“I am not particularly bothered, you knoW? That master left me behind and casually went home, not in the leasT. Yes — not in the leasT.”
Cesca’s smile is terrifying… Normally she barely shows emotion — why is it now, of all times, that she’s beaming?
“Thanks to it, I have come to know a new tendency of master — fond of abandonment plaY. Surely you will soon wish to leave me naked in a park at night, that kind of perverse abandonment scenariO. Someone might see, someone might assault me — and you wish to enjoy watching me cower in feaR. Truly, master, what a refined hobby you havE.”
“Not a single millimeter of that crossed my mind!”
She is absolutely holding it against me! Okay yes, the fault is ours — by force of habit, after the job I just [Gate]‘d everyone straight home.
“Lay off — she’s clearly reflecting on it, and if you push too hard, you’ll get genuinely abandoned next, you know?”
Leen, sipping the tea Cesca had brought out, broke in from her seat on the garden-facing terrace.
“MuH. That would be a probleM. Very well — if master gifts me lewd underwear of his liking, I shall forgivE.”
“That bar is high!? Lewd or not, that’s still a no!”
“JokE.”
Cesca bowed lightly and stepped off the terrace.
Honestly — what’s wrong with that robo-girl’s wiring!? Leen’s eyes tracked Cesca’s retreating back.
“That’s impressive, though. The reasoning circuit.”
“Where in that lewd thought process!?”
“No, the personality. The way the girl sulks, the elasticity to crack jokes. Like a real human. I doubt [Program] alone could pull that off…”
Don’t go saying that — there’s a small bear doll sulking in the corner of the terrace right now. Hands behind its back, kicking at a pebble like it’s bored — that’s plenty impressive, I’d say. I think Paula’s holding her own.
“So what brings you today?”
“Right. The remaining Babylon transfer circles. So far, no solid leads.”
”…You’re going to look for them?”
”…You’re not?”
We blinked at each other. Honestly, I’m not too motivated. Cesca alone is already a handful — adding more… And the Doctor herself said it didn’t matter whether we find them.
“I’m not seeing a reason to look for them, really…”
“How can you say that!? Ancient knowledge, lost technology — aren’t you curious!?”
“Not really.”
“Tch, dreamless brat!”
Sure, compared to you I’m a brat. But the Doctor also said too much power isn’t needed in this era.
The one thing on my mind, though, is the Phrase. Considering the what-ifs — maybe I should secure Babylon’s power just in case.
Well — as long as the transfer circles aren’t found, the point is moot.
“At any rate — let’s revisit it when we have actual leads on a circle. If something firm turns up, I’ll help.”
”…You promise? If you break it, I’m holding you to the lewd-underwear thing too.”
“Please don’t!”
I pressed my forehead to the table and begged her not to. Buying lewd underwear for a small-child-looking person would end my life in a non-trivial way. Setting aside whether such things even exist!
Satisfied with the verbal contract, Leen took Paula and headed back to the royal palace. Phew — hope nothing irritating comes of this…
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“Two mithril golems…! Our apologies, sir — that was an oversight on our end.”
The guild’s receptionist bowed in apology. The job’s wording wasn’t technically wrong, but if the actual goal was reopening the mine, it should’ve specified two.
“Given that you brought in kill-proofs for both, and the error is on our side, we’ll pay double the reward — ten platinum. Of course, the points credited to your cards will also double.”
Oh — that’s nice. Fair enough, I guess.
She lined up ten platinum on the counter and stamped our cards as usual — thump, thump, thump.
“With these points, all of you have advanced in rank. Congratulations.”
Yumina’s card was now blue; the rest of ours, red. Whoa. We’ve joined first-tier adventurer ranks now.
Hm? Beside the Dragon Slayer symbol, a new mark had appeared — a cracked-square icon shaped like a golem’s head.
“In addition, for this kill we award the Golem Buster title.”
So that’s the Golem Buster symbol. Perk: 20% off at affiliated shops — but Dragon Slayer is 40%, so it’s redundant.
We left the guild. Linze and Yumina headed to the magic shop. Elze had a training appointment with General Leon and split off too. I sent Kōhaku with Linze and Yumina, and Sango and Kokuyō with Elze. That way we can stay in contact if something happens. I’d assumed telepathy with summoned beasts cut out at distance, but apparently not. Treating them like cell phones is a bit much, but whatever.
I was heading to the smithy with Yae. Got mithril — time to get her katana reforged. But ordinary smithies don’t forge katana. For a katana, you go to Eashen.
I opened a [Gate] to Oedo.
By rights, the first thing I should do is go to Yae’s parents and do the “please let me have your daughter” thing — but we just met them recently and broaching it now feels too fast. We’re not getting married right away, and Yae herself said it’s fine to settle down a bit before the formal greeting.
Opposite from Yae’s family home, on Oedo’s western edge, there’s apparently a skilled swordsmith. We were walking through the town toward it, side by side, when Yae kept stealing little glances at me.
”…? What is it?”
“Hwa!? Ah, no — uhm… s-sessha is Touya-dono’s b-betrothed, indeed… yes?”
“Eh — y-yeah. That’s right.”
Hearing betrothed makes it sound like a parent-arranged engagement from old days, but the meaning isn’t wrong. Saying it out loud is embarrassing, though.
“In which case, indeed… uhm… h-h-hold… I’d like to hold hands while we walk, perhaps…”
Face crimson to the ears, Yae looked at the ground as she got the words out.
What is this!? She’s adorable!
Can any man ignore a request like that from a bashful pretty girl? No — none. I sure can’t.
I quietly extended my right hand and took Yae’s left.
“Ah…”
Held it once during [Recall], but — soft, as ever.
Yae looked up at me, smiled bashfully — ehehe — and gave my hand a firm little squeeze. That makes the heart jump.
Just walking hand-in-hand with the girl you like — and you feel this happy. Yeah — no wonder couples carry on the way they do in this world. I forgive every one of you.
The short “date” took us to the western edge of Oedo’s smithy. From inside, the clang, clang of hammer on metal. I peered into the shop.
“Excuse me — anyone home?”
“Yes, what is it?”
A woman in her early twenties came pattering out of the back, apron on. Black hair tied back, sandals on her feet. Shop attendant?
“I’d like to commission a katana — would that be possible?”
“A katana — yes, certainly. One moment, please. Dear — customer!”
She called toward the workshop in the back. Thought she was the help — actually the proprietress.
A man around thirty came out — coarse working clothes, a towel tied bandana-style around his head. Bearded, with a gentle look. Like a good-natured mountain man — the comparison isn’t quite right, but you get the idea.
“A katana, eh? Which of you’s it for?”
“Ah — for her. The material — mithril, if possible…”
“Mithril!? That’s a hell of a request! You some lord’s kid?”
The smith’s eyes went round in surprise. His wife looked equally floored.
“No — we took down a mithril golem and recovered the material. I wanted her weapon made from it.”
“Aha — mithril golem. Don’t look it, but you’re tough, you lot.”
The master let out an impressed breath. He asked to see Yae’s katana and wakizashi, took them, turned them over in the light, and said:
“One week. That work?”
“Yes, please. And the price?”
“No charge.”
Eh? What does that mean? Free? They say nothing’s more expensive than free. That’s a little scary. “Sweet deals have a catch, a pretty rose has thorns, nothing is more expensive than free” — my grandmother’s favorite.
“No charge — but in exchange, give me some of that mithril you have. In Eashen, hihi’irokane comes around every once in a while, but mithril almost never. Shipping from the western continents costs you a fortune.”
Ah — that kind of deal.
“That’s fine — but I have no idea what the going rate is. So I’m not sure how much to leave.”
“Hmm. …All right — for today, just leave enough to forge the katana and wakizashi. Once they’re done, you can pay me in mithril according to how the work comes out.”
“Understood — let’s do that.”
I’ll look up the mithril market rate before I come back. I opened [Storage] and pulled out two softball-sized chunks of mithril.
“Will this be enough?”
“Aye — a bit much, actually.”
The smith took them in hand and tested the heft.
“One week, then.”
“Thank you very much.”
We left the smithy to the sound of the wife’s farewell.
I was about to open a [Gate] from somewhere unwatched — when Yae tugged at the hem of my coat and looked up at me, hesitating.
“U-um… j-just a little longer, the two of us…”
She said it, then turned her face down, red again. Ohhh — if we weren’t in the middle of the street I’d be hugging her right now!
I took her hand again and walked with Yae, her bashful little smile, through the streets of Oedo.