Read Novel Full Vol 4 Chapter 2
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ED: Blast!
Chapter 2 – I Reunited With an Old Partner
Lunch was to be served in the ship’s restaurant.
The menu was quite lavish: thick corn cream soup with croutons floating in it, hot vegetables grilled with melted cheese, fluffy baguettes, and a pile of roast beef.
“Huh?”
“Ara?”
Iris and I both said at the same time and looked at each other.
“We’ve had this before, haven’t we?”
“I thought the same thing. …I wonder when it was?”
“Wait a minute. I remember now.”
And I went back to my memory.
I don’t remember much about eating alone, but I do remember what I ate with Iris.
…I remembered.
“It was when I was repairing the Dragon God’s shield.”
“Ah!”
Iris also seemed to remember and clapped her hands.
“It’s nostalgic, isn’t it? Was it after I revealed that I was the [Dragon God’s Shrine Maiden]?”
“I guess so.”
“You’re right!”
A Helper Slime peeked out from the kitchen and said that.
“I was the one cooking at that time! I’ve decided to serve you the same menu as before!”
Oh, what?
I was a little surprised at this unexpected turn of events. Iris rolled her eyes, probably feeling the same way.
“The two of you have many stories that we don’t know about, don’t you?”
Leticia smiled with ‘fufu’ and said.
“I envy you a little. Don’t you think so, too, Lily-sama?”
“That’s right…”
Lily nodded her head.
“I joined Kou-san on his journey from Toue to Surier. I know it was the guidance of the God of War, but what would have happened if I had joined him at Aunen?”
“That would have been a lively affair.”
If everyone here had been together in Aunen from the beginning and partied together… it would have been quite fun, although it’s not likely that would have happened.
After finishing the meal, I heard from the Helper Slimes that Blaznir was ready to sail soon.
However, we had to make preparations as well.
We decided to leave for the capital the day after tomorrow in the afternoon.
“See you later, Master-san!”
“I’ll be waiting for you inside the ship!”
“I’ll prepare a delicious meal for you!”
As we walked back down the Devil Treant stairway to the harbor, we were greeted by a crowd of people.
Hey, hey, what in the world is going on?
I asked an adventurer who was nearby. Apparently, people had heard that a floating ship had suddenly appeared in the harbor and had come to catch a glimpse of it.
…Hmm?
I feel like I’m being watched.
“Hey, look. That’s the Dragon Slayer, isn’t it?”
“Does that mean he built this ship after all?”
“I’m sure he did. I’ve never seen such a magnificent ship.”
The people whispered such things to each other and glanced at Blaznir and me.
…I was a little embarrassed.
But just as I was about to leave, a woman came through the crowd.
It was Milia.
She had a slightly childish face and the same smiling face as usual.
“Hello, Kou-san. It looks like you have made something amazing.”
“Oh, yes. I’m going to take this ship to the royal capital. …Do you want to take a ride too, Milia?”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
The reason Iris and I started traveling in the first place was to attend the award ceremony in the royal capital for the subjugation of the Black Dragon.
The award ceremony was sponsored by the Adventurers’ Guild, and Milia was scheduled to attend. It’s not like we don’t know each other, and it would be fine if we rode together.
“Thank you, Kou-san. When is your departure?”
“I’m planning to leave the day after tomorrow in the afternoon, but I can make arrangements, so please don’t hesitate to tell me.”
“Oh, that’s fine. I will make preparations. By the way, could you come to the Adventurers’ Guild for a moment?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Yes, it’s a very big deal. Kou-san’s devoted fans have been chasing you all the way to Fort Port.”
Milia winked her right eye with a flash and said so with a big smile on her face.
We headed for the Fort Port branch of the Adventurers’ Guild, accompanied by Milia.
After a few minutes of sitting on the sofa in the common room on the second floor, there was a knock at the door.
It was a thin, slender man with glasses who appeared.
In his right hand, he was carrying a worn-out leather bag.
“Kou-san! It’s been a while! Oh, how nice to see you! I’m so glad!”
His name is Relic di Hubert. He is the third son of a duke and an archaeologist at the Royal Academy.
He ran up to me and continued to talk like a puppy.
“I finally caught up with you! I really wanted to meet up with you in Surier, but I had to go south on urgent business.”
We asked him about the details, and it seems that Relic had arrived in Surier at a later time than we did.
It seems that he arrived in Fort Port after stopping in a town called Yoyon in the south.
“Iris-san, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. …Eh, aaaaah!”
Relic looked at Surara and shouted loudly.
“Helper Slime! Isn’t that Helper Slime! I thought it was supposed to be impossible to leave the ruins! But it’s out! It’s out, Kou-san! What did you do this time?”
“…Why are you asking me all of a sudden?”
“Because you’re the one who’s out of the ordinary, Kou-san!”
Relic said with confidence.
“Well, that’s for sure.”
Iris chuckled and said.
“You just created a flying ship, so you can’t argue with that, can you?”
“A-a flying ship! Kou-san, you created such a thing? That’s amazing, amazing! I want to go see it!”
“Alright, alright, calm down.”
After quieting Relic, who was about to run outside in excitement, it was time for self-introductions.
I, Iris, and Relic knew each other, but the others did not.
Lily, Leticia, and of course, Surara were meeting Relic for the first time.
“I’ve heard about Relic-oniisan from the other Helper Slimes!”
Surara said, jumping up and down on the sofa.
“I’m Surara! I’m a Helper Slime, but I’m also a companion slime! Thanks to Master-san, I can now go out of the underground city!”
“I see. I see.”
Relic nodded in agreement and glanced at me.
“I knew Kou-san had something to do with it.”
“Well, yeah.”
“Can other Helper Slimes be active outside the underground city like Surara-san?”
“No, as a rule, they are still not allowed to go outside the underground city.”
After I prefaced this, I told him that Helper Slime could be summoned from the underground city, although it is limited to inside the “flying ship”──Blaznir’s ship, which is docked at the port of Fort Port.
“Eeeeeehhh! So the Helper Slime is working inside the ship?”
“Yes. We are supposed to be getting ready to leave the day after tomorrow. …Do you want to join us too, Relic?”
“By all means! By all means!”
Relic answered with a snort.
“I like the place where the Helper Slime works, you know! I feel close to them, the way they work so hard, hopping around so fast.”
“…I see.”
If you ask me, Relic is a bit like Helper Slime. He is a hard worker with a high level of tension.
Oops.
Come to think of it; we were in the middle of self-introduction time.
Lily is sitting right next to Surara.
When I signaled to her with a glance, she nodded and got up from the sofa.
“My name is Lily Lunaria. I am a priestess of the God of War religion. After Kou-san saved me from a dangerous situation in Toue, I decided to travel with him for various reasons.”
“Fumu.”
Relic suddenly took on a serious expression, crossed his arms, and groaned.
“Lily-san, do you by any chance have a skill called [God of War’s Shrine Maiden]?”
“…Um.”
Lily looked at me.
She is probably wondering if she should talk about the fact that she is a [God of War’s Shrine Maiden].
I nodded and spoke for Lily.
“Yeah, that’s right. Lily is a [God of War’s Shrine Maiden]. …How did you know that?”
In the first place, how did Relic know about the existence of the [God of War’s Shrine Maiden] skill?
It was quite puzzling.
As I was tilting my head, Relic said.
“The God of War religion has a long history, you know. It is one of the subjects of archaeological research, and I have studied it to a certain extent. Also, His Majesty the King of our country is very knowledgeable about the God of War religion, even though he is not a believer.”
Come to think of it, Relic is close to the king of this country, isn’t he?
I remember hearing that they exchange personal letters.
“I know a fair amount about the [God of War’s Shrine Maiden] because of that. I think it has something to do with the three sacred weapons brought to earth by the God of War, Warden, doesn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
Lily nodded.
“You know a lot about it, don’t you?”
“I didn’t look it up myself, but His Majesty the King told me about it a long time ago.”
Relic replied with a smile.
“Going back to the topic, one of the sacred weapons, the dragon-slayer sword Gram, is in possession of Kou-san, isn’t it? If that’s the case, then there’s a good chance that… Lily-san, the priestess of the God of War religion who is traveling with you, is a [God of War’s Shrine Maiden], isn’t she? …Ah, that’s right.”
After clapping his hands, Relic turned to me and said.
“The other day, His Majesty the King told me in a letter that, according to royal family lore, a spear that contains the power of the God of War Warden, or in other words, one of the sacred weapons, is lying near Fort Port. Why don’t you look for it for a moment?”
“If it’s a spear, I’ve already got it.”
“Eh?”
“Iris. Show the spear to Relic.”
“Okay.”
Iris nodded and got up from the sofa.
Iris walked to a place a little distance away and reached for the pouch on her waist. This pouch is one of her magic tools, a pseudo [Item Box].
From there, she pulled out a large spear with a bluish-white tip.
“…That one?”
Relic muttered as he stared at the spearhead.
“Isn’t this spear engraved with the emblem of the Dragon God? The sacred weapon is supposed to be a weapon that contains the power of the God of War, isn’t it?”
“How did you notice that?”
After I answered, I explained the spear to Relic.
One of the sacred weapons, the unmarked holy spear, was lying in a shattered state in the underground ruins of Mahoros Island.
It was difficult to carry it out as it was, but I created a new spear with [Creation] using the shattered spear and Iris’s Dragon God’s shield as [Materials].
That is this spear──the Holy Dragon Spear Fimbul.
“Then, then, maybe.”
Relic’s voice was trembling with surprise.
“Iris-san’s spear is not only the God of War, but it also possesses the power of the Dragon God? Eeeeeeeeehhh!”
“Well, that’s what it is.”
“Please don’t just brush it off so casually! It’s an outrageous thing, you know!”
“Also, there are not only swords and spears here but also the sacred weapon known as the bow.”
I said that and took out the Yggdrasil bow from my [Item Box].
Relic’s reaction, however, was that he was no longer completely speechless. He must have been so surprised that his thoughts and emotions froze.
“…Hah.”
A few minutes later, Relic finally came to his senses.
“Something so unexpected happened that I was a bit in a daze. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Are you alright now?”
“Yeah, I’ve calmed down.”
“Well, it’s my turn now, isn’t it?”
Leticia said and slowly got up from the sofa.
“I am Letitia di Meteor, A-ranked adventurer, just like Iris-sama.”
“Leticia di Meteor…”
Relic muttered in a whisper and asked Leticia.
“Could it be that you are the second princess Leticia of the kingdom of Northea?”
“Ara, you know me very well.”
“I’m a member of the duke’s family myself. I have a pretty good grasp of the surrounding countries. …Or rather, you are traveling with two shrine maidens and a princess, Kou-san. You have a very impressive group of people.”
If you ask me, that is indeed true.
Leticia was originally royalty, but when her own brother nearly poisoned her, she regained her powers and memory as a calamity and survived.
Should we tell Relic about that as well?
…No, not at this time.
If we tell him that the person in front of him is actually the reincarnation of the calamity, he might faint from shock.
Besides, you never know where or who might be listening.
If I were to tell him, it would be best to do so after we get on the Blaznir.
* * *
After Leticia’s self-introduction, Relic introduced himself once again, and the introduction time came to an end.
“By the way, Kou-san, there’s actually something I’d like you to look at.”
Relic opened his leather bag and pulled out a round object wrapped in several layers of cloth. He hands it to me as it is.
When I opened the package, I found a purple crystal ball inside.
The size of the crystal ball is about the same as the size of my palm.
It’s pretty small.
“What is this?”
“As I mentioned earlier, after I left Surier, I stopped at a town called Yoyon.”
According to Relic’s explanation, there are ruins of an ancient civilization near Yoyon, and this crystal ball was newly excavated there.
“I think it is probably a kind of magic tool, Kou-san. Do you know anything about it?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“When it comes to ancient civilizations, you’re the one to talk about it.”
…I kind of heard the same line earlier.
Was it something about me being out of the ordinary?
“That’s an overestimation, I think.”
I replied, looking at the crystal ball carefully.
The crystal ball reminds me of the events that took place in the underground city of Aunen.
The Black Dragon was shown in the deep realm, and it seems that a similar crystal ball was placed in that place as well…
Thinking about this, I activate [Appraisal].
…Hmm.
“Relic, I figured it out.”
“Ooohhh! As expected of you, Kou-san! You did it! You did it!”
Relic leaned toward me.
As an archaeologist, it can’t be helped that he can’t contain his excitement, but his face is a little too close to mine.
“So, what kind of magic tool is it?”
“The name is a recording crystal, a device that can record audio and visual images. But it seems to be malfunctioning, probably due to poor storage conditions.”
“So you mean it’s just a crystal ball now…?”
Relic’s shoulders slumped. The expression on his face is like that of an abandoned puppy.
“Master-san, I want you to wait a minute!”
Surara shouted cheerfully.
“I might be able to fix the recording crystal!”
“R-r-really?”
Relic shouted in surprise.
“Ko-Kou-san! For the sake of archaeology’s future, please, please, please!”
Of course, there was no reason to refuse. I might be able to get some information about the calamity, just like the crystal ball in the deep realm.
So I decided to ask Surara to repair the recording crystal.
“Yay! Master-san gave me a job!”
Surara was so happy that in addition to jumping up and down, he was humming some sort of a song.
“So, how are you going to fix it?”
“Let’s see! Flap, flap, flap, twist, twist, twist! Like that?”
Surara explained to me with gestures.
Hmm.
I don’t understand at all.
Flap, flap, flap.
Twist, twist.
The action is similar to pounding rice cakes.
I wonder if the crystal ball is shattered and then reconstituted.
The mystery only deepens.
“I’ll have the other slimes help me, so I’ll go back to Blaznir.”
I don’t mind that, but I’m not sure I want to let Surara walk the streets alone.
I thought about it for a while and then decided to have Leticia, Lily, and Relic head to Blaznir together.
“With this group of people, I should be the one to lead the way. I will take care of them.”
“Leticia-san, please take care of us.”
“Oh, not only will I get the crystal ball fixed, but I get to go on a flying ship! Oh, I’m so happy! I’m so happy! Kou-san, thank you so, so, so much! I will never forget this favor!”
“No problem. Then, take care of it.”
So here we split up.
Leticia and the others were leaving the common room in droves, leaving Iris and me behind.
“What about us?”
“We’re going to prepare for our departure the day after tomorrow. First, we’re going to go greet Branch Manager Jess.”
Jess was just about to be free, and we were able to meet with him right away.
“I’ve already heard from Milia-san about what you have to say.”
Holding the bridge of his silver-rimmed glasses with his right hand, Jess said.
“I understand you are leaving Fort Port the day after tomorrow.”
“Yes. We’ve got transportation now.”
When I answered, he turned his eyes behind me.
The walls are made of glass, and you can see the whole view of the sea of Fort Port.
Naturally, he could also see the Blaznir floating near the harbor.
“I thought flying ships only existed in fairy tales. …You are truly out of the ordinary in every way, including turning a volcano into a mine.”
Then, as he approached me, Branch Manager Jess said.
“Kou-san. You not only defeated the pirates but also extinguished the volcano and saved Fort Port from danger twice. I am truly grateful. If you have any problems, please feel free to contact me anytime. I will do my best to help you.”
After finishing our greeting to Branch Manager Jess, Iris and I left the Branch Manager’s office.
We went down the stairs to the guild lobby, and Milia, who was near the counter, called out to us.
“Kou-san, Kou-san. Does everyone have any plans this evening?”
“Nothing in particular… right?”
I called out to Iris, who was standing next to me as if to confirm.
“The only thing I can think of is that Surara-chan is repairing the recording crystal. Basically, we should be free.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Milia smiles and holds out a cute envelope with an illustration of a cat on it.
“What’s this?”
“It’s an invitation. I told the people at the Fort Port branch that Kou-san would be leaving the day after tomorrow, and they wanted to thank you for saving the city.”
I accept the envelope and check the letter inside.
Apparently, the Fort Port Branch staff is holding a farewell party for me.
“…I appreciate that.”
I responded, feeling a warmth rise in my chest.
“I understand the story. I’ll be there. What about Iris?”
“Well, I can go too, right?”
“Of course, you can! You are more than welcome!”
Milia answered in a cheerful voice.
“We’ve reserved the restaurant for a private party, so you’re all welcome to come!”
* * *
After leaving the Adventurer’s Guild, I headed to Blaznir with Iris.
“Hyaaaaa! Kou-san! What kind of technology is this ship using to float? It’s full of Helper Slime. It’s paradise! It’s wonderful!”
Relic was running around the ship with his eyes sparkling like a little boy.
Several Helper Slimes were chasing after him.
“We are attendant slimes! We’ll follow you, Relic-oniisan!”
“We’ll be your cushion when you’re about to fall!”
“We’ll guard you when you’re about to hit a wall!”
That’s very generous of them.
Relic indeed faces a lot of dangers, so he needs the slime that comes along with him.
Various facilities such as casinos and bars exist on board the Blaznir, but to my surprise, there is even a laboratory set up.
It seems that the recording crystal was brought there.
When I went to the laboratory and asked Surara about the progress of the repair, he replied that it would be done in the morning of the day after tomorrow.
“Then, the repairs will be finished by the time we leave Fort Port, right?”
“Yes! We’re working hard to fix it!”
Behind Surara, the glasses slime was lifting up the recording crystal with both hands and muttering a prayer (?) “Fix it, fix it.”
This seems to be a preparation for the “Flap flap, twist, twist” ceremony.
Ancient civilizations are really full of wonders…
After that, I asked a nearby Helper Slime to call Leticia, Lily, and Relic to the lab.
This was to tell them about tonight’s farewell party.
“…So, me and Iris are going to participate. How about you guys?”
“Yay! A party!”
Surara shouted brightly and jumped up and down on the spot.
“I want to go!”
“Since we were invited, I’ll be happy to join it.”
“I’m going, too.”
Leticia and Lily will be attending.
And next is… Relic.
He seems somewhat lost, but I wonder what is wrong.
The reason for this is that when I asked him, he replied, “I’m not involved in the extermination of pirates or the extinguishing of volcanoes, and I feel out of place.”
But Surara told him, “I’ll miss my friend. You should come with us, Relic-oniisan!” With tears in his eyes, he easily fell into the trap.
So we all decided to head to the farewell party together.
In the evening, we left Blaznir and headed for a restaurant along the harbor.
The restaurant’s name was “Sea of Hope Restaurant,” and this was the venue for the farewell party.
The restaurant was listed in a gourmet guidebook as a top choice, and fresh seafood was said to be its specialty.
Not only the staff of the Adventurers’ Guild but also many adventurers had gathered at the venue.
“Dragon Slayer! We are so grateful to you.”
“Thank you for protecting our city!”
“I will never forget this favor. Someday, I will surely be of help to you.”
The farewell party was a great success, noisy but lively and enjoyable. I was really lucky to be sent off like this.
We spent the next day relaxing at the inn, and in the early afternoon of the second day after that, we left the inn where we were staying.
When we went to the port, it was crowded with people seeing us off.
“Have a good trip, Dragon Slayer-san!”
“Take care!”
“Please look at me!”
What is that? They treated me as if I were an idol.
When I was puzzled, Milia said, “We have a fan club in Fort Port,” and showed me her membership card.
“…Milia, you’re a member too?”
“That’s for sure! You are the talk of the town, you know! I’ve been appointed an honorary member for helping Kou-san debut as an adventurer, by the way.”
Is that an achievement…?
I don’t understand this world.
“I’d like to be a member too, Milia-oneesan! Hurray! Hurray! Master-san!”
“Then I’d like to join, too, by all means.”
Surara and Relic were talking like that, and Leticia started to make fun of me, suggesting that they should all join together. Lily seriously considered it.
Now, the next stop was the royal capital.
It seems to be quite prosperous, so I’m looking forward to going there.