Volume 2 - CH 7

Chapter 7 – I Tried To Clean Up Various Things

I blew away the entire upper half of the Devil Treant’s body with a fire arrow of maximum power.

With this experience gain, my level has increased from 92 to 95. This means that my MP has finally surpassed 50,000, but how much more can I grow?

Is there a limit, or is it just like an infinite sky?

Well, it should become clearer as I continue to fight and level up.

The Devil Treant’s left arm and lower body are stored in my [Item Box] by [Automatic Collection].

I might be able to use them as materials for new items, and that’s something I’m looking forward to.

“Kou, you really are out of the ordinary…”

Iris sighed in admiration as she held onto my right arm.

“Kou is probably the only person in the world who can defeat Devil Treant with a single blow.”

“It’s because Iris took care of the defense. Thanks to you, I was able to pour all of my magic power into the Fire Arrow. Thank you.”

“Fufu, I’m glad I could be of help to Kou.”

While exchanging such a conversation with Iris, I slowly lowered my altitude.

As I landed on the ground, Dest approached from afar, pulling the carriage.

“Master, congratulations on your successful victory! Are you injured?”

“I’m fine. How about you? Are you okay?”

“The damage rate is zero percent; we’re doing great!”

Dest stretched his chest and saluted.

“Do you want to go back to the city?”

“Yes, that’s the plan. Go to the north gate of Toue.”

“Understood! Then, please, get to the carriage!”

I nodded and got into the carriage with Iris.

Then, just as we entered, Surara was waiting for us.

“Master-san, Iris-oneesan, welcome back!”

“Hi, Surara.”

“Surara-chan, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No! I’m fine!”

“Speaking of which, where’s that priestess who collapsed?”

“She’s upstairs! Follow me!”

Surara led Iris and me up the stairs next to the entrance. There are two bedrooms on the second floor of the carriage, and the priestess was lying in the back room.

When we entered the room, the girl was lying peacefully with her left side facing us.

On the right shoulder of her white clothes was a crest that looked like a cross. Upon closer look at the crest, it was a combination of a sword, a spear, and a bow.

It’s quite an interesting design, but what exactly does it mean?

When I asked Iris about it, she replied, “It’s a symbol of the God of War.”

“God of War?”

“It’s a religion whose main deity is the Warden, the God of War. This girl must be a priest of the God of War religion… Ara?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I just realized that the sword on this crest looks exactly like Kou’s sword.”

“…You’re right.”

I nodded my head.

It was true if you asked me.

The sword depicted on the crest of the God of War religion is very similar to the Dragon Slayer’s Magic Sword, which I have.

The description on the Gram when I used [Appraisal] mentioned that it was “a magic sword said to have been given to heroes by the God of War,” so maybe it is an item related to the God of War.

As I was thinking about this, the carriage eventually stopped moving.

“Master, we’ve arrived at the north gate!”

Dest’s voice could be heard from a speaker-type magic device built into the ceiling. It seems that we have arrived at Toue.

“Well then, let’s get off.”

“What about the priestess? Should we wake her up?”

“…I wonder.”

The priestess is sound asleep and is not likely to wake up yet. It’s a bit pitiful to wake her up.

“Master-san, I’ll take care of her!”

Surara shouted energetically and grew into a huge, fluffy creature. He seemed to be planning to carry the girl.

I gently picked up the girl and placed her on Surara’s back.

Now that the preparations are complete, let’s go.

I walked out of the carriage with Iris and Surara.

First, I went to Dest’s place and called out to him.

“Thank you for today. Get some rest.”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to be of service! Please call me when you’re ready!”

He bowed with his left arm on his stomach and right on his back, like a butler.

I touched his body and thought of storing him in my [Item Box].

A magic circle appeared on the ground, and Dest and the carriage disappeared as if absorbed into it.

Now, let’s enter the city.

Just as we started to walk toward the city gate, people who looked like adventurers appeared one after another from within the city.

There were more than fifty of them, and they were rushing towards us.

“You’re the Dragon Slayer Kou Kousaka, right?”

A middle-aged adventurer with a beard spoke to me. Judging from the atmosphere, this person must be the group leader.

I nodded and answered.

“Yes. That’s right. What is this all about?”

“We’re, well, we’re like a death squad.”

“Death squad?”

“Adventurers help each other. We may be small fry compared to you, but we can at least act as decoys. That’s why I gathered a group of brave souls… From the looks of it, it looks like you’ve defeated the Devil Treant.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No, no, no. No need to apologize. Thanks for saving the city. Thank you very much from the bottom of our hearts.”

The middle-aged adventurer smiled, looked around at the other adventurers, and shouted loudly.

“You guys! The one here is a great benefactor of Toue! We’re going to carry him back to the Adventurer’s Guild in a big haul!”

“””””Oooooooooohhhh!”””””

Eh?

Before I knew it, I was being carried up by a group of adventurers and carried to the Adventurer’s Guild like a portable shrine.

More than ten minutes later…

I was ushered into the Adventurer’s Guild of Toue’s chief’s office to report to Chief Popolo on the defeat of Devil Treant.

Popolo and I are sitting across from each other on a hard sofa.

Iris and Surara were not here, as they were bringing the priestess into the guild’s infirmary.

“Kou-sama, thank you very much for defeating the Devil Treant.”

Chief Popolo stood up from the sofa and bowed deeply.

“If you had not come, the city of Toue would have been destroyed. I will be sure to inform the Adventurer’s Guild headquarters of your achievement. …So, can you tell me about the process of how you defeat it?”

“I understand.”

I explained what had happened since we left the north gate of Toue.

When I finished telling him everything, Chief Popolo had a stunned look on his face.

“I’ve heard rumors, but you really do have non-standard abilities, don’t you…?”

“If I had been alone, I’m sure there would have been casualties. The priestess might not have survived, and the city of Toue might have been damaged because it took so long to defeat the Devil Treant. It was thanks to the help of Iris, Dest, and Surara that things worked out well this time.”

“You are a humble man, Kou-sama…”

Chief Popolo muttered admiringly.

“You have great power, but you are not conceited about it, and you are able to recognize the people around you. …I believe that a real hero is someone like you.”

* * *

When I left the branch manager’s office after finishing my report to Chief Popolo, Iris and Surara were waiting for me in the hallway.

“Kou, good work.”

“Thank you. How’d it go over here?”

“The priestess is fine. She’s been checked by a healer, but it looks like she’s just tired. She’s going to wake up in the night, so we’re leaving her in a bed in the infirmary.”

“She was sleeping like a baby!”

“I see.”

Surara’s statement was full of onomatopoeia, but the meaning was understandable in its own way. The priestess must be sleeping peacefully.

“I guess that’s all over now.”

“Yes. What are you going to do after this?”

“Now that our business at the guild is over, why don’t we go to dinner?”

“I agree. I’m starving too.”

“Yay! Dinner♪, dinner♪.”

It seems that both Iris and Surara were hungry.

The clock on the wall in the corridor shows that it is already eight o’clock in the evening. This is the time when you would normally finish your meal, and I’m pretty hungry too.

Damn you, Devil Treant…

The city is safe and sound, so I guess we’re all happy.

For your information, the reward for defeating the Devil Treant, including the rescue of the priestess, was subject to evaluation, and the total amount was more than 3 million Komsa.

However, since it was impossible for the Toue branch to prepare such a large amount of money immediately, I was paid 300,000 Komsa or 10% of the reward, and the remaining 2,7 million Komsa was to be received at the Adventurer’s Guild headquarters in the royal capital.

Well, for me, even 300,000 Komsa is quite a lot of money.

I’ve been earning a lot of money in Aunen, and I’ll be able to live happily for a few years.

After we left the Toue branch, we headed to the “Meat Street” in the northwest part of the city.

There were so many meat restaurants lined up that we thought, “This must be it!”

The streets were crowded with people, having already recovered from the chaos.

As I walked around looking for a place to eat, I could hear voices coming from everywhere.

“Well, I’m glad the city is safe!”

“When I heard about the Devil Treant, I thought it was over.”

“Thank God the Dragon Slayer was in Toue.”

“That’s right! Kahahahahaha!”

I’m embarrassed to be the topic of conversation, but at the same time, I’m filled with a sense of accomplishment.

I’m in the mood for a little drinking today.

Let’s go to a place where we can enjoy not only meat but also alcohol.

We went to a restaurant called “Round Cat Restaurant,” which was one of the best places to eat, according to the gourmet guide.

The restaurant was crowded, but luckily there was one open table left.

We ordered the “Toue beef steak with herb bread crumbs” and “homemade wine to go with the meat.”

Both were served immediately.

“…Delicious.”

“The wine is good, too.”

“Master-san! It’s so juicy!”

The crispy surface of the “Toue beef steak with herb bread crumbs” overflows with the flavor of the meat as you bite into it. The refreshing flavor of the herbs neutralizes the fat in the meat, so it’s not overpowering, and you can eat as much as you want. The richness of the homemade wine was a perfect match for the meat.

The vanilla ice cream for dessert was also excellent, and we left the restaurant very satisfied.

Now then, let’s go to the inn.

Our inn for the night was called “Moon-Viewing Pavilion,” located in the northeast part of town.

It was a red brick building with an air of luxury.

When we entered the lobby, there was a fluffy carpet on the floor and a large chandelier shining brightly from the ceiling.

The inn’s atmosphere was similar to that of the Quiet Moon Pavilion in Aunen.

The name was also similar, and this place may be affiliated with the Scarlet Trading Company.

I went to the front desk and handed the woman at the reception desk the letter of introduction from Chrome-san.

Then the manager came from the back and bowed deeply.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Kou Kousaka-sama. …… I would like to thank you very much for protecting the city of Toue. On behalf of the entire staff, I would like to express our sincere gratitude.”

After that, we were escorted to our room by the manager himself.

It was on the fifth floor, the top floor of the inn.

As for the rooms, instead of one large room… for the “Kou Kousaka-sama group,” Iris and I were separated. There are many problems with men and women sharing a room, so this is very considerate.

Both rooms were VIP suites, complete with a bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen, and home bar. It’s just perfect.

“I heard that you will be staying here for one day and two nights. Is it correct to treat Surara-sama as Kou-sama’s pet?”

“I’m not a pet; I’m a Helper Slime, you know!”

Surara said, then jumped up and down a little.

“But, since this is getting complicated, I’ll be a pet for now. Woof, woof, meow meow, cock-a-doodle-do!”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

The manager dutifully bowed to Surara.

“Kou-sama, Irisnote-sama, do you have any other questions?”

“I don’t have any.”

“I’m fine, too.”

“Yes, sir. Enjoy your stay.”

After the manager left, we decided to gather in my room and discuss our future plans.

When I entered my room, there was a living room with several sofas in front of it.

Iris, I, and Surara sat down side by side on the biggest sofa in the room.

“Tomorrow we’ll go sightseeing in Toue, right? Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“Right…”

I opened my [Item Box] and took out a sightseeing guidebook from there.

Opening to the page on Toue…

There were beautiful farm scenes on the page.

“The southern part of the city seems to be entirely devoted to ranching, so why don’t we go there?”

“Sounds good. Oh, they also offer sheep shaving for tourists.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“Helping Sheep-san!”

Surara’s eyes lit up.

“I’ll do my best!”

I wonder if shaving the sheep is a kind of caring…?

I don’t know the details, but Surara seems very happy.

“Master-san, what are you doing the day after tomorrow?”

“We’ll leave Toue in the morning and be in Surier in the evening.”

Surier is located northeast of here and is famous for its hot springs. I’m planning to stay a bit so I can take it easy and visit the hot springs.

Well, it’s still a few days away, and we can decide the details then.

We agreed to meet at the front desk at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning and then broke up for the night.

“Good night, Kou and Surara-chan.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“See you later, Iris-oneesan!”

Surara and I waved Iris off to the hallway.

Well, well.

Let’s take a shower to refresh ourselves.

As I headed for the bathroom, Surara followed behind me.

“Master-san, bath time? Can I come in too?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Yay! Bath! Bath!”

I don’t have to tell you this now, but Surara is no ordinary Slime.

He’s a magical creature… that was artificially created by the technology of an ancient civilization.

The best thing about him is that he can take care of people.

This ability was demonstrated beautifully in the bathroom.

“Master-san, I’ll wash your head!”

“Yes, please.”

“I’m going to scrub your head. Do you have any itchy spots?”

“I’m fine.”

“I’ll wash it off. That’s it. Next, I’ll scrub your back. I’ll rub your shoulders, too.”

“Do you think I’m too stiff?”

“Master-san, you’re tense like an Orichalcum Golem! I’ll give you a good massage!”

Aah…!

Creak, creak, creak!

There was a dull sound that rang out from my shoulder.

“Master-san, are you feeling better?”

“…Yes, I am.”

I rotate my arms.

It seems that the stiffness in my muscles is gone, and my movements are lighter.

It seems that Helper Slime is also a first-rate masseuse.

“I feel much better. Thank you.”

I patted the Helper Slime with gratitude.

“Fufu! I’ve been praised by Master-san! That’s great!”

After that, I took a shower and went into the bathtub.

Of course, Surara was with me.

If I left him alone, he would sink to the bottom of the tub, so I decided to hold him with both hands.

“Master-san, the bath is so warm!”

“Be careful not to overheat.”

“Yes! Ugh, it’s so hot…”

“Now that we’re all warmed up, let’s get out of here.”

After finishing the bath, I lay down on my bed. The clock in my bedroom was already striking midnight.

“Master-san, good night… Munya…”

Surara was right beside me, snuggled up to me like a cat in winter.

His body was warm and cozy.

I close my eyes and reflect on the events of the day.

The send-off when we left Aunen was amazing.

It was like a parade, with fireworks and musicians playing.

I was so lucky to be surrounded by so many people.

One day, when I return to Aunen, I want to say thank you to everyone.

The trip in the Grand Cabin was much more comfortable than I had imagined, and come to think of it; I hadn’t read in a long time. The second mystery book I read was interesting. There seems to be a sequel, so I might have to look for it in a bookstore.

Here in Toue, I had a battle with Devil Treant, but there was no damage to the city, and I was able to save the priestess. It’s a happy ending without complaint.

I’m glad, I’m glad.

I wonder what kind of event awaits us tomorrow.

I’m looking forward to it.

Well then, good night.