Nidome no Yuusha

“I'm really sorry, I heard the Black Orc’s roar, so I rushed here from the highway as soon as I heard it’s voice…….., but to appear just before it met its end……..”

She was talking in a gentle and slow tone while lowering her head to give an apology. She used a cane that was decorated with magical stones, and at first glance she looked like a mature woman donning the robe of a magician.

Sunny, yet dark green coloured hair was clasped together with a wooden flower clip put on the right side of the head, and let loose to the side, hanging freely. The woman’s hair seemed to give off a gentle impression caused by the sun shining and reflecting off it.

Yumis Erumia.

As the name suggests, she is the daughter of the City Lord of Erumia; a Noble, and a Magic Researcher.

She is also quite capable, on the first run she was the person who worked as a magician to bring down the Demon King.

“Even if there were two of you, why were you using weapons instead of magic? Black Orc’s are quite the dangerous opponent…….. No, that isn’t an explanation. I haven’t even confirmed the situation, I’m truly sorry for my behaviour.”

“No, we~ll, there were many unavoidable circumstances during this situation.”

The truth is, she stole someone else’s prey. I endured the urge to scream what I was thinking while making a flattering smile that made me nauseous.

Not yet, it's still not time for revenge, the circumstances are different from the time with the princess. This isn’t the time to be impatient.

We~ll, I acted on premise since I knew the circumstances and structure of the place. Therefore, I could take revenge on the princess, the king, the queen, and the knights that were unable to stand up to me, so they could only endure.

I was thankful for the memories of my first run, it helped me to stomach the sour feeling welling up inside me and keep calm.

“By the way, how were you able to hold up until now without the use of magic? I’m sorry, but….”

Right now, Me and Minarisu look like beginner adventurers wearing leather armor and black robes that we bought in the kingdom.

We are in a two person team and we haven’t hired a carriage to look more like ordinary citizens, so you cannot differentiate us at a single glance. Moreover, we don’t look like influential people.

“A~h, that is……..”

“That strangely shaped blade, does it perhaps have a secret to it? Ah, no, that’s rude of me to ask the secrets of an adventurer.”

“No, this is just a very sharp blade with a special shape. When we encountered each other, he was already in a weakened state. It was difficult to wound him, so I tried my best to bring his strength down until he collapsed.”

“Is that so…….. I didn’t know who weakened the Black Orc, I was looking around while heading here and saw that he was already able to escape……..”

Yumis inclined her head with a sad look while thinking, and shook it after.

“Either way, the person who weakened the monster cannot be confirmed. I would like to obtain the entirety of the Black Orc materials and its delivery. So, I would like to ask that of you, can you sell this Black Orc to me?”

“This Black Orc?”

“Yes, I would like it right here. How about 5 gold coins? I have a Grade 2 tool bag, I can undertake the delivery right here.”

The tool bag is a round magic bag of the magic tool category. The capacity of the bag is determined by its grade, and the bag with the highest ability is given the 1st grade, then it lower’s with each grade, and goes up to the 10th grade with the lowest grade.

The 2nd Grade tool bag has the abilities to reduce the weight to 1/20 of its original weight, and it has the capacity to store about a room with the length of 8-tatami mats.

The tool bag is similar to my [Round squirrel sword sack], but with limitations added to it, so there is no demerit in having one either.

Unlike my round sack though, it only has weight reduction and space expansion magic applied to it. When you put something inside, the weight raises little by little.

Even when retrieving, the mouth of the tool bag opens wide, therefore it’s possible to store large objects inside it, but it doesn’t absorb objects as soon as it’s brought close to the bag. So, when more stuff is piled into it, it has become harder to retrieve specific objects.

In addition, if the miscellaneous items are mixed together, then taking out a specific object becomes even harder. The cost of the bag increases with each grade.

Many Veteran adventurers will have this tool bag, but most intermediate adventurers who work hard can only buy up to a 5th Grade tool bag with a lifetime investment.

Even in the Kingdom, we only have the capability to buy two 5th grade tool bags, but the round sack is clearly superior despite having to sacrifice 5% of the upper amount of our MP.

If you place your hands into the mouth of the bag to retrieve a knife, such as a throwing knife in battles, you can take it out by only remembering to have to search the bag. No matter how much weight is inserted, the bag doesn’t change, and there is no upper limit for capacity. Therefore, I didn’t feel the need to obtain the tool bag that costs dozens of gold coins.

“A Grade 2 tool bag~, that's quite amazing. A~ah, don’t worry too much about the price. Originally, we wouldn’t have been able to sell it, since we don’t have the capability to carry it. I also don’t really know the price of the Black Orc, so selling it to a beauty is fine.”

I said that to her while trying to look natural to show I wasn’t flattering her, but I immediately regretted it.

As a flattery or as a joke, as soon as I praised her, it left a nauseating and a sour feeling in my mouth, as if a rotten fruit was stuffed into it. I even thought about hitting the Black Orcs face on impulse, but doing so would surely cause problems for my plans in the future, so I restrained myself.

“Kusukusu, I have used proper market prices, whether you check it later in the city or not, i don’t mind.”

If you had tried to cheat me by ignoring market value, I would have surely called you out on that, as usual, the surface of this human is still perfect.

“I am known as Yumis. If you ever come to the school of Erumia, make sure to drop by. ”

“Please take care of me during that time.”

“Then, I shall take my leave. I came here to collect the star grass that lies further ahead of here. Gather and form, [Creation: Earth Puppet Golem]”

When Yumis activated her magic, the ground rose and out came sand and stone, which was gathering and rising to make form.

Finally, two red earth dolls were completed, and the two puppets lifted the Black Orc and started packing it. Black smoke was still being emitted while being stored due to the magical attack from Yumis previously.

“1, 2……..5, this is 5 gold coins. Here you go.”

Yumis casually counted 5 gold coins and handed them over.

Upon receiving it, I briefly bowed, and Yumis received the tool bag from the golems and proceeded to go away from town.

Of course, I also wanted to obtain some distance between us from the unexpected encounter, so I headed toward Elumia. When she completely disappeared, Minaris stopped her Iron Mask skill.

Tl: Iron Mask in this instance can also expressed as Expressionless, Hard, or cold as ice. Etc.

“That’s surprising, I never expected that I would see that woman's face before I even reached the city.”

“A~ah, that's right. This has been quite the unexpected event.”

“But still, is it not fine for Master to acquire the Iron Mask skill? Although there were no requirements for it up until now, flattery with such a trash like woman and to a kind of person holding such a complexion……..such a woman, saying she was beautiful. ”

Minaris was murmuring something with a small voice at the end, but I wasn’t able to hear it.

I wanted to ask her what she said, but the mood has worsened from the previous situation, so I considered against it.

“The Iron Mask skill is very irritating, if both of us seem expressionless whenever we meet a revenge subject, then that would alert them. Honestly, taking such a friendly attitude with her made me feel nauseous, but I was able to handle it.”

“If Master says so, we~ll……..Then, should I also have a friendly smile on my face from now on? But still, no matter what happens, it would still give a bad aftertaste.”

“That is so, that feeling is the lowest. Let's do it together, whether we will be cheerful together, or feel worst together.”

“Doing it together you say…….that is certainly quite attractive.”

“Wa, what is it? What is with this weird self indulgent fantasy?”

It what was quite the unexpected image of the woman, but I don’t think she seems like she would spend her free time doing unproductive work.

“Ha~a, We~ll, that's fine too.”

“? We~ll, for now, let's consider it to be the former. When we reach the next town, let’s not pick a inexpensive lodging, but go for a slightly expensive one. It's not uncommon for travellers to choose expensive lodging when they just finished a long journey. Let's go somewhere and have a delicious meal rather than cooking it.”

“Nope, I shall make the meal. Please change your preferences and allow me to make it..”

“Nn, but, I keep relying on you for making the meals, do you not feel the need to rest at all? We will be able to borrow the kitchen, it’s alright not cook as long as we are having a regular dinner while inside of the city.”

“Cooking is my hobby after all. Moreover, I don’t like having food cooked by the likes of those humans. Or, is it that you dislike my cooking?”

“........sometimes, that's quite mean of you to say that, you.”

“Ara, did you never notice? A woman is a creature that's very good and has cunning plans.” f𝑟e𝒆𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗oѵ𝐞𝗹.c૦𝑚

Acting at the time MP Intoxication increased her sex appeal, Minaris laughed.

“........She obtained objectives using cunning means, and becomes a vile creature to obtain them if dominated.”

Minaris said this while laughing, and the dark smile disappeared from her face while a dark flame lit up in her eyes.

Most likely, she remembered one of her Revenge candidates, the words said by Rosha.

A girl I saw in the memories of Minaris signed the contract with her was certainly such a kind of person.

“We~ll, I don’t have any problems since Minaris’s cooking is quite delicious.”

“Tss, if you say it so directly, I feel quite embarrassed.”

“Iya, aren't you trying to hide those expressions while using the Iron Mask skill?”

She was Embarrassed, saying so, Minaris still kept on having her expressionless face.

“I think that trying the other Chefs dishes will be helpful as well though. Since Minaris already knows the basics, eating out will be quite helpful.”

“That is quite right. Although, I dislike it. I don’t want to increase the number of dishes in my repertoire. To the point of recreating it perfectly so that I can make it any number of times later.”

“Oi, oi, is that so. Iya, We~ll, that's fine, I guess?”

Somehow, the inner Chef inside of Minaris seemed to have been provoked somehow.

Once I confirmed that the Iron Mask skill had been deactivated from her expressions, we proceeded to head toward Erumia.

I realized that I had calmed down a little bit later after that..

“By the way, we haven’t had breakfast yet.”

“That seems to be so, due to fighting with the Black Orc, I seemed to have forgotten about it, I shall prepare it right now.”

On that day, Minaris used a little extra eggs in the kitchen to make breakfast that was quite extravagant.