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Chapter 142 – Day 34 of the Strategy Life
The next morning, the Western Forest was noisy.
It was probably near where the giant magical beast had passed through. The imps were crying constantly, so it must have been their breeding season.
Fortunately, it was far from the house. The swamp haze turtles were yawning, drying their shells, and mating, so there wouldn’t be much damage.
However, in case a large monster that preys on imps got lost and came here, I decided to set the traps I had been thinking about.
“I think the next place should be the botanical garden dungeon or the research facility dungeon. Should we avoid places close to Midgard?”
Ka-Ryu asked, spreading her arms wide. Spreading her arms is a sign that she wants magic. The golem’s core is in its chest, but for some reason, I often feed magic into Ka-Ryu’s abdomen.
“Yeah, that’s right. As long as they don’t interfere with our lives, we shouldn’t attack them. We’re not in a hurry, so if there are other famous dungeons, we should go there.”
“Hmm, that’s a bit far, but is that okay?”
“Where is it?”
“How about the village of the Magic Sealing Clan in the southeast? I think there are a lot of magic circles there that might be useful for the magic tools Hel makes.”
“That might be good. Is there any danger?”
“As a golem, I might not be able to get close. I’d be too affected by the magic circles.”
“I see. Then, let’s set up a tent nearby and stay for a couple nights. What do you all think?”
When I looked back, Chel was waving at me, holding a loaf of bread.
“I still have some roadwork to do, so I’ll pass this time. I already taught you how to get into the dungeon, so you’ll be fine, right?”
“I’ll be fine, but I’m worried that it’ll start hailing if Chel takes her job seriously.”
“I’ll feed you undercooked bread.”
She said this while showing me the bread that wasn’t quite done yet, so I apologized.
“What about Jennifer?”
“I’ll help Chel-san. It’s much easier than keeping up with Makyo-san’s speed.”
“Yeah, me too. I need to practice running on the ground before I can fly.”
Maybe Lipa is traumatized from being pulled along while flying, which left his throat parched.
“What about Sylvia?”
“I-I really want to go, but I’m worried about the rock crocodile at the crocodile ranch. B-But if it’s just you and Hel… Ma-Ma-Ma-Makyo, if you’re going to attack Hel, can you just do it over here?”
Unlike her usual stuttering, Sylvia’s face is bright red with excitement.
“What the heck are you babbling about!?”
“Ma-Makyo, don’t you have any sexual desire?”
“Huh!?”
What is Sylvia talking about in the morning? No, she’s a night owl, so she’s probably been up all night.
“Th-Th-The other day…”
It seems she’s still worried about me carrying Hel to her room the other day. Didn’t nobles receive sex education?
“This is a good opportunity, so I’ll tell everyone.”
Breakfast time was approaching, and all the residents of the demonic land had gathered around the bonfire.
“I’m the lord of this land, and I don’t care about anyone else, so you don’t have to worry about me either. If you have something to say, just say it. If you want to do something, just do it. That’s how we’ve always done things, right?”
Everyone tried to remember if I had ever forced them to do anything, but they couldn’t think of anything right away. Chel started to say, “Yesterday…,” but I interrupted her.
“Just remember that everyone has different biological rhythms. Some days you’ll feel irritable. Some days you’ll have strong sexual urges. Some days you’ll have stomachaches. If you push yourself too hard on days like that, you’ll get hurt, and that would be stupid. Today, I’m giving Sylvia the day off because she seems unusually excited. That’s the best I can do to show consideration. Jennifer, make her some herbal tea or give her a nice, scented bath.”
“Okay, imp magic stones are good, too.”
“Also, just to be clear, no one is going to get excited about sleeping with someone who isn’t interested in them. Regardless of gender or species, sex is something you do with two people, right? Even the Haze turtles do it.”
As usual, the sound of shells colliding could be heard from the swamp.
“If one person is excited and the other isn’t, it’s annoying. Only idiots who can’t be considerate of that are unpopular. That’s why I’ll never attack Hel. Even if she attacks me, I’ll just use a triangle choke.”
“Women don’t attack men! That’s just a male fantasy!”
Hel pointed at me and laughed.
“No, it’s from experience. Prostitutes always take a day off once a month, right? Oh, nobles don’t know about that…”
“No, I didn’t know either. I only realized it when you mentioned it.”
“Me neither.”
Jennifer and Lipa, who had never been nobles, also seemed unaware.
“That’s how it is. Everyone is different, but when it comes to sex, there are compatible partners and those who can adapt. No matter how old you are, or what gender you are, there’s a lot you don’t know. We’re all different, with different norms and bodies. Let’s strive for mutual understanding. As your lord, I hope none of your sexual experiences end up being spent staring at the ceiling in agony.”
Hel let out a small laugh, but the others didn’t seem to understand. It’s okay if they don’t understand right away. Everyone has different experiences.
“Hel, get ready to leave. Ka-Ryu, make yourself as small as possible.”
“All right. Let’s hurry.”
“Sylvia, don’t worry. I’ll be there. Makyo won’t do anything weird to Hel while I’m around.”
Hel was modifying the backpack to make it easier for her to carry. She secured it to my body with a belt and placed wild grass, flour, and Ka-Ryu in a large bag.
“Ka-Ryu, the shaking might be intense, but please bear with it.”
“I’ll rest as much as possible while we’re moving. It’ll be fine.”
“Hel, wear a mask and stay hydrated.”
“I know. Makyo, keep an eye on the water bag.”
“Got it. Let’s go.”
I ran down the hill.
“Have a good trip!”
Everyone waved goodbye, but Jennifer was the only one who called out. Maybe it wasn’t the best thing to say first thing in the morning.
We ran along the edge of the swamp and headed south toward the mangrove forest. The greenery lost due to the Arachne outbreak had completely recovered.
When we reached the desert, a sandstorm was raging, so we entered the forest and headed east.
“Are you experienced, Makyo?”
Hel’s voice came from behind me.
“Huh? Ah, not particularly. I just had a lot of prostitute friends when I was in town.”
“You mean you’re good in bed?”
Ka-Ryu seemed curious, too.
“I don’t know if I’m good at it, but I can tell right away if someone is bad. Some guys go to brothels with preconceived notions and fantasies, and they end up hurting the prostitutes.”
“You know a lot about that.”
“Prostitutes used to come to the room I was renting all the time.”
“But if you were popular with prostitutes, you must have had some kind of technique…”
“That’s the kind of thing an unpopular guy would think. I don’t do anything that hurts them or that they don’t like. I guess it’s because I gave them something to eat. Prostitutes who had days off must have gotten bored at the brothel, so they came to me after work.”
“I see. Maybe a former noblewoman who is still in love wouldn’t understand that.”
“It must be tough for a noble maiden caught between reality and fantasy. On top of that, your mission is to have children, right? I don’t understand that at all.”
“Sylvia didn’t mean any harm. Please forgive her.”
“I’m not angry. I just don’t want her to be fooled by a stupid man.”
“It’s because I said I loved Makyo.”
Hel’s sudden confession made me stumble.
“Well, the magic circle is the result of research conducted by scholars in the past. It’s like a letter from the past. As you decipher it, you begin to understand its intent and history. Makyo will undoubtedly go down in history, won’t she? I meant that it’s fascinating to live alongside historical figures, but I guess I misunderstood.”
“Oh, I see. Does that mean my name will go down in history?”
“It probably will.”
Hel and Ka-Ryu said in unison.
“You did your best to excavate Yggdrasil, after all.”
“But if you impose too much tyranny, you’ll be remembered for your evil deeds.”
“Well, I don’t care what happens after I die. But I don’t want anything untrue to be recorded. It’ll cause trouble for future generations, like with P.J.”
We continued running along the border between the forest and the desert. After catching the flying Desert Eagle, we took a break for lunch.
“Where is the village of the Magic Sealing Clan?”
“It should be in a valley due east of the military base.”
“Is it like a hidden village?”
“It may have been hidden in the past, but when I was there, it was more like a group of factories than a village. Even at night, the magic stones were lit.”
“Are you going to eat and sleep, Hel?”
She was a night owl, so she should be getting sleepy soon.
“No, I plan to stay awake until we set up camp in the evening.”
“I see.”
After a break, we replenished our water supply at a nearby river and continued running east.
Gradually, the vegetation changed, and as the scent of the sea came with the wind, rocks, and stones began to appear in the desert.
Despite it being part of the demonic land, the southeast was a place I had never been to before.
The sun began to set, but the heat continued. Hel handed me a cloth with a cooling magic circle drawn on it. It made the heat much more bearable.
I rushed southward, running across the rocks. Gradually, we rose above sea level, and trees began to appear here and there.
As the sun set over the sand dunes, a large valley came into view.
There appeared to be the ruins of buildings on both sides of the valley, but they were covered with dead plants, and there was no sign of anyone.
“Is this the place?”
“The magic is weak, but if it’s a large valley, then this must be the village of the Magic Sealing Clan.”
Ka-Ryu answered from inside the bag.
She was already asleep. She’s very skilled.
We set up camp in the shadow of a rock to avoid the wind. There were many dead plants around us, so firewood was plentiful.
“Dead plants in the desert… It must be a strange sight when there are no people around.”
Ka-Ryu gathered sand and shaped it into her usual human form. Perhaps frustrated by her inability to see, she plucked feathers from the Desert Eagle.
She wrapped herself in fur and lay down near the fire. Desert nights were cold.
Looking up, I saw the stars twinkling in the sky. The desert sky seemed close to the ground.
I could hear the distant howling of sand coyotes.
I stayed by the fire until Hel woke up.
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