157　Return → Pleasure → Summer

Chapter 10, begins.

It's a long one.









"This is……wow……"



　Morning. I met up with Akaneko at the port, and from there we immediately transferred to the front gate of the Firstest estate.



　As soon as she stepped onto the property, Akaneko's eyes widened in amazement at the view before her.



　It feels really good!　I am so glad I bought this huge mansion. That's what I think just from her reaction.



"W-What's that?"　It looks like a castle."

"It's a castle."

"After all, it was a castle!?　Were you, Second, the owner of a castle? "

"Right."

"Is that so……?"



　Pointing to the still-under-construction Second Castle, Akaneko shivered and trembled. Interesting.



　As we strolled around the grounds for a while, a man on a horse passed in front of us.





"――Eh!?　Second-sama!? "



　I believe he was called Jast, the stablemaster. He's a young man with brown hair in an all-back, gangster-like look.



　Jast looked at us in surprise and immediately dismounted from his horse, bowed lightly, and opened his mouth in a rush.



"Did you just return home!?　Please let us know...... Oh, I'm sorry, I'll send a driver to pick you up right away."

"No, thank you. I will walk around until around noon and then head back to meet everyone. Right now, everyone's at Southwest Manor, right? "

"I see. Ah, yes. It's still the southwest, as always."

"I understand, thank you. Are you at work right now? "

"Yeah, it's my morning warm-up exercise."

"I see. It's energizing. Good luck."

"Certainly!　Well then, excuse me! "



　We exchanged a few words and parted ways. Jast left with a big smile on his face.



　I glanced at Akaneko and saw that for some reason she was bewildered.



"What's wrong? "

"No, it's just…… That man was strangely polite, despite him being not much older. That's why I wondered who he was."

"Oh, that's our stable master."

"I see, stable-master……Eh?　Not a stable hand, but a stable master? "

"Yeah."

"Are there other stable hands out there? "

"There are. I think there were about ten of them."

"Te……!?　Gee, are they all employed by you, Second? "

"Of course."

"Wait a minute, there are ten people in the stables alone?　Then what about the other servants? "

I don't know, but I heard there are hundreds of them."

"…………I'm getting dizzy."



　Akaneko held her brows and sighed deeply, wondering if my house was bigger than she thought.



"There is so much I don't understand."

"Feel free to ask."

"……Then, I'll ask without reservation. What did you mean by "the Southwest Manor?"

"There are eight mansions on the property. The house to the southwest is the one we're currently staying in, right on the shores of Lake Vanilla."

"Ohh, that explanation hurts. But maybe it's my lack of comprehension, or maybe I don't understand what you're talking about."

"It means we move from one house to another depending on the season."

"Are you…… not kidding, I suppose, yeah. Sorry, this will still take me some time to comprehend. Just leave me alone for a moment."



　Akaneko smiled at me with a faraway look of dismay. You are going to live here with us from now on, but I wonder if you will be okay with that.



"Well, whatever. Let's just wander around until noon. You'll adjust in time."



　It will be what it will be. Thinking so, I abandoned the thought.



　……In the end, no matter how long it took, Akaneko was still surprised and could not adjust at all.











"Another woman?"

"Another woman, indeed."



　Noon. When I returned to the lakeside house with Akaneko, Silvia and Yukari looked at me reproachfully.



"Hey, what about your dungeon laps? "

"Oh, I heard that you were back, Second-dono, so I came back for my lunch break."

"Lunchie!　Eat with us! "



　Not being able to resist, I escaped with a change of subject, to which Silvia and Eko replied.

　But, alas, I made a mistake on the topic of conversion. This would end the conversation immediately.



　……Ahh～, Eko really heals me (trying to escape reality).





"Well, Master. What exactly is your relationship with her?　Surely, she is not the woman who suddenly slashed at you in the harbor? "





　Here it comes.

　Yukari opened her mouth with a very unsympathetic look on her face.



　The trouble here is that the aggressive feelings that come from that jealousy are directed at the other person, not at me. Yukari is that kind of woman.



　I think about how I'm going to excuse myself. However, I can't come up with a good idea. I wish Winemon were here at a time like this……



　Then Akaneko, who had received Yukari's words, straightened her bearing and slowly broke the silence.





"I am very sorry for the other day. My name is Akaneko. I was born and raised in the Land of the Eight Swords, age 17. I am the daughter of Kenshin, the Headmaster of the Tobatsu-style, and I was training to take over the school in the future. However, I have cast aside all these Tobatsu titles in a moment and have come here with nothing but the clothes on my back. I am blessed with a rare opportunity to study under this man. Everyone, I would appreciate your guidance and encouragement to this young, inexperienced girl."



　A brilliant greeting, not faltering.

　Then she bowed beautifully.





"……I see, it doesn't sound like she's an enemy yet."



　Yukari blurted out a small remark. And then.



"I forgive your discourtesy. My name is Yukari. In the Firstest family, I am the Steward and Head Maid, the Blacksmith for the team, and Master's personal maid and secretary and...... lo, lover. Best regards."



　She briefly introduced herself. Her face turned bright red. Apparently, Yukari's glasses were a good fit.



　But a lover?　Well, yeah, lover...... ehehehehe.





"I guess it's my turn. My name is Silvia Virginia. I'm the Magic Archer of Team Firstest. In the previous Kisenshou tournament, I won the competition and challenged Kisenshou, but was defeated. I plan to obtain the Kisenshou title in the summer. Please take care of me. By the way, I'm also his, what, hi... his... his... his lover."



　Silvia declared herself a lover in succession. As for me, I'm flattered, but if you're so embarrassed, you don't have to go out of your way to say so.



"I'm Eko Leafret!　Best regardret! "




　In this respect, Eko was truly good in a natural way. But what's that "regardret"? Don't make up words!





　……And that's when I noticed something strange.



"Huh?　Where's Ras? "



　I don't see Ras.

　Renko would be busy with her righteous activities as the new R6, which is fine, but Ras should have been living here.



"Yeah, that's the thing."

"I can't waste a single minute, not even a second!　She has been locked in her room for several days now, after saying that."

"All this time? "

"Yes."



　That's like her, but……



"She probably hasn't even realized it. If she knew that her beloved Senpai-dono was back, she would surely fly in, leaving everything behind."

"Yes, she has that kind of personality. You cannot be too careful. If I were a dragon and you were a tiger, Raspberry Bell would be a bird, I guess?"



　They both understand Ras very well. They've gotten to know each other very well over the past week or so. But if they know that much, wouldn't it be okay to tell her that I'm back?　As expected, they still draw a line in their relationship.





"Should I come and say hello? "



　Akaneko asked. This girl is very disciplined.



"No, I'll go get her now. I have some errands to run. You guys go ahead and enjoy your meal and wait."



　I sat up alone and headed for Raspberry Bell's room.





　Now for the fun part. How will that girl react?













"――No way!? "



　Announcing my return with a smile, we chatted for a while. After that, I suddenly used 《Monster Summoned》 to call Miroku and said, "This guy is Asura." After a pause of exactly one second, Ras let out a loud yell and raised her ass out of her chair.



　Nice reaction!　Ah, what a pleasant feeling. This is what I wanted to see.



"It's an original monster from Hinodejima, isn't it? "

"Yeah. Here's what happened――"



　I kept Miroku standing aside and told Ras in detail what had happened on the island.



　All the talks with Takahashi-san and with 0k4NN-san.





"…………That makes things more difficult."



　When I finished speaking, Ras muttered with a grim look on her face.



"Is that a condition for coming to this world? "

"I'm not sure. I think it's safe to say that death is a definite possibility.　But I can't see much else. The time difference is also very significant, especially for Professor Takahashi. It's so irregular now, it's just laughable."

"Well, I'm certainly curious, but ultimately, I don't care...... Hey Ras, what do you think? "



　About what, one might ask.

　It was a poorly worded question, but Ras understood instantly.



"……Rankers, huh?"

"Yeah."





　World rankers who were hacked at the same time as us.

　If any of them were dead ...... was there any chance of them coming into this world, or not?



　To be honest, they are probably the only obstacles I will face in my quest to become the world's number one. I hope not, though.





"They―― will appear, I think."



　Ras looked me firmly in the eye and gave her opinion.





"Well...... I agree."



　I have to agree.



　In particular, I feel that the higher the world ranking I reach, the more likely it is to happen.







"……I knew it, senpai, you haven't changed."



"Eh? "



　Chuckling, Ras grinned and spoke.



　That's when I realized it for the first time.





"No one would normally smile at that."





　My face, unbeknownst to me, was smiling so much that I couldn't control it anymore.











"――Lord. I'd like to ask you about a name that was mentioned briefly in the earlier conversation."

"Eh!　What a surprise all of a sudden...... Do you talk?"



　As I was returning to the living room with Ras and Miroku, Miroku suddenly popped the question.



　Ras seemed to think that Miroku was not supposed to speak, and was very surprised, holding her chest and looking slightly teary-eyed. Perhaps it is because she is an extremely beautiful avatar, but looking at her, she seems to be the daughter of some secluded family. Well, she was indeed secluded as a Saint.



"That lady over there said that I was next after Anko. Perhaps I am the second best for the Lord?　Am I inferior to that Anko? "



　Miroku, on the other hand, again put his hand on his chest and spoke his lines with theatrical movements as if he were in a play.

　This guy's movements and tone of voice are exaggerated, as they have been since we first met. Is that what happens when you live for hundreds of years?



　But since it is such a handsome man who does it, there is no reason why it cannot look good. The fact that it is not strangely unnatural can be attributed to its inhuman physical appearance.



"Oh, are you jealous? Oh my, there was a cute side to you. "

"What are you talking about? I am merely curious. At the same time, it was said that Anko's skill was incomparable with mine."



　……He is a Samurai, at heart. It wasn't mere jealousy.



　Those words came from the fact that during our conversation, he was able to closely read Ras' feelings of awe towards Anko, which were unconsciously hidden.



　But he's right. If it had bothered him that much, it would be better to make it clear.





"Miroku...... even if there were a hundred, or even a thousand of you banded together, you'd still be no match for Anko."

"You jest."

"You would think, right?　But it actually is true."

"No way. It does not make sense. Then how did my Lord make that Anko serve you?"



　I see, that's how it came about.



　Certainly, in my case, there is no chance of winning a battle against a thousand Mirokus. Miroku should know that. That's why he wonders. There's no way I can beat Anko, who couldn't be beaten even by a thousand Mirokus.



　Well, the story is quite simple. Anko in wolf form is immune to all physical attacks. In other words, as long as Anko is in wolf form, Miroku, whose only method of attack is physical, cannot win no matter how hard he tries.





"Strength isn’t measured in just one direction. If you have the strength to fly, you might not have the strength to burrow into the earth."





　Ras said admonishingly. That is correct.



　Miroku put his hand to his chin and breathed an admiring gasp. In a manner of speaking, he seemed convinced.







"So, what are you planning to challenge next, Senpai that can take on the air, the sea, and the land? "





　Ras asked me when we were almost in the living room.



　Well, that's obvious, isn't it?





"The world."







　Now that we are all here, let's get started.



　A heated strategy meeting leading up to the summer title games.





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Thank you for reading.

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Cheat sheet

Stats details

＜Status Details＞

• HP　Hit Points
• MP　Magic Points
• SP　Stamina Points
• STR　Short range attack skill power, strength, physical power.
• DEX　Long range attack skill power, dexterity, hit rate.
• AGI　Quickness, avoidance rate.
• INT　Attack Magic skill power.
• LUK　Good luck, critical rate.
• VIT　Simple defense.
• MGR　Magic defense.

Types of combat skills

Named after shogi pieces (The word in bold is the one being used in this translation). From easier to acquire to harder.

1. Pawn/Soldier (Fuhyou)
2. Lance(Kyousha)
3. Knight (Keima)
4. Silver General (Ginshou)
5. Gold General (Kinshou)
6. Bishop (Kakugyou)
7. Rook (Hisha)
8. Promoted Bishop/Dragon Horse(Ryuuma)
9. Promoted Rook/Dragon King (Ryuuou).

List of Swordsmanship skills

Swordsmanship

1. 《Soldier Swordsmanship》　                  Normal attack.
2. 《Lance Swordsmanship》　                    Piercing attack.
3. 《Knight Swordsmanship》　                   Precision attack.
4. 《Silver Swordsmanship》　                     Strong single-target attack.
5. 《Gold Swordsmanship》                           Small-range attack to all directions.
6. 《Bishop Swordsmanship》                      Quick and powerful piercing attack
7. 《Rook Swordsmanship》　                      Rush piercing attack
8. 《Dragon Horse Swordsmanship》　  Powerful ranged attack in all directions
9. 《Dragon King Swordsmanship》　       Most powerful range attack, takes time to prepare

List of Shieldmanship skills

Shieldmanship

1. 《Soldier Shieldmanship》　                  Normal defense.
2. 《Lance Shieldmanship》　                    Piercing deflection.
3. 《Knight Shieldmanship》　                   Defense + knockback.
4. 《Silver Shieldmanship》　                     Defense +chance to parry
5. 《Gold Shieldmanship》                           Ranged guided defense + knockback.
6. 《Bishop Shieldmanship》                       Reinforced defense (Temporarily boosts VIT and MGR)
7. 《Rook Shieldmanship》　                      Rush attack
8. 《Dragon Horse Shieldmanship》　    ???
9. 《Dragon King Shieldmanship》　       Powerful shield attack, takes time to prepare

List of Archery skills

Archery

1. 《Soldier Archery》　                  Normal range attack.
2. 《Lance Archery》　                    Piercing range attack.
3. 《Knight Archery》　                   Precise sniping range attack.
4. 《Silver Archery》　                     Strong single-target range attack.
5. 《Gold Archery》                           Weaker range attack with added knockback.
6. 《Bishop Archery》                       Strong piercing range attack.
7. 《Rook Archery》　                      Very strong single-target range attack with scaling % damage.
8. 《Dragon Horse Archery》　    Powerful Area of Effect piercing range attack.
9. 《Dragon King Archery》　       Powerful on-impact range attack, takes time to prepare

Types of Magic skills

They use the “Form” or “step” system of martial arts. From lower to higher.

1. First Form　      　      Regular attack
2. Second Form　      　 Extended range attack
3. Third Form　      　    Strong single target attack
4. Fourth Form　      　  Strong extended range attack
5. Fifth Form　      　      Extremely powerful extended range attack

• Their cast time becomes longer in this order First→Third→Second→Fourth→Fifth.

Ranking of the skills

From lower to higher, then it changes to the “Dan” system of martial arts, which means Grade.

1. 16th class
2. 15th class
3. 14th class
4. 13th class
5. 12h class
6. 11th class
7. 10th class
8. 9th class
9. 8th class
10. 7th class
11. 6th class
12. 5th class
13. 4th class
14. 3rd class
15. 2nd class
16. 1st class
17. Grade 1
18. Grade 2
19. Grade 3
20. Grade 4
21. Grade 5
22. Grade 6
23. Grade 7
24. Grade 8
25. Grade 9
26. Title

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 ToC    

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