Volume 2 - CH 8

Chapter 8 – I Went Sightseeing In Toue

The following day, I woke up at 8 am. It seemed I had slept well, and my mind was clear.

The morning sun shining through the window was dazzling.

Surara was sleeping peacefully beside me.

“Kuh… Supiii…”

At this rate, he will probably remain asleep for a while yet.

I activate my [Dexterity] and slowly leave the bed, taking great care not to wake Surara.

I washed my face in the bathroom, fixed my hair, and sat down on the sofa in the living room.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was 8:20 am.

Today’s departure was at 9 am., and I would meet Iris at the front desk.

I still have plenty of time to spare.

“…Okay.”

I’m going to use [Creation] since I defeated the Devil Treant yesterday.

I open my [Item Box] in my mind.

I chose “Devil Treant’s Left Arm x 1” from the list and first performed [Dismantling]. Then, I got about two hundred Devil Treant branches.

Because of its large size, the number of materials is also quite large.

Next, I put the lower half of the Devil Treant under [Dismantling] and obtained about 400 Devil Treant Trunks and 200 Devil Treant Roots.

Now, is there a new recipe?

What came to my mind was not a recipe for [Creation] but for [Material Alchemy].

Devil Treant Branch x 500 → Yggdrasil Branch x 1

[Material Alchemy] is a skill that allows you to create a higher-level material by multiplying the same material.

In the past, I’ve collected Lonely Wolf pelts and converted them into Fenrir pelts. The Fenrir Coat that I created from it has a powerful effect called《God Speed Protection EX》, which is useful even in situations outside of combat.

What kind of items can I create from the Yggdrasil branches?

I’m really looking forward to it.

With my heart filled with anticipation, I executed [Material Alchemy].

Yggdrasil Branch: This is a branch of the divine tree Yggdrasil, which supports this world. It holds sacred power within it.

Yggdrasil is a name that often appears in Japanese anime and video games, but the origins of that name is a huge tree from Norse mythology that supports multiple worlds from below with its branches and leaves.

I took out a Yggdrasil branch from my [Item Box].

It’s light green in color and glows with a divine radiance, and just looking at it makes me feel solemn. However, I couldn’t come up with a recipe for [Creation] using the Yggdrasil branch as a material.

Perhaps I don’t have enough skill levels.

“Well, there’s no need to panic.”

If I continue to repeat the [Creation] process, my skill level will eventually increase, and I should be able to come up with a recipe that uses a Yggdrasil branch. I’ll save it for then.

I store the Yggdrasil branch in my [Item Box].

About five minutes later, Surara woke up.

“Master-san, good morning!”

“Oh, good morning.”

“I’ll get ready right away! Please wait a moment!”

Surara said and headed for the washroom, bouncing up and down.

…What do you mean by getting ready, Helper Slime?

I was curious, so I followed behind.

Surara climbed up on the edge of the washbasin and posed in various ways while looking in the mirror.

“Yes! I’m perfect today, too!”

I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure that confirmation is important to Surara.

Then he opened his mouth wide, took out the white round hat Iris had given him yesterday and put it on his head. The connection with the warehouse in the underground city is broken, but it still functions as a sub-space for storage.

“Master-san, I’m ready!”

“Let’s go!”

I descended the stairs and headed for the first floor.

It was a little early, but Iris was already waiting for us at the front desk of the inn.

“Good morning, Kou, Surara-chan.”

“Did I keep you waiting?”

“No, I just got here. …Fufu.”

“What’s wrong?”

“We always have this exchange in the morning, don’t we?”

That’s true if you ask me.

…I think we should try to change it up a bit in the future.

After that, we left the key at the front desk and went sightseeing in Toue.

* * *

The city of Toue has a rather strange shape. It resembles a snowman with a small circle on top of a large circle.

We are at the “head” part of the snowman, and this part is called North Toue.

The atmosphere is that of a typical city.

A lot of buildings are lined up, and people and carriages are busily coming and going along the paved streets. But as we walked down the street into the “body” of the snowman… in South Toue, we saw a peaceful pasture.

“It’s a completely different world from the north to the south, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. It’s hard to believe this is all one city.”

Iris said as she walked on my left.

“I read in a book once that ‘Toue’ is an old word that means ‘two faces.’ It fits this town perfectly.”

“Oh, Master-san! There’s a cow! Moo! Moo!”

Surara was frolicking around like a child, bouncing from place to place.

There were wooden fences on either side of the road and many cows lazing around beyond them.

The sky was blue, and the sun was warm and sunny.

After walking for a while, I saw a herd of sheep gathered on the other side of the fence.

“Wow! Now there’s a sheep! Meeh! Meeh!”

“I guess this side is a sheep farm.”

“Hey, Kou, where do they let people shear sheep?”

“Wait a minute.”

I took out the tourist guide book from my [Item Box] and confirmed the place for the sheep shearing experience.

It seems that the place is definitely nearby.

The reception area seems to be a hut with a red roof, but where is it?

…It’s right there.

I continued straight down the road for about 20 meters and found the hut on the right.

There was a signboard at the entrance that said, “Come here to register for shearing,” with a picture of a sheep.

“This seemed to be the right place.”

“Let’s go in.”

“Yay! I’ll do my best!”

As we were talking, the hut door opened, and a middle-aged man in a straw hat came out.

“Come on in! Are you guys here for a shearing session?”

“Yes. Are you open right now?”

“Oh, we’re just about ready in a moment! Feel free to come in.”

The middle-aged man urged us to go inside the hut.

The entire floor of the hut was covered with straw, and three sheep were making their way around.

“You can pay later. Just wait for me to get ready.”

The middle-aged man spread a large cloth in the middle of the hut and brought a sheep from the back.

“I’ll tell you in advance; I have [Sheep Herder] skill. Don’t worry; the sheep will never harm you. In return, please don’t be rough with them.”

“I understand. Please take care of us.”

I nodded, and the middle-aged man smiled.

“Alright, then, let’s get started. There are some useful magic tools these days that make sheep shearing a lot easier.”

The middle-aged man said and brought out a clipper-like magic tool that was hanging on the wall nearby.

“The name of this tool is ‘Sheep Clipper,’ and it’s easy to use. All you have to do is move it while holding it against the root of the fur, and it will automatically trim the fur neatly. Give it a try, brother.”

Oh, come on, that’s so sudden.

I’d like you to show me how to do it first, but that’s okay.

I took the clippers, or sheep clippers, from him.

The moment I did, my [Dexterity] kicked in, and I became one of the top haircutters in the world.

“Hah!”

“Meeh!”

When I wield the sheep clipper, the sheep’s wool is shorn from the roots and falls to the floor.

This feels good. The sheep seem to be in a good mood and are bleating.

“Haaah!”

“Meeh! Meeh!”

“Haaaaaaah!”

“Meeeehhh!”

“…Fuh.”

It took about three minutes. I had finished shearing the sheep, leaving it completely naked.

“W-wow…”

The middle-aged man gulped.

Iris and Surara also seemed surprised and looked at me with their eyes rolled up.

“Kou can really do anything…”

“You’re an expert shearer, aren’t you, Master-san? Yay, yay!”

“It’s thanks to my skills. So, Iris is next.”

“Right. I wonder if I could do as well as Kou.”

“Good luck, Iris-oneesan!”

The middle-aged man brought in another sheep, and Iris began to shear it.

“It’s not easy…”

It seems there is a trick to the angle of the sheep clipper, and she is struggling a bit.

“I’ll help you! Sheep-san, I’m going to pull your fur a bit.”

“Meeh.”

As you would expect from Helper Slime, as soon as Surara stepped in to assist, the shearing began to go smoothly. Iris seems to be enjoying herself.

As I watched, the middle-aged man came up to me and spoke.

“By the way, brother, what city are you from?”

“Aunen.”

“So you know the story of the Dragon Slayer, right?”

“Eeh, well.”

In fact, I am the Dragon Slayer myself, but I don’t think I need to tell him my name.

For now, I’ll just nod vaguely.

“Brother, what kind of person is the Dragon Slayer? If you don’t mind, let me know. He’s a hero who saved Toue, and I can’t help but be curious about him.”

“Um…”

Well, how should I answer?

While I was pondering, the man continued to speak.

“I’ve heard that the Dragon Slayer is a young man with black eyes and black hair, accompanied by a red-haired Dragon-folk and a strange, round creature. …Hmm? Wait a minute. Brother, could it be…”

“No, I think you’ve got the wrong guy. By the way, how much do you charge for the shearing experience?”

“It’s three hundred Komsa per sheep. This is the second sheep you have sheared, so the total will be six hundred Komsa.”

“I’ll pay it while I’m here.”

I opened my [Item Box] and paid for the shearing experience.

“That’s right, six hundred Komsa. Thank you. …By the way, brother, you are the Dragon Slayer, right?”

“Yes.”

Oops.

I was asked casually, so I answered honestly.

“I knew it.”

The middle-aged man grinned and handed me back six hundred Komsa.

“Then you can have it for free. I can’t take money from a hero who saved the city.”

“That sounds rather apologetic…”

“Then this is the fee for the sightseeing. That was some expert shearing you did there.”

“I understand. Let’s do that then.”

I nodded.

It would be rude to refrain from doing so here.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay. In the meantime, let me introduce you to the other guys. Many of them would want to thank you.”

After Iris and Surara had finished shearing, the man led us on a tour of the ranch.

Everywhere we went, we were told, “Thank you for protecting the city!” “You’ve been a great help to us!”. We were thanked with words of gratitude and even given gifts in return, but before we knew it, a spontaneous feast had started.

What exactly was the flow of events…?

“Dragon Slayer brother, since you’re here, why don’t you drink some of our milk?”

“Would you like some homemade cheese?”

“Oh, our cheese is second to none.”

“Cheese and wine goes together, doesn’t it? This is my father’s special wine; let’s drink it together.”

Yes, at first, it was just a matter of tasting the farm’s cheese.

However, when someone brought wine, the tension around us rose, and before we knew it, all the people from the ranch had gathered together in a big feast.

No, that’s not all.

Cows, sheep, chickens, and other animals had also gathered.

“A toast to Toue’s safety and the Dragon Slayer’s achievements!”

“””””Cheers!”””””

Under the blue sky, the cheerful voices of the people echoed. At the same time, the animals also raised their cries.

“””””Moooo!”””””

“””””Meeh!”””””

“””””Cluuuuck!”””””

It seems that in this world, not only humans but also animals are in a groove.

…It’s pretty chaotic, isn’t it?

But I don’t hate it. We had a great time surrounded by the people and animals of the ranch.

The feast lasted for a while and finally broke up in the evening.

“Come again, Dragon Slayer brother!”

“You’re always welcome here!”

“The cows are waiting for you, too!”

The people (and animals) of the ranch saw us off, and we left.

The sky was tinged with red, and the sun was about to set in the western sky.

“We’ve stayed here quite a while.”

“It’s not bad to spend time like this. …But I drank a little too much.”

Iris seems to be drunk, and her steps are a bit unsteady.

I’m worried that she might fall.

Surara is tired and asleep, so I carry him in my right arm. The soft and cool sensation is pleasant.

“Kou looks fine. But didn’t you drink more than me?”

“It’s thanks to the [Transmigrator]. I have resistance to abnormalities. I can be tipsy, but I would never get drunk.”

“That’s enviable. …Kyaaa!”

Iris let out a small scream.

It seems that her legs got tangled, and she lost her balance.

“Oops.”

I stretched out my left arm and hugged Iris around the waist to support her body.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Thanks, Kou.”

Iris let out a sigh of relief.

I thought about it for a while and then took out an antidote potion from my [Item Box].

This is one of the items that I produced with [Creation] in the past, and it includes《Detoxification Effects Enhancement S+》as a granted effect.

“You can drink it if you like. It should make you feel a little better.”

“I appreciate it.”

Iris received the antidote potion and immediately sipped it. Her throat rumbled up and down.

“…Wow, this is amazing.”

Iris’s expression was one of surprise.

“I feel so much better now. My head feels clearer like I’m back to the way I was right before I drank.”

“It’s a top-quality detoxification potion.”

“I guess I can drink as much as I want with this.”

Iris giggled and began to walk with a light step.

“Hey Kou, where are we going next?”

“We’re almost there.”

“Eh?”

It was the east gate of the city. There was a staircase right next to it that led to the top of the city walls.

“Are we going out of the city by any chance?”

“No, we’re not.”

I shook my head.

“At the east gate of Toue, they open the top of the wall as an observation deck. Would you like to go there?”

“Oh, that sounds interesting.”

Iris smiled at me.

“Well, let’s take a little detour, shall we?”

The stairs leading to the top of the city walls were much longer than expected. It would be about eight or nine stories high if applied to modern Japan.

There was no one but us on the observation deck. The view from the observation deck was breathtaking, perhaps due to the time of day, which was dusk.

Looking toward the city, we could see a peaceful ranch in the foreground and a bustling city in the distance.

The city named “Two Faces (Toue)” was now colored red by the setting sun.

“…It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah.”

Iris and I spent a while just quietly gazing at the city of Toue. We were the only two people on the observation deck.

No, it was just the two of us and one animal. Surara was sleeping comfortably in my right arm.

“The people at the ranch, they were so grateful.”

Iris said, looking back at the earlier feast.

“How are you feeling? Hero of Toue-san.”

“To be honest, I was surprised.”

I smiled bitterly.

“I was completely unprepared for such a welcome.”

“Well, I can understand how the people at the ranch feel.”

“You do?”

“Over the years, the Toue ranch has grown to its present size by passing from parent to child and from child to grandchild. If it weren’t for Kou, the entire history of the ranch would have disappeared, and for that, I’m sure they would be very grateful.”

“…I see.”

It seems that I was protecting a lot more than I imagined.

The property of the people of the city and the history built up by the ancestors. That kind of thing is certainly important.

* * *

As the sun began to set behind the mountains, we left the observation deck.

“Thank you, Kou. It was a beautiful view.”

“That’s good to know.”

Iris seemed pleased with the view, and I was satisfied as well.

The next step was… dinner, but there was one big problem.

“Iris. Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Hmm. To be honest, I’m not really hungry yet.”

“Me neither.”

Perhaps it’s because the food and drinks from the lunchtime feast are still in my stomach.

It seems that the feeling of fullness cannot be nullified by the [Transmigrator].

“Shall we have dinner later?”

“Yes, let’s go somewhere to kill some time. Is there somewhere you want to go?”

“Right…”

I thought about it for a while and then asked her.

“Do you remember yesterday when we brought the girl to the guild’s infirmary?”

“The priestess, the one with the silver hair?”

“She might be awake, but I just want to make sure. Can we stop by the Adventurer’s Guild?”

“Okay. I was wondering the same thing, so let’s go.”

We agreed on a plan, so we started walking towards the western part of the city.

I thought Surara was asleep… but he woke up with a big yawn.

“Munya…? Good morning, Master-san. I must have fallen asleep. I’m sorry.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, very well!”

Surara replied and jumped down from my right arm.

“Well, in my dream, I chatted with everyone in the underground city!”

“I wonder if by “everyone” he means the other Slimes.”

“I think so.”

I nodded at Iris’ words.

Right after that, [Full Assist] is activated to supplement the information.

…Fumu, fumu.

Apparently, the consciousnesses of the Helper Slimes are connected as one at the deepest level, and Surara is able to share information with other Slimes during sleep.

Synchronizing while asleep, that’s like a computer function.

Eventually, we arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild’s Toue branch.

The main lobby was deserted, and the clock on the wall showed 7.30 pm. The adventurers had already received pay for their quests and were probably out drinking.

There was only one counter open, and a female employee was sitting there.

When I asked her what happened to the priestess, she said that she had woken up in the afternoon.

“It seems that she left the Adventurer’s Guild in the early afternoon because she had urgent business to attend to. …Speaking of which, I have a letter for you from that girl. Please wait a moment.”

The female employee said and took out a white envelope from a drawer near the reception desk.

In the center of the envelope is written “To Kou Kousaka-sama,” and in the lower right corner is signed “Lily Luna Lunaria.”

Perhaps this was the girl’s name.

I opened the envelope and decided to read the contents of the letter.

The first half of the letter was an explanation of what happened to the girl, Lily, before she fainted.

According to the letter, Lily was a traveling priestess who happened to be visiting Toue when she learned of the Devil Treant’s appearance and volunteered to go and stop it.

Although the Celestial Chain of light magic blocked the Devil Treant’s movement, Lily’s magic power eventually reached its limit, and we rushed to her just in time.

The second half of the letter was a carefully written thank-you note, and it ended with the sentence, “I will be back to thank you soon.”

It seems that this girl Lily is a very disciplined and serious person.

Personally, I have a very good feeling about her.

After we left the Adventurer’s Guild, we stopped by a bookstore in the city to buy a few books and then headed to “Meat Street.”

There was a sandwich store specializing in Toue beef, so we went in. The sign was true to form, and the menu was lined with impactful text such as “salted grilled beef tongue sandwich,” “grilled meat sandwich with thick sauce,” and “melted meat sandwich.”

The most shocking menu was the specialty menu, the “Meat Meat Sandwich,” which consisted of a Toue beef hamburger steak sandwiched between two Toue beef steaks.

“…Where’s the bread?”

“Where did they get the idea to make a meat sandwich with meat?”

“I’d like to try some!”

Since we were going on a trip, the three of us ordered a “Meat Meat Sandwich,” which turned out to be a surprise. The delicious taste of the meat flooded us like a torrent, and before we knew it, we had eaten an entire sandwich.

Afterward, I returned to the inn, took a bath, and lay down in bed.

Tomorrow, we will leave Toue at around 6 am.

Our next destination was Surier, a city famous for its hot springs.

Hot springs are the heart and soul of the Japanese people, and I’m looking forward to it.