The next day…

~ Side Ryouma ~

Just as scheduled I left the forest around two hours ago with the duke’s family. I heard there was a carriage and was wondering where it was, but as it turns out it was inside the butler’s, Sebasu-san, s.p.a.ce magic, Dimension Home.

Apparently Sebasu-san uses s.p.a.ce magic. Moreover, since I can’t use Dimension Home yet I didn’t know, but apparently you can even put a carriage inside.

As I was thinking these things, Sebasu-san brought out 4 carriages. What a ridiculous amount of s.p.a.ce this magic has.

As I was surprised, the ojousama, feeling a sense of success, smiled mischievously.

“That is only the carriage that we are going to ride on, you know? The ones for our belongings are still different. There’s way more inside Sebasu’s Dimension Home, you know?”

There’s still more!?

While doing a tsukkomi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manzai#Boke_and_tsukkomi) inside his head, his hand was pulled by the madam and made to ride the same carriage as the four people of the Household of Jamil.

The number of people riding the carriage was 6. The duke’s family + me = 5 people, the other person riding with us was Sebasu-san.

Speaking of which, the slimes were made to ride on the quasi-roof rack attached at the roof of the carriage.  From what I’ve heard it was originally a place to put food and drinks like wine and snacks.

We went through all that trouble to ride at the same carriage so I figured I might as well try asking Sebasu-san. But other than s.p.a.ce magic it seems Sebasu-san can’t use any except for water magic. From what I’ve heard though, if one is able to use either attribute up to high level magic, then even in the country that person can be considered to be a distinguished magician.

By some possibility, I thought that he might be able to use high level s.p.a.ce magic. Thinking that, I tried asking him.

“Can you use the high level magic, Another World?”

When I asked that, Sebasu-san looked at me with an expression of admiration.

“It’s amazing that you’re in the knowledge of such magic”

“The slave monsterｓ… get scared by the people of the village easily… so I asked grandma… if I could subst.i.tute conjuration techniques for s.p.a.ce magic… but she said for large scale… monsters, it won’t work unless… I used Another World”

“Subst.i.tuting conjure and recall with s.p.a.ce magic? Is that possible, Sebasu?”

“Theoretically, yes. Dimension Home is a magic that bends s.p.a.ce and creates a safe room where one can rest, so it’s possible for magical beasts to survive inside. Another World is the same. However, I have never thought of actually using it to subst.i.tute for conjuring and recalling. While it’s a method that’s impossible for slave magic users that can’t use s.p.a.ce on and above the middle level, but this method can give a sense of security regarding one’s surrounding on the same level as conjuration.”

“Hou, that is amazing. The interactions may change depending on the place but it’s a great idea since there are many that look down on slave magic users. If it can reduce that common knowledge even a little, then it’s a proposal worthy of being investigated.”

Eh, no one actually thought of this? Oh yeah, now that I think about it the G.o.ds also discussed it together at first, so this is probably something no one has ever thought of before.

“Regarding Ryouma-sama’s question, I am unable to use the magic, Another World. Personally though, it’s not a magic I would choose. Another World is s.p.a.ce magic’s most difficult magic. It is the goal of every s.p.a.ce magician because as the highest peak, it will garner one much respect… however, that’s all there is to it”

“What do you mean?”

“Actually, Another World is a magic that’s very hard to use freely. Before one can use Another World, the three stages of the process are essential. The first stage involves the creation of a vast s.p.a.ce by means of s.p.a.ce magic. The size of Another World will be dictated by this stage. . And that stage is dependent on the volume of magic power that the user has.”

“… If the magic power is plenty, it will be wide… if little, narrow… right?”

“Precisely. To add to that, the pract.i.tioner that attempts the first stage, as a result of using his magic power with the sole intent to bring it out, ends up totally exhausted. In the worst case, that person may even faint and stay asleep for a few days. Moreover, if one fails the first stage, one will have to start all over again from the start”

All for nothing, huh?

“After one succeeds with the first stage, it is time to move to the second stage. The second stage is the creation of a gate to connect the place you are in with the s.p.a.ce you created successfully. This will also consume a huge amount of magic power, if one fails, then one will need to start all over again.

The stages until the second are all preparations. With the third stage, the gate will open and it will be possible to use it to freely go in and out. However, opening or closing the gate just once will consume anything from 5000 to 10000 magic power. This 10000, is a quantification of the value of magic power.

Generally, in order to become a royal court magician that will serve the royal palace, at the very minimum one needs to have a magic power of 10000. But even amongst those that possess amazing amounts of magic power, if they use the magic just once, they will lose magic power to the point where they collapse. It’s definitely not something that can be abused.

To make matters worse, after going through all that pain to prepare so much s.p.a.ce, there is still the question of what will you put inside that, that made you do something that’s so inconvenient”

“What do you mean? If it’s wide, then it’s possible to put more stuff in, right?”

“Yes, of course. However, if it’s just to keep things, such as your usual traveling goods and furniture, then the mid-level, Dimension Home, should be enough. If it can’t be anything but Another World, then it has to be around the size of a royal palace or a fortress. In that case, the question turns to, how are you going to put that thing in there? In the end, it just ends up being a waste of magic without being able to serve any practical purpose”

“Oh, is that so…”

That’s quite a demerit there… Well, the quality can be taken into account, but for the meantime, the mid-level, Dimension Home, should be fine. My slave monster is only a slime too, so…

While thinking of those things, Sebasu-san began to follow up.

“Although using the magic may be difficult, there are times when it can be used. The likes of the Dragon and other large scale beasts have variations of which, whose sizes reach around those of the size of castles. If you are able to tame those kind of monsters, then it may be a valid suggestion to use that magic as a waiting room.”

“I see… thank you very much”

“Please don’t mind. If it’s something like this, please ask me whenever you like”

At that, Elize inquired Ryouma.

“Now that you mention it, what magic attributes can Ryouma-kun use? I’ve heard of earth and s.p.a.ce magic but it looks like you heated the bath with magic, so you can also use fire and water, right?”

“Grandma said… that it’s all attribute”

“All attribute, huh? That’s pretty rare. Is there some specific attribute you’re leaning towards to?”

“Mainly, earth and s.p.a.ce… others include stuff like fire and water… mainly centered around things I use in day to day life… kind of all around”

“Fumu… to add to that, you also use slave magic and barrier magic, right? People who have all attributes have a tendency to become jacks of all trade and masters of none, so be careful, okay?”

“I understand”

Come to think of it, the G.o.ds said the same thing in the letter, that warning.

“…Did I say something strange?”

“Eh?”

“Ryouma-kun, just now you smiled a little bit, you know?”

Ah, it showed on my face…

“In the past, grandma said the same thing… since I also tried my hand at… alchemy and healing magic”

“I see, I thought I said something strange”

“But still, alchemy, huh? You seem to have an interest for strange things…” Commented, Rheinbach-sama.

Which reminds me, there doesn’t seem to be much information regarding alchemy. I should try asking her about that.

“Is it rare?”

“You won’t find many alchemists nowadays. In the past there were many who tried to swindle others by saying they could create things like gold. But because of those kinds of people, the numbers of alchemists were largely reduced. Though they say that some hundred years ago there was a man who was called the Alchemy King and made a large amount of profit. After that, however, like poof, with no inventions or discoveries it just disappeared”,

At Rheinbach-sama’s response, Sebasu-san continued.

“One theory says that what the Alchemy King created was the model of Alchemy. After that, there were people that tried to follow in the footsteps of the Alchemy King seeking profit, and what came out of that is the Alchemy that has been pa.s.sed down today. It appears, however, that, those techniques were inferior to the Alchemy King’s. Today, it has fallen to simply being used as an excuse for fraud. With no one left to study Alchemy, right now, it’s no different from a candle before the winds.”

“Alchemists have a secretive and ominous image. Other magic guilds also have some parts they are secretive about, but the alchemists are too secretive” or so, Elize-san warned.

Doesn’t seem like it has a good image, huh? Well… it seems like the story is quite similar to the alchemists that used to live back in Earth.

“Would it be better… if I don’t say I… study Alchemy?”

“That’s right, it would be better that way” confirmed, Rheinbach-sama.

“Understood”

As I replied, the ojousama came over to ask me something.

“Ryouma-san, what do alchemists actually do?”

What should I say…

“I don’t know any other Alchemists… so I don’t know… but what I’ve been able to do so far… is to refine rock salt”

At that, Rheinbach-sama curiously asked,

“Rock salt? That rock salt which can be collected nearby, but contains poison and can’t be eaten and as such has no value? Is there something you can do with that?”

“That rock salt… inside the earth, is mixed with a lot of minerals… that ends up becoming poison to a human’s body… but if one were to remove those minerals, the salt can be eaten… what I did was… separating the minerals from the rock salt and removing the poison… like this it can be made consumable”

Rheinbach-sama was astounded.

“You can do something like that!?”

“I can. The food we had back in my house… the salt I used there all… came from the cliff where rock salt can be collected from…”

“Amazing! If that’s possible then if one were to sell it as goods… ah, no. No good. The fact that the nearby rock salt can’t be eaten is something that has been well-known for some years now. Even if one sells it, no one will buy.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, in the past, there were some adventurers that went deep into the forest and found that cliff of rock salt. Without reporting it to anyone, gathered it, lied about where it came from, and sold it in large scales.

Hunting and collecting is freely allowed except for some selected areas. However, there are some greedy n.o.bles who would keep it all for themselves if it is known that there is a source of rock salt in their region. They didn’t want that so they kept quiet and tried to make a profit out of it and lied about where it came from. From the rock salts that were sold, a lot of people became sick, and in the end the adventurers were caught and executed.”

I guess even in this world there’s labeling fraud.

“From that cliff… it’s not possible to take rock salts more than a meagre amount… can’t respond to high demand… if distributed to the market… would probably lose out in compet.i.tion… against salt that can be taken safely in vast amounts.. If it’s just for the Household of Jamil and the nearby village then… I think it could hold…”

“I see… that’s unfortunate”

While we talked, the carriage stopped from time to time to rest, and continued onwards. And when dusk came, a voice came from the coachman.

“We can now see the town of Kereban, we will be arriving in a short while.”

Looks like we’ve arrived at the first stopover. I thought I would surely have to sleep outside tonight but… Mn? Wait a moment? I, don’t have any identification…

“Um…”

“Is there something the matter?”

Inquired the butler, quickly.

“I… identification… I don’t have… is that ok….?”

Calm down! It’s gotten better already since two weeks ago, and yet! Just being a little unsettled, I’m back to this broken speech…

“Please rest a.s.sured, a person without identification will be given a temporary ID.

Oh, well that’s a relief… I still want to do something about it soon… this...

As I was thinking that I let out a sigh, making the madam worry for me.

“Are you alright? There’s no need for worry, you know? Because we’ll protect you no matter what comes. The town isn’t a scary place.”

“Ah…”

She seems to have misunderstood. I should make it clear.

“Right now, is different. Not about, the town.”

“Really? Then, what’s the matter?”

“The truth is… language. Weird, right? The way… I talk… now”

“… Well, certainly…”

“I haven’t talked to anyone… in 3 years… 2 weeks ago... when Rheinhart-san came… I was surprised when the words wouldn’t come out properly… two weeks… since then… having talked with the slime a bit it came back a little… but… still.. No good… it’s weird… so I need to–“

What!? Madam!? Why am I being hugged!?

“It’s alright! Ryouma-kun! We’ll fix it, slowly. *sniff… you’re not alone anymore”

Crying!? …wait, it’s not just the madam but even the ojousama’s and the guy’s eyes seem to be watered… why… ah, I see… though this is a fact, when looked at from the perspective of an onlooker, I must look like a really lonely person. Not having been able to talk with a person face to face for 3 years, I lost my ability to talk, and even doing something like talking with slimes to practice talking…

“I’m really ok! Because the one who… decided to live in the forest… was myself”

After that for a while, I kept telling them that I was alright and was just feeling a little down, to no effect. Until we reached the gate, I was being hugged by the madam.

After that, Sebasu-san and Rheinhart-san went outside and talked with  the gate keeper for a bit. It seems they were talking about my temporary identification.

I was brought to the station along with the madam. Although, actually, the only one who was called was me, but the madam said she was worried… and was quite pushy… The guide and the person in front of me are also shaking palely. I’m sorry, people I don’t know, for getting you mixed up with this.

“Th-th-th-th-then, p-p-please t-t-touch th-this cry-crystal”

This person is stuttering too much. Although I also talk strangely when it comes to people, but…

“Yes”

I obediently touched the crystal. As I did that a blue light illuminated, the face of the people in front of me was stricken shocked, and they kept looking back at forth between me and the crystal.

“Y, you, come with me inside for a little”

Did something happen? From what I know, a blue light should mean innocence… Sebasu-san and the madam that was with me interrupted.

“Is there something amiss?”

Inquired the butler, as the madam followed up.

“The light was blue, right? There shouldn’t be any problem but…”

“Ce-ce-certainly, the light was blue! However, rewards and punishments! The reward money fo-fo-for the recorded subjugation of a bandit. W-w-want to confirm and must give the reward!”

Hearing that, the madam calmed down, and Sebasu-san understood. However, the confirmation and the reward money needs to be done before the two’s eyes.

“Th-then, I need to know. Boy, at that age you have felled a bandit, yes?”

“Yes”

“According to the information projected by the crystal, you have subjugated The Red Spear, Melzen. Is this true?”

Nope, I don’t know. Who is that guy?

“Who is that? I don’t know… such a person.”

“It’s a man that wields a completely red spear and armor, can you remember?”

Hearing that, certainly, there was a guy like that. If I remember correctly, his spear was pretty good, so I put it in my item box immediately.

“Yes. I have the spear in my item box… can that serve as proof?”

“If you have, then please show me”

Having been told that, I took the spear from my item box and pa.s.sed it to the guy in front of me. The man examined the spear and wielded it. The instant I felt magic power flow into the spear, the spearhead began to burst into flames.

What the heck!? That spear had that kind of ability… can I do that too? Right, I'll have to try that out next time.

“It's indisputable. This is definitely the Red Spear, which is a magic weapon that can produce flames. It’s the spear of The Red Spear, Melzen. I’ll prepare the reward now.”

The man gave an order to the knights that brought us here and the knights hurriedly galloped. Having sent them, the man spoke to me.

“However… you did pretty well to actually subjugate Melzen. That man has managed to flee from knights and adventurers, time and time again. If you didn’t confront him directly, do you mind telling me how you managed to subdue him?”

Even if you tell me that… I didn’t do anything amazing…

“Was attacked by bandits… after they were defeated, before they died… said they were betrayed by their comrade, so I looked around… and saw them merry making by the cave”

“So you attacked them there”

“No. I am a Slave Magic User… I sent a poison slime… to go inside a wine barrel.”

“Alright, I think I understand. I give you my thanks”

Around that time, the soldiers arrived, bringing with them the reward money. I received the temporary ID and the reward money and put it in my item box, and then we left the station. It seems the guards of the Household of Jamil were ordered to go ahead to the lodging, and wasn’t there when we got outside. From here on we have to go by foot until our lodging. It seems, it's to show the ojousama around the town.

Incidentally, the reward for Merzan and his group was 700 small gold coins. 700 coins… I suddenly ended up being rich. Hmm, what should I do… Because of how I lived the past 3 years, I have no idea how to use this money. Well for the meantime, I should give my thanks to the people that took me with them.

“Everyone, thank you very much”

“Its fine~ you don’t have to hold back”

“But still, to think you were actually able to bring down that Melzen”

“Rather than that, let’s hurry and get to town!”

“Hey! Elialia, calm down!”

“It can’t be helped since this is my first time in a big town”

“Really?”

“Yep, I should have also said it yesterday. This is my first time going away from home. And this is Jamil Region’s biggest commercial town. There are barely any places that have more people than here!”

“I see”

While it’s true that there are a lot of people, as someone who knows j.a.pan, in my opinion the people are rather few. Compared to the station and the crowded trains, there’s just far too few. Speaking of which this is the first time I've gone to town in this world, but it seems this world’s town hasn’t really touched me much. The old fashioned buildings are a bit unusual, but it’s not something to make a fuss of. Rather, this ojousama is just too hyped.

Now, while it’s not to the extent of people going back and forth like water, even then in its own way, the ojousama can be swept away by the crowd. I understand everything about walking around in a town you don’t understand and I know if this keeps on, it’ll be dangerous, so I hurriedly went after the ojousama.

“Ojousama, over here”

“Th–thank you very much. There’s a lot of people, it seems like someone just might b.u.mp me”

It seems something caught this ojosama’s eyes and ended up stopping in this weird place… even in the middle of the road without a hint of concern for others.

It’s precisely because of that obvious lack of knowledge about the real world that a bunch of annoying people came.

From the back, a girl walked in a trajectory that was obviously in line with the intention of b.u.mping against the ojousama, in order not to allow her to get b.u.mped in to, I pulled her shoulder.

“It’s dangerous”

“… che..”

The girl, having failed to b.u.mp into the ojousama, glanced at me, who pulled the shoulder of the ojousama, and clicked her tongue before leaving. So, I guess she really was planning to pick pocket.

“Ara, thank you very much? Ara? What is that?”

Again… there’s another person walking towards here from the direction of the alley.  Before allowing the ojousama to reach the alley, I caught her and pulled her aside like I was hugging her.

“It’s dangerous to rush out”

“Eh!?”

“Uwah!?”

Because I pulled the ojousama aside, the man that missed his timing fell out from the alley.

“There are people coming out… of the alley. Please be careful”

“Th–thank you very much…”

After speaking to the ojousama, I spoke to the man.

“Are you alright…? You're not hurt, are you?”

“Th’ heck is this bra–!?“

As I spoke to the man, he tried to grab the nape of my neck. But I sprung that hand up with my left hand and grabbed it at the same time, I held the left arm behind his elbow, and in a way that won’t be seen by the ojousama, I twisted his arm and his posture broke. The man was shaking as he was about to fall, he stopped talking and before completely falling I supported him, as our gazes met once again, I spoke again.

“There are no injuries, right?”

“Of–of course, sorry kid. Thanks for lending me a hand”

“Please be careful”

Seriously, don’t suddenly pick a fight with a kid just because you failed… although I’m actually an uncle deep inside. Recently I’ve started to become confused regarding whether I should consider myself a kid or an uncle.

“Ryouma-san! Let’s try going over there!”

You still want to go! Or rather, how long are the criminals gonna keep on coming!!

After that, for a while, I had to go through pains protecting the ojousama from hoodlums who attempted to either pickpocket, extort, or kidnap. For some reason even though the Household of Jamil could, at any time, prepare a way to deal with this, it seems they’ve left it to me… or rather, this town’s public order is too horrible …