Blessing from the Goddess and Transfer to Another World! ~No Thanks, I Don’t Need a Special Ability~

Chapter 82 – The Zodiac Gates and another Duel Request

Author’s Note: Happy new year, and so on. Please treat me well this year as well, and so on.

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While we were relaxing after dealing with the Tenri debacle, we decided to go on a tour of the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area, visiting all the Dragon’s Gates.

There are 12 gates within the Hidden Area, leading to another set of 12 gates spread out all over the world. In other words, by using the Dragon’s Gates, we’ll be able to instantly travel to any part of the world. It’s rather ironic, when you think about it, that the Dragon Newts chose to cut themselves off from the outside world, while at the same time having the perfect means for becoming the centre of a world-spanning transportation network.

“Then, let’s go in order! First up is the Gate of the Rat!”

“Kyu~! Yay~!”

Going along with Mio’s declaration, we decided to go through the zodiac-named gates in clockwise order, hence we’re currently at the Gate of the Rat. We plan to place a ‘Portal’ beyond each gate, so that we can reduce the future travel time to different parts of the world as much as possible.

Personally, I enjoy the time spent travelling, so reducing it too much doesn’t really sit right with me, but then again, it would feel like a waste not to make use of what’s right in front of us, given that we’re already here. As such, we’ll just place the ‘Portals’ for now, and we can decide later whether we’ll actually use them or not. By the way, according to Alta, Lucia, being the head of the Chamber of Advanced Commerce, is already planning to open branch stores near the new transfer points. Looks like they will also span the world pretty soon.

“Jin-kun, will the ruins on the other side be like the ones in Narnka Kingdom…?”

“Yeah, it’s probably the same style of ruins.”

“What if some destinations are buried in the ground, or even underwater…?”

Sakura raised a valid point. The Dragon’s Gate that we used to enter the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area was hidden deep inside a cave, so we were able to use it without any problems. However, there is no guarantee that the same will be the case for all the other Dragon’s Gates spread throughout the world. It’s entirely possible for some of them to have been destroyed, damaged, buried underground, or even sunken underwater.

“That’s already been checked by Alta. Or, to be more precise, when I became the Dungeon Master, we were able to access all the information about the Hidden Area. At the time, we were also able to confirm that all the Dragon’s Gates were working correctly. Though there are indeed two of them that are currently underwater.”

After roughly determining the positions of the Dragon’s Gates on the world map, we know that one of them is at the bottom of the ocean and one is in the middle of a lake. (ED: The gates are placed in two concentric circles around the dungeon core, so by knowing the positions of the core, the zodiac gates, and some of the outer gates, they were able to extrapolate the positions of the remaining ones)

“Well, even if it’s underwater, if we prepare, it’s not like it’s impossible for us to go. We already went through the trouble, so I think we should at least check them out.”

“If possible, I would prefer for Jin-sama to stay behind…”

“Rejected.”

I dismissed Maria’s proposal with a single word. Waiting in a safe place while even Dora goes would be way too uncool.

“So, we don’t need to worry about the transfer failing… Then, one more thing… What if someone is already at the destination…?”

In addition to the gates being underground or underwater, it would also be a problem if someone happened to see us use them. At a quick glance, they’re just ordinary ruins, but they could just as well have become tourist attractions, or in the worst case scenario, be located in the middle of a city. Obviously, we’ve already thought of that possibility.

“Naturally, I’d like you to make a new magic spell for us, in order to deal with that, Sakura. Let’s see… How about one to make us invisible?”

If we were invisible, it would decrease the chances of anyone noticing us when we transfer. Plus, let’s have a smaller scouting party, like, just me and Dora (Maria will also follow), and then we can call the rest over afterwards.

“I see. Then, please wait a moment… …Huh? It seems that I can’t make it…”

“Eh, seriously?”

The only magic spell that Sakura hasn’t been able to make so far, was one to return us to our original world. And even then, it was a case of not having enough MP on hand, rather than it straight up not being possible to make.

“Um, Jin-sama…”

“What is it, Maria?”

“There actually already is a magic spell to turn yourself invisible. It’s a part of the ‘Attribute-Less Magic’ skill. I believe Jin-sama got it from an S-rank adventurer back in Kastal.”

“………Ah, you’re right!”

<Attribute-Less Magic>
Magic with effects not covered by the basic magic attributes. It was once treated as a sign of incompetence, and is rarely passed on. Notable spells include ‘Energy Blast’ and ‘Invisibility’. (ED: Previously translated as ‘Non-Elemental Magic’ and ‘Spirit Bullet’ respectively, but it’s probably more like a hadouken-style, concentrated energy blast attack. On that topic, the magic in this novel is divided into 8 basic attributes: 6 elemental ones: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Ice and Lightning; and then Light and Dark; but there are also various specialised magic attributes, like Maria’s ‘Barrier Magic’ and Tokoyo’s ‘Space Magic’)

‘Attribute-Less Magic’ is one of the unique skills I took from that one, cool-looking wizard guy (appearance omitted) during the Romarie [fake Sakuya] incident. Obviously, ‘Invisibility’ is a spell for making yourself invisible. Sakura’s special power, ‘Magic Creation’, can’t create magic spells that already exist, and by chance, there already was one with exactly the same effect.

“For Master, even the unique skills of S-rank adventurers aren’t worth remembering…”

“It can’t be helped! That time was like an S-rank adventurers’ unique skills bargain sale…”

The turmoil caused by the fake Sakuya attracted a lot of S-rank adventurers to gather from all over Kastal. There were so many unique skills that I took at that time, that, other than the ones that caught my eye, I didn’t even have time to go through all of them.

For the time being, I gave Sakura the ‘Sorcery’ skill, and Maria the ‘Magic Sword’ and ‘Holy Sword’ skills, but I never actually saw the two of them use these. As a side note, the skills I gave Maria occasionally level up for some reason, even though she pretty much stays by my side all day every day…

“Master certainly got his hands on quite a number of unique skills back then. But, on the other hand, since we already have it, there’s no need to trouble Sakura-sama with making a new magic spell this time, so it all worked out in the end.”

“Yep, might as well give it a try. Sorry for wasting your time, Sakura.”

“No, It’s fine, please don’t mind it… If you ever need more magic spells, please let me know anytime…”

“Yeah, I’ll rely on you at that time”

“Yes…!”

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The attribute-less magic spell ‘Invisibility [Transparency]’ can apparently be cast on multiple people at once, so I decided to give it a try. After invoking it, the bodies of Dora, Maria and I became slightly see-through. To the other members, it looked as if we’d disappeared.

‘Invisibility’ will constantly consume MP while it’s active, so, in theory, one can keep it going indefinitely, as long as they don’t run out of MP. Well, on top of my ridiculously large MP pool, I also have the ‘Automatic MP Recovery’ skill, so it’s not really a problem for me. (ED: ‘MP pool size’ is, in short, the maximum amount of MP, or Mana Points, that one can have stored up at any given time)

“Ooh, Master disappeared. With this he can peep in the baths all he wants!”

“To begin with, If I were to peep, could anyone in the mansion even stop me?”

“Oh right, no one would stop Master from peeping in the first place…”

Basically, the people in the mansion are all my subordinates, so, If I were to actually try and peep, no one would have the ability to stop me.

“If possible, please don’t just suddenly show up… Please let me sort my feelings first…”

“If Jin-sama wants to see me naked, please come and look at me anytime you like.”

“Kyu~? Kyu~! Master wants to look~? Dora doesn’t mind~!”

“Well, if it’s just looking, I don’t mind. Wait a little longer for the real thing.”

Far from the main issue being that no one could resist, it’s that no one would even want to resist…

“No, I wasn’t going to peep to begin with. It was just a joke.”

“What~, that’s too bad.”

“Mio-chan, I don’t think that’s something for a former high school student to be so disappointed about…”

Well, I’d probably just ask them up front to show me, rather than peek. …No, the situation of them not being aware that they’re being watched is also quite…

Let’s return to the main topic.

Even if it would instantly recover, I didn’t want to waste MP on ‘Invisibility’ for no reason while we talked about such unimportant things, so I decided to go ahead with the transfer.

“Then, we’re off. If there are no problems, we’ll immediately call you over, so stand by.”

“Yes…”

“Okay~.”

“Understood.”

While invisible, Maria, Dora, and I stood atop the crest at the Gate of the Rat, and once Dora touched the sigil in the middle of it, the transfer device was activated.

The scenery in front of us completely changed, as we were transferred to the Dragon’s Gate far north of the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone here.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

In case there were people here, we were talking via telepathy. Checking with the map, there don’t seem to be any human-like creatures within a few kilometres around us.

As such, I cancelled ‘Invisibility’.

The Dragon’s Gate is surrounded by a snow-covered landscape, and even now there’s snow falling heavily around us. Still, it makes sense that the north would be a snowy country. It’s absurdly cold though…

“Anyway, it’s pretty cold here, isn’t it? Well, I guess it’s only natural if it snows this much.”

“Jin-sama, please wear this.”

“Ah, thank you.”

While saying that, I put on the coat that Maria handed me. Yep, that’s a lot better.

“Kyu~, kyui~! Yay~, snow~!”

Incidentally, Dora was frolicking about through the snow in high spirits. She doesn’t look cold at all. Kids aren’t really that bothered by the cold, huh?

“Be careful not to fall down!”

“Kyu! Kyukyu!? Yes~! Uwah!?”

-pomf-

Right as she said that, she fell head first into the snow. It seems that she fell because she looked this way when replying to me. …It’s not my fault, right? 

“Kyui~, kyu~. Ehehe, I fell~.”

“Dora-chan, are you alright?”

“Kyu! Un!”

Dora said as she stood up and started running around again. She looks really happy. Even more so, than when she returned to the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area, her home town. The Chieftain is really pitiful…

Now then, it’s about time I called the rest over.

“It’s snowing out here, so you might want to put on some warm clothes first.”

“Yes~.” x3

I urged them to dress warmly via telepathy, and once they were done changing, I called them over with ‘Summon’.

“Ugh, It’s really cold! Master, warm me up~!”

“Sure, will ‘Fireball’ do?”

I conjured up a ball of fire using ‘Fire Magic’ in front of Mio who was coming at me in a ‘hug me’ pose.

“I’ll die!?”

“It was just a joke. Upsy daisy…”

“Eh~, now I’m being carried!?”

Just like that, I picked up Mio and held her in my arms. Looks like skinship is a great way to warm someone up. I feel much warmer already. Looking at Mio, she seems to be torn between various feelings, with both happy and sad mixed in there.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m split between feeling sad that I’m being treated totally like a child, and thinking that being held like this is actually not so bad…”

“I see…”

Being a previously 16-year-old, and currently an 8-years-old, so, in total, a 24-year-old girl comes with various complications it seems. Though in Mio’s case, it’s more like she’s redoing her earlier years, so saying that she’s 24 years old isn’t quite right either.

“It really is cold… As Jin-kun had said, it was a good idea to put on some warm clothes before coming here… But it’s still a little cold…”

“Actually, I’ve always been really good with cold. I would have been fine in this weather even without warm clothes.”

Sakura looked cold, just like Mio, while Sera on the other hand didn’t seem to mind the cold at all. Is it due to her unusually-high muscle density?

A: That’s right.

“Sakura-sama, would you like to wear my coat as well?”

“Would that be alright…?”

“Yes, it’s no problem at all. It seems a bit harsh on you, so please use it.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Please don’t mention it.”

Borrowing Sera’s coat, Sakura put it on, but all those extra layers only served to make her look all round and fluffy. It must be pretty hard to move like that.

“Jin-sama, I’ve finished setting up a ‘Portal’.”

“Ah, thank you, Maria.”

I received Maria’s report. While I was bringing everyone over with ‘Summon’, I left the task of placing down a ‘Portal’ to her.

“I know we just got here, but the ‘Portal’ is already set up, so I think we should head back now. There aren’t any people within a few kilometres from here, so I intend to put off exploring this place until later.”

“Kyu~. Dora wants to play more~.”

“I’m sorry. We still have 10 more places to visit, so we can’t spend too much time in any one of them.”

Excluding the Gate of the Goat, we plan to go through all the Dragon’s Gates today, so, naturally, the time we can spend at each place is rather limited. Also, we already decided that we are going to spend as little time as humanly possible at the Gate of the Monkey, since it leads to Eludia.

“Kyu~. Kyu? Okay~. Can we come again?”

“Sure, it’s a promise.”

It’s not like I dislike snowy countries, and I would like to go sightseeing here in the future, so we’ll definitely come back when we have the time.

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After that, we toured all the Dragon’s Gates for the rest of the day. Below is a list of all of them, along with their transfer destinations. I didn’t really look into the details of the places I haven’t been to, nor heard of before, though. I’m the type to save that for later, after all.

Gate of the Rat: ???, snowfield
Gate of the Ox: ???, forest
Gate of the Tiger: ???, lake
Gate of the Rabbit: Izumo, city
Gate of the Dragon: ???, desert
Gate of the Snake: Elf Village, forest
Gate of the Horse: Crimson Empire, forest
Gate of the Goat: Narnka Kingdom, bandit’s hideout
Gate of the Monkey: Eludia Kingdom, meadow north-east of the royal capital
Gate of the Rooster: Sanokia Kingdom, forest
Gate of the Dog: ???, ocean
Gate of the Pig: ???, wasteland

Just like the snowfield behind the Gate of the Rat, the forest behind the Gate of the Ox, the desert behind the Gate of the Dragon, and the wasteland behind the Gate of the Pig didn’t have anyone living nearby. I could have investigated if there were any villages in the surrounding areas, but I decided to leave that to the Maids of the Chamber of Advanced Commerce instead. Apparently, they are already raring to go… 

The gates connected to the Gate of the Tiger, and the Gate of the Dog were the two submerged ones. The latter was on the bottom of the ocean so naturally there was nothing around it, and as for the former, it was situated in the middle of a lake which looked to be some noble’s summer retreat. Since it looked like trouble, I decided to put it off for now.

The Gate of the Rabbit was connected to the capital city of a country known as Izumo. I briefly investigated some details about the place so I’ll give you a short explanation. To sum it up, it’s your template ‘eastern country’.

It’s roughly based on Japan during its Sengoku and Edo periods, with people living there wearing Japanese-style clothes, eating Japanese-style food, and living in Japanese-style houses. Their main weapons are the katana and the bow, and their blacksmithing is said to be superior to other countries’.

It’s unlike the Kastal Queendom which only has Japanese-like elements awkwardly mixed into its culture, and the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area which only uses Japanese-like names. Honestly, It’s the first time I’ve seen something so completely Japanese since coming to this world.

Why does a country like this even exist? In all likelihood a summoned or a reincarnated person had a hand in this, since it would be hard to imagine for such an easily recognizable Japanese-style country to spontaneously sprout up in another world.

As a side note, the country is apparently also famous for being the favourite visit destination for the heroes of the past… Obviously, I understand how they would feel. Mio is also really excited about it. Naturally, I’m also thinking about going to visit. No, we will go.

However, right now, the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area takes priority. We’ll go after we’re done here. …Weren’t we already going to the Crimson Empire?

Let’s return to the topic of the Dragon’s Gates.

Given the area of our past activities, the countries that we already knew of are all clustered in the southwestern direction. Eludia Kingdom aside, Sera’s homeland, Sanokia Kingdom, is also connected to via a Dragon’s Gate. Still, it seems to be a country that heavily favours the nobles, so I don’t really want to go there, and Sera hasn’t shown any interest in it either, so I think we’ll just pass on it as well.

What’s more interesting is that both of the places that we were planning to visit in the future, the Crimson Empire and the Elven Village, also have a Dragon’s Gate within their borders. Neither of the gates are particularly close to our actual destinations (the imperial capital, and the village proper), but it would certainly decrease our travel time by a lot if we were to use them.

Hmm, should we go by carriage and enjoy the scenery while we travel, or just use the shortcut that we already went through the trouble of making? …Well, for now the plan is to go by carriage while we still have time, and if we happen to run out, we’ll then use the gate .

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“My apologies. The matter with Akatsuki has become a little troublesome.”

The Chieftain, who greeted us back at the mansion, started with such a line. It’s that stupid bug again…

“How so?”

“Hmm, the thing is that Akatsuki is from the same branch family as Hisui, and as soon as his family had learned that Hisui had been moved up to the position of the first chieftain candidate, they started demanding for his release.”

Since Hisui was originally just the third chieftain candidate, the branch family that she’s from didn’t hold much sway, but now that both Dora and Tenri stepped down, and Hisui suddenly become the first chieftain candidate, the family’s influence increased correspondingly, and so they started demanding for the release of their imprisoned family member.

“Naturally, I refused them. But then the branch family said ‘If you don’t accede to our demands, Hisui will also step down’.”

“Can’t you just choose new chieftain candidates?”

So far the conversation has only been about these 3: Dora, Tenri, and Hisui; but is there some rule that prevents other Dragon Newts from becoming candidates?

“That’s not possible. The chieftain candidates are limited to only three, two from the branch families and one from the main family. Therefore, I could not allow Hisui to step down as well, and had no choice but to accept their demands, and release Akatsuki.”

“So, that means that Akatsuki is going to come and pick a fight with us again?”

Once he’s released from prison, the chance of that stupid bug coming to bother us again is pretty high. …Correction, he most definitely will. Still, If he comes, I won’t be able to guarantee his life this time.

“I wish it was just him picking a fight…”

“What does that mean…?”

The Chieftain muttered something disturbing, so I asked.

“Once they got a taste of victory, the branch family and Akatsuki immediately tried to force a duel between you two. With the conditions that If you lose, you will have to release all the tamed Dragon Newts other than Shirayuki.”

The reason why they didn’t demand for Dora’s release as well, was probably because she would get in Hisui’s way of becoming the next chieftain.

“Then, did you agree to that?”

“Certainly not. The matter of Akatsuki’s imprisonment was at my own discretion, so the right to revoke it was also mine. However, whether the duel will be accepted or not is not something I can decide on my own.”

If he had said that he agreed, then we would have just gone home. And, obviously, we would have taken all the tamed Dragon Newts with us without exception.

“Nonetheless, the other side is very stubborn. They asked me to find some way to convince you to accept the duel.”

“There’s no way I’d accept, right? There’s absolutely no merit in it.”

Simply put, I can’t imagine a future where meeting that stupid bug won’t feel unpleasant. And since it’s going to be unpleasant anyway, there’s no reason to accept the duel in the first place.

“As expected… Well, I’ll say it just in case, but they said that if you accept the duel, they will agree to your demands, if you match theirs. Akatsuki aside, the branch family members aren’t so stupid, that they would expect you to agree to it for free.”

“If they were, they would be done for in more ways than one.” 

Also, what kind of moronic thing is this stupid bug even saying? Did he really think I would agree to a duel just because he told me to?

“That might be so, but I would still appreciate it if you didn’t actually say it. Also, if possible, It would be of great help if you were to actually accept the duel. If you want more treasure as a reward for victory, that can also be arranged.”

“I think you misunderstood something. We only accepted those treasures because it was an appropriate reward at the time. Please don’t go thinking that we’ll do whatever you ask us to, if you just dangle some shiny things in front of us.”

“I-Is that so… I’m sorry for bringing it up…”

It would be annoying if they thought that we would accept any request they make, if they just throw some treasure our way.

“I currently have no intention of accepting the duel. That’s all I have to say on this matter.”

“Hmm…”

After saying that to the Chieftain I walked away, having deemed any further discussion futile.

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“Since it’s the long awaited duel event, shouldn’t Master have gladly accepted it?”

“What’s the point of having a duel with someone who you know is going to make it unpleasant? Besides, what do you expect me to gain from a fight with a guy who got completely shut down with a single move by both Sera and Maria before?”

“Well, not a single thing, I guess…”

Mio, who had been looking forward to the duel event, expressed her disappointment, but I ruthlessly cut it down.

“Honestly, it’s becoming annoying. Sorry, Mio, but I think we might have to leave the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area before noon tomorrow.”

“Yup, it’s a shame I couldn’t finish teaching my cooking classes, but I understand how Master feels so I won’t complain. But what’s that Akatsuki guy’s deal though? He’s really irritating, right?”

Mio was going to teach the Dragon Newts how to cook, so I feel bad for forcing her to quit, even though she just started today, but it’s still not reason enough to stop me from leaving.

“If Jin-sama wishes, I will go and cut him down right now.”

“No need. But the next time he attacks us, there will be no need for mercy.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Maria was saying something dangerous again, so I stopped her lightly. With how irritating the things have become, ‘lightly’ is as far as I’m willing to go right now.

“Does Master think Akatsuki and the rest of them will come to bother us again?”

“Oh, I think it’s more than likely that they will, though I’m still not sure whether they’ll try to just force the duel, or he’ll simply come and attack us instead. …Naturally I won’t show mercy either way.”

If he goes against the rules and straight up attacks us again, I won’t hesitate to kill him this time. …Now that I think about it, what even are the rules for duelling in the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area?

A: Simply speaking, killing your opponent during a duel is prohibited. If you kill them, whether intentionally or not, you lose by default. It isn’t considered a crime in and of itself, but it is a permanent stain on one’s honour.

So, it’s not a crime…

A: Usually, when duelling people in this world, one can designate a proxy to fight in their stead, but the rules of the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area do not permit that.

So, basically, the reason why that stupid bug kept challenging me to a duel was to ensure that I would be the one fighting him. I see, he’s trying to go around Maria, who overwhelmed him, Sera, who erased his ‘Dragon Magic’, and Mio, who defeated the Abyssal Dragon. Looks like not only does he hate me enough to want to fight me at all cost, he somehow also judged me to be the weakest in our group. Perhaps, he misunderstood that the girls are the stronger ones in our party. Talk about a fatal lapse in judgement.

Given all that, no wonder he’s been so annoying.

“I had a quick talk with Alta, and, depending on the situation, I might actually accept the duel. Sorry, Maria, but please don’t kill him if he attacks us.”

“Understood.”

“Aren’t you going to stop Jin-kun from accepting the duel, Maria-chan…? Don’t you always ask him to stop doing dangerous things…?”

“If it’s only that level of an opponent, it won’t become dangerous.”

Maria responded to Sakura’s question plainly. It seems that the stupid bug didn’t even make the list of potentially dangerous things. Talk about pathetic.

“Come to think of it, If Master accepts the duel, what are you going to demand as your reward?”

“Since Master already refused the treasure, you will have to make it something else, right?”

“Ah, I guess you’re right. Well, if you think about it, what else is there of value in the Hidden Area other than the treasure… there’s only the Dragon Newts themselves, right?”

I answered Sera and Mio’s questions.

“My demand will be to allow me to take several of the tamed Dragon Newts other than Dora with us when we leave. There are a couple that caught my eye after all…”

“Huh? Didn’t Master agree not to do that, in exchange for the free pass?”

“Do you really think we’ll still have a use for the free pass after all this?”

“………”

Mio silently shook her head.

Although I was prepared for a certain degree of trouble, we’ve already had 2 people, Tenri and Akatsuki, causing problems for us before, and now even the branch family that’s behind the third candidate is getting hostile towards us, so they’ll probably continue to be annoying in the future. If you think about it, the Chieftain’s family is like the imperial family of this place, so, by extension, that branch families are the Hidden Area’s equivalent of nobility. In other words, I’m being dragged into noble-related troubles again.

“That’s why it’s only several people. If I were to ask for everyone we’ve tamed, that would be over 90 people, so they will obviously be more likely to agree if I ask for just a few of them. And, obviously, I won’t take anyone who doesn’t want to come.”

“Hey, Master…”

“What is it, Mio?”

Mio was staring at me with frightened eyes.

“Why is Master smiling while making such a scary face?”

“Kyu~ Super scary~”

Mio asked me while trembling. It seems I had a pretty frightening expression. Even Dora became slightly teary-eyed.

“Ah, I just realised that Akatsuki is also a member of the branch families, which basically makes him yet another noble trying to cause problems for us.”

“Master’s hatred for noble-related troubles is really disturbing… I’m begging you, please stop making that face. I’ll do anything.”

Mio took the familiar dogeza pose. …Yep, I’ve somehow already gotten used to her doing that.

Still, when I saw Mio’s dogeza, I instantly felt a little more at ease. I’m not really sure how I should feel about that though…

“Kyu~! Master’s back~!”

“Oh…”

Apparently, I’m now back to normal.

“Sorry, I didn’t even notice…”

“Are you sure you’re okay, Jin-kun…?”

“Yeah, I guess it was bothering me more than I initially thought. That’s why this duel will be their last chance.”

I’m uncomfortable enough to make a scary face without even realising it. Now that I’m aware of it, I’m not going to just let it slide like that.

“Last chance? How so?”

“If anything unpleasant happens again after this duel, I won’t show any mercy to the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area any more.”

Until now, I was pretty lenient when dealing with that stupid bug because I decided that it wouldn’t be good for Dora’s education to kill people from her home town in front of her. However, there are limits to everything. If they’ll still expect me to indulge him after this, then I might as well just treat the entire Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area as enemies at that point. And I for one have no intention of showing mercy to my enemies.

“At first, I was just going to take the three tamed Dragon Newts who Mio is teaching how to cook, in addition to two others out of the Hidden Area as part of my duel reward.”

“That would be a big help. Outside of the Hidden Area, I would have access to proper facilities, and I could get the Maids to help out as well. …But, are you saying you’re not going to stop there if they keep bothering you?”

“Oh, there’s no way in hell I’d stop there. We’ll have to reduce the number of people from Mio’s side by one, but we’ll be taking a much more lethal one instead.”

I told everyone the names of the people I was going to take.

“Master, that’s one fiendish act.”

“Yes, it’s honestly shocking…”

“……”

“Jin-sama, are you trying to destroy the Hidden Area? Well, if you told me to kill them all, I would still do it though.”

“No, it’s not like I’m actually trying to destroy it. I just want to make them understand who they’ve made an enemy of.”

“It sure is unwise to make Master your enemy….”

So far, the only enemies of mine (that I know of) who are still alive, would be the Eludia’s royal family, right?

“Indeed, in the worst case scenario, the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area may end up being destroyed. But that can be easily avoided if they just bend their rules a bit. Well, I’d like to think that they would do it if things really got that far… Dora also doesn’t want her home town to be destroyed, right?”

“Kyui, Kyuu~! Dora doesn’t feel attached to it, but also doesn’t want it destroyed~!”

I also don’t want to destroy Dora’s former home, the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area. As I mentioned before, if the Chieftain and the other influential people of the Hidden Area bend the rules a bit, they won’t have any problems recovering. And while he values the rules pretty highly, the Chieftain isn’t as strict about adhering to them, so there should be plenty of leeway. Well, none of this will happen in the first place, if that stupid bug just doesn’t get involved with us any more…

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Backstory – Attribute-Less Magic

A skill that enables the use of unusual, ‘colourless’ magic spells like ‘Invisibility’ and ‘Energy Blast’. Since it doesn’t have any flashy spells like other attribute magic, it was treated as the magic of failures (‘Energy Blast’ is slow, and has poor MP efficiency). Even more so if you were to actually learn ‘Invisibility’, since it gave you the ability to commit all sorts of crimes, so it automatically caused people to treat you like a criminal. A colourless skill that caused its users to be looked past by other people.