by Roy
“I am very grateful.”
After Ryoma gave his thanks, he went with Sebas while Eliaria went with her parents to their respective rooms.
■ ■ ■
In the ducal house’s room.
The four people of the House of Jamil were relaxing in the room, when Reinhart suddenly asked Eliaria a question.
“Elia, what were you talking to Ryoma about in the lobby earlier? The air was kind of tense.”
Eliaria flinched at those words.
“Th-The truth is, I touched upon Ryoma’s past a little...”
“Really?”
“Yes. Ryoma seemed fine in the carriage, so I thought he was used to riding them... but... today was his first time riding in a carriage. He said he hadn’t ridden them before, but he used to run alongside or pull them himself...”
“I see... but he didn’t seem too bothered about it himself. He was acting normally after that too. So you don’t need to worry too much about it either, Elia.”
“Just be at ease, dear. You dragged him everywhere before we came to the inn, no? Keep being that way around him.”
Eliaria blushed when that was pointed out.
“That was... L-Looking back on it now, I’m embarrassed... I was too excited.”
“I agree, it was a little improper.”
“E-Eep...”
“Hoho, being energetic is a good thing. Elia is still a child, so it’s a point of charm. However, you mustn’t grow careless. Acting like that is just asking for thugs to target you, you realize? You must take care of yourself.”
“Yes...”
“Now, go take a bath and sleep for today, we’ll be on the move tomorrow too. And camping again, got it?”
“I understand. Have a good night, Mother, Father, Grandfather.”
Eliaria said, leaving the room to take a bath. Once she was out of sight, the adults changed the topic.
“Phew... so, what do you think of Ryoma?”
“I told Elia not to worry about it, but honestly there’s lots to worry about.”
“But he seems like a good child. Anyway, if he was planning something up his sleeve, I believe he would have acted more like a normal child to avoid suspicion.”
“I have no objections to that. However, just what kind of life has he gone through to turn out like that? He said he took care of bandits with poison slimes, but that wasn’t all of his abilities. He has a considerable amount of strength himself, casually protecting Elia while being dragged around in circles.”
“While the only ones who attempted anything were amateurs who didn’t notice us, it was a wonderful show of skills. It made our job much easier.”
“That’s right.”
Reinbach looked at his right hand, where a small snake was peeking out of his sleeve. The snake slithered along his palm and poked its head out between his index and middle fingers, which Reinbach petted with his thumb comfortingly. While it would seem cute to some people, it was a B-rank monster called the assassin snake. Its combat ability wasn’t that high, but its compact size and swift movement, combined with its high wariness, made it difficult to find and defeat. Reinbach used this wariness to keep an eye on the thugs that approached his granddaughter. Even if Ryoma hadn’t done anything, Eliaria wouldn’t have been exposed to any real danger.
“If he’s that skilled at that age, then he must be...”
“There’s no need to be concerned over that right now. As long as one’s alive, there’s nothing wrong with being strong. We just have to watch over him.”
“That’s true. However, his reaction to the town hasn’t been favorable, as expected.”
“Yeah. I won’t say he has to go as far as Elia, but a child should normally be a little more excited.”
“He didn’t even blink at the size of the town or the number of people, it was like he was looking at a pebble on the road.”
Reinbach’s opinion wasn’t wrong in a sense. However, his interpretation was greatly different to Ryoma’s. While Ryoma had been looking at the crowds like he was looking at pebbles, that was because he had lived in a place as populated as Tokyo, spending his days within such crowds. Since he had seen far bigger crowds on a daily basis, he was wholly unsurprised by the crowds of this town, and was indifferent to the sights on offer. That was why he had looked at everything flatly, but for these three who were unaware of his situation, it looked as though his eyes were devoid of life.
“It doesn’t feel right to see youth with their whole future ahead of them with that sort of look in their eyes...”
On that day, more misunderstandings grew about Ryoma while he wasn’t present.
■ ■ ■
Meanwhile, in the room allocated to the servants.
Sebas brought Ryoma to the room where he would be staying the night.
“Excuse me.”
“Pardon the intrusion.”
They entered the room with their greetings to see Jill, Zeph, Camil, and Hughes inside already. It was a wide but simple room, with six beds and small tables lined next to each other.
“Yo, you’re here!”
“Welcome.”
“It’s only for one night, but let’s get along.”
“The bed in the corner is free.”
“Thank you, I will be in your care.”
After exchanging greetings, the five other occupants in the room started chatting by asking Ryoma questions.
“Come to think of it, what do you normally do?”
“Huh?”
“We live in town, so we can go out eating and drinking at night, but you were in the forest, right?”
“Oh... Normally, I research slimes... and practice magic. Also, I work out.”
“...Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t it get boring?”
“Magic and slime research... is fun.”
“If you find research fun, you might have the disposition to be a researcher.”
“That would definitely be impossible for me.”
“Come to think of it, Master Ryoma occasionally uses some advanced vocabulary and polite language. Did you study anywhere before?”
“I learned from my grandmother. She said having knowledge and manners... was important to get by.”
“Master Ryoma’s grandmother sounds like a wonderful person.”
“She was a person who could do everything, other than fighting with a weapon.”
“Oh? Then what kind of person was your grandfather?”
“Opposite of my grandmother... He could only make weapons and fight. But he was very good at handling weapons. The weapons he made... were also top class. I was no match against his fighting... nor his blacksmithing.”
“Huh, you’re a blacksmith too?”
“I helped... so I know the basics. But I didn’t learn properly... and haven’t touched on it in over three years. I can only smith dull rejects.”
“You certainly wouldn’t be able to get any proper tools or materials in that forest.”
“Now that you’re out of the forest, you can just buy the things you need. More importantly, though, is there anything you want to do? If it’s before dinner, you could even go for a walk.”
That was when Ryoma said, “Then, can I ask where... is the church?”
“Church? Sorry, but the church is closed at this hour.”
“The church in this town shuts its gates before it gets dark, so it closes early. By the way, there are two churches in this town — which one do you worship, Creationism or Divinity?”
“Creationism.”
“In that case, the church is unfortunately closed for today. If it were the Church of Divinity, then they would open the gates for a considerable donation...”
“Really?”
“While the scale of Divinity is large, there are many corrupt priests who would do anything, depending on the donation.”
“Even among the worshipers, there are many that believe in the gods but don’t trust the pries
ts. They say that those with their eyes on money head towards Divinity, which leaves Creationism with the devout priests instead.”
“They worship the same gods, and there isn’t much difference in the doctrines. Most people decide on their church based on the size or the personalities of the believers.”
“I didn’t know that... thank you very much.”
“It was nothing. But you must be pretty devout yourself, naming the church as the first place you want to go.”
“Really?”
“...I am also a follower of Creationism, but I only visit the church once a month, if at all. I barely worship while traveling.”
“Did you go to church often before you lived in the forest?”
“Ever since birth... I have never... gone. I just prayed... to the stone statue at home. I also had a stone statue made from earth magic in my forest home.”
“Then how about we buy some stone materials for you to make a statue? This is a high-class inn, so they should have the materials for carving statues of the gods.”
Sebas said, so Ryoma bought three large blocks from the inn. However, the stone materials sold there were of rather high quality, so the three blocks cost one small gold coin, a surprisingly high cost. Despite that, Ryoma bought it and returned to the room to use his earth magic.
This time, the elaborate details on the completed statues had Camil making a fuss, while Sebas praised his work as good enough to make a living on. The details on the stone statues were simply due to the fact that Ryoma had actually met the gods in person, so he had a firm image of them in his mind. Thanks to his magic control skill, he had been able to control his earth magic precisely. And finally, thanks to his hobby of making figurines in his previous life, he was used to creating items like this.
Starting with Hughes, the detailed reasons didn’t matter. He enjoyed the peaceful time, smiling at having the statue before him being praised. He completed the three statues in that soft atmosphere, and by the time he finished praying it was time for dinner.
Ryoma enjoyed another peaceful and fun time having his meal, then went to bed early in preparation for the new day.
Chapter 1 Episode 10: Accident
The next day.
In the end, we never went to the church in Keleban Town. There was a church in the town of Gimul where we were heading, so I’d just go there. Until then, I’d just pray to the stone statues I sculpted yesterday.
Thus, we’d enjoy our relaxing carriage trip until then — or so I thought...
“It’s a little cold...”
“Because of the rain, I suppose.”
“It’s a bit strange for rain to come pouring down so hard in this season, though.”
“Looks like we were unlucky, Elia.”
Several hours after we left town, we were hit by a downpour that was apparently out of season. The road was extremely muddy and caused the carriage to shake more, so progress was slow. Honestly speaking, it had been a while since I’d experienced any bad luck.
Ever since coming to this world, nothing had happened to make me consider myself unlucky even once, unlike on Earth. We were inside a carriage too, so maybe a bit of rain wasn’t even that unlucky? Just as that thought crossed my mind, I was proven wrong. The carriage came to a stop and an escort immediately came over.
“My Lord, it appears the rain has caused a landslide up ahead. We have confirmed that the road will be blocked for the foreseeable future.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“Yes, it’s completely blocked. There are quite a few boulders and trees that have fallen as well, so we cannot pass like this.”
“Any detour?”
“The route is still being confirmed, but it will be quite a distance from here, and all the possible roads have had reports of large bandit groups. According to one of the men with a weather forecasting skill, the rain should stop in a few hours. I suggest we make camp away from the landslide while waiting for the rain to stop, then work from tonight to tomorrow to clear the road so we can reach Gimul Town as soon as possible. If I may ask for My Lord’s opinion...”
Reinhart thought for a moment before answering.
“Yes, that seems best. Long journeys are tough on Elia, since she isn’t used to them yet, and we want to avoid dangerous roads. We shall follow your suggestion.”
“Thank you very much. We shall begin preparations immediately.”
The carriage moved once more. I heard them say there was a tree up ahead that they could take shelter from the rain under, but wasn’t it bad to stand under a tree in pouring rain...? Well, I suppose it was fine as long as I couldn’t hear thunder. I’d just make sure to stay at least two meters away from the trunk of the tree. That should be safer than nothing in case lightning strikes.
The carriage stopped again five minutes later, the people surrounding us bustling about with their work while Araune came inside our carriage.
“We are currently hurrying to set up camp. Please wait a little longer.”
Araune said with a smile, but my eyes were much more worried about the escorts I could see running about in the rain behind Araune. As someone who had previously worked for an exploitative employer back on Earth, I knew that an amateur trying to help out would only get in the way, but I still felt bad sitting around while other people were working.
Come to think of it, I had a rain-warding barrier amongst my barrier magic. It’s been so long since I used it, I completely forgot about it. That shouldn’t get in the way of their work!
“May I use barrier magic?”
“Hmm? Why so suddenly?”
Oh no, I was too abrupt. They wouldn’t understand what I was thinking of going by that alone.
“Outside, people getting wet... Use rain-warding barrier... block the rain. Easier to work.”
“I see, that would be helpful. I’m sure they would appreciate if you could do that for them.”
Once I received permission, I took a coat out of my Item Box that I had made from animal fur. The fur was on the inside of the coat while cloth was stuck to the outside, making it seem inside-out at first glance. But that was the right way to wear it. The outside cloth was painted with the sticky solution of a sticky slime that hardened into a resin-like coating, making it a useful piece of gear that could deflect water. Hunting on rainy days became significantly easier after making this.
I quickly put it on and approached where the people were to activate my barrier magic.
“Rain Ward, cover them and become their shield from the falling rain.”
After chanting the spell, a dome-shaped barrier appeared above the workers to block the rain. Neither the barrier nor the magical energy were visible to the eye, so the people looked surprised at the rain coming to a sudden stop. However, Camil noticed in the middle of his work and waved his hand in thanks. The others followed suit and thanked me too, but I stopped them with a wave of my hand and eyed my next target.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to cover the entire area with one barrier, so there were still four other spots where people were gathered that I had to cover. I started with the areas closest to me and went through them in order, finishing off with a barrier over the carriage upon my return.
“Good work, Ryoma.”
“Thank you... Wave.”
I sent the remaining droplets flying off with water magic, before returning to my seat for some warm tea. Then the conversation changed to the topic of my raincoat.
“I’ve never seen that kind of raincoat before, did you make it yourself?”
“Yes.”
“It seems to repel water very well. Were there any animals in the Forest of Gana with furs that could repel water so ably...?”
“All I did was... paint on the sticky solution of a sticky slime... and let it dry. Water won’t seep in. Repels rain.”
“Sticky slime solution had such a property?”
Wait, they didn’t know?
“You didn’t know?”
“The stick
y solution of sticky slimes is only used as a glue.”
Really? For some reason, it looked like Reinbach and Elise had sparkles in their eyes. So even this was a new discovery?! Just how deficient was slime research...?
“Would you let me try that raincoat on for a moment?”
“Just to try.”
I took several pieces out from my Item Box.
“This processed cloth. It’s thin, so it’s obvious it doesn’t let water through... it’s worn out. But if you use the cleaner slime before processing, it isn’t dirty.”
They used to be scraps from bandits and goblin loincloths, so let’s just ignore how worn out it was.
When I offered the cloth out, Reinbach, Elise, and even Reinhart and Sebas took the cloth and wrapped it around their hands before sticking them outside the window to wet them against the rainwater flowing along the barrier.
“Oh! It really is repelling the water!”
“The water isn’t soaking through at all.”
“There’s still the slight cold sensation of the rainwater, but that could be averted comfortably with some fur on the inside, like Ryoma’s raincoat.”
“Ryoma, would you like to collaborate with us to develop these raincoats as a prod...”
“Excuse me. Did you need anything?”
While the four were testing the effects, Araune opened the door to the carriage. Apparently, the signal to summon her while she was sitting outside the carriage had been a hand out the window.
“No, it was nothing. Ryoma was just showing us the raincoat he had developed.”
“Is that so? Then I shall take my leave.”
She moved to close the door, but not before I noticed that her clothes were wet. Araune must have been leaving the barrier to do work as well. I called out to her in a hurry to get her attention as I pulled out a curtain from my Item Box, that was originally from some bandit loot and had been processed to be waterproof.
“Wait, please... Araune.”
“Yes, did you need something?”
“This, for the rain... won’t get wet.”
“You’re letting me borrow this?”