◇

The result of the dark auction last night is better than I"ve thought.

The cast magic swords were sold at the expected prices, but the cast magic spear, and the cast magic halberd were all sold at quite high prices. The cast magic spear particularly, due to the bidding fight between a man who looked like an explorer, and another man who was wearing an elegant armor, it was sold for 270 gold coins. I wonder if the added paralysis effect from the electricity was the cause of this success. I probably shouldn"t think about the cost.

Since I had gained more profit than I expected, I decided to donate 10 gold coins for the Tenion emergency food distribution and the orphanage each. Since more than this would be out of common sense, I restrained myself.

About the note book that I"ve won, the other half of its inside is torn in two. Furthermore, it looks like the one who"s written this note book is a cautious guy, it"s written in original cipher. When I was deciphering it, I acquired [Decryption] skill, so I solved it easily.

The way to make soap, the way to make gla.s.s and mirror, the way to make gum, etc....
Various technologies that look like it"ll be useful for someone who has just arrived in another world are written in the note book. However, I can already make most of them, unfortunately. If only I got it earlier.

The lucky find is his curry recipe. There"s also the method to create spice written. The problem is if I can find the spice or not. Since there are even ways to create soba and udon, this might be a bargain.

Unfortunately, there is no information about the owner.
I think it"s the third person that hero Hayato"s mentioned, since he"s a shrewd guy, let"s pray that he"s currently enjoying the other world life.

◇

"Good evening, hero Hayato."

I visit the hero"s room in Nanas.h.i.+ mode wearing slightly modest clothes in the night before the hero party departs from the duchy capital. Since some members of his party have good noses like Pochi and the other, I"ve used [Deodorant] magic.

"Nanas.h.i.+ huh, how did you infiltrate here?"
"With cheat."

It"s a convenient word.

Right after I entered the room from the window, the earkin girls who seemed to be the hero"s companions suddenly apologized. Since forgiving them like that was "that", I was allowed to touch the girls" ears as the compensation. Un, it"s quite nice.

Afterward, the hero thanked me.
He said the same thing he did when I was Satou, but when he said, "want to feel my ears as a thank?", I involuntarily dropped my fist on the hero"s head.
I thought that lady Ringrande, and princess Maryest would complain since I hit the hero, but it seems that he was usually dealt like that anyway, so everyone looked like they thought it was a matter of course. Princess Maryest even told me not to go easy on him. Is it fine hero.

When he offered some kind of item as a reward, I told him I wanted an Aerodynamic Engine in a jest since I didn"t need anything particular, but the hero tried to hurriedly take out the aerodynamic engine of his s.h.i.+p which seemed to be called Jules Verne. Since I had planned to create the aerodynamic engine myself, I declined the rare offer. Princess Maryest looked obviously relieved, the engine was probably quite precious.

In the end, it was decided that the hero is going to give me various rare metal like mithril, and orichalc.u.m. He got them from the inside of the labyrinth, but since he loaned them to the empire"s a.r.s.enal, he didn"t have any in hand.
Orichalc.u.m makes my heart feels excited, although I"ll only get it later.

Oops, I forgot the main reason I came here.

"This is?"
"I guess you"ve never seen one? It"s a magic tool that can change a person into a demon you know."

I took out a short horn from the Storage and threw it to the hero. It"s the one from the demon that came out in Gururian city.

"What did you say?!"
"W, where did you get this!?"

The former is princess Maryest, and the later is lady Ringrande. By the look of her expression and words, apparently, lady Ringrande has heard the thing about the short horn from the duke. Since the demons have been subjugated in various cities of the duchy, there"s no way that people who are related to the duke don"t know.

"Did you know about it? Ringrande."
"I"m sorry, since I learned it as a young woman of the duke family, I couldn"t disclose it."

What a weirdly stiff person. Although the duke probably couldn"t openly declare it due to his position, I think he leaked it to her so she could tell the hero.

"Hey, onee-san. Is this short horn unusual?"
"Yes, this is the first time I"ve seen it. Even in the long history of Saga empire"s fights with the demon, this item never appears even once."

It"s a new item huh.

"I obtained it when I defeated a lower demon in another territory. Looks like it can"t be used anymore, so I"ll give it if you want, you know?"

While thanking me, princess Maryest timidly receives the short horn, and gets it stored in the hero"s infinite stowing (Inventory). Although it might not be needed since she looks like someone with a good head, I give her a firm warning, "Handle it carefully okay."

Due to this item, I"m made to hold a magic tool that can be used to communicate with each other. Looks like he"s been intending to give it to me from the beginning, the tool is quickly taken out of the hero"s inventory. I don"t have particular problem with it, so we decide to activate the communication together at 0 hour late at night every 10 days to keep in touch with each other. Since I only have hour hand to check on time, they give me clock magic tool.
This is something that I know later on, but the time on this clock went out of order when I put it in the Storage, so I left it to tick in the Item Box.

I"m worried if it has a tracking function, but it seems that it can"t tell location beside at the time where I activate the communication. Since it"s used to contact spies who infiltrate another countries, it"s made to be undetectable beside at the time of communication. I want to dismantle it for a bit, but let"s restrain myself.

◇

I"m unexpectedly free the day before the departure.
Since I was doing things like going around greeting my acquaintances, and buying ingredients, and flavoring--particularly sugar--little by little everyday, there is nothing left that need to be done in a hurry.

Everyone has been finished getting baptized in the Tenion temple this morning.

>[Holy Magic: Tenion Belief Skill Acquired]

This is for the sake of the revival ceremony by the head miko-san in case of emergency.
For some reason, Arisa and me were the only two who didn"t get baptized. We did receive the ceremony itself, but we didn"t get the [Believer of Tenion] t.i.tle like everyone else.

Although it seemed that no one around me knew about it, lady Sera said, "With this, Satou-san is also a believer of Tenion.", while looking very happy.

"Satou-san, please accept this."

Lady Sera handed me an item called [Tenion"s Bell]. After deciphering the item explanation, it seems to [Resonate with the big bell on Tenion temple]. Apparently, the big bell in Tenion temple rings when an emergency happens. This bell is a magic tool that can resonate with the big bell, it can sense the danger even if they"re separated with the distance between the royal capital and the duchy capital.

Looks like it only acts as the receptor.

"Look, I have it too. We have a matching pair right."
"That"s right."

I cannot reject lady Sera who"s genuinely happy, I take it obediently.
It"s probably, or rather, it"s 9 out 10 that it was instigated by the head miko-san, but I still wore the bell.

◇

When we"ve returned to the mansion after the baptism, some visitors are waiting.
It"s the next baron Muno, the little brother-kun of lady Karina. He doesn"t have an appointment, but he"s the young lord of my employer after all, I guess it"s fine.

"Sir Pendragon, please forgive me for intruding suddenly."
"Young lord is always welcome to visit me."

I"m going to the (airs.h.i.+p) garage in the noon, so let"s finish this quickly.

"Let"s hear it frankly then. Do you have any intention of marrying Karinneesan?"
"I do not."

Oops, I should have been a bit more indirect.
The little brother-kun is angry with red face.

"Are you throwing away my big sister after you"ve done playing around with her! Just because you"re a direct retainer of father--"
"It"s a misunderstanding."

Although it"s rather rude of me, I cover the words of the enraged little brother-kun with another.

"I"ll say this again, it"s a misunderstanding. Karinsama and me are not in a relations.h.i.+p you know?"
"However, weren"t you two getting along well like a couple during the banquet at Gururian city!"

The way he says it as if it"s be better if we don"t get along. You siscon.

"The viceroy had sent invitations for both Karinsama, and me to attend the banquet. Since we both didn"t have a partner, I went together with Karinsama."

Thanks to that, I had to sh.e.l.l out some big expenses, but since I was able to see the volume and the valley, I don"t have any regret. That was a good scenery.

"Orion! What are you doing exactly!"

Ah, even though I purposely didn"t call his name. Lady Karina, you"re heartless.
The little brother-kun"s name is Orion Muno. He"s the victim of baron Muno"s hero hobby like me. Well, I chose it myself in my case, so victim isn"t quite right.

Now then, I guess I should work out the misunderstanding.

"Karinsama."
"What is it?"

Karinsama replies with a slight caution.

"Do you like me?"
"Na, wha, that--"
"Aneue?"
"T, there"s no way that"s true! Thing like me liking Satou, there is absolutely no way that can happen!"

So it"s true, this type does self-destruct if openly confronted. I was slightly troubled in case she answered "Yes", but I wouldn"t be this cold-hearted if she was that sweet.

"Orion-sama, as you can see, the rumor about us being lovers is groundless. Karinsama is more suited to a young man from old and honorable lines of a great n.o.ble."
"U, umu, I"m glad that you know your place as a chevalier. Please take care of me from now on."
"Yes, likewise."

In other word, Orion-kun probably came to warn an upstart n.o.ble that he was not a match for his relative. I pray that it"s not aggravated by the siscon. This Orion-kun seems to be engaged with the duke"s daughter who has different mother than lady Ringrande and Sera. Since the partner is still 7 years old, the marriage is still a talk for the future.

◇

I visited the duke airs.h.i.+p garage in the afternoon since they were going to dismantle the previously-mentioned aerodynamic engine.

When I was going to the garage, I looked for the moving person in the painting before, but I couldn"t see it since the hanged paintings had changed, I wondered if they"re rotating it everyday. I asked a maid-san who were taking care of other artworks, but she said that she didn"t know such painting while looking at me dubiously. That reminds me, when I talked about it during the tea party back then they thought I was just boasting. I wonder if I was half-asleep and was mistaken. It"s a mysterious story.

There were unusually lot of people in the garage, so I couldn"t see the engine closely. It couldn"t be helped, so I moved away for a bit and used [Distance View] to inspect the engine. The aerodynamic engine was like an air cooling radiator with many fins.

Looks like the fin parts are made from Air Fish"s materials. It seems the fin gains buoyancy by sending magic through the air.
Since it doesn"t look like how hot-air balloons work, the mechanism doesn"t follow the law of physic that I know.

When I check my storage, several parasites that crippled the prince have parts that can be made into fins on them, so I dive to the labyrinth late at night, and dismantle them. Since they can"t be used as is, I"ll process them along the way to Bornean forest.

I had materials from the land reclamation back then, so I made an ark that could even hold the wagon.  I intend to put the aerodynamic engine in this ark. I might possibly carry it with [Magic Hand] until the completion of the aerodynamic engine.

However, I guess this is the last time I can use this place. Since it"s truly convenient, I"d even like to settle down in the duchy capital.

◇

Next morning, the previous earl couple with all their employees sent us off as we departed from the duchy capital.

Lady Karina had also wanted to tag along, but since I left her with the large amount of doc.u.ments and letters for Ninsan, she reluctantly agreed to go back to baron Muno territory. There are collections of recipes for Gelt-san in Muno city among the doc.u.ments. Since I had sent the necessary ingredients in advance, it"s probably alright.
I also entrusted cast magic swords for sir Zotor, and Hauto. Since I made it with fluid control magic that I had acquired, their structures are completely different than the ones I sold in the dark auction. The outer appearances of the swords are rounded like the ones I"ve made for Pochi and the others as their peculiar characteristics. I wonder if you can imagine it if I say that they look like sword-length stretched rice spoons?　I"ve made the sword"s tip looks like a sharpened reverse R for stabbing. They have Satou Pendragon inscriptions, not Nanas.h.i.+.
Also, I secretly give the maid manager, Pina, the traveling expense for their trip back. I heard remarks that young unmarried women shouldn"t do like getting spared from sleeping in the barn since they were working as merchants" escorts during the long journey, so please enjoy the return trip at least.

When the s.h.i.+p has begun to depart, lady Sera comes to see us off. Please stop waving your hands while crying like it"s a final farewell. I feel a bit embarra.s.sed.

After spending one day and one night, we got off the s.h.i.+p in a town along the way that had less than 10.000 total population. From there, we"re traveling on the wagon after a long time off. Along the way to Bornean forest, There"s going to be another town with the same scale as this one, but beside that, there are only several villages. I"m glad that at least it"s not an unexplored region.

Now, let"s go, to the elven forest.