“It’s been a hectic four days here, huh?”

“It has . We have already paid the inn, so we need only gather our belongings and leave . ”

We had arrived in the afternoon, and the day after that was spent replacing my a.s.sault kobold equipment . This continued into the third day, and I also had to retrieve the immobile Daniela from the park . And that brings us to today .

It would have been nice to have spent the time relaxing and doing some sightseeing…but trouble really did come unexpectedly . In this case, from right under my feet . d.a.m.n it, I could never let my guard down .

“At least you were able to buy some nice equipment because of it . ”

Well, I guess . I’m definitely relieved that it worked out . ”

The greatsword hung on my shoulder and the shortsword was attached to my belt . I lifted up my leg and flashed the black boots as well . Daniela folded her arms and inspected them .

“It all looks good to me . But can you really wield that greatsword?”

“I intend to . Don’t worry . ”

I make a confident fist . Buying new weapons always got me a little pumped up . I would fight the first monster I see after leaving this town .

We restocked on some food and that was it . There was nothing else to do for preparations . Food was all you needed . We hadn’t used our other camping equipment that much, and they were in good condition . There was also nowhere else to visit . Normally I would go around and say goodbye to everyone, but there was no point in doing it here . Dorothea wasn’t even at the inn, so we never even got started . Well, maybe we should at least say something to Kasil . No need to check on the little s.h.i.+t, though .

“We’ll leave as soon as we say goodbye to Kasil . Is that fine with you?”

“Ah, the blacksmith . His shop was on the side of the empire, so it is on the way . ”

And so we went to see Kasil .

“h.e.l.lo . ”

“Ah, here you are again . What is it this time?”

Kasil was sitting on a chair behind the counter as he polished a shortsword . He looked up at me and sighed .

“Just thought I’d say something before leaving town . Thanks for everything . ”

“Ah, is that what it is . Aye, travel safely then!”

He sheathed the shortsword and stood up to extend his hand . I accepted it with a tight grip . This was was followed by a suffocating embrace and a series of painful slaps .

“But really, I’m lucky to have been able to acquire such good weapons . Why is such a skilled blacksmith like you in a place like this?”

I couldn’t help but find it odd . He would make much more money if he moved his business away from this post town, and to a more lively city .

“Ahh, about that . I am asked this constantly . But it is my desire to give good weapons to people who come to the empire, and to people who leave it . By giving them the blade that will protect them, I am praying for their safety . Well, that was what my master believed, and I am just following him!”

He said with an embarra.s.sed chuckle . What a nice guy .

“I hope that you continue to pray for the safety of such travelers . ”

“Aye, and you two be careful . I’ll be praying for you!”

Kasil’s Arms Shop . I would recommend it to anyone who was traveling to the empire . The good-natured owner is guaranteed to give you the finest weapon . Well, in exchange for money .

There was a large town that could be reached after a two days travel from Valdorf’s eastern gate and pa.s.sing through a small village .

It was called the Adventurer’s Town . A town that had given birth to numerous renowned Adventurers . Dragonslayers . Dungeon Crawlers . World Travelers . I didn’t know much about it all, but they were famous . And it was this bustling town, that would be our next destination .

We had just pa.s.sed the eastern gate now, and I was asking Daniela about this town as we walked .

“We should be able to get precise information there . Knowledge about the empire and its monsters . ”

“I see… I guess we have to go too, since Valdorf didn’t have a guild . ”

Apparently, it was the guards of Valdorf that took care of exterminating the monsters . It just wasn’t a town that suffered from monsters too much, to begin with, and so they didn’t require a guild . We had been quite disappointed about this when we found out .

When it was slightly past midday, Daniela detected the presence of gra.s.s wolves . The yellowish green wolves inhabited this country as well, and they were now coming straight at us . I pulled out my greatsword as soon as I was able to detect them myself . Schwarz Tempest . Indigo bone that had been reinforced by the blacksmith to the point that it looked black . It was only when the sunlight hit the blade, that you remembered that it was actually blue .

“It is a beautiful sword . ”

“Yeah . The finest sword made by Kasil’s master . ”

I heave it up in front of me . It was heavy, but ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ showed me how to hold it, and how to stay balanced . I would not have been able to use such an unfamiliar weapon without it . I would be forced to practice with a wooden one first . This really was a cheat skill . Still, being only a little better than average was not enough to become unbeatable . It was ‘Master of None’ after all . But it was all I had, and so I would make the most of it . You just had to use it right, and you would be able to do anything well .

“Here they come . ”

Daniela glared at the bushes ahead of us . Judging by their presence and movements, it was obvious that they would jump out of there . I take it all in, then run forward as I raise the greatsword into the air .

“RWAARGH!”

With a howl, the gra.s.s wolf jumps out of the bushes, just as my sword swings mercilessly down . The sword draws a black arch in the air as it falls to the earth . The gra.s.s wolf splits into two without any resistance at all .

“Woah . ”

“Woah . ”

I had swung so hard that it slammed into the ground and kicked up a storm of dust into the air . Thankfully, a wind blew from behind and carried it away . It was Daniela .

Presence Detection was telling me that there was one more gra.s.s wolf . It was spying on us now that the first wolf had been killed, but it quickly turned around and ran away . It must have understood that it was no match for us . I put the sword back into its sheath and hang it over my shoulder .

“Huh…”

“How was it? Your new weapon . ”

“Ahh, thanks . It’s good . A bit heavy, but it packs a punch because of it . I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens when it has got some magic flowing through it . ”

Blue magic into the blue sword . It would likely activate water-based magic . I couldn’t wait, and so I used ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ to play it in my head . The sword was covered in water . The water itself was sharp like a blade, and it extended further than the original sword . The simulation showed the greatsword cutting through a large tree . It was kind of frightening to watch .

I shook my head and turned the footage off with a sigh . That Kasil…he gave me quite the weapon .

“What is it? You look very pleased with yourself . ”

“Oh, I was just thinking about how awesome this is . ”

“Hehe . I see . ”

She smiled happily next to me . We walked together, smiling under the bright sun . It was peace itself .

It was nearing evening, so we decided to search for a campsite . A decently open area that would not get in anyone’s way . That was what we wanted . Around us was open prairie with a few secluded trees . We had been walking for seven hours since leaving Valdorf, but the scenery had yet to change . Seven hours huh…I was definitely stronger than I used to be . It was quite a change from the pale guy who worked the night s.h.i.+ft . I doubt that Matsumoto had that much of a dramatic change, since he was an athletic student . I was thinking such pointless thoughts when Daniela called out to me .

“Asagi, there are signs of someone camping over there . Let us do the same . ”

“That’s great . It shouldn’t be dangerous if others were there . ”

There were signs of a bonfire too . Though there was no heat, so it would have been from a while ago . The gra.s.s in the area had been cut, and there was only dirt there, so there was no chance of causing a fire . There were also perfectly convenient flat rocks around where the bonfire had been . They were clearly to be used as chairs . There were three of them . A party of three .

In any case, this would be our campsite .

There were signs of a bonfire too . Though there was no heat, so it would have been from a while ago . The gra.s.s in the area had been cut, and there was only dirt there, so there was no chance of causing a fire . There were also perfectly convenient flat rocks around where the bonfire had been . They were clearly to be used as chairs . There were three of them . A party of three .

In any case, this would be our campsite .

“Daniela, you make the fire with this wood . ”

“Aye . ”

We quickly prepared to set camp . Daniela did the fire . I did the tent . We used a magic tool(priced at sixty silver pieces) to light the mountain of firewood . It would burn really well, as long as you were careful to maintain it .

Making the tent just involved putting the frame together and throwing the cover over it . Then you just hammered in some stakes to keep it grounded . Setting up a campsite should be swift .

“Now, we just have to do the food . ”

“Asagi, I think I may die from starvation . ”

“Stop acting stupid and go set up the magic barrier . ”

“Grrr…”

Daniela gave me a begrudging look as she picked up the four barrier tools from the bag(fifty gold pieces per device) and disappeared into the field . She would be back soon enough, and so I pulled out the pot and filled it with cut vegetables and magic water . Then I put the lid on and set it over the fire .

Daniela returned and sat down in order to stare vacantly at the pot . Her unfocused eyes seemed to be thinking about something else . Once the pot was boiling, I removed the lid and added some salt and spices . Then I put the lid back on and placed some meat skewers around the fire . Dinner would be ready as soon as these were .

“Here, it’s done . ”

“Hmm, thank you . ”

I pa.s.sed her a meat skewer and drank some soup . Ahh, it was good . My cooking skills were improving…

With a sigh, I look up and gaze at the sky . There was a gradation of orange and deep blue and stars that were slowly becoming visible .

How many days had pa.s.sed since I came to this world? Did they catch that thief? How was the manager doing? My mom and dad must be so worried . Up until now, I had been too preoccupied to even think back on these things . I would want to return if I could, but I would never go and leave Daniela behind . I now believed that this world would be my final resting place .

It was as I considered such whimsical ideas, that the sky became full of stars, and the orange hues disappeared pa.s.sed the horizon .

“It’s been a hectic four days here, huh?”.

“It has . We have already paid the inn, so we need only gather our belongings and leave . ”.

 .

We had arrived in the afternoon, and the day after that was spent replacing my a.s.sault kobold equipment . This continued into the third day, and I also had to retrieve the immobile Daniela from the park . And that brings us to today

It would have been nice to have spent the time relaxing and doing some sightseeing…but trouble really did come unexpectedly . In this case, from right under my feet . d.a.m.n it, I could never let my guard down

 .

“At least you were able to buy some nice equipment because of it . ”.

Well, I guess . I’m definitely relieved that it worked out . ”.

 .

The greatsword hung on my shoulder and the shortsword was attached to my belt . I lifted up my leg and flashed the black boots as well . Daniela folded her arms and inspected them

 .

“It all looks good to me . But can you really wield that greatsword?”.

“I intend to . Don’t worry . ”.

 .

I make a confident fist . Buying new weapons always got me a little pumped up . I would fight the first monster I see after leaving this town

 .

We restocked on some food and that was it . There was nothing else to do for preparations . Food was all you needed . We hadn’t used our other camping equipment that much, and they were in good condition . There was also nowhere else to visit . Normally I would go around and say goodbye to everyone, but there was no point in doing it here . Dorothea wasn’t even at the inn, so we never even got started . Well, maybe we should at least say something to Kasil . No need to check on the little s.h.i.+t, though

 .

“We’ll leave as soon as we say goodbye to Kasil . Is that fine with you?”.

“Ah, the blacksmith . His shop was on the side of the empire, so it is on the way . ”.

 .

And so we went to see Kasil

 .

“h.e.l.lo . ”.

“Ah, here you are again . What is it this time?”.

 .

Kasil was sitting on a chair behind the counter as he polished a shortsword . He looked up at me and sighed

 .

“Just thought I’d say something before leaving town . Thanks for everything . ”.

“Ah, is that what it is . Aye, travel safely then!”.

 .

He sheathed the shortsword and stood up to extend his hand . I accepted it with a tight grip . This was was followed by a suffocating embrace and a series of painful slaps

 .

“But really, I’m lucky to have been able to acquire such good weapons . Why is such a skilled blacksmith like you in a place like this?”.

 .

I couldn’t help but find it odd . He would make much more money if he moved his business away from this post town, and to a more lively city

 .

“Ahh, about that . I am asked this constantly . But it is my desire to give good weapons to people who come to the empire, and to people who leave it . By giving them the blade that will protect them, I am praying for their safety . Well, that was what my master believed, and I am just following him!”.

 .

He said with an embarra.s.sed chuckle . What a nice guy

 .

“I hope that you continue to pray for the safety of such travelers . ”.

“Aye, and you two be careful . I’ll be praying for you!”.

 .

Kasil’s Arms Shop . I would recommend it to anyone who was traveling to the empire . The good-natured owner is guaranteed to give you the finest weapon . Well, in exchange for money

 .

□　　　□　　　□　　　□.

 .

There was a large town that could be reached after a two days travel from Valdorf’s eastern gate and pa.s.sing through a small village

It was called the Adventurer’s Town . A town that had given birth to numerous renowned Adventurers . Dragonslayers . Dungeon Crawlers . World Travelers . I didn’t know much about it all, but they were famous . And it was this bustling town, that would be our next destination

We had just pa.s.sed the eastern gate now, and I was asking Daniela about this town as we walked

 .

“We should be able to get precise information there . Knowledge about the empire and its monsters . ”.

“I see… I guess we have to go too, since Valdorf didn’t have a guild . ”.

 .

Apparently, it was the guards of Valdorf that took care of exterminating the monsters . It just wasn’t a town that suffered from monsters too much, to begin with, and so they didn’t require a guild . We had been quite disappointed about this when we found out

When it was slightly past midday, Daniela detected the presence of gra.s.s wolves . The yellowish green wolves inhabited this country as well, and they were now coming straight at us . I pulled out my greatsword as soon as I was able to detect them myself . Schwarz Tempest . Indigo bone that had been reinforced by the blacksmith to the point that it looked black . It was only when the sunlight hit the blade, that you remembered that it was actually blue

 .

“It is a beautiful sword . ”.

“Yeah . The finest sword made by Kasil’s master . ”.

 .

I heave it up in front of me . It was heavy, but ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ showed me how to hold it, and how to stay balanced . I would not have been able to use such an unfamiliar weapon without it . I would be forced to practice with a wooden one first . This really was a cheat skill . Still, being only a little better than average was not enough to become unbeatable . It was ‘Master of None’ after all . But it was all I had, and so I would make the most of it . You just had to use it right, and you would be able to do anything well

 .

“Here they come . ”.

 .

Daniela glared at the bushes ahead of us . Judging by their presence and movements, it was obvious that they would jump out of there . I take it all in, then run forward as I raise the greatsword into the air

 .

“RWAARGH!”.

 .

With a howl, the gra.s.s wolf jumps out of the bushes, just as my sword swings mercilessly down . The sword draws a black arch in the air as it falls to the earth . The gra.s.s wolf splits into two without any resistance at all

 .

“Woah . ”.

 .

I had swung so hard that it slammed into the ground and kicked up a storm of dust into the air . Thankfully, a wind blew from behind and carried it away . It was Daniela

Presence Detection was telling me that there was one more gra.s.s wolf . It was spying on us now that the first wolf had been killed, but it quickly turned around and ran away . It must have understood that it was no match for us . I put the sword back into its sheath and hang it over my shoulder

 .

“Huh…”.

“How was it? Your new weapon . ”.

“Ahh, thanks . It’s good . A bit heavy, but it packs a punch because of it . I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens when it has got some magic flowing through it . ”.

 .

Blue magic into the blue sword . It would likely activate water-based magic . I couldn’t wait, and so I used ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ to play it in my head . The sword was covered in water . The water itself was sharp like a blade, and it extended further than the original sword . The simulation showed the greatsword cutting through a large tree . It was kind of frightening to watch

I shook my head and turned the footage off with a sigh . That Kasil…he gave me quite the weapon

 .

“What is it? You look very pleased with yourself . ”.

“Oh, I was just thinking about how awesome this is . ”.

“Hehe . I see . ”.

 .

She smiled happily next to me . We walked together, smiling under the bright sun . It was peace itself

 .

It was nearing evening, so we decided to search for a campsite . A decently open area that would not get in anyone’s way . That was what we wanted . Around us was open prairie with a few secluded trees . We had been walking for seven hours since leaving Valdorf, but the scenery had yet to change . Seven hours huh…I was definitely stronger than I used to be . It was quite a change from the pale guy who worked the night s.h.i.+ft . I doubt that Matsumoto had that much of a dramatic change, since he was an athletic student . I was thinking such pointless thoughts when Daniela called out to me

 .

“Asagi, there are signs of someone camping over there . Let us do the same . ”.

“That’s great . It shouldn’t be dangerous if others were there . ”.

 .

There were signs of a bonfire too . Though there was no heat, so it would have been from a while ago . The gra.s.s in the area had been cut, and there was only dirt there, so there was no chance of causing a fire . There were also perfectly convenient flat rocks around where the bonfire had been . They were clearly to be used as chairs . There were three of them . A party of three

In any case, this would be our campsite

 .

“Daniela, you make the fire with this wood . ”.

“Aye . ”.

 .

We quickly prepared to set camp . Daniela did the fire . I did the tent . We used a magic tool(priced at sixty silver pieces) to light the mountain of firewood . It would burn really well, as long as you were careful to maintain it

Making the tent just involved putting the frame together and throwing the cover over it . Then you just hammered in some stakes to keep it grounded . Setting up a campsite should be swift

 .

“Now, we just have to do the food . ”.

“Asagi, I think I may die from starvation . ”.

“Stop acting stupid and go set up the magic barrier . ”.

“Grrr…”.

 .

Daniela gave me a begrudging look as she picked up the four barrier tools from the bag(fifty gold pieces per device) and disappeared into the field . She would be back soon enough, and so I pulled out the pot and filled it with cut vegetables and magic water . Then I put the lid on and set it over the fire

Daniela returned and sat down in order to stare vacantly at the pot . Her unfocused eyes seemed to be thinking about something else . Once the pot was boiling, I removed the lid and added some salt and spices . Then I put the lid back on and placed some meat skewers around the fire . Dinner would be ready as soon as these were

 .

“Here, it’s done . ”.

“Hmm, thank you . ”.

 .

I pa.s.sed her a meat skewer and drank some soup . Ahh, it was good . My cooking skills were improving….

With a sigh, I look up and gaze at the sky . There was a gradation of orange and deep blue and stars that were slowly becoming visible

How many days had pa.s.sed since I came to this world? Did they catch that thief? How was the manager doing? My mom and dad must be so worried . Up until now, I had been too preoccupied to even think back on these things . I would want to return if I could, but I would never go and leave Daniela behind . I now believed that this world would be my final resting place

It was as I considered such whimsical ideas, that the sky became full of stars, and the orange hues disappeared pa.s.sed the horizon