropping the head goddess's name. "But, it was actually Ira who told us to be careful of Makoto's party. She's shut herself away, but she definitely said we should keep an eye on your disciple and the Priestess of the Moon..."

"And that's essentially...his party," Noah said flatly.

I was silent. My heart stirred with disquieted feelings.

Ira, the goddess with the ability to see this world's future, had prompted the Sacred Deities to observe us. Why was she concerned about our party?

"Mako and Furiae are good kids, though. Even if Mako can be a bit dangerous." Eir smiled with a completely innocent air. She could be a bit wicked sometimes, but she was so kind.

"You're getting taken in," Noah interjected, snapping me out of my

train of thought. "There isn't any such thing as a nice goddess." "You meanie. Look at how kind I ammmm."

I sighed. Well, Eir was kind. She always helped me.

Oh, right, I need to ask about something else.

"Noah, Eir. Are there really no water elementals in Great Keith?" "That's right, so don't push yourself." Noah stressed.

"Yeah, Mako, you're a shrimp there."

So harsh! I mean, it was true... But still!

"That's why I had a thought..." I said, before launching into an idea

I'd had about how to fight.

When I finished, their expressions sure were a sight to see—they looked like they were watching a crazy person.

"Mako! If you're going to do that, you should just convert to me! I'll

give you Water Magic (Saint Rank)!"

"Nope, Eir. This is how he always is," Noah said with a sigh. "No way! That's just suicide! Roses doesn't support suicide!" "He's done stuff like this over and over. Remember when he

synchro'd with someone who had incompatible magic? King rank fire! Almost burned him alive! And then there was the time he tried to control Undyne with only about 200 magic mastery. Makoto's sanity meters are broken."

"Noah, you don't need to put it that way!" I protested. Was it really

that bad an idea?

"Yes. It's out of the question," Eir stated. "You'll make Sophie cry." "He'll do it anyway," said Noah.

She really does understand me...

"I'm still telling you not to!" Noah yelled, giving me a firm smack to

the head.

In the end, they did give me a few pointers on my idea...but they were still completely against it.

And I thought it was such a good plan...

𝘘

The next morning, we all gathered for breakfast. I'd spoken with the goddesses for too long, so I hadn't gotten much sleep.

I'm still kinda tired...

But we had things to do, and we spent the meal discussing our upcoming plans. Fujiyan was working on information gathering about Kawakita's "buyer" but hadn't found anything particularly helpful.

We did know that she was being held in the town's slave market—a place under strict guard.

Kawakita had a rare skill, so she was being treated fairly well. The main problem was that there were only a few days until the next auction.

"Fujiyan, is there anything I can help with?" I asked.

"Let me see... If I can think of anything, then I shall make you aware forthwith." That answer was the same one he'd given me a few days ago. His face was grave. He was really struggling, and I hated not being able to help.

We spent the rest of the meal just chatting and then sat around drinking some tea.

Oh, right. I need to tell Sasa about the Evolution skill. I picked at the cookies that'd been served with the tea, took a sip from my cup, then turned to Sasa.

"Mind coming to my room tonight, Sasa? At around eleven?" "Huh? S-Sure, I don't mind."

Midnight was the best time for it, so I figured we should start getting ready a bit before that.

Silence consumed the room as Lucy and Princess Sophia's gazes locked onto me. They looked like they wanted to say something, but they didn't speak. I was kinda curious, but Evolution was more important right now.

"Make sure you have a proper bath and wear the thinnest clothes you have," I continued.

"Wha?!" Sasa exclaimed in shock.

Well, Noah had said that for Evolution to work, you should be "as

you were born."

The gazes from the other two grew heavier. Furiae seemed

uninterested and was playing with Twi. My brain still wasn't working properly from the lack of sleep, but I needed to make sure I relayed all the information I remembered.

"U-Umm, Takatsuki? You want me to have a bath and come to your room without wearing much? What're you gonna do then?" Sasa shifted, peering up at me.

Huh... Maybe she'd forgotten about the skill? "Well, the ceremony, of course."

"C-Ceremony?!"

Why was she so surprised about it? We'd been talking about it for a

while.

"O-Okay. It's my first time, but I'll do my best."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it." How strong would she end up?

"I might be a bit nervous..." she said, her cheeks flushing red.

"Don't worry. Just leave it to me." After all, the goddesses had assured me that we couldn't fail.

"Be gentle...okay?"

"Of...course?" I was just going to tell her what needed to be done.

What about that needed to be gentle?

"M-Mister Takatsuki'h," stammered Nina. "You should be alone for this kind of conversation'h..."

Furiae leveled me with an icy glare. "What do you think you're doing? Talking like this first thing in the morning?!" Next to her, Lucy and Sasa's mouths opened and closed mutely.

Hm? Uh... Had I said something odd?

"My esteemed Tackie... Everything you have said for the past while has been odd. Why not wash up and wake up?"

I guess his Mind Reading had enabled him to understand everything, so he just offered me some calm support. And in the end, the misunderstandings were corrected.

𝘘 The Next Day 𝘘

"How do you feel, Sasa?"

She'd completed the ceremony and had managed to evolve into a lamia queen. By the way, I hadn't been able to witness it—Lucy and Nina had been the ones with her.

Damn it! I wanted to see!

Hahhhh, Makoto... Noah said, sounding exasperated. You don't

understand women.

Poor Sophie, lamented Eir.

What's that about, goddesses?

"I feel kinda sluggish..." Sasa told me. "I think I'll just sleep today..." "Maybe we should get a doctor to take a look?" I suggested.

Sasa was currently in her lamia form. She hadn't looked like this for quite a while, but she was now a monster, flopped out on the bed. Her snake tail dangled over the edge.

"Aya, are you okay?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"My healing magic is having no effect..." Princess Sophia informed

us.

"She doesn't seem pale and her mana is flowing well," Furiae

observed. "From my perspective, there are no issues. If anything, she

seems as strong as an average dragon."

So Furiae thought she was that strong...

"Evolution affected her level—it has reset from 99 to 1," Fujiyan explained. "Her body is likely confused by the sudden change. I believe she would be best served by resting."

"Right, got it. As for a doctor, I'd prefer to find one we can trust to be discreet and keep their mouth shut..."

"Worry not'h! We have already made the preparations'h!"

That was Nina and Fujiyan for you—always perfectly on the ball.

"Do you want anything?" Lucy asked Sasa. "Hmmmm, something sweet..."

"I'll go peel you some fruit." "Yayyy."

Lucy was looking after her. I wasn't going to be of any use.

Suddenly, the geezer guardian knight ran up to us. "Lady Sophia, you

have a guest!" he exclaimed.

"Turn them away," she replied bluntly. "Th-That isn't—"

"I'm coming in, Sophia."

The man was cut off. In walked a tan girl wearing what looked like dancer's clothes. Her accessories and shoes were obviously expensive. Two brawny-looking fighters were standing behind her.

Bodyguards? Is she a noble? I wondered. Her words showed no deference or respect to Princess Sophia, so she definitely wasn't a normal person.

"Dahlia. Showing up with no preamble..." Sophia looked slightly lost,

but she moved to talk to the woman. Dahlia... I remembered that name.

This was the Priestess of Fire: Dahlia Sól Great Keith.

So this is their priestess. She did have the same refined air as Princess Sophia.

Just then, I suddenly remembered something. Ack! Sasa is still in her lamia form!

I "looked" behind me with RPG Player and saw Lucy had covered

Sasa's lower half with a blanket.

Nice one!

"Oh my, is that the warrior who will be participating in the tournament?" Dahlia said, her eyes trained on Sasa. She then turned to me. "You must be Sophia's fiancé, Makoto, the Hero of Roses. I apologize for my guardian knight's rudeness toward you. Would you pardon it?"

Though her words were polite, the apology definitely didn't feel sincere. Her guardian knight was Olga Sól Talisker—aka the Hero of Incandescence. In other words, Dahlia was protected by the battle- crazed hero who had attacked us. Apparently, Olga and Dahlia were childhood friends, and their looks boosted their popularity in Great Keith. They were almost like idols here.

Maybe Dahlia was the one who incited Olga...? Just because they looked nice didn't mean they were nice. It definitely felt like "blackhearted" was the more appropriate description for the pair.

"Nice to meet you," I said in response. "I'm Makoto Takatsuki."

"I am indeed glad to make your acquaintance. The heat here may be slightly harder to deal with than in Roses, but I hope you can relax in Great Keith."

As she spoke, she gripped my hand tightly.

She's so close...

However, what I felt in response was less like my heart skipping a beat and more like a chill crawling up my spine. Dahlia seemed like she was appraising me, like a merchant looking at potential wares.

Would I end up being trash or treasure in her eyes?

"Dahlia, get away from him," snapped Princess Sophia. "If you have business, I will deal with you."

"Oh, but I wanted to speak with Hero Makoto for a little longer,"

Dahlia replied.

"No."

"Harsh. Still, it's been a while—I wanted to talk with you as well."

At that, the two of them vanished into another room.

The new priestess seemed to act similar to royalty. Therefore, a royal should be the one dealing with her. Horses for courses, I suppose.

I'll leave Princess Sophia to it.

Lucy was looking after Sasa, and Sophia had taken away our sudden guest. I was just thinking about what to do with my time when I saw someone strolling toward the exit.

"Princess? Where are you going?"

"For a walk," Furiae replied. She carried Twi on her shoulder as she headed for the door.

I remembered Eir's warning—the Sacred Deities were keeping an eye on her. Ira had specifically warned against the moon priestess, so it felt dangerous to let her wander around alone.

"I'll come with you," I offered.

"Hm, that's rare. I suppose you are my guardian knight. Aren't you?" "It's dangerous to go alone."

"Hah." She huffed out a laugh. "I can just charm foes and run." Even so, she didn't refuse when I left alongside her.

"It's hot," she complained a little way into our walk. "Well, it's a warm climate," I replied.

"Use the water elementals to cool me down."

"There aren't any." Seriously, none of them, wherever I looked.

Great Keith was tough.

Despite her griping, she seemed to be enjoying herself. She was humming away as she curiously browsed items in the shops.

"Want to buy something?" I asked. She was staring with interest at

some clothes in a stall.

"What?!" she exclaimed, looking aghast. "You want me to wear

something that exposing in front of you? You pervert!"

I suppose the clothing in this country was rather different from her usual attire. Still, she had to be even hotter wearing a long black dress. A lot of the fashion in Great Keith showed a lot of skin—it was just the type of clothing Lucy preferred.

"Besides," she continued, "if I walked around wearing this, I'd end up charming every man that saw me. That's not fair to the girls, is it?

You get it, right?" She chuckled, flipping her hair with a smug look. Her gestures were high-handed, but they looked really good coming from her.

A while later, she suddenly announced that she was hungry.

Well, it's around midday—about time for another meal. The various restaurants seemed to be getting ready for the lunch rush.

"Let's go there," she suggested, pointing. "Sure."

We headed into a place at random. Our order consisted of a spicy soup and some crunchy bread. It came with a sweet drink, similar to coconut milk. I also asked for some grilled fish for Twi.

"This definitely has a strange taste," Furiae remarked, but she

seemed to be enjoying the meal nonetheless. To me, though, this flavor was very familiar. "It's like curry," I said.

"What's that?"

"Food from my old world. In my country, we all grew up on curry." "This must be nostalgic then."

It certainly was. Being whisked away to a new world had come with a whole host of issues, but I was happy the food was nice.

I'll have to bring Fujiyan and Sasa to this place, I decided as we ate.

Furiae let out a sigh. "I feel a little sleepy," she said, propping her chin in her hand and beginning to nod off. Before long I could hear her breathing soften. Twi had curled up next to her and was passed out as well.

Have we tired her out? I guess we'd dragged her along for Sasa's

leveling. Thanks, Furiae.

I decided to let her rest and just waited for her to wake up.

She'd been sleeping for around half an hour before she suddenly startled awake.

Her eyes were wide and a bead of sweat trickled down her cheek. It was the first time I'd seen her lose her usual composure—she looked scared.

"Princess? What's wrong?"

She didn't answer immediately but peered suspiciously around the area.

"Listen to me," she urged, grabbing my hair and yanking my ear toward her lips. "My knight..." she whispered. "The capital will be destroyed..."