Day-to-day Life II

The day after we returned from Mismede, we made our way to the guild in

the capital to receive our rewards.

As I looked at the quest board, which was just as surrounded as the one in

Reflet, I gave my card to the receptionist. Since it was a direct request, the royal

palace should have already informed the guild that it was completed. The lady

at the desk looked over our cards and request papers before pushing that

familiar seal against them.

"You've all done a great job. Your completion of this quest has increased your

guild rank. Congratulations!"

I looked over the cards she gave us, and, sure enough, mine, Elze's, Linze's,

and Yae's were Blue, while Yumina's was Green. Since the order was Black,

Purple, Green, Blue, Red, Silver, and Gold, we were now in the perfect middle of

the chain. Once we got to red, we'd be able to call ourselves proper

adventurers.

"And here is your reward. It comes out to ten platinum coins." The

receptionist placed ten white coins on the table.

Still can't believe just one of these is worth one million yen. I mean, that's ten

million yen in total... Isn't that a bit much? Then again, it's a reward for a

mission that'll help decide the fates of two countries, so maybe I shouldn't feel

so bad about it. Plus, the whole plan depended on my rare ability to use [Gate].

If you take that into account, maybe the reward was just inflated because of the

special conditions.

Each of us took two coins and turned to leave the guild. But before we had a

chance to leave, the receptionist stopped us.

"Ah, could you wait just a minute? We were told by people from the royal

palace that a party led by one Mochizuki Touya has killed a Black Dragon.

Would that be you?"

"Well, yeah. We did defeat one... Can't help you if you're asking for proof,

though." I didn't feel like showing off the guns I made from the Dragon's horn,

and the pieces I hadn't used yet were all back at home. Plus, that stuff no longer

resembled a horn, so I doubted they'd have believed me even if they saw it.

"Oh no, it's enough to just confirm your identity. The validity of your kill was

assured by the royal palace, so there is no problem in that regard. With that in

mind, the guild would like you to accept the symbol of your deed — the title of

'Dragon Slayer.'" As she spoke, she took the cards of everyone who

participated in the battle and pushed a different seal against them. She handed

them back, and I quickly noticed a round symbol in the right corner of my card.

It portrayed a sword piercing through a grounded Dragon. The proof of a

Dragon Slayer, huh?

"If you present this card to weaponsmiths, armorers, tool shops, or inns that

are partnered with our guild, you'll receive a 30% discount on all your

transactions. I hope you enjoy the benefits."

Huh? There are bonuses to this? Well, no way I'm refusing something so nice.

According to the receptionist, the Dragon Slayer title only went to those who

had slayed a Dragon in a party of five or less. That seemed reasonable enough

to me. After all, if a thousand people went and swarmed a dragon to death, it

wouldn't be fair to call those people Dragon Slayers.

The receptionist also said that a Blue member killing a Dragon was a very rare

occurrence. Interestingly enough, the only Gold adventurer in the world was

also still Blue when he killed his first Dragon. Putting small talk aside, I happily

accepted my new title.

We left the guild, and as the girls began talking about buying clothes and

other knick-knacks, I decided to head back home. But before I could leave, I

remembered there was something I had to take care of. Alright, now, to find a

blacksmith...

My shopping left me a tad overburdened, so I used [Gate] to return to my

lawn, where I accidentally surprised my gardener, Julio. Whoops, my bad...

"Sir, what might that be?" Curious about what I had with me, Julio stopped

his work on the flower bed.

"Steel, rubber, and a bit of leather. I'm about to try making a bicycle."

"Buy-sickle?"

"A simple vehicle. One that allows you to go really fast."

"I... see..." He replied, but was clearly oblivious to the idea. Couldn't exactly

blame him for that, though.

As I was getting started on the tires, it hit me that I probably needed an air

pump first. Then I remembered that the roads in this world would make them

go flat very quickly, so I decided to make them full rubber. Riding on a bike with

full rubber tires would probably be a lot less pleasant, though.

While I was using [Modeling] to give the rubber the shape of a bike tire, Laim

came to the garden, accompanied by none other than Duke Ortlinde.

"Sir, His Highness Duke Ortlinde has come to visit and... If I may ask, what are

you doing?"

"Hey there. What is that thing?"

Their reactions were the same as Julio's. My reply was exactly the same as

well, and, as one would expect, they didn't understand at all.

"So, what brought you here, Duke?"

"I merely came to thank you for what you did. Oh, also... about those mirrors

meant for sending letters... I was wondering if you could give me another one."

"You want another Gate Mirror? What for?"

"Well actually, this would be for my wife! I was thinking that she'd have such

a smile on her face if I gave her the means to frequently talk with her mother.

Her mother lives quite far away, you see."

You're looking pretty bashful there, Mr. Duke. Heh, how cute. I had Laim go to

my room and fetch me a set of mirrors from the drawers in my desk. Then, I

used [Enchant] to imbue them with [Gate]. Just to make sure, I put a piece of

paper into one of them, and it came out the other just fine.

"I'd be thankful if you kept these a secret. I don't like the idea of someone

shady going after me." Even if it might've been a bit late to stop the gossip, I

tried my best to hammer that point home.

"Of course, no need to worry there. Both my wife and her mother always

keep such promises." Since he happened to be there, I decided to also give him

the souvenir that I'd bought in Mismede for Sue. It was just a silver hair clip, but

I hoped she'd like it.

"By the way, how long will it take you to finish this... bicycle, was it?"

"Hmm, it's my first time making one, but I guess it'll be done in about thirty

minutes. Though the fine-tuning might add a bit to that."

"I see... Then I shall take the liberty of observing you until completion, if you

don't mind."

Duke, you have too much free time. Well, whatever. I have a tire to finish. I

took a steel ingot and used [Modeling] to create a bike wheel frame.

"Okay, looks to be about done."

"Hoh. So this is a bicycle..." Laim, Julio, and the duke looked at the completed

bike with great curiosity.

In the end, I opted for a standard city-bike design. Though simple, it was

complete with a basket at the front and even had a rear carrier. However, bike

locks and lights for night rides seemed like a pain to make, so it didn't have any

of those.

Not wanting to waste any time, I sat down on the leather seat and began

pedaling forward. Laim, Julio, and the duke looked on in amazement.

Alright, all good. Well, maybe it's vibrating a bit too much. I rode a lap around

the garden, came back around, then hit the brakes. Good, no problems there

either.

"Touya! Can I ride that too?!"

"Anyone can. Where I come from, even children ride these. Though, firsttimers usually end up falling over a lot while they practice... Are you willing to

go through that?"

"Of course!" Seriously, man? You've got more curiosity than you ought to,

Duke!

Duke Ortlinde excitedly took the bike from me and imitated what I did by

sitting on it and pedaling... only to fall over almost immediately. Well, who

didn't see that one coming? Laim hastily helped him up, but the duke was

undeterred. He hopped back up on his bike and... fell over again.

It made me remember back when I went through the same rite of passage. I

thoroughly believed that repeated failures were what made the first success so

satisfying. Shame I couldn't remember how long it took me until I could ride

properly.

I ran an internet search, found a site on "How to learn to ride a bike in a day"

and used it to give him some advice. I could only hope it would help him.

The duke was occupied with falling off the bike, Laim was occupied with

helping him up after he fell, and Julio was occupied with watching the whole

spectacle unfold. I decided that it was the best opportunity I'd get to make a

second bike. After all, it was far too obvious that he'd want one of his own

when he learned to ride it.

Once the second bike was done, I figured Sue would want one, too, so I began

making a child's bike with training wheels. I also added a tool to remove the

training wheels, just in case.

When I was done with the smaller bike and left with nothing to do, I decided

I'd help the duke with his training. But it seems that wasn't necessary judging

from the fact that he whooshed right past me as I turned around. Well I'll be...

he's actually riding it pretty well!

"I did it! I finally did it! Hahahahahah!!!" The duke laughed uncontrollably as

he rode his bike around with ease. His expensive clothing and regal face were

covered in mud, but he seemed to be having the time of his life as he did

several laps around the garden. It's weird how people are able to control bikes

so easily as soon as they manage to ride them.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Elze exclaimed.

"It has wheels of some sort, it does!"

"Some kind of vehicle...?" Linze muttered, questioningly.

"U-Uncle, what are you doing?!" The four girls returned from their shopping

spree, noticed the duke laughing as he made laps on the bicycle, and looked at

him with confused and disturbed expressions on their faces.

Well, it certainly was a disquieting sight.

Soon enough, the duke stopped by me and said exactly what I was expecting

him to.

"Touya! Please let me have this bicycle!"

"I knew you'd say that, so I made one for you already. I made one for Sue,

too. But you'll have to pay me for the materials." I pointed at the two bicycles

behind me.

The duke gallantly sat down on his very own bike, singing my praises all the

while. I used a [Gate] to get Sue's bike to the duke's garden, but the man

insisted that he'd ride his own bike home.

Just to be safe, I told him not to ride out into intersections before confirming

that it was safe, to watch out for carriages and pedestrians, and to watch where

he was going. Honestly, I felt like an elementary school teacher.

With an elated and soothed expression on his face, the duke returned home

alongside the carriage he arrived in.

Man, that was tiring... I already know what's gonna happen now. He'll show it

off to the king the first chance he gets. And then the king's gonna ask for one

too. I should probably just make another one already.

After seeing off the duke and returning to the garden, I saw Elze gracefully

falling off the bicycle.

"Owowow... This is harder than it looks." Elze said as she scratched at her

bruises.

"I wish to be next to try it, I do!"

"I-I'd like to try it after Yae."

"Touya, could you make another one?" Yumina asked. Linze, Yumina... I get

that you wanna try the bike, but could you change into something other than a

skirt first?

After being finally freed from saving the duke from bicycle failure, Laim and

Julio now found themselves having to save Elze and the others from the same

fate. While they were at it, I went and made bikes for each of the girls and one

for the servants to share as well. As expected, I ran out of materials and had to

restock at the shop. As animated as I might've seemed about it all, I had

absolutely no intention of becoming a bike salesman.

I was just being considerate of my servants. After all, a bike would be a great

help when shopping or running errands. Besides, they were in for a world of

pain until they learned to ride it properly.

Come evening — bath time, to be precise — I could hear some whining about

the hot water stinging their wounds. I suddenly realized that I could've used

Healing magic to get rid of their injuries, but in the end, I figured that the small

grazes would serve as symbols of hard work and decided to leave them alone.

◇ ◇ ◇

Alright, let's see what this new Null spell can do...

"[Storage]: [In]." A magic circle appeared on the floor, and the chair I had

placed above it quickly sank into it. Right, the storing part seems to work just

fine.

"[Storage]: [Out]." I cast the reverse of the spell while thinking about the

chair. A magic circle appeared once more, but this time it forcefully fired a chair

out from the middle.

"Whoa!" I caught the chair before it could drop to the ground. Fine-tuning this

thing's power isn't gonna be easy...

The Null spell [Storage] did exactly what it said on the tin — it stored objects.

It didn't work on living, animated creatures or anything, but it seemed to work

well on plants. Apparently, the amount one could store depended on the user's

magic power. So if I had to guess, I'd say my limit was probably an entire house

and then some.

The stored objects allegedly ignored the flow of time, too. Soups and similar

things would come out as warm as they were when they were taken in, even

after a whole day of storage. It felt like a very useful spell to me.

After all, the most annoying thing about travel was the management of our

luggage. The mirror we took to Mismede, the Dragon's horn we got... things like

that were an absolute pain to carry around.

Even during the recent bicycle event, I couldn't help but be frustrated with

the fact that I had to haul materials back and forth.

So that was where this spell came in. It was so I could finally say goodbye to

the troubles of luggage management.

Now the girls can ask me to carry all their stuff and it won't even be a

problem! If I use this alongside [Gate], I can lead a comfortable life as a oneman home delivery service or something. And on that note, it's time for

shopping! No matter how much I buy, nothing'll drag me down anymore!

Ahaha!

I took my wallet, left my room, and walked down the stairs to the first floor,

my chipper mood shining all the while. I saw Kohaku in the living room,

stretched out on the sofa and sleeping without a care in the world. You're

becoming more like a house cat, my fluffy widdle tiger...

I crossed the terrace and walked out into the garden. Soon enough, I saw Julio

and his wife, Crea, looking over our vegetable garden.

"Hey there, are the crops doing well?"

"Ah, good to see you, sir!" Crea replied.

"Why yes sir, they're growing beautifully. For now, I only planted some

cumbers and tomatoes, and it looks like it won't be too long until we can

harvest them." Julio seemed quite happy with his work. He was right to be

proud, of course, considering he was going to be responsible for our freshlygrown produce.

Just in case it wasn't obvious, "cumbers" were cucumbers. This world had

some vegetables with the same names as the ones in my previous world, but

there were also those with completely different ones. Well, tomatoes were still

tomatoes, at least. Still, I wasn't sure if they'd wind up different to the ones I

was familiar with.

Man, if we're able to harvest fresh veggies, we should get some fruits too...

Maybe I should plant some chestnut or persimmon trees... Wait, is a chestnut a

fruit?

"Sir, do you have any requests for lunch?" Crea asked me about today's

menu. I mostly let her make whatever she felt like making. Her food was always

good.

"Well, it's kinda hot today, so I'd like something refreshing... like chilled

Chinese noodles."

"Chilled Chyne-ease noodle? I've never heard of that. Is that another dish

from your homeland?!" Her eyes began to gleam with joy. Crea didn't seem to

know a single one of the meals I wanted to eat, so I always had to give her a

recipe. The exotic cuisine I presented her with never failed to spark her

curiosity.

"Well, it's obviously a noodle-based dish. It uses a cold, sour soup, vegetables,

meat, and sometimes an egg. I'll give you a detailed recipe, so try your hand at

making it."

"Yes sir! I'm looking forward to it!" Excitement was good and all, but we

happened to be in a different world. She probably wouldn't be able to get all

the necessary ingredients. Regardless, Crea was just so good that I had no

doubt she would whip up something delicious. It wasn't the first time I had her

make some noodles, so it was safe to expect something just as good.

I ran a search for chilled Chinese noodles and used [Drawing] to get Crea the

recipe. Heh, I'm looking forward to lunch now.

Okay, time to head out! I opened a [Gate] and went to the outskirts of the

capital. The southern district, to be precise. It was focused on commerce, so

there were lots of shops and services lined up next to one another. To the west,

you could find elite stores like Berkut, while the east had an entertainment

sector full of taverns, theaters, and other facilities.

The western district, where we lived, was the residential area of the wealthy,

while the commoners inhabited the opposite district to the east.

Compared to the western district, the east was quite dangerous. I had heard it

even had slum-like areas. Among all the rumors, I heard that people who lost

their jobs and orphaned children formed criminal gangs there. I'd even heard

rumors of roving pickpockets. Guess it was only natural for a great city to have a

big shadow.

After stepping through my [Gate] to the back alley in the southern district, I

made my way to the bustling main road. I decided my first order of business

was to make my way to the guild to take out some money. On the way, I saw a

number of street peddlers and performers.

Whoa, that guy's juggling knives! Reminds me of the time my grandma tried

to teach me how to do it with beanbags, but I just couldn't get the hang of it...

As such thoughts ran through my mind, I forgot to watch where I was going and

accidentally walked into someone. It was a young boy. He was wearing a wornout jacket, ragged trousers, and a large, but grimy cap, which he put on in a way

that covered his eyes.

"Oh, sorry about that! I wasn't looking..."

"Oi bruv, watch yer step. Make sure that doesn't happen again, aye?" After

saying that, he ran off and disappeared into the crowd. What a brat! He looked

even younger than Sue. His parents are probably good-for-nothings...

I entered the guild, which was as bustling as ever. Various adventurers stood

before the quest board and glared at the many missions posted there. Ignoring

them, I walked up to the receptionist and asked if I could withdraw some of my

money.

"Certainly. May I have your guild card, please?"

Alrighty, lemme just... Oh? Front pockets, chest pockets, side pockets, back

pockets... Wait... wh-what? Where's my wallet? Did I leave it back in my room?

No way. Did I drop it? No, I... Oh. Shit. It was probably the kid. That brat stole

my wallet! Goddammit! I didn't have much money in there, sure... but he made

off with my guild card!

I hastily left the guild, took out my smartphone, sighed the greatest sigh of

relief I could at the fact that he didn't steal my smartphone, and then ran a

search for "my wallet." Sure enough, I got a hit. Great, he's still in this district.

Hmm... judging from the speed this pin's moving, I guess he's running. Oh, he

stopped in a back alley... Probably planning on looting the contents and tossing

the actual wallet there. Well, if that happens, I'll just run a search for "my guild

card." Don't really care if he takes the money. For now, I've just gotta make my

way to that alley.

Once I got there, I saw two boorish-looking men kicking the little boy, who

was huddled down on the ground in the fetal position.

"Doin' business in our area again, ya little shit?! It's yer fault the patrols've

stepped up, innit?!"

"Oi, you fookin' listening to us?! Ya blew our whole operation! Get ready fer

yer jus' desserts, gobshite!" One of them took out a knife and pushed one of

the boy's arms against the ground. The blood drained from the boy's face, and

his expression became one of sheer terror.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm really sorry, please lemme go!" The boy cried and pleaded

with them, but the two men only laughed at him, clearly having no plans to

release him.

"Bit late for sorries, y'little runt! As friends of the trade, we'll let ya off with

jus' one finger. Don'tcha dare let us catch ya in our area again, aye? Cause next

time we'll just snuff ya out. Bwahaha."

"N-No...! Please! No! Somebody help!!!"

"How about you just stop right there." The two hoodlums shot a collective

glare in my direction. The boy, who had closed his teary eyes in fear, opened

them up and looked my way as well.

"Th'fook're ya after? This ain't none of yer business. Piss off or we'll kill ya!"

"Where I come from, it's normal to get in the way of people who get their

kicks hurting kids. Judging from what you said, I think it's safe to assume that

you're thieves, too, right?"

"Aye? So what?"

"Well, nothing really... Just means I don't have to hesitate." I pulled out the

Remington New Model Army and fired at them both as if it was nothing.

"Whuh?!"

"Argh!" The rubber bullets imbued with [Paralyze] hit their mark. The men

crumpled to the ground like wet paper bags. I holstered my gun and ran over to

the boy.

"You okay?" His face wet with tears, the boy nodded. I could see a number of

bruises and injuries on him.

"Come forth, Light! Soothing Comfort: [Cure Heal]!" The Healing spell quickly

made the wounds fade away. The boy observed the changes in his body with

surprise in his eyes.

Once done with the spell, I took out a small cube of steel, used [Modeling] to

turn it into wire, and tied up the two hoodlums so they couldn't move. Sure,

[Paralyze] was supposed to stay active for a few hours, but you couldn't be too

careful. I figured I'd call some guards over to apprehend them anyway.

"Can I have my wallet back now?"

"Ah..." He quickly searched his sides, took out what was mine, and returned it

to me with quivering hands. I looked inside to confirm the contents. Alrighty,

there's my guild card.

"Well, I got my wallet, so I won't report you to the guards this time. Later!"

"H-Hey!" As I turned to leave, the boy called out to me. Hm? What does he

want?

"Th-Thanks fer savin' me just there..."

"If you're actually grateful, just stop stealing. You might get caught next ti—"

Suddenly, I heard a strange, low growl.

It was his stomach. It actually made a sound loud enough to cut me off.

Silence reigned for a few moments.

"...You hungry?"

"Haven't eaten in three days..." The boy let his head hang forward. He looked

kinda pitiful.

Well... crap. Guess I lack the mental capacity to understand that his hunger

has nothing to do with me. I'm a total sucker, huh? Fine then, if it's gotta be this

way...

"Come on then, kid. If you come with me, I'll give you some food."

"For reals?!" Wait, I totally just sounded like a kidnapper right there. But it

seemed that if I was actually a stereotypical kidnapper, it would've worked out

just fine. The kid was clearly an idiot and eagerly ran toward me. Suddenly, the

spring in his step made his cap lose its balance. It shifted slightly on his head,

revealing a long head of hair beneath.

Once the boy realized that, he took off the cap, which was coincidentally the

moment my perception of him switched from "that's totally a boy" to "that is

definitely a girl."

What. She had light beige hair that flowed down past her shoulders. The

entire image that I'd had of the kid was shattered in an instant.

"Wait... you're a girl?!"

"...Aye." Her green eyes looked up at me as if I was a weirdo for ever

assuming otherwise. And that was how I met the thief girl, Renne.

◇ ◇ ◇

Now that she's scrubbed some of that grime off herself, Renne's actually a

pretty sweet-faced kid...

"Oi, bruv. What're ya gonna feed me, then?" The way she talks is a lot less

sweet, though...

I figured that hard food would be too much for a stomach as empty as hers,

so I bought some fish soup from a food stall next to the guild. Then I put it in a

cup and gave it to her.

Renne fearfully took it into her hands and slowly began drinking it. Looked like

she couldn't handle hot stuff. But that was fine by me. If she took it slowly, she

wouldn't overwhelm her stomach.

"Wait here for a moment." I left her there and went into the guild. I gave

them my guild card and withdrew some of my money. Not a lot in total, though.

Once I left the guild, I took Renne with me. I considered entering a proper

restaurant, but with her appearance, she was bound to get kicked out.

So, I settled on going to another stall, getting some roasted meats, and eating

them on a bench in the plaza.

"There's no need to rush, just take it slow."

"Nngh." Renne, seemingly out of her mind due to her hunger, greedily

gnawed at the meat. She didn't pay me much heed. She's almost a match for

Yae...

"So, uh, where do you live?"

"Lotsa places. Sometimes the park. Sometimes the alleys. Lived at an inn with

my dad before that."

"Where's your dad now?"

"He was an adventurer. Went off ta kill a beast 'bout a year back. Never came

home."

Oh... Oh no. Her dad totally got killed by a monster. It wasn't rare for

adventurers to get killed while on hunting quests. If it happened while they

went solo, they were usually treated as missing persons.

"What about your mom? You have any other relatives?"

"Dead. Right after I was born, said old dad. Dunno any other family. Never got

told much at all."

Finished with her meat, Renne wiped her dirty hands on her pants as she told

me her story.

So her father vanished and she was left as an orphan? I'm just amazed she

survived a full year all alone...

"After me dad up and vanished, a kind old lady rolled through town and

taught me how to nick things off people. Knew it wasn't right, but a girl's gotta

eat..."

Well, that old lady sure did something she shouldn't have... Still, it was the

stealing that allowed Renne to survive so long. Man, this girl's a complicated

case. I don't know what I should do here. She doesn't have any parents, and no

other family either... I could try taking her to an orphanage, but she's already a

criminal, so... She says she only steals when she needs to, but I don't know if

they'll let it slide since she's a poor kid. Kids like her aren't unusual here, I get

that. If they stop stealing, they'll just drop dead. They're just doing their best to

survive with the hand they were dealt. They lead unfair lives, sure. But that

doesn't mean stealing is the right thing to do... Maybe I could get her a job?

Nah, that's not gonna happen. But if I leave her here, then she'll just go back to

stealing again. And that might lead to her getting caught...

People probably would've called me a huge softie for my actions. But I really

couldn't have cared any less at the time. After all, I really wanted to help her.

"Renne... would you like to come work at my home?"

"You wot mate?"

"You'll have a place to sleep and food wouldn't be an issue either. You will

have to work properly, though. You'll be paid for the work you do, don't worry

about that part. How about it?"

"Wait, wait... You're gonna hire me?! You havin' a laugh or what?!" Renne

looked at me with obvious surprise and suspicion on her face. Though she was

clearly perplexed by my sudden offer, her eyes were gleaming with hope.

"But I'm offering you this job on the condition that you never put your

thieving skills to work again. If you do, I won't be able to let you keep working

for me. Think you can handle that?"

"Y-Yessir! I'll never use 'em again long as I live! Cross me heart!" As Renne

excitedly nodded, I gave her head a light pat.

I should've probably waited and had Yumina look at the kid with her Mystic

Eyes, but I don't think Renne's a bad person. Well, now that's settled... let's go

home.

I could've used a [Gate] to get us there immediately, but I decided to lead her

on foot just so she'd know the way.

"Hang on a tick. It's not over here?"

"Nope, my home's over there. I live in the west district."

"The west?!" Renne, who was facing the east, suddenly turned around. She

looked even more surprised for some reason.

Is it really that big of a deal...? We left the southern district and entered

through the western gate. We headed through the gradually widening

residential area, and eventually came across the gentle hill on which our home

stood. I kinda hate this hill... It'd be way easier if we didn't have one.

"Hold up, bruv... Uh, Touya... you some kinda noble?"

"Well, can't really say I am. Very nearly became one, though." She was

probably feeling extremely insecure and out of place. Most nobles chose to live

in the inner district rather than the outskirts. But nobles with lesser influence or

disgraces would often move out into this area. This district had a number of

affluent merchants, too.

Once we hiked the hill, we could see the red roof of my very own home.

Renne stood still, dumbfounded, before slowly turning to me.

"This the place? You're not havin' a laugh?"

"Yep, this is it. Oh, hey there, Tom."

"Oh? Good day, sir! It's rare for you to come home through the front

entrance." The guardsman spoke with a broad smile on his face. Well, I always

used a [Gate] to go to and from the mansion, so it was only natural for him to

make that comment.

We entered my territory through the pedestrian entrance next to the main

gate. We walked through the garden and made it to the front door, which I

opened to find Lapis and Cecile cleaning the entrance hall.

"Oh, what a welcome surprise, sir! It's rare for you to use the front door."

"Ohhh? Who is this?" Cecile looked at Renne, her stare almost boring holes

into the little girl. Renne hid herself behind me, likely out of embarrassment.

"Her name is Renne. She's gonna work here from now on, so try to get along

with her. Go on, Renne. Introduce yourself to them, they don't bite."

"Errm... I-I'm Renne. It's a great p-pleasure to meet you!"

Wow, she turned so meek and formal. Guess she's nervous. Not unreasonable,

given the gaudy place I brought her to.

"Where's Laim?"

"He went to the living room to give Miss Yumina her tea." Lapis pointed the

way, so I took Renne along with me. I let the little girl sit on a comfy chair while

I explained the situation to Laim.

Yumina silently listened to what I was saying, staring at Renne all the while. It

didn't take a genius to tell that she was using her Mystic Eyes. Soon enough,

Yumina adopted a light smile. There, I knew it! Renne isn't a bad girl!

With a sidelong glance, Laim confirmed it himself.

"Very well, sir. I understand the circumstances. However, I need to be certain

she is serious about working here. I cannot have our efficiency as a team

hampered by anyone. You there, your name is Renne?"

"Y-Yup..."

"Do you truly intend to work here? We won't mind if you fail or cause a bit of

trouble for us servants at first. However, you must promise to learn from your

mistakes and not to flee from your responsibilities." Laim glared at Renne with

the sternest expression I'd ever seen him adopt. I thought it was a slightly harsh

thing to do to a child no older than ten, but it didn't seem like I had any

business intruding, so I held my tongue.

"...Yeah. I wanna work here. I wanna be where Touya is." Renne stared right

back into Laim's stern eyes. After staring at her for a good moment, the butler

softened his expression and stood up with a smile.

"Cecile. Take young Renne to the bath. I want her scrubbed down until she's

spotless."

"Okaaay. Come with meee, little Renne. It's bath tiiime, eeheheh."

"Uh?! What?!" And so, Renne was taken to the bathroom. Though it might

have been more apt to say that Renne was dragged into the bathroom.

"Lapis, go buy her some fitting clothes. Oh, and order a custom-made uniform

for her."

"Understood, sir. If you don't mind, I will use the bicycle." Lapis hurriedly

went outside. She and Cecile learned to ride the bike in just a few hours. I

wasn't too surprised, given that they were this world's equivalent of the ninjas.

Yumina suddenly spoke up after hearing us speak.

"When she's done bathing, she can wear my clothes, for the time being at

least. They'll probably be too big for her, but it'll only be until Lapis returns."

Yumina got up off her seat. She was probably headed to get some clothes to the

dressing room. Once she left, I spread myself out on my chair and drowned

myself in thoughts for a while. Soon enough, Laim came over and placed some

tea on the table in front of me.

"...Should I have just handed her over to an orphanage? Did I do something

uncalled for?"

"That is for Renne to decide, sir. For now, if you'll permit me to say... you

should only accept the truth. The truth is that you have saved a young girl from

poverty."

Guess you're right about that, Laim... I shouldn't overthink it. I did exactly

what I wanted to do, anyway. That's all there is to it. Man, I can see why Laim

used to work directly under the king. He's got a way with words. Putting all that

aside, though, Renne is still a criminal. I'll have to make her atone for whatever

it is she's done. Maybe I should consult someone about that? Well, whatever. I'll

just talk to the king or something.

...Hm? I could hear someone running through the corridor. Suddenly, the

living room door flung open, and Renne ran in, wearing nothing but a bath

towel. In her arms, she held my dear little white tiger.

"T-Touya! Bruv! There's a little tiger over 'ere!" Kohaku looked at me with an

annoyed expression on his face. I could totally understand why.

"Master... who is this child?"

"You wot?! It can bleedin' well talk!"

...She's noisy, and that way of talking came back pretty quick, too. She should

really put on some clothes, honestly. Doesn't look very proper at all. As I started

to think about just how lively my home would become with her, I noticed

something strange. There was something hanging on her neck. It looked like

some kind of pendant.

"Renne, what's with that thing around your neck?"

"This? Dad gave it to me. Said it was to remember my mum by. It's the only

thing I ever had for myself."

"Can I take a look at it?" Renne took it off and gave it to me. Moments later,

Cecile, with her sleeves rolled up, came and dragged her back to the bathroom.

Things got way too chaotic, way too fast...

I shifted my gaze to the pendant in my hand. From what I could tell, the thing

was gold... It would clearly fetch a considerable price on the market. Since

Renne kept it around despite the fact that she could feed herself by selling it,

the pendant must've been very dear to her.

The design was a pair of spread wings, in the middle of which was a gem in

the shape of a downward triangle. Is this... an emerald? No, it's a wind

spellstone.

There was a crest on the back.

"Laim, do you recognize this crest?"

"A Griffin, a shield, two swords, and laurels... I cannot say I do."

"If this is really a memento, could it mean that Renne has some blue blood in

her?"

"I would not be so sure. It might be something her parents or grandparents

merely happened upon."

And it went from generation to generation until it ended up in Renne's hands,

huh? That's definitely a possibility. But usually something so gaudy would've

been returned or sold, right? Well, with Renne's dad gone, there's no way to

know for sure...

"As far as I am aware, there is no such crest among the ones used by

Belfastian nobles. Though, I do know that Griffin crests are quite popular in the

Empire..." The Empire... which is that again...? Oh, the Regulus Empire? I think

that was to the east? The one that isn't on the best of terms with Belfast. Was

Renne's father a fallen noble who escaped from that place? Whatever the case,

this doesn't seem like something I should talk about more than necessary.

I made a mental note to ask about the crest if I ever met someone from the

Regulus Empire.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Yep, it looks good on you."

"R-Really?" Renne slightly raised the skirt of her new maid uniform and did a

little spin. The pendant hanging around her neck swayed along with her.

"That thing might get in the way of your work, so you should put it under your

clothes."

"Ah, gotcha. No prob, Touya!" While I wasn't lying about it obstructing her

work, it was better for it to be hidden away from those who'd like to steal it.

Laim, who was standing at my side, looked straight at Renne.

"Renne, from now on, you are one of us. You are among the servants. When

referring to the one you serve, you must use 'sir.' None of this 'Touya' or...

'bruv,' as you put it."

"Ah, erm... Got it! I'll do my best, Mister Laim!"

"Excellent, young lady. Your job right now is to help the servants working

here. Go to Crea to learn about how we prepare our meals. The rest you can

learn from Lapis and Cecile."

"Gotc— l understand." Renne's answer was proper and straightforward. Even

so... I couldn't help but worry a bit.

"Okaaay, Renne, let's gooo!"

"Alright. I'll be off, bru— sir."

"Do your best out there." Renne left the dining hall, led off by Cecile. All she

needs to do is get used to it.

"Don't think you have to worry about her, Touya," Elze said.

"Y-Yes, I feel the same way..." Linze muttered. As they drank their postbreakfast tea, the twins expressed their approval of my decision. I had told

them everything that led up to me employing Renne the day before.

"Yes. She has a very strong heart, and I am certain she properly considers

everything, I am." Yae was still eating breakfast. Her hunger was as great as

ever. I couldn't even imagine how many croissants she had consigned to the

void within her this morning.

I heard the door to the dining hall open and turned around to see Yumina

walking in. She was holding a piece of paper in one of her hands.

"It's from my father. He requests that you pay him a visit today, if you have

the time." The Gate Mirror through which we kept in contact with the royal

palace was in Yumina's room. The letter probably came through there. The

royal palace was only a thirty minute walk away, but the Gate Mirror was useful

nonetheless.

"The king? What does he want from me?"

"He said something about uncle boasting to him about his bicycle, so I think it

has something to do with that." Yumina smiled wryly. I had predicted this a few

days ago, and now it had come true.

Well, guess I better make another one. At least this'll be a good excuse to talk

about Renne.

I walked out to the garden and used [Storage] to take out the bike materials.

Since I had made so many of them already, I had the king's order done in a

mere ten minutes. Using [Storage] again, I took the bicycle with me. Man do I

love this spell.

"Alright, I'm off."

"I'll come with you." Yumina walked out into the garden. Well, I can't freely

walk around the castle without her, so her presence will be a big help anyway.

"Hold up there! I'm coming too. I wanna fight the general again." Elze ran out,

her asymmetrical gauntlets dangling on her side. General Leon, the supreme

commander of the royal army, had fought her countless times by this point,

making their relationship sort of like that of a master and apprentice.

It just hit me that this country has both an "order of knights" and an "army."

What's the difference? If I remember right, Reflet was being protected by the

knight order.

So, are they responsible for policing duties, while the army are the ones

handling monsters and outside threats? With those thoughts in my head, I

opened up a [Gate].

"Well, you know, Al... No, ah... Duke Ortlinde showed me a most peculiar

vehicle. He also said that you were the one who provided him with it. So, er... I

was wondering if you would be able to give one to me, as well." The king told

me why he called me over, acting strange all the while. It was just as I had

thought.

He and I were having a little talk in one of the smaller palace rooms. Since Elze

went to see the general, and Yumina went to meet the queen, the king and I

were alone together. Well, alone if you ignored the guards.

"I thought that was why you called me over, so I prepared one before coming

here."

"Oho! How considerate of you, my boy! So, where is it?!" I cast [Storage] and

created a magic circle on the floor. From it, I summoned the bicycle I had

prepared earlier.

"As always, you do the most unexpected of things, Touya my boy... Is this

different from those [Gate] things of yours?"

"This one's a storage spell. It allows me to keep many things on demand, so I

use it a lot." The king simply sighed before shifting all of his attention toward his

new bike. I figured he was out of things to say about my spells at that point. He

stared at it from every direction and touched it all over to see how it felt.

"Did Duke Ortlinde let you ride his bike?"

"He did, but I was unable to grasp the proper technique... Al told me that it

requires practice. How much, exactly?"

"It took the duke about a day, but my maids got the hang of it in just three

hours. I'd say three days should be enough for anyone." The king was a busy

guy. He probably didn't have any days he could dedicate entirely to bike

practice. But it was still a fact that he'd be able to ride it sooner or later.

As the king joyfully hopped up on the saddle, I began talking about my own

business.

"Now that we've settled this, there's something I'd like to ask... or maybe just

discuss with you."

"Hoh? It's rare for you to ask for my help, Touya." As the king raised his brow

slightly, I told him about Renne. He was intently listening to me, and when I

finished, he began speaking in a highly serious tone.

"Crime is crime. She must pay for what she has done. However, we must take

her circumstances into account as well. If you, Touya, are able to properly look

after her and turn her into a proper member of society, we will let her off with

only a hefty fine and a warning. However, she will not receive a second chance.

Be sure to inform her of that fact." His words made me feel relieved. I was

definitely serious about protecting Renne. I couldn't be more thankful for the

king's rationality.

Moments later, the king turned ominously silent. D-Did I do something

wrong?

"Hmm... I just cannot understand it."

"What do you mean?"

"Why are there so many vagrant children? The funding I direct to the capital's

orphanages should be more than enough. Could it be that..." The king clapped,

and a masked figure clad in black silently fell down from the ceiling. Whoa, that

caught me off guard! For a moment, I thought it was one of my maids — Lapis

or Cecile — but then I noticed that the symbol on the forehead of the mask was

different. Lapis' was a hexagon; Cecile's was an oval. This one was a pentagon.

Whatever the case, it was clearly another member of Espion — the intelligence

officers who answered directly to the king.

"Who is responsible for the funding of orphanages?"

"Baron Sebek... There are rumors that his influence has been growing

unusually strong over the last few years."

"Thoroughly examine the flow of money and have anyone clearly guilty of

embezzlement dealt with accordingly."

"Yes, my liege." He disappeared through the ceiling just as swiftly as he

appeared. A ninja if I ever saw one.

"My apologies, Touya. The circumstances of the child you took in might be the

result of my own carelessness. Forgive me for my negligence." He bowed his

head.

So the money meant for the orphanages was probably laundered by someone

who managed the flow. Which means the orphanages couldn't operate at full

capacity and weren't able to take in all the kids. So people like that exist in this

world too, huh...? Scumbags who get fat and fill their own pockets by exploiting

positions of power...

Still, the king sure was a person of good moral character. Not everyone would

bow to another over something like that. The public might disagree, but I

couldn't help but think that this country was blessed to have such a ruler.

"You sure have it hard, Your Majesty."

"Indeed. If only there was someone who could take my position and allow me

to retire." The king grinned broadly.

...Are you referring to me and Yumina, old man?! Even if I do marry her, I have

absolutely no intention of being king! I had a great amount of respect for King

Belfast, that much was true, but it was completely unrelated to me succeeding

him.

I should meet up with the head chef of the castle and give him a recipe for a

dish that gives a hearty boost to stamina. Maybe then the king can just make

another baby. Garlic, yam, turtle... do those things even exist here? That doesn't

matter, I need to get them, and fast!

"We're back." Yumina and I walked out of the [Gate]. We arrived just outside

our front door. Elze said she'd come back on foot as soon as the training was

over.

We walked through the door and into the main hall, where we were

welcomed by Laim.

"Welcome back, sir."

"Good to see you too, Laim! It all worked out with Renne."

"Most excellent. Oh, and you have a visitor."

"A visitor...?" I nonchalantly looked down the corridor beyond Laim, where I

saw something strange bobbing over to us.

Fifty centimeters tall. A red ribbon around its neck. It was a stuffed bear with

round, cutesy eyes.

"Paula?!" The bear heard her name and greeted me by raising her right hand.

She came up to me, so I picked her up.

"Did you come all the way from Mismede? By yourself?"

"Of course not, you silly little man. She came with me." The door to the parlor

opened, and out came a girl in gothic lolita clothing. Her long white hair was in

twintails.

"Leen?! What're you doing here?" Well, I guess I shouldn't have been too

surprised. Paula wouldn't have just been here without her creator.

"I'm just here for research. Oh, and I had to punish Charlotte, too. I slapped

her already, so that's done and dusted."

Man, she sure is one to hold grudges... Kinda immature. Aren't you over six

hundred?

As I stared at her with slight disappointment, Yumina pulled on my sleeve.

"Touya? Who might this be?"

"This is Leen, the Clan Matriarch of Mismede's fairies. She doesn't look it, but

she's way, way older than us."

"Fairies? But..." Yumina looked at Leen with a puzzled expression.

Wait, where'd her wings go? Sh-She didn't cut them off, did she?!

"Oh, I concealed my wings with Light magic. They attract far too much

attention in this country." She removed the spell, causing a set of see-through

wings to gradually appear behind her. The sunlight coming through the

windows made them gleam and shimmer. I couldn't help but wonder whether

fairies and avians had trouble sleeping because of their wings.

"Why are you in my house, though? How'd you even find out where we live?"

"Charlotte told me. I had something I wanted to ask you. Specifically, I wanted

to ask you about that 'crystal creature' you defeated some months ago."

"...What?"

The crystal creature. I know exactly what you mean, Leen. That mysterious

beast from the ruins underneath the old capital. The one that regenerated,

absorbed magic, and couldn't be hurt by blades.

"For you see, that crystal creature... One has appeared in Mismede, as well."

Leen's words not only surprised me, but made a strange chill go down my spine.

"It was a day before you returned home. The palace received an urgent

message from Lairesse, a town in western Mismede. It warned of a strange

phenomenon that had been happening there over a period of a few days."

"What was that?" Leen took a sip of the black tea that had been prepared for

her, then leaned forward in her seat slightly. On the other side of the table,

there was Yumina, Linze, Yae, and myself. Paula was seated right next to Leen.

"The ones who discovered it were a group of children from Lairesse. What

they found was... a crack, of sorts. A crack, suspended in thin air in the middle

of the forest. No one could touch the strange crack, but everyone knew it was

very real."

A crack in empty space...? What the hell? Was it a spell or something?

"Soon enough, the children noticed that the crack was growing bigger each

day. One of them decided they should tell the adults about it. After that, the

village chief sent a message to the capital." Leen placed the teacup back on the

plate. So, the messenger reached capital the day before we returned to Belfast,

did he?

"What we found was carnage. Utter carnage. What was once a home was

now a warzone, teetering on the edge of annihilation. A crystal creature was

killing them... No, it was slaughtering them. It had no remorse. The soldiers and

I tried to fight, but we stood no chance. Swords could not harm it, spells were

absorbed by it. It regenerated when shattered... It was like battling a nightmare.

Half of the soldiers were maimed beyond recovery. The village could not be

saved."

"Sounds just like the one we fought... Did you manage to defeat it?"

"Somehow, yes. Just barely. When I found out it was vulnerable to magic that

dealt physical damage, I used Earth spells to hit its head with a boulder that

weighed several tons. Once I shattered the core in its body, it stopped

regenerating."

The red core again... So it ceased all activity when it was destroyed. That

meant it was definitely the same type of creature that we fought.

"I wanted to do more research on that monster, so I went to Charlotte to get

her to help me. It was then that she informed me of a similar event in Belfast. I

was quite surprised when she told me that you were the ones who defeated it."

Leen looked straight at me with quite a wicked-looking grin. I felt like a frog

being eyed by a snake. It was actually making me sweat, so I would've preferred

her to stop sooner rather than later.

"There was another thing she told me. You can cast any Null magic, right?

That explains why you could use [Program]."

"Well... what can I say here? I'd be thankful if you didn't talk about it too

much." Dang it, Charlotte, don't spill all the beans! Come to think of it, the poor

girl was probably forced to talk under duress... Guess she couldn't keep anything

in when this demonic teacher got in her ear.

"The few surviving villagers told us that the crack in space was destroyed, and

the crystal creature came out of it." From the crack...? So it wasn't like with us,

where it just awakened in the ancient ruins. Leen took out a piece of paper from

her pocket and spread it out on the table. The creature displayed on the paper

was unlike the crystal creature that we had defeated. This one had a different

shape.

The one we encountered in the ruins had an almond-like body and six thin,

long legs. Overall, it was like a cricket. But the one Leen presented us with had

an almond-shaped head — rather than body — and instead of having legs, it

was just very long.

If the one we fought was a cricket, then this one was a snake. A crystal snake

with a winding body. Kind of shaped like a katana that had been bent one too

many times.

"This one's shaped differently to the one we fought. The one here in Belfast

was more like a cricket. It attacked us by extending its legs."

"Ah. The one we faced in Mismede used its tail to impale people and shred

groups apart. It was like a sharp, precise blade."

The shapes of the two creatures were different. Still, it was clear that they

were the same type of creature. If I had to compare, I'd say it was similar to

grouping butterflies and praying mantises into the same group. That group

being "insects," of course. It seemed pretty reasonable to deal with it like that.

"...A long time ago, when I was still a young girl, an elder of my kind told me a

story. She spoke of a race of monstrous beasts that emerged as if from

nowhere. They brought the world to the brink of ruin, and were known as the

'Phrase'... Their bodies were pure crystal, said to be completely invincible. But

in the end, they disappeared as spontaneously as they had appeared. The world

simply returned to normal..."

"So, you think the Phrase and the crystal creatures could be one and the

same?"

"I'm afraid I do not know. The elder is no longer with us, and she told us that

it was merely a tale she heard when she was a child. Also, we fairies only began

to have contact with outside species a mere hundred or so years ago."

If those beasts were really the same as the stuff in the story, where did they

come from? Is someone controlling them like summoned creatures? But then

why would they attack people? No amount of thinking could answer those

questions of mine.

They're strong, but they aren't invincible. If one appears again, we just have to

kill it. And if there's a mastermind behind it all, we'll just drag him out and beat

the crap out of him, too.

"Well, nothing will come from us just thinking about it. They aren't creatures

I'd be pleased to meet again, but if they do appear, we'll simply defeat them

like the first one."

"Reasonable indeed. Oh, by the way, while Olga is away, I will be staying in

this country as the Mismedian ambassador." Is this fairy serious? Oh Charlotte,

you poor girl...

"I'll be visiting here every once in a while, so let's get along. Also, Touya, you

can use [Gate], right?" Ah, dang it... She's sharp. I went out of my way to resort

to trickery to keep it a secret, but since it came out, Mismede would likely turn

wary and begin doubting the alliance.

As if reading my thoughts, Leen adopted a faint smirk.

"No need to make that face. I won't tell anything to the beastking or the other

clan leaders. I'm gentle to my own, you know?"

"Your own?"

"Oh yes. You will be my disciple, won't you?" Leen's grin had turned sadistic.

Good lord. This is the textbook definition of blackmail. As I wracked my mind

trying to figure out how to respond, Leen started laughing.

"Eheh... it was a joke, silly. I don't like forcing people to do what they don't

want to do."

That's a total lie. You were at least half-serious there! As I glared at Leen, the

door to the living room opened up. Through it came Cecile and Renne, carrying

trays with a teapot and sweets.

"I-I've gone and b-brought more tea for you's— you!" Renne's way of

speaking made it clear that she was extremely nervous. Fidgeting something

fierce, she placed the plate with the sweets on the table and refilled our empty

teacups. Cecile was watching over her with a smile on her face.

"E-Excuse me." Ah, she stuttered. The two left the room after that. That

wasn't too bad at all. In fact, it was pretty good, considering it was her first

time. Go Renne!

"I see that you employ someone exceptionally young. It didn't seem like she

was used to dealing with guests. A newcomer, I assume?"

"She just started, yes. I'd be grateful if you tolerated any clumsiness from

her." I took a sip of the tea Renne just gave me. It's a bit too hot, and it's

brewed way too strongly. Well, it's only natural that she wouldn't be as good as

Lapis or Cecile yet. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.

"Back to what we were discussing, though. You can use [Gate], right?"

"I can, yeah. Though, it has the negative of only letting me go to places I've

visited."

"Ever heard of the Null spell, [Recall] at all? It allows you to read people's

minds and gather their memories. By using it, you should be able to open a

[Gate] leading to places known to the person whose mind you read."

Really? I'd never heard of that. Wonder where she learned about it... Oh, right,

most fairies are born with Null spells, so maybe it's only natural for her to know.

"I want you to use this spell in conjunction with [Gate] to get me to a certain

place. There's a ruin I want to examine in that country."

"I'm not fully getting it, but... what place are we talking about?"

"The far east — the easternmost part of the world, even. The Divine Nation,

Eashen."

"Eashen...?" I instinctively looked at Yae. She looked pretty perplexed, too.

Eashen was the country which had lots of similarities to Japan from my

original world. I had always been quite curious about it. And now I had a chance

to go there.

"This girl was born in Eashen, right? If you read her mind, you should be able

to make a [Gate] that leads to Eashen."

"W-Wait! T-Touya-dono is going to read my mind, is he?!"

"Don't worry. As long as you're properly conscious, [Recall] only lets the

caster take the memories you allow them to have. You don't have to worry

about him seeing memories you don't want to be seen." Unable to properly

fight back, Yae turned pensive. Well, it was natural for people to have sides to

them they wouldn't want anyone else to see. Even if there was no risk of that,

she couldn't help but worry. I was confident I'd be just like her if our roles were

reversed.

After a long moment of hesitation, Yae nodded.

"The Null spell, [Recall], works by harvesting memories from the person's

mind through touch. The most efficient way of touching in this case is a kiss."

"What?!" All of the girls in unison.

"It was a joke." Leen's words seemed to drain everyone of their strength. I'd

really like it if she wiped that grin off her face. Curse this sadistic gothic lolita!

She played us like a fiddle!

"Alright, now calm down, stand here, and face each other. Hold each other's

hands, too." Leen dragged both myself and Yae, and made me stand before her.

There were other methods, apparently, but until I got used to the spell, we had

to do this to have the greatest chance of success.

Leen grabbed my hands and connected them with Yae's. They're soft... Way

softer than I'd expected... I didn't think anyone could use swords as much as Yae

and still have such lovely hands... Crap, now I'm getting all nervous!

"Ahh..."

"E-Eek..." When I raised my head, my eyes met with hers. She was staring at

me, face red as a beet. That expression is just unfair! It's making me even more

embarrassed.

"Alright, close your eyes. Now Yae, try to picture the landscapes of Eashen.

Make sure the image is as clear as possible. If you picture something vague, the

[Gate] will have a small chance of transporting us to a place that's only similar

in aesthetic. When the image is clear, Touya, place your forehead against hers

and cast [Recall]."

Doing as I was told, I began focusing my magic and placed my forehead

against Yae's. The pleasant smell that assaulted my nostrils almost made me

lose my focus, but I was able to keep myself together and cast the spell.

"[Recall]." Something began to flow into my head. A large tree... Is it a

camphor, maybe? There's something near its base... It looks like a torii arch, one

of those traditional gate arches you'd find at a shinto shrine... Oh, I can actually

see the little hokora shrine as well... Two lion-dog statues on either side of it...

What I saw was clearly a hokora shrine inside a forested area. I could only

assume I was observing Yae's memories of Eashen.

"I see it." I opened my eyes and met Yae's gaze. Sharing memories with

someone was quite a strange experience. I felt as though I had been there

countless times.

"Ahem!"

"Whoa!" Yumina's forced cough made me come back to my senses and let go

of Yae. The fact that we were just holding hands and looking into each other's

eyes made us both turn bashful and look away from one another.

"If you actually saw Eashen, I would like you to open a [Gate] now. Are you

able to?" Oh, how I'd like to wipe that grin off your face... I pictured the place in

Eashen I just saw and opened a [Gate].

Once I walked through the portal of light, I stepped out into a forest with a

large camphor tree, under which there was a torii arch with a hokora shrine,

protected by the two lion-dog statues. Everything was exactly as I saw in Yae's

memories.

"There is no mistaking it. This is indeed my homeland, Eashen, it is. We are at

the grove of the village shrine near my hometown of Hashiba."

Yae walked through the [Gate], looked around, and confirmed my success.

There I was, at the easternmost country in the world. I'd finally taken my first

steps in Eashen, the Divine Nation.