Chapter 16: Chapter 16
"Aaah… the potions… but that means the Forest of Illusion will be…."
The girl continues to cry into my chest with two of those living armours standing guard. Meanwhile, the people responsible for this mess our being taken into custody. Some of the guards came to me and apologised, but it wasn't their fault. Those that weren't busy helped clean up the mess with Satou. They removed the log filled carts and helped collect any undamaged potions.
"Ahhh, I'm sorry, Seb, it must have hurt!"
She cries when she sees the damaged living armour. Unfortunately, this one, along with another on the other side of the carriage, was crushed by the log carts. Both of the living armours are no longer moving. The girl walks over to one and softly strokes it. I wonder if they are like Nana. Moving over to the other living armour, I lay my hand on it. They are similar.
I pour some magic into the creature, and it comes to life after messing around with some stuff inside. Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing. I just tested out some things until my magic could flow unimpeded through the creature. It stands up and takes a step. It is limping but alive… I think. Anyway, the girl smiles and thanks me despite her flowing tears. As I bend down and bring the other one back to life.
"Thank you!" The girl hugs me again. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," I reply with a smile. "Please don't cry. It isn't over yet. My name is Kura. What's yours?"
"Inenimaana," The girl replies shyly. "I'm the apprentice of the Witch of the Forest of Illusion."
"Inenimaana, that's a pretty name," I tell her. "I met the Witch that taught you before. She won't get mad at you over this. You were courageous and did your best to protect the potions today."
"But… but they are…."
"Don't worry about it. First, let us have a look and see how many have been destroyed and how many we have left,"
"Okay," The girl nods.
It was a real mess, but at least not everything was destroyed. Out of three hundred potions, only a hundred and twenty of them survived. But there could be more if we find vials as I see Satou sucking up some of the spilt potions into his storage. The carriage was also in good condition and able to move by itself.
"I'm sorry…." She sobs. "Thank you for trying to help… but I need to go… go and report what had happened…."
"I'll go with you," I tell her. "I have some questions for the man in charge anyway."
I accompanied her to the city hall, and several guards provided an escort. It wasn't necessary, but I appreciated the guard's concern, and it made Inenimaana feel better. Satou and Arisa came with us too while we gave some tasks to everyone else.
"You are becoming a real hero," Arisa comments as we walk. "Jumping into fights and helping those in need without a moment's hesitation. It won't be long before that wired hero hears about you."
Weird hero? I didn't get a chance to ask Arisa what she meant about that before we arrived at the city hall. The only other hero I know of is Satou, but Henry told me the Saga Empire had someone a hero from Japan. Could she be talking about that person?
<0>
"I see, so the potions were destroyed. It is unfortunate, but a pact is still a pact. You still have to deliver three hundred potions by sunset today,"
As soon as we entered the city hall, we were brought to see the viceroy's aide right away. It happened so fast that I suspect he was waiting for us to turn up. The viceroy's aide is a young man with long silver hair and light green eyes. His skin is pale, and he looks at us as if we were nothing but dirt to him. Next to the viceroy's aide is that fallen noble who has kept showing up whenever there is trouble. At least he has the sense this time to keep his mouth shut.
Next to me, Inenimaana was trembling, so I put a hand on her shoulder. I wanted to tell her it would be okay, but I kept my mouth shut as the viceroy's aide continued to talk. Arisa looked like she wanted to say something, but Satou put a hand over her lips. I keep quiet for now. Satou has a plan, so I will follow his lead and back him up.
"Now, I am very busy, so I would like to ask you to leave unless you have something else that requires my attention," The viceroy's aide says.
"If I could speak with you for a moment," Satou steps forward.
I had initially planned to yell at the viceroy's aide. To list the trouble he was in because of this incident and scare him into cooperating. But Satou had a better plan. My one had too much that could go wrong, while Satou's plan would force the viceroy's aide into admitting defeat or being exposed as the mastermind behind this plot.
"Silence, Commoner!" Great that fallen noble, remember how to speak. "Attendants are to keep their mouths shut!"
"Then I will take care of it for him," I take Satou's place. It was a backup plan in case a problem like this came up.
"Y… you…." The fallen noble quickly backed down.
"And who are you?" The viceroy's aide asks, raising an eyebrow.
"My name is Kura Suou," I tell him with a bow. "I am a knight in the service of Earl Seiryuu and a hero of the Shiga Kingdom."
"Hero…" The viceroy's aide raises an eyebrow, so I show him my holy sword. "Gjallarhorn… then you really are a…."
"A hero," I nod, putting my sword away. "Now, as you know, one hundred and eighty potions were destroyed in the incident. That leaves one hundred, and forty left intact. Would the pact be met if we were to collect the other hundred and sixty potions by sunset?"
"That is… unfortunately unacceptable," The viceroy's aide replies, almost yelling at me. "The pact was between Earl Kuhanou and the Witch of the Forest of Illusions. We can only accept potions made by the witch herself."
"That isn't the case," I jump when I say that. "I have spoken to the witch and Earl Kuhanou recently, and they saide the pact only needs a specific type of potion to be met. In this case, it has to be intermediate or higher recovery potions."
"You spoke with them?"
When it came to the Earl, that was a lie, but it had the desired effect. The viceroy's aide shakes and struggles to find a reply for a moment. In truth, Inenimaana told me about the pact's details on our way to the city hall. I have never met Earl Kuhanou before, but the viceroy's aide doesn't know that.
"Yes," I nod. "I had the honour of meeting both the Witch of the Forest of Illusions and Earl Kuhanou quite recently."
"Very well," The viceroy's aide collapses into his chair. "If you can bring me the correct number of the required potions of intermediate or higher quality, then the pact will have been met. However, you have only until sunset before the deadline runs out."
Unfortunately for him, we aren't done yet. I make sure to get our agreement in writing and to have the viceroy's aide stamp the written document. Both the fallen noble and viceroy's aide were upset but complied when I told them why it was necessary. Afterwards, the viceroy's aide couldn't get us out of his office fast enough. I still wanted to punch the man for making Inenimaana cry but seeing him sweat and panic like that was just as satisfying. They still think they can win, though. I can't wait to see their faces when we pull off our plan.
<0>
"So we have one hundred and forty potions it is," Satou says as we walk out of the city hall. "Vials might be a problem, but everything else is fine, and we have plenty of time before sunset."
"We are going to make them?" Inenimaana asks, looking hopeful.
"Yes, we will find a way to," I assure her.
Inenimaana smiles while Arisa draws something in the dirt. She's lucky that she isn't caught. Arisa had drawn a version of the viceroy's aide before stomping on him. I doubt even I would be able to help if someone arrested her for that. Not that I can blame her after meeting with the man I wanted to punch in to.
Inenimaana still looks nervous at the idea of making so many potions so quickly. Still, we will find a way to make it happen. If I were by myself, I would have saide it was impossible. My only chance would be to find the Earl and ask him for more time to make the potions. But with Satou and his overpowered abilities, I know we will pull through somehow.
"We have a hundred vials already, so we just need forty more," Satou says, thinking for a moment. "Everyone is running around the city looking for them right now. The town guard is giving us some used vials, so hopefully, we should have enough. If not, then we will just have to make them."
"We are going to make them?" Inenimaana asks, looking doubtful, but with Satou, I know it is possible. "But those potions took all night to make! Even if we get the vials, we won't be able to make them in time!"
"It's all right," Arisa assures her. "My master is a great cheater, so I am sure he will find a way to make them on time."
"Master!"
Lulu and the others return, running up to us. I was surprised to hear her and not Liza, but I don't question it and see it as a good thing that she is coming out of her shell.
"Thanks, any luck," Satou replies, but Lulu shakes her head.
"The soldiers gave us some vials, but only them are usable for what we need," Lulu answers. "The vials at the pottery studio won't be ready until tomorrow."
"I see," Satou says, turning towards Liza.
"We managed to gather the ingredients you requested, master," Liza reports holding up a basket of herbs and powders. "We brought all they had. Will this be enough?"
"Yes, it will be more than enough," Satou nods. We will have a lot left over from the looks of things after we are done.
Next, Nana reported handing over twenty-five vials for stamina recovery potions and twelve lesser stamina recovery potions. It is a shame that Satou will have to pour those lesser potions out so we can use the vials.
"But even if we have all this stuff, we won't be able to do it," Inenimaana saide, getting teary again. "We don't have enough magic… if we were near a source and could regenerate our magic faster, we might get it done, but… but…."
"It's okay," I smile. "I have plenty of magic I could transfer, and we have several potions to use when I need a break."
"But… but they are so bitter…."
"Yes, they are," I nod. "But we are just going to have to endure it."
I blink as Inenimaana's hat suddenly comes to life. No, it isn't a hat. It is some kind of bird. The bird on Inenimaana's head suddenly starts pecking the girl's forehead while letting out some strange cry. But as Inenimaana cried out in pain, I couldn't help her as Nana grabbed hold of my arm.
"Hero Kura, please give me permission to care for this creature, I request,"
I should have guessed Nana would have reacted this way. Unfortunately for her, that bird already has an owner, but maybe I could make her a stuffed toy modelled after the bird. It doesn't look like it would be too hard to make.
"Inenimaana, is it possible to talk with your mistress through that bird?" Satou asks, giving the bird a closer look.
"Yes, it is," Inenimaana saide, sounding worried. "Are you going to tell her that I failed?"
"No, I just need to ask her a few things,"
"Okey, I'll contact my mistress now… come here, Pou," Inenimaana starts to chant some spell. "…Call Yobidashi!" The chant was short, and somehow the bird seemed smarter as it sat on top of Inenimaana's head. "She can hear you now but won't be able to reply."
Well, that's a problem but one that is easily solved by writing yes and no in the dirt. Not the best way to communicate, but we worked with what we had.
First things first, we briefed the witch on what had happened. Then we asked the important questions learning that Earl Kuhanou was most likely not involved in this scheme and that the pact would be broken if we failed to deliver the potions. We asked a few more questions before ending the call.
"Now we just need to figure out how to make the missing vials,"
"Oh, here, here, I know this one!"
Arisa is acting just like a little kid jumping up and down with her hand raised in the air. She looks a lot cuter acting like this than when she tries to seduce Satou.
"So you have an idea,"
"Oh, do you want to know? Do you really want to know?"
Arisa grins mischievously, looking up at Satou with her hands behind her back. I winced when Satou pinched her cheeks hard. That looks like it really hurt, but it wipes the smirk off of her face. Still, it was surprising to see how stretchy Arisa's cheeks were.
"Oww, let go!" Arisa pleases. "Let go!"
"Sorry I got carried away,"
"Meanie," Arisa huffs. "Sheesh, I was about to remind you of the village we passed on our way into town."
"But if we head there now, will we really be able to make all the vials in time?" Arisa grins at Inenimaana's worry.
"Don't worry," Arisa assures her before pointing to Satou and me. "With these two, anything is possible." Satou smiles for some reason after a few seconds. "See, he already has an idea."
"I have one," Satou replies with a nod. "But is it really okay for us to use that village?"
"Why not? It hasn't been used in a long time, by the looks of things,"
"Alright, let's go with this plan then,"
<0>
We took Inenimaana's carriage to the abandoned village and arrived in no time at all. It travelled nearly twice as fast as Satou's carriage and was a lot more comfortable. It doesn't shake at all, and when we hit a bump in the road, I barely felt anything. It was almost like travelling in a modern car back in my old world.
"This is remarkable," Satou says, staring over the edge at the wheels. "What are you using for a suspension?"
"What's a suspension?"
"How does the carriage absorb impacts?" Arisa clarified as we came to a halt in the village.
"I dunno," Inenimaana shrugs. The which probably made it.
The village is just as empty and overgrown as it was when we were last here. Plants grow everywhere, and the buildings don't look safe to enter. I wondered why we were here until Satou brought us to the kilns behind the village. Most of them were broken, but one still looked like it was in working order. We unloaded our tools in a small clearing and got right to work.
"Lulu, Nana and Arisa," Satou says. "I want you three to prepare the kiln for use. That means cleaning it and removing nearby weeds to prevent the spread of fire. I want to try something as well, so if you have time, can you please do the same for one of the less damaged kilns as well. Everyone else come with me and help collect clay."
Thanks to the work of the villages beforehand, there was plenty of clay piled around the clay pit. Pochi and Tama, with their endless energy, managed to gather most of what we needed in under ten minutes. Mia was the only one that struggled, but she was happy after I patted her on the head for her effort.
Inenimaana then used some kind of earth magic spell to make the clay turn to mud to allow Satou to mix something into the mud. He says it will allow the vials will make to maintain the effects of the potions. I couldn't really understand it, but I trusted Satou to prepare the clay for us. Once he was done, Inenimaana used another spell to turn the mud back into clay. This second spell was a little trouble for her, so Satou showed her a spell book he had on earth magic. I wonder if he will let me read it later.
The clay turned out to be better than what we had to work with at the pottery studio. It must have something to do with the magic. When I touch it experimentally, the clay feels softer and sticker. When I mould a random shape, the clay holds it remarkably well.
"Everyone makes balls of clay about this big and lines them up,"
Satou holds up a ball, and we all get to work. Satou then takes out a pottery wheel and gets to work making vials out of the clay balls we hand him. Before long, we got into a good rhythm and started producing vial after vial.
"Round,"
"This one is mine, sir,"
Pochi and Tama hand Satou their balls, nearly knocking over Mia as she presented her clay ball.
"Mrr,"
Mia frowns, putting her clay ball down. Before long, we managed to make just over four hundred and sixty vials, and both kilns are ready to use. Way too many, but we could always put the leftovers to good use.
"Mia," Satou as we lined up the completed vials. "Can you please use your magic to dry them?"
"Mm,"
Mia had to repeatedly cast the spell draining almost all of her magic and a lot of my own, but she managed to dry most of the vials. Unfortunately, she had to drink an MP potion for the last batch as I didn't have enough MP to give her. She looked displeased, and I couldn't blame her. I had to drink one too so I could help make the potions. Wrinkling her nose Mia was reluctant to drink it, but she brought it to her lips.
"Honey?"
Mia asked, and I was thinking the same thing. This potion tastes nothing like the ones I drank before. It is sweet and refreshing with none of the bitterness.
"Yeah," Satou confirms, he tempered with the potions. "I tried to make it less bitter."
"Yum,"
"It's a lot better than the normal ones," I tell him after finishing my potion.
Thanks to Mia's magic, we finished dying the vials very quickly. Satou brings out a bucket of glaze for the vials he already had made up, and we set to work. We had learned this at the pottery studio, so only Inenimaana had to be taught what to do, but she is a fast learner.
"Huh? That was fast,"
"Mia's and Inenimaana's magic helped a lot,"
Just as we were finishing up, Arisa returned shortly, followed by Lulu and Nana. They all look dirty and covered in soot. Satou hands out towels so the girls can wash their faces.
"Hero Kura, I have completed the work assignment I was given, I report,"
"Master, I have finished my work as well,"
They did a good job. The kilns are spotless, and the surrounding area has become free of weeds and anything else that could catch fire. Well, they don't look brand new both the kilns they cleaned are more than good enough for our purpose.
"Good work, everyone. It's spotless," Satou tells them after inspecting their work.
Now that we have vials, well, almost have vials, we move on to preparing the ingredients for our potions. Lulu washes the herbs well Satou does something to the kilns. There is nothing else we can do, so we just wait and entertain ourselves.
Mia plays some music, Arisa plays with Pochi and Tama, well Liza and Pearl keep watch. Nana, meanwhile, is helping Lulu. I would have helped her myself, but it would have been too crowded with only one bucket of water. So I sit down and close my eyes while enjoying the music Mia is providing. I have no idea how much time passed when I opened my eyes, but it was enough time for Satou to do something. He had called Mia over to him a few moments ago, so at first, I thought it had something to do with a new spell.
"Are you making a new magical tool?"
It was Arisa's words that brought caused my eyes to open. Sitting up, I look over to find her looking over Satou's shoulder. The kiln looks like it was burned, and several vials have been baked successfully.
"Yeah, I wanted to make a microwave oven kind of thing, but it is too difficult to do right now,"
Satou is already adding more vials to be baked as he answers. The kiln still needs wood to burn from the looks of things, but it feels hot even from here. Every glazed vial has been put into the kilns between both ovens, but we still have some that need to be finished off. I should have been doing that inside of nothing.
"Alright, the vials will take another three hours to bake," Satou says, shutting the kiln's door. "Now, we need to go gather herbs."
"But master," Liza steps forward. "We still have some vials that need to be glazed."
"We can do those later," Satou replies, taking a damp cloth from his storage to cover the glaze bucket.
<0>
Mia and I lead the way into that clearing filled with herbs. I was nervous about another monster being there like before, but Satou assured me there weren't any. When we arrive, I can still see a red pool of the monster's blood and the damage on the ground our fight caused. Plants and grass have been trampled, and several claw marks have been dug into the ground.
"Blood," Mia frowns.
Arisa was feeling sick from the blood too. In the end, we split up. I went with Nana, Mia, Pearl and Arisa to another nearby area while Satou and the others harvested what they could from the clearing. We let Mia guide us and start collecting the herbs and plants she tells us to. This time, Satou has provided us with sickles and baskets, making our job easier.
"I'm surprised we haven't run into any monsters yet," Pearl comments as we walk.
"I didn't see any when I was in here with Mia until that large one appeared," I say. "Maybe there are only a few powerful monsters in this forest?"
"That could be it," Pearl nods, thinking for a moment. "But it could be more dangerous that way."
"I agree. We should constantly monitor our surroundings, I advise,"
"No monsters," Mia shakes her head.
We don't question her and continue to harvest. I think Pearl and Nana assume like I do, that Mia can use whatever trick she does to find herbs to locate monsters. But that was soon proven wrong. Monsters appear, also proving my theory wrong.
Green slimes attack us from under the roots of a large nearby tree. They went that strong, and I didn't have to do anything. Nana and Pearl cut the slimes down that approach us while Mia uses her bow to shoot the distant ones. The fight is over in seconds, and soon, we get back to work gathering herbs as if nothing happened. I pretend not to notice the small slimes watching us leave as they hide behind the roots of the trees.
Arisa was upset about not being able to cast a spell in time, but she cheered up when we were attacked by some giant spider monsters. We let her cast a spell before finishing them off. This time I even got to fight using Air Hammer to stop a spider from escaping up one of the trees. We head back after taking the cores from the monsters.
<0>
"Rinse the herbs, then put them in this sieve, please,"
"Yeah, okay,"
We left Inenimaana in charge of washing the herbs while Satou and I started making the potions. Just like before, we had to make medicine and then use the transmutation tablet to turn that medicine into potions. Satou provided the elixirs for this and gave me plenty of tips to improve my methods. I still couldn't match the number he could produce, but thanks to Satou, I was able to make high-quality potions at a fast pace. Inenimaana even joined us after she finished washing the herbs.
Inenimaana and I kept going until we ran low on magic, paused to drink a potion then started working again. I am so glad Satou made the potions taste better, but why is he not running out of magic? Inenimaana has taken five breaks so far, and I have taken two breaks, but Satou hasn't stopped for a second. He looks like if we left him to it, he would be still doing this until the end of time and not even come close to running out of magic.
The others are out right now collecting more herbs for us. We probably already had enough, but having some extra for a later date can't hurt. I can see one of the groups returning now. Arisa, Nana, Lulu, and Pearl walk back into the village. Still, what should have been a happy reunion is ruined when Arisa frowns. Inenimaana had been stat close enough to Satou that their shoulders were touching.
"Hey, what do you think you are doing?"
Unfortunately, Arisa's cry only causes Inenimaana to flinch and jump into Satou's lap. Lulu grips her sister's arm just in case, and even Pearl looks like she is ready to stop a fight.
"Arisa, it is not what it looks like," Satou replies, putting his hands up. "We were just making potions."
I leave Satou to explain everything to Arisa and get back to work. We can't afford to stop for a single second if we are going to meet our deadline. We just need to make ten more batches. If we keep going at the rate we have been working, we should be done in an hour at the latest. Inenimaana looks exhausted, but she keeps on working. I wonder why I don't feel tired. Satou looks fine too, so maybe we both have a skill that Inenimaana lacks.
When Mia and the others had returned, we were just finishing up the last batch of potions. I would like to report it was a day of successful potion making, but it wasn't. We had five batches that failed. There were also eight batches of potions that came out at too low quality for our needs. But at least we had plenty of supplies to replace those bad batches.
"Let's take a break," Satou suggested as we finished the last batch. "Lulu, Nana, can you please make some snakes for everyone. You can use whatever ingredients you want from the garage bag."
After giving out instructions, Satou went with Arisa to check on the kilns while I handed out drinks to everyone. Mia had to use her magic to help everyone clean up and was a little upset when I told her I couldn't transfer my magic to her. It is a good thing she doesn't mind drinking the recovery potions now, or she might have refused to help everyone wash up.
"The sweet stuff!"
"Happy Stuff, sir!"
Pochi and Tama were as happy as always to be given some juice. They danced circles around me while I poured some into their cups, praising the drink. Mia and Lulu were happy to receive some as well, taking their cups with big smiles. I get it. The drink tastes good, and on a hot day like today, it is refreshing.
"Don't say that!"
I jump and almost spill a drink over Inenimaana when Arisa suddenly screams. I take it Satou either did something impossible and brushed it off or just raised some kind of flag.
"Wow, what is this?"
Inenimaana exclaims when she tries the Klite Berry juice. Even her bird likes it, and I have to pour some into a small bowl for it. I explain to Inenimaana what it is and how to make it in exchange for alchemy tips. It isn't much, but I learned how to make the special clay used to make the potion vials. I'm sure the witch will like the juice too.
<0>
Unfortunately, our peace didn't last long. Satou detected a powerful monster nearby and trouble approaching from the town. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, we split up. I take Pochi, Tama, Nana, Pearl and Mia with me to take care of the monster. Satou was reluctant to send Pochi and Tama, but in the end, we decided it was best they leave before the trouble from the town arrived. Arisa, Lulu and Inenimaana went to hide, with Liza acting as their guard. Liza had protested she wanted to stay with Satou, but Satou saide the people coming from the town weren't coming for a fight. I doubted that, but Satou made a convincing argument, so we all parted way.
The monster wasn't that far from the village, so if we were fast, we should be able to kill it and return before those people from the city caused any trouble. Satou doesn't seem to want to fight them and says he has a better idea of what to do, but I'm not sure a fight could be avoided. I just hope he knows what he is doing.
As we cross over the hill, I catch one last glimpse of the village and see the dust cloud created by the approaching people. Pochi and Tama frown wanting to return, but I stop them. We have to trust Satou and take care of this monster.
"We'll catch this prey!"
"We will defeat it for master, sir,"
We walk for about ten minutes before we see it. I knew what we were inspecting, and Satou warned me about it but seeing it in person is an entirely different thing. The monster is a spider bear. It is a creature with a bear's body and head, but it has eight long creepy looking spider legs. It crawls down from the web it was making to confront us when we arrive, letting out a deafening howl.
"Nana, Pearl, take the lead," I say as we ready our weapons. "Pochi, Tama, attack when you see an opening and try to cut this monster's legs. Mia trie and shoot its eyes."
"Yes, master,"
"Hero Kura, your command has been accepted, I confirm,"
Pearl and Nana quickly rush forward, but the monster reveals two long clawed hands. It tries to swipe at the girls, but Nana blocks the blow only to have her shield shattered. Pearl is quick to react, cutting off the monster's second clawed arm before it can strike. Pochi and Tama move in while the monster reels in pain, cutting off one of the bear's front legs.
Satou asked me to hold back and let the others handle the situation and gain experience, but I couldn't. After seeing how dangerous this monster was, I couldn't stand by. But just as I was about to act, an arrow from Mia sinks into the monster's left eye. Seizing this opportunity, Nana and Pearl cut into the monster's belly, and Pochi and Tama cut off two more legs.
I should have had more faith in them. I watch as the girls back the monster into a corner. It howls and slashes at them with its one remaining claw, but the girls keep pressing the attack. Mia hits its second eyes, and Pearl cuts off its bottom jaw while Nana stabs it in the side. Somehow Pochi and Tama got behind and above the monster, jumping onto its back and diving their swords through the beast's hide. The monster screams and bucks, throwing the girls clear in a matter of seconds.
"Nana, catch Tama!"
I rush forward and quickly catch Pochi.
"It made us fly!"
"Thank you, sir,"
Nana and I managed to catch them. I feel a lot better after giving them a quick look over. They don't appear to be injured, but their swords are still stuck in the monster's back.
"Pochi, Tama, use these for now,"
I take out a pair of iron swords I had in storage and give them to the girls. They were the weapons I gathered from the goblins that repeatedly killed me when I first arrived in this world. The swords aren't as good as the girl's regular swords, but they should do well against that beast.
"Thank you, sir,"
"Well will win now!"
Pochi and Tama haven't lost their energy. They charge forward, wielding their weapons with ease despite the swords being slightly too big for them.
The fight is coming to an end. One of Mia's arrows is now in the monster's throat, and multiple cuts from Nana and Pearl are causing blood to pour everywhere. It won't be long now. The bear spider monster backs up against a tree. It starts to try and climb, but Pochi and Tama knock it down by cutting off more legs. Pearl and Nana are there to finish it off when it crashes to the ground.
"Good work, everyone," I say after confirming the monster was really dead. I have seen enough horror films to know you have to check these kinds of things. "Pearl, can you retrieve the cor for me?"
"Yes, master,"
Pearl gets right to work, taking out a small dagger and starting cutting. Pochi and Tama quickly run up to me while we all gather around the monster.
"Here's your sword back,"
"Thank you for the sword, sir,"
"You two both did a good job today," I say, patting them both on the head. "But next time, be more careful. You could have been hurt when you jumped on that monster's back."
"Okay!"
"We will do better next time, sir,"
I smile as they run off to help Pearl. I don't know why but I somehow got the Animal Training skill by telling them that. I could have been something nicer, like teaching or instructing. I just won't tell them about it. I wonder if Arisa, Satou or Liza has this skill too. They have been teaching Pochi and Tama stuff too, so at least one of them must have this poorly titled skill.
"Hero Kura," Nana is the next one to approach me. She is holding her broken shield out to me and staring at it as if she had lost something precious. "I am afraide the shield you have given me has broken, I sadly report."
"It's fine," I assure her. "Equipment breaks and receives damage in battle. Making sure you come back alive is more important."
"I understand. I will prioritise my own survival in combat, I confirm,"
"Praise,"
Mia soon appears, rubbing her head into my side, so I pat her head.
"You did a good job too, Mia,"
Mia smiles and rubs her head against my hand like a cat. It's cute, but she really doesn't have to imitate Tama. Pearl returns with the core, so I thank her for her work, and we decide to head back right away. I hope Satou hadn't managed to get himself arrested or something. Instead, something equally bad had happened.
When we return to find the kilns destroyed and Inenimaana in tears. Satou and Arisa are picking through the rubble, looking for what could be salvaged, but Satou seems to be only putting on an act. He swifts brick, and despite finding glass, there is too little to account for all the vials that were in the kilns. Did the people who came from the city take them? I doubt it. The shards of glass will be too hot to touch right now.
"The vials…" Inenimaana mutters, dropping to her knees. "We won't make it in time…."
"Don't worry," I tell her. "Something doesn't seem right with the broken glass."
"Huh… these shards are…."
Arisa notices it too. The shards aren't hot and look nothing like the vials we have been making. Arisa grins as she turns to Satou, who nods his head to confirm our suspicions that he has something to do with this.
Satou explains that the vials are safe. The only things destroyed were some broken pottery and bottles Satou had on him. Unfortunately, there is the small problem that the vials are too hot to take out of Satou's storage. When he tried, one of the vials shattered instantly. It had something to do with the rapid changes in temperatures and threatened to destroy all our progress.
Luckily Satou figured something out. Somehow, he has two kinds of storage spells, and he managed to save the vials using them together. I can't wait to see the look on those guys' faces when we turn up.
<0>
Satou and I walk through the front doors of the city hall. We both carried large bags that rattled with every step, and we made a point to draw attention. So far, everything is going well. No one has challenged us or tried to destroy our goods. We even ran into the same guards that helped us before. They escorted us to the city hall, which only helped us get more attention.
"You got some nerve showing your faces here!" That fallen noble shows his face again. "Thanks for giving me watered-down potions! I made a fool out of myself because of you!"
I can't help but smirk. I wish I was there to watch him when he tried to sell those potions. Still, seeing his frustrated face and exaggerated waving hands is satisfying. It takes everything I have not to burst out laughing. We just ignore him and walk past him.
"What do you mean? Those potions should still treat minor injuries,"
Satou's comment makes the man growl as we pass him by. When he sees our sacks, he gives us a triumphant look as if he thinks he is still winning. He is such a fool.
"Are you planning on passing off those watered-down potions as the real things?" The man asks, pointing at us. "Or did you mix some grass into the potions to make them look like the real things? You aren't going to fool us!"
Keep thinking that. I really hate this guy. He may be laughing now, but soon I will be the one laughing as he realises he lost. It doesn't seem like I am the only one who hates this guy. Nearly everyone in the area is shooting the man with looks of annoyance.
"Well, it seems you have nothing to discuss with us, so we will be going now," Satou tells him. "We have business with the viceroy's aide, so please excuse us."
"Hey, wait a minute, what is your business with the viceroy's aide?!"
The man is faster they I thought. He quickly jumped in front of us and pushed an official out of his way. I helped the man up and slipped a coin in his pocket, whispering to him to fetch some more guards. The official nod his head and leaves with the man none the wiser. I have a feeling this man is about to destroy himself.
"I'm afraide it has nothing to do with you, so please excuse us,"
"What was that?!"
This man would make a good court jester the madder he gets, the more I want to laugh. We head over to the counter and start unpacking the potions causing the man's jaw to drop. He may be an idiot, but even he can tell these potions meet the pact's requirements. Once the official behind the desk confirms that fact, the man starts sweating bullets.
"How?! We destroyed the kilns!" The man starts panicking, pulling his hair as he stares at the potions. "I'm sure you just brought some cheap potions in town! We won't be accepting anything so low quality!"
This guy really likes to shout. Or maybe he just needs to make a lot of noise because no one will give him the time of day otherwise. I can't say he doesn't have this coming. It looks like this thieving, cheating liar is about to face his just deserves. He glares at the official who is looking over our potions expecting things to go his way.
"Actually, these are of even higher quality than the one hundred and twenty potions we received earlier,"
"Yeah, right…"
"These were all manufactured by the same person too,"
"Now way… my perfect plan ruined by… a commoner…." This is better than I thought. The man falls to his knees on the verge of tears. "Our path of greatness… gone…." He pulls himself up, leans on the counter, and stares at the potions. "That right. Without these… without these, they are through. We can still win!"
The man then grabs Satou's back and slams it down on the counter, smashing nearly all of the vials and spilling the potions within. He's lost it. He steps back, grinning like a mad man.
"My hand slipped!"
The man puts his hands up while laughing.
"Nooo! The potions are leaking…."
I put my hand on Inenimaana's shoulder. I wish I could have told her the plan, but her reaction is selling it. I will buy her something nice later to make up for it.
"Whoops! My foot slipped this time,"
Now he has thrown one of our bags to the floor and is jumping up and down on it like a child.
"What kind of fool pools a stunt like this in front of all these witnesses?" Arisa asks, and Satou and I both nod our heads, agreeing with her.
"What's all this noise?" Ah, the main villain makes an appearance. "You are all in the service of the viceroy." The viceroy's aide appears. Coming out of his office, she looks around the room, quickly spotting the cause of the commotion. "What's this?"
"These are the magical potions the witch's messenger had delivered. Although this gentleman has smashed them," The official reports.
"Was it after we signed for them?"
"N… no, we were still in the middle of assessing them,"
"Then I see no problem here," The viceroy's aide turns to us. "Bring another batch. There is still time before the deadline."
"Wait just a moment," I call out as the viceroy's aide is about to leave.
"What is it now? This man is the one who broke the magical potion. The county government will not take responsibility for his actions,"
"No, but I would like to be compensated for the damage this man initiated," I tell him. "They were worth ninety gold coins."
"Fair enough," The aide shrugs. "You are free to bill this man."
"W… what?!"
There really is no honour among thieves. The aide doesn't even look at the man before returning to his office. One of the staff members whispers to me that the city can help me get the man to pay. This guy is really hated here as another staff member mutters something about being enslaved when he can't pay his debt.
"Ah! He's running away!"
Arisa pointed to the man, and he ran like his life depended on it. Inenimaana's bird quickly attacks the man, and I use my Air Cushion spell to knock the man over. I don't feel sorry or bad when Inenimaana's bird starts pecking his face. Nana, Pochi and Tama quickly jump on the man pinning him down. I really need to talk to Nana about appropriate behaviour. I don't care that she is suffocating the man, but she shouldn't be sitting on his face, especially when wearing a skirt.
The extra guards I called for arrived and arrested the man. He begs them to let him go promising to make them rich, then threatening them when that fails to work. Pleadingly, the man turns to me, but I have no mercy for scum like him. Satou and I praise the girls for their work and give the bird a treat. I still need to talk with Nana, but that can wait until we are somewhere more private.
Afterwards, I filled out the paperwork required to get compensated, and the staff promised to process it quickly. That guy really was hated. The staff kept complaining about him as I filled out the paperwork. I made sure to tip the people that helped me when everything was done. Now all that is left to show that viceroy's aide just how outmatched he is. I turn to Satou and see him smirk. Forty-five minutes. No problem, we don't even need one.
<0>
"Come in… oh, it's you. What do you want? If you have given up, then I advise you to leave this city,"
The viceroy's aide stares at us as we enter his office. He was indeed surprised, but he quickly gave us a cold, emotionless look. Ignoring him, I step forward.
"I would like for you to sign this document and give it your seal," I tell him, handing over a document.
He scans the document reading through it multiple times with his mouth wide open.
"A… a delivery completion certificate?"
"Y… yes… they delivered the remaining one hundred and eighty potions," An official who entered the room with us adds. "We also confirmed it complied with your memorandum that they submitted along with the delivery. The potion succeeded the requirements you requested."
"What manner of trickery is this?"
He is trembling as he puts the document down on his desk. He glares at me, gripping his desk hard enough for his knuckles to turn white.
"There was no trickery," I calmly replied. "We just worked hard and worked together. Through our sweat and combined wisdom, we pulled through."
"Utter nonsense,"
Well, there was a little trickery. Satou and I were only decoys in Satou's master plan. We went through the front door, drawing as much attention as possible. At the same time, Pearl and Liza took the actual delivery in through the backdoor. The broken potions were mainly low-grade, with just a couple high-grade potions to fool anyone examining our goods. We even added some unfilled vials into the bag. It was enough to fool that man, and like I thought he would, he destroyed himself. The plan worked perfectly. All we need to do is get the aide to sign off on the delivery, and we can call it a day.
"Is something wrong?" I ask as the aide lowers his head. "All that is left is for you to sign off on the delivery."
"…" The aide only stares off into the distance in response to my question.
"Excuse me, Mr Aide,"
Even Satou can't get a response from him. The aide just sits there staring off into the distance. The staff member with us tries but is ignored just like us. Is this guy a child? How can he think that the silent treatment is the best response to this situation? The aide continues to sit there, letting his eyes close.
So that's his grand plan to defeat us. He is just going to sit there in silence and refuse to sign the certificate. I didn't think he would be so childish. Can't he at least act his age and accept defeat like a grown-up? I guess not, as he sits there in silence with his eyes closed. Satou and I look at each other but can't think of anything to do.
Thirty minutes pass, and nothing changes. The aide sits there in silence with his eyes closed and ignores anyone who tries to talk to him. He is going to do this until time runs out. I hate him more than that man. He is even worse as I can't slap him or yell at him to act his age. Time continues to tick by, and I really hope he comes to his senses and signs the document.
The door to the office quietly opens, and when I glance over my shoulder, I smile. It's over now. I pick up the document so he can't destroy it and look down at the aide.
"Could you please sign this document and give it your seal,"
I ask him, but not to anyone's surprise. The aide just ignores me.
"I suppose I shall have to sign it then,"
Finally, the aide moves and opens his eyes. Jumping at the unexpected voice, the eyes of the aide widen as we all turn to greet the new arrival. Grey armour under a blue cloak that is still coated in mud from the battlefield. The new arrival confidently walks forward with his sword clinking against his waste. His red eyes scan the document I hand him before he signs it. Dark blue hair with dirt and grim still in it covers his head, and the man strokes his bead before stamping the document with his seal.
"Earl Kuhanou,"
The aide is quickly on his feet and shaking at the Earl's arrival. He backs up slightly as a second guest enters the room.
"Mistress!"
Inenimaana quickly runs to the witch's side, giving her a hug. This was the last part of Satou's plan. A backup if something like the aide acting like a little kid happened. Satou had asked the Witch of the Forest of Illusion to collect the Earl and bring him back here. We were planning on reporting the aide's actions to him, but he made it in time to see for himself what was happening.
"It seems you have been through a lot," The witch gently smiles. "I'm sorry you had to endure such difficulties Inenimaana."
I was worried they weren't going to make it in time. When Satou told me their position as we left the village, it looked like it would be a close call, but I am glad they made it in time. The witch then turns to Satou and me bowing her head.
"Mr Satou, Hero Kura, I cannot thank you both enough for everything you have done," The witch smiles, raising her head. "If it wasn't for your help, things would have become dire for us."
The aide, meanwhile, was sweating bullets and collapsed into his chair as his knees gave out. He is shaking, looking around the room and figuring out his next move.
"Why… why are you here?"
"Can you not tell?" Earl Kuhanou looks massive as the aide sinks lower into his chair. "Mistress Witch here has informed me of your evil deeds."
A pair of knights managed to slip into the room unnoticed. They pull the aide up from his chair and bring him closer to the Earl.
"Your father was a vassal of Marquis Muno and a friend of mine at the royal academy. Thus, I thought I would help his family, who had left their territory to depend on ours. But it seems I was blind."
"Please wait. This is a conspiracy between this fake hero, the witch and this man here!"
Really? That is his defence. How can he think something like that would work?
"Have you forgotten the debt of gratitude our land owes Mistress Witch? You and your family were even saved because of her when a plague struck our land five years ago. And in the current conflict, do you know how many knights and soldiers her potions have saved?"
The aide is powerless against the Earl. He lowers his head in defeat as the Earl continues.
"A man who does not help the viceroy is not fit for the title of his aide. You shall no longer have the privileges of an aristocratic in my territory. I will leave you with only the title of Hereditary Knight, so you, your elderly mother and younger siblings shell be able to live as commoners. You shall also receive only the smallest of pensions."
The former aide looked up at the Earl, looking for mercy but finding none. The Earl only stares back at the man, refusing to change his decision. The former aide lowers his head, muttering something to himself before slipping out of the knight's hold.
"As the acting servant of the viceroy, I invoke thee…."
The former aide stares defiantly at the Earl, mustering his courage and beginning some kind of spell but… nobody does anything to stop him. The knights, witch and even Earl Kuhanou make any move. They just stand there staring at the former aide.
"How foolish,"
Earl Kuhanou mutters under his breath as he shakes his head. All eyes turn to the former aide as powerful energy surrounds his body. Electricity sparks across the former aide's body as the building lightly shakes.
"Spirit of Sedum City, attack the enemy of our home! Punish Chuubastu!"
Lightning leaps from the former aide's hand as he punches the air in front of him. Earl Kuhanou doesn't move, blink or take any action whatsoever. He just stands there, taking the attack head-on. Satou and I quickly move between the Earl and the spell, but it doesn't reach us. It flickers out before it makes it halfway to us. At first, I thought Satou had done something, but he looked just as confused as I was.
"How truly foolish of you. As Earl of Kuhanou Earldom, I can never be harmed by such a spell in my own territory. Or have you forgotten who lent you your borrowed powers in the first place?" The former aide takes a step back as the Earl takes one forward. "I shall have mercy out of respect for your deceased friend. Instead of charging you with treason, I will simply reduce your sentence to capital punishment."
Before I knew what was happening, Satou had moved forward and knocked the former aide out. It looked like it hurt when Satou kicked him in the jaw.
"And why did you feel the need to make such a show of interfering?" Earl Kuhanou asks, staring at Satou.
I wouldn't want to be Satou right now. The cold stare the Earl is giving him is enough to freeze an entire ocean. I have no idea how Satou could smile and not be affected by such a stare.
"Because children are present," Satou points to the back of the room where Pochi, Tama and Inenimaana are huddled together. "Forgive me for my insolence, but if you will be putting a man to death, wouldn't the execution ground be a better place."
Satou smiles as the knights pick up the former aide and drag him from the room. I don't know how Satou is so calm with the Earl looking ready to draw his sword at a moment's notice. But after a brief staring contest between Satou and the Earl, things calm down when the Earl relaxes.
"It seems you have made yourself a most worthy of acquaintances, mistress witch," The Earl says, turning around.
One of the knight's returns, giving the Earl some amulet I think the former aide was wearing. The Earl puts it into his pocket before turning to face me.
"I am sorry we had to meet under such circumstances," The Earl lowers his head to me. "It is a great honour to meet you, Hero Kura. When I heard about you from Earl Seiryuu, I didn't believe it at first, but I know you are worthy of the title after your actions today."
I was about to give Satou credit for his hard work, but he signalled me to keep quiet about it. He just wants to live a quiet everyday life after all, so I shouldn't have been surprised by his request. I lie about how much I really did with Arisa having to stop Inenimaana from exposing our lie. Satou seems happy to not be the centre of attention. I will make sure he can enjoy whatever reward I am giving for his action.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone