Volume 4 - CH 1

Chapter 1 – I Consulted With Everyone About It

“──So I might be a reincarnation of the calamity, just like Leticia.”

The next morning.

I gathered everyone in my room and briefly explained my conversation with Leticia last night.

Of course, Leticia was present, but she rolled her eyes at my actions.

“I didn’t expect you to reveal it to everyone here so casually…”

“I had no reason to keep the information to myself, especially in this particular case.”

I know all too well the importance of information sharing.

When I was a working professional in Japan, I led a team to solve a case that had gone up under fire, and more than once, I was saved by the openness among the team members.

“I mean, Leticia would have been the same as me. You told me you were a calamity when we first met.”

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

Iris nodded at my right side.

“In that sense, Kou and Leticia are very much like siblings, aren’t they?”

“The reason why I revealed my identity in the first place is because there is not much point in keeping it hidden.”

“In other words, there is no advantage in keeping such information hidden. You’re very much alike, after all.”

Iris pointed this out and then giggled.

Her expression was the same as usual, and the casual glances she gave me were as warm as they were yesterday.　

“Even though Iris-sama knows that Kou-sama might be a calamity, you are unaffected, aren’t you?”

“Because, well you know, Kou is still Kou, right? So regarding whether he’s a calamity or not, it doesn’t matter to me.”

When Iris said this, she slightly rested her left shoulder against me. It was just a small movement, but it was enough to let me know how she felt.

I leaned toward Iris a little bit and silently replied.

While I was immersed in a warm feeling for a while, Surara, who was sitting (?) on the sofa across from me, came over to my lap.

“I’m on Master-san’s side too! Fufufu!”

Slur slur.

Surara rubbed his cheek against my right arm, and then he said, “Oh! I’ve got an idea!”

What on earth did he come up with?

“I think the reason I was able to get out of the underground city was because of Master’s [Awakening].”

“I can’t say for sure about that.”

Originally, the Helper Slimes were restricted from leaving the underground city. By rewriting the system of the underground city, Surara came to be treated as an exception, but now that I look back on it, it was too convenient of a development.

Perhaps I had subconsciously triggered [Awakening] and prompted a change in the underground city’s system.

As I thought about this, I suddenly realized that Lily, sitting directly across from me, had been silent for a long time.

I wondered if she was shocked to learn that I might be a calamity.

“Lily, are you okay?”

“…Sorry. I was just thinking a little.”

After saying that, Lily turned her gaze toward me.

“I knew from the [Foresight] before that Kou-san was not from this world. But…”

“You mean you had never thought about the possibility of me being a reincarnation of the calamity?”

“Yes. …Let me tell you a little bit about it. Of course, this relates to you too, Kou-san.”

“Yes, of course. Please tell me.”

“Thank you.”

Lily sat down and bowed her head, and opened her mouth again.

“I am a priest of the God of War religion, as you may know. The God of War religion, as the name implies, believes in the God of War, Warden. …It is said that in the distant past, the God of War, Warden, fought to protect this world from calamity.”

“You mean that the God of War and the calamity are adversaries?”

“That’s right. So if Kou-san is a calamity, then that makes you an enemy of the God of War Warden, and by extension, of the God of War religion.”

“Wait a minute.”

Iris spoke up to interrupt.　

“If Kou is an enemy of the God of War, then how can he handle the sacred weapon? Isn’t that strange?”

It is indeed true.

The sacred weapon is a weapon that contains the power of the God of War Warden, and there are three weapons: the magic sword Gram, the Yggdrasil bow, and the unmarked holy spear.

The holy spear has been reborn as a different spear through [Creation], but I have overcome many fierce battles with Gram, and Yggdrasil’s bow has also helped me in the battles against the Gluttonous Dragon and in the extinguishing of the volcano.

“Speaking of which…”

Leticia muttered.

“I heard Lily-sama say that Kou-sama might be the successor of the God of War.”

“Yes. I did say that.”

Lily nodded her head and continued the conversation.

“If we assume, as Leticia-san thinks, that the Greedy Dragon rejected its role as a calamity and reincarnated as a human, then it is not surprising that Kou-san can handle sacred weapons and is chosen to be the successor to the God of War. However, perhaps…”

Hmm?

For some reason, Lily keeps her mouth shut in mid-sentence and just shuts down.　

“Is there something you have a hard time saying?”

“Kou-san, you have obtained the [Spatial Domination] of the Gluttonous Dragon and made it your own, right? Isn’t it possible that, similarly, you just made the power of the Greedy Dragon your own?

“…I can’t deny that.”

And in that case, I am not Leticia’s brother.

I see.

The reason Lily seemed reluctant to say what she thought was probably because she was concerned about Leticia.

“Indeed, Lily-sama has some valid points.”

Leticia did not seem to be offended and nodded with a calm expression on her face.

“Kou-sama’s good-natured and benevolent nature is just like my brother’s, but it could also be a coincidence.”

Hmm.

Leticia’s hypothesis, namely, that ‘the Greedy Dragon was reborn as a human in Japan and then summoned to this world as a [Transmigrator],’ seems a bit forced, but, nevertheless, it is not clear to put aside the fact that my personality and that of the Greedy Dragon are very similar as a coincidence.　

Well, let’s not jump to conclusions.

As we continue our journey, we may obtain new information.

For now, let’s just say that it is enough that we were able to share information with each other.

“Um…”

As we were about to finish our conversation, Lily opened her mouth.

“Even if Leticia’s opinion is correct and Kou-san is a reincarnation of a calamity, it is certain that he has saved a lot of people so far. If the God of War or the God of War religion is at odds with Kou-san in the future, I will do my best to persuade them. So, that… Please don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you, Lily.”

I think she was following up in her own way since the topic of ‘God of war and calamity are adversaries’ came up earlier.

I patted Lily’s head with a warm feeling.

When the conversation came to an end, we left the inn.

We are currently traveling to the royal capital, but due to the recent pirate trouble, the ships leaving from Fort Port have been stopped.

If we want to go to the capital, we need to cross the sea by ourselves.

I have the Exceed Cruiser on hand, but it is unsuitable for long-distance voyages.

Then, what should I do?

What will be useful here is the ancient super battleship Orichalcum Rox, which I took from the pirates the other day.

The ship was broken here and there because of my and Leticia’s rampage, but that’s not a problem.

I’m going to use [Creation] now to rebuild it into a more powerful ship.

So we headed down the hill to the harbor.

In the western corner, there is a battleship docked there that resembles a huge fortress.

This is the Orichalcon Rox.

Five young adventurers stand nearby with serious expressions on their faces.

They were there because it would be a disaster if the ancient weapon fell into the wrong hands, and Jess, the branch manager of the Adventurers’ Guild Fort Port Branch, had arranged for them to stand guard.

I’m grateful for that.

As we approached Orichalcum Rox, one of the adventurers called out to me.

“Excuse me. This area is off-limits to unauthorized persons… Eh, Dragon Slayer-san?”

“Yes, that’s right. Just to make sure, I’m a related person, aren’t I?”

“O-of course! Please come on through! …And may I shake your hand? I’m actually a fan!”

“…I see.”

I replied bluntly and held out my right hand.

Iris said mischievously as we finished shaking hands and came very close to the Orichalcum rox.

“Kou, you were embarrassed just now.”

“Well, yeah. …Is it bad?”

“No. I think it’s cute.”

Iris put her hand over her mouth and giggled.

“Don’t tease me too much.”

“Fufu, I’m sorry. Are you still embarrassed?”

“…No comment.”

I felt awkward and looked away from Iris.

Huh?

I just noticed that Leticia, Lily, and Surara (two people and one creature?) were looking at us from a short distance away.

Their gazes were unusually warm.

“Why are you all so far away?”

“Don’t worry about it. I am just looking at you two in your own world as if I were the wall or the floor. You are the same too, aren’t you, Lily-san?”

“Yes. Don’t worry about us.”

“I am the wall.”

Surara said, and his round body became a slightly longer length.

It was more of a pillar than a wall.

…Well, that’s okay.

Let’s get on with the [Creation] of the ship for now.

I reached out with my right hand and touched the Orichalcum Rox.

Then a recipe popped into my mind.

There were two kinds of materials.

Orichalcum Rox and a large amount of orichalcum ore that we obtained on Mahoros Island.

By combining these, it seemed that a flying ship could be created.

I concentrated my consciousness and activated [Creation].

A golden flash of light spread around the Orichalcum Rox.

Then a new flying boat appeared, with large bird-like wings on either side.

Airship Blaznir: A large airship created by Kou Kousaka with his [Creation]. It is not only a comfortable ride as a luxury cruise ship but also has combat capabilities for self-defense and can safely deliver passengers to their destinations no matter what kind of trouble they may encounter.

Granted effects:《Flying S+》《Permanent Engine S+》《Space Distortion EX》《Helper Slime Summoning EX》

The form of the airship was curvaceous and gracefully beautiful.

Iris and the others watched in silence for a while as well as me, as they admired the sight.　

…Oops.

Don’t dawdle. Let’s check the performance.

The Blaznir has been given《Flying S+》which allows the hull to float in the air.

Currently, it is hovering at about 10 meters above sea level, but it is said that if it wanted to, it could rise to an altitude of several tens of thousands of meters.

It is about half the size of the Orichalcum Rox from which it was made and about 100 meters long. However, due to the effect of《Spatial Distortion EX》, its interior space is more than five times larger than it appears.

Another noteworthy effect is《Helper Slime Summoning EX》.

By twisting space, the Blaznir can be “connected” to the underground city of Aunen, and Helper Slime can be summoned as the ship’s crew.

Traveling in the sky surrounded by Helper Slimes…

It will surely be a time of complete comfort.

I’m looking forward to it.

When I looked around, everyone else was looking up at Blaznir with stunned expressions.

“It’s floating…”

Iris muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Maybe this thing flies…?”

“Yeah. It seems so.”

“As usual, everything Kou makes is out of the ordinary… I don’t know of any other ship that flies.”

“I love the bird-like wings. It stimulates my artistic side.”

Leticia sighed, took out a pen and sketchbook from her [Storage], and began sketching the Blaznir.

At her feet, Surara was frolicking around, singing, “Tori-san no fune♪ Pata pata♪.”

“Kou-san.”

I noticed that Lily had come close by.

“What is the name of this ship?”

“According to the appraisal, it is called Airship Blaznir.”

“…I figured.”

“What’s wrong?”

When I asked her that, Lily looked up at me with a serious expression.　

“According to the God of War legends, the God of War Warden owned a floating ship in the sky named Blaznir. But it was lost in a battle against a calamity.”

“Does this mean that I have recreated the ship that Warden had owned through [Creation]?”

“Maybe. Then, I heard that Blaznir had the ‘power to fold space.’ …Have you any idea what that might be?”

“…I might have an idea.”

The granted effect of Blaznir──《Space Distortion EX》.

This is exactly what it is called “the power to fold space.”

When I explained this to Lily, she further explained.

“I heard that the God of War, Warden, was deeply wounded in a battle against a calamity long ago. He is now in a long slumber, waiting for his successor to emerge. …Kou-san has not only the sacred weapons but also Gjallarhorn, which is used to invoke the souls of brave warriors, and Blaznir, the ship that floats in the sky. One day, perhaps, we will come face to face with the God of War, Warden.”

* * *

I am curious about the God of War, but we will meet him when the time is right. There’s no end to it if you start worrying about the future.

I decided to take everyone with me to look around the interior of Blaznir.

The port of Fort Port was once thoroughly destroyed by pirates.

After that, I restored it by [Creation], and I used Devil Treant root as a material, which gave it a useful effect called《Ramp Formation EX》.

“Then, let’s get inside the Blaznir.”

In response to my comment, Devil Treant roots grew out from under our feet and formed a staircase leading to the deck of the Blaznir.

Seeing this, Iris said.

“It’s so convenient that they build the stairs to fit the ship, isn’t it?”

“Local fishermen say that they can even help you carry your cargo.”

According to the local fishermen, the roots of the Devil Treant were shaped like the arms of a crane and helped them carry heavy loads.

Devil Treant, which used to be a threat to people’s lives, is now being useful to someone through [Creation].

It’s kind of interesting when you think about it.

Incidentally, the fisherman who told me this story said, “Here’s a thank you for making my job easier! Keep it!” and left me a bottle of Fort Port’s specialty dune wine. I heard that his wife’s family is a grape farmer. I hope to find time to taste it one of these days.

We walked up the stairs to the deck of the Blaznir and stepped into the ship.

The corridors are wide, with fluffy carpets everywhere.

The rooms were all suites, and the ship’s facilities included a restaurant, a bar, and even a casino.

“It’s really gorgeous…”

Iris muttered to herself.

“Ever since I met Kou, he’s been giving me all kinds of luxuries. …I don’t think I can ever go back to my old life.”

“You don’t have to go back to your old life, do you?”

“Maybe.”

Iris nodded with a smile on her face at my words.

I don’t really care, but a little further away, Leticia glanced at me and said, “It’s wonderful that you get along so well with each other. Kabedon, kabedon,” etc., she muttered.

What’s a kabedon…?

As I was tilting my head, Lily called out to me.

“Um, Kou-san. May I ask you one question?”

“Of course. What’s the matter?”

“If we are going to move such a big ship, I think we will need a good number of crew members. …Are you going to recruit someone from Fort Port?”

“No, not in the slightest. Because the Blaznir has been granted some useful effects.”

While answering Lily’s question, I headed for the command center in the middle of the ship.

It was a place about the size of a school classroom, and like the Orichalcum Rox, it was lined with shiny monitors and devices with intricately shaped levers and buttons attached to the walls.

Linkage to the main system of Blaznir was established.

Soon after, a voice echoed in my mind.

It was from [Full Assist], but its tone was indifferent, as it was still currently in safe mode.

It had the feel of a “system message,” and as for me, I couldn’t help but feel a touch of loneliness.

Blaznir’s《Spatial Distortion EX》is operating normally.

Do you want to use《Helper Slime Summoning EX》?

This is the way to solve the crew’s problem.

──《Helper Slime Summoning EX》.

Normally, the Helper Slime cannot go outside the underground city.

However, by using this effect, it is possible to summon them as an exception.

The principle seems to be a slight application of《Spatial Distortion EX》, connecting the underground city and the interior of Blaznir and treating it as if “the inside of the ship is also a part of the underground city.”

That’s quite a strong skill…

Well, let’s actually try it anyway.

The next moment, smoke popped everywhere in the command center.

Then, out of the smoke, round, squishy creatures jumped out.

“We’re here!”

“We jumped out because we were called!”

“Tada-tada-tada!”

No need to explain anymore. They are the Helper Slimes, magical creatures created by an ancient civilization.

“Wow! It’s been a while, everyone!”

Surara shouted with joy and headed for the other Helper Slimes.

“I’m so glad to see you!”

“We are too!”

“Yay, yay, yay!”

“Thanks to Master-san!”

Surara and the other Helper Slimes are happy to see each other again, their bodies pressed against each other.

It’s quite a peaceful scene.

The Helper Slimes were summoned not only to the command center in Blaznir. They appeared in all sorts of places in the ship and began working as ship’s staff.

“I’ll clean the cabins! Squeeze! Squeeze!”

“I’m going to cook in the kitchen!”

“I’m going to start working as a dealer in the casino! Master-san, come and play with us!”

Before I knew it, the interior of the Blaznir ship was bustling with activity. Everywhere you looked, there were slimes happily working, flying, and jumping about.

“I didn’t know there were so many Helper Slimes…!”

Lily muttered with a twinkle in her eye.

Well, that’s a natural reaction.

The only Helper Slime that Lily has seen so far is Surara, and she seems to like Surara very much and frequently holds him on her lap.

Lily must be in a dreamlike environment since Blaznir is currently full of Helper Slimes in every direction.

As I was thinking about this, several Helper Slimes gathered at Lily’s place.

“Lily-oneechan, nice to meet you!”

“Surara is always in your care!”

“Be good to us, too!”

“…Yes!”

Lily replied happily, and the Helper Slimes jumped on her with great joy.

As Lily was being jostled by the many Helper Slimes, she had a blissful expression on her face.

“Lily-oneechan. I want you to let me join you!”

Oh, it’s Surara.

Rolling on the floor, Surara gives a little nudge and then leaps into Lily’s arms.

“Fufu! This is my place!”

It certainly feels like Surara’s place, doesn’t it?

As I was satisfied with this, a slime jumped up and down at my feet.

“Master-san! Master-san! It’s been a while. I want you to pat me!”

“Is this okay?”

Pat, pat.

“Yay! Thank you!”

“Me too, Master-san!”

Another Helper Slime shouted.

“Oh, I love it!”

“I want you to stroke me, too!”

“I would rather be the one to stroke you, Master-san! Master-san is a hard worker, you know!”

Oh, wow.

I found myself surrounded by many Helper Slimes.

“Kou, you’re so popular, aren’t you?”

Iris, who was nearby, giggled.

“Iris-oneechan, you’re being careless!”

“Alright, circle, circle.”

“It’s squishy!”

Thus, for a while, Iris, Lily, and I were to be pampered (?) by the Helper Slimes.

After a while, when the fascinating fun time was over, I suddenly realized.

…Where did Leticia go?

I asked the slimes around me, and they told me that Leticia was apparently at a café on the ship.

The café is located at the top of the ship and has a good view.

Okay, let’s go there and check it out.

So I headed for the café with Iris, Lily, and Surara.

There, a Helper Slime with a fake mustache was wiping glasses.

I guess he was pretending to be the master of the café.

Helper Slimes are always eager to take the role of the master of the shop, aren’t they?

The store’s interior is made of glass and offers a panoramic view of the ocean, which glistens in the sun.

Leticia is… there she is.

She was gracefully sipping a cup of coffee and talking to a lone Helper Slime.

When Leticia noticed our presence, she gave a small wave of her right hand.

“What’s wrong, Kou-sama?”

“I noticed you were gone. So we came looking for you.”

“I’m sorry, I was just exploring the ship. Just now I was talking to this child.”

Leticia said and turned her attention to the Helper Slime sitting on the sofa across from her.

That Helper Slime is wearing round glasses. It looks familiar.

“Could it be the glasses slime?”

“That’s right. I’m glad you remember me, Master-san.”

The glasses slime was originally in charge of the sealed deep realm of the underground city of Aunen.

He taught me about the existence of the Black Dragon and even guided me to the ancient vaults.

Thanks to him, I was able to obtain Gram and the Dragon God’s shield, and as a result, I was able to save Aunen from a crisis.

In that sense, he was a behind-the-scenes force, or rather, a behind-the-scenes contributor.

“Leticia. What were you talking about with the glasses slime?”

“I was talking about your achievements in Aunen, Kou-sama. I had heard rumors that you had defeated the Black Dragon, but it sounds like it was quite a hard battle.”

“Well, yes.”

“I also heard that the city’s entire population was evacuated to the underground. …You were trying to save all those innocent lives, weren’t you? Truly, you are always Kou-sama, no matter where you go, aren’t you?”

“He certainly has that quality about him, doesn’t he?”

Iris nodded next to me with her arms folded.

“You could be called a perfectionist. It’s admirable that you’ve done it so well.”

“I’m just trying to protect what I can within my power.”

“The fact that you are protecting the whole city is a great achievement.”

“You obviously have big hands, Master-san!”

Following Lily, Surara said with a look of innocence.

Big hands, huh?

I suddenly looked at my own hands.

When I was in Japan, my hands could do nothing more than tap on a computer keyboard.

Now, however, I can do many things with my hands.

I can hold a sword and defeat monsters and calamities; I can restore a port with [Creation], I can calm a volcano on the verge of erupting and turn it into a mine…

I have acquired a great deal of power.

I must be careful not to misuse it.