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TL: ALT
Chapter 59 – Day 4 of Exploration
Yesterday, when we dismantled the rock crocodile, we found a large number of stones.
“They are called gastroliths. They help the crocodile digest the food it swallows by grinding it up.”
Hel said.
“Rock crocodiles may have unexpectedly weak stomachs and intestines.”
As Chel washed the gastroliths, a small stone appeared with a human face carved into it.
“A monkey?”
“Is that a human face?”
“Traces of ruins from the stomach stones? Maybe we should explore the area where the rock crocodiles were.”
At Hel’s suggestion, we decided to return to the river from yesterday.
The path had been made by my great sword, so I thought it would be easy, but it was a demonic land. The branches had disappeared, but vines had grown, forming a green arch. Morning glory-like flowers bloomed on the vines.
“The seeds of these can be used to make laxatives. Jennifer, would you mind picking some? Oh, there’s so much to do today, even though it’s the day we’re supposed to put the pottery in the kiln.”
Hel has been pacing around since this morning. She seems nervous because this is her first time making pottery in the demonic land.
“Even when you get old, you still get nervous, huh?”
Jennifer said jokingly, but she filled the bag with morning glory seeds as she was told.
“I-i-it’s ready!”
Sylvia made something that looked like a leather vest. It was tight enough to keep the slime out, and it even looked like a sexual outfit.
“Are you sure the outfit is okay?”
“D-d-don’t worry!”
“Well, you can wear whatever you want.”
Chel’s robe is worn out, and I’m wearing dirty leather armor, so I can’t say anything about other people, but it seems like Sylvia has a good sense of style.
“Well, let’s go then.”
The three of us, just like yesterday, headed south.
Today, instead of the great sword, I brought a shovel for digging.
Cam fruits and overconfident imps attacked us, but I was able to fend them off with the shovel, so it’s also a good blunt weapon. Chel used the bone staff, which hadn’t been very useful yesterday, to burn the insect-like monsters that came near us.
When we reached the river, the rock crocodiles were in the middle of a territorial dispute. There was no point in watching them, so we started exploring the area without paying any attention to them.
“What if there are ruins in the river?”
Chel asked.
“We’ll have to change the flow of the river to look for them.”
We looked for rocks with crocodile tooth marks on them. We cut the grass and dug in the ground but couldn’t find anything.
“Oh, no! W-w-we’re going to be attacked!”
Sylvia shouted.
When I turned around, I saw a rock crocodile climbing out of the river and coming towards us. However, since we had already defeated it once, I wasn’t too afraid.
I kicked it away with my magic-coated leg, and it dived back into the river and disappeared.
As we swam across the river and looked for the other bank, another rock crocodile attacked us.
“I hate it when there are so many crocodiles.”
While saying this, Chel attacked it with a light magic that blinded it. Then she pushed it aside and rolled it back into the river.
“W-w-we had so much trouble yesterday. W-w-why?”
Sylvia was surprised.
“As long as you watch out for their tails and mouths, it’s not that hard. If you had a vine, even Sylvia should be able to neutralize it.”
Chel tore a long vine from a nearby tree and handed it to her.
While exploring, we were attacked by rock crocodiles several times, but each time, Chel blinded them with light magic, and Sylvia climbed onto their backs from the side and tied their mouths with the vine.
This allowed me to concentrate on the search. Then, I found a moss-covered mountain by the water.
“It’s strange that there are no big trees growing here.”
“Th-th-that’s right!”
As I shoveled away the slippery moss, what looked like white limestone appeared.
“Is this an archaeological site?”
I got excited and shoveled the moss away all at once, and a plain white mountain appeared. There was no pattern.
“This is… the carcass of a large hazel turtle.”
I soon found the skull, and the morning’s search was over.
“So it’s not that easy to find.”
“I-i-it’s not easy because even the royalty haven’t found it.”
Sylvia was right.
“Oh, by the way, wasn’t a package supposed to arrive from the royal capital today?”
“Package?”
“Yes, like the household goods and all the clothes I bought in the capital.”
“Did Makyo choose them?”
“No, what should I say~. Oh, a woman named Sasha from the military chose them, so I think it’ll be fine.”
“Then that’s good!”
As I talked to Chel and returned to the cave, I noticed that Sylvia was not there.
As I hurried back to the river, I saw that she was fighting a small slime, using the vines as a whip.
“I-I-I’m not afraid anymore!”
Combined with her tight clothes, it felt like I was seeing something I shouldn’t.
“Sylvia, we’re going home!”
“Y-y-yeah, I’m coming!”
We returned to the cave and had lunch. It was just sandwiches and crocodile meat, but it was delicious.
“So, I’m going to a training facility, and I need someone to carry the luggage.”
Chel could just disguise herself, but she would soon be suspected. There were a lot of people now, and they should all be used to the demonic land.
“Considering the speed of the journey, isn’t there anyone more suitable than Chel?”
Hel asked.
“No, there’s no particular need to hurry.”
“Well, there’s the elf slave, the former noble slave, and the demon race. Aren’t I the only one suitable for the job?”
Jennifer pointed at each of them as she spoke and was kicked by all three. She was beginning to establish herself as the joker of the group. There are bound to be things that are difficult to talk about when you live together, but things go smoothly when someone takes on the role of clown.
“Why? Makyo-san, please do something about this!”
“Don’t say anything that will get you kicked. Okay, then it’s Jennifer.”
They’ll probably prepare a bag for us, but we’ll take the shoiko just in case. I go to the training facility with Jennifer, who is spouting nonsense like, “Why do I always end up being the tragic heroine?”
“I’m leaving!”
“I’m off!”
Jennifer’s walking speed is slow, but she deals with the monsters and plants properly, so I don’t have to wait that long.
“Sorry!”
Jennifer still apologizes to me for making me wait.
“No, it’s okay.”
“You’re so kind, Makyo-san.”
“Don’t worry too much. If you get tired of being the clown, you can have someone else take your place.”
“The clown? Me?”
Jennifer rolled her eyes as if to say she had no intention of playing that role.
“Well, never mind. Let’s go. I want to be back before dark.”
“Yes!”
Jennifer replied loudly and followed me.
When we arrived at the training facility, the captain was waiting to greet us.
“I thought you’d be here soon. Your luggage has arrived.”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
A carriage was parked at the entrance to the training facility.
“Margrave!”
Sasha came out of the building.
“Hey, Sasha, thanks for the delivery. By the way, I didn’t give you any money for the trip, but was that okay?”
“Yeah, it’s no problem. The army will pay for my travel expenses, so I don’t need it.”
“I see. Oh, this is Jennifer. She’s the general affairs officer for the demonic land.”
“Nice to meet you. I mainly manage and collect items. I’m Jennifer Volkov.”
“I’m Sasha. I was the escort for the Margrave.”
“You were Makyo-san’s escort?”
Jennifer looked at me questioningly.
“The Margrave rarely rode in a carriage; he ran. He treated Green Tiger like a kitten, but is that really how you live in demonic land?”
Sasha asked Jennifer.
“Yes, it’s normal for Makyo-san.”
“I see…”
While Sasha and Jennifer were talking, the sound of metal clashing could be heard coming from the arena.
“Is it training?”
“Ah, yes. There are people from the royal capital’s intelligence department here. They’re asking a lot of questions, so we’re having a meeting to discuss it.”
The captain replied.
“Oh, and there’s a fruit seller here from East Kenya. He wants to meet the Margrave. What do you want to do?”
“A fruit seller? What does he want with me?”
The captain said to me, “Well, let’s go inside and have a chat over some tea,” and led me into the training facility. I told Jennifer to pack the things, as it was mostly women’s stuff, and followed the captain.
We were led to the dining hall, not the usual hut. There were enough seats for about 50 people to eat at once, but since they were in training at the moment, there was no one there. Only the tea was prepared in a pot.
“Let’s get down to business. You probably know that the ruler of East Kenya has changed, right?”
“Yes. The nobleman who instigated the adventurers is now in power, isn’t he? He’s the one who overthrew Sylvia’s vampire clan, right?”
“That’s right. Well, that nobleman is just a figurehead. You could say that the merchant guild is in charge.”
“Is that so?”
“The old system has collapsed, and corruption is rampant. The nobles are at the mercy of the big merchants. And listen to this.”
Is this going to be a difficult story?
“The Merchant’s Guild hired the ’16 of Hasis.’ It was also the Merchant’s Guild that started the war with the demonic land. And the fruit seller who wants to meet Makyo-kun is the guild master of the Merchant’s Guild. Are you planning to meet him?”
“If that’s true, then he’s a clear enemy of ours, right? I don’t want to meet him.”
“I suppose so. Makyo-kun, do you have any plans to make East Kenya your territory?”
“No, I’m busy enough with the demonic land. Or rather, I’m not even sure if the demonic land is a territory at all.”
“Yeah, that’s too bad.”
The captain scratched his head and said, “I’m in trouble.”
“If that’s the case, the border is in danger.”
“Is that the country of the elves?”
“Yes. The Merchant’s Guild isn’t just in the Kingdom of Estinia.”
If the Merchant’s Guild and the Elven Country join forces, East Kenya itself will become a region of uncertainty. The Kingdom of Estinia must act while the wound is still fresh to protect its land.
“Is this a war?”
“I suppose it is. But I don’t want it to be a civil war. Makyo-kun, if you make weapons from the demonic land, we’ll buy them from you, so please take care of it.”
“I understand.”
While we were talking, a dwarf with wide eyes came into the dining hall.
“Oh, Captain, you’re here! Could it be that you’re the Margrave?”
“That’s right, I am the Margrave.”
“I run a fruit shop in East Kenya. My name is Zamurai, and I hope you will remember me from now on!”
Zamurai wore a casual outfit of a patterned shirt and shorts and had a gold ring on his finger. He was well-built and had a broad smile on his face.
“Margrave, would you be interested in buying East Kenya?”
“Huh?”
I was surprised at our first meeting.
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