Chapter 63 - The Summoned, and a Conversation in the Flank Tower
"Master, I—"
"Please. Stay by my side."
I had a feeling she was about to say something drastic, so I cut her off.
"Yes."
Fam nodded.
"What gives? You ain't gonna help us out? I was sent here by Ronron, y'know. You're the transfer sent by Racshell, right? That makes you super famous, and one of us."
Hyakka said. Ronron was one of the gods who sided with Racshell. But there was no way to confirm if that was true.
"I... DO NOT BELIEVE IN GODS."
I couldn't think of anything else. I hoped this would be enough to get me through it.
"I don't believe in 'em either, y'know."
Hyakka's philosophy was that gods existed, but she didn't believe in them.
"I see. Well, that's good then."
As I tried to turn toward the inn, she grabbed my arm.
"Not good. I wanna be friends."
"Sorry, but we've accepted a quest to guard a caravan. Things might change depending on our client's wishes," I answered.
"Well… can't be helped, then. In that case, how 'bout we trade info about gettin' transferred?"
Hyakka suggested.
"I don't have much information to speak of. I came to this world about a month ago. Racshell just told me to defeat the Demon Lord and threw me out here. Then, I was attacked by another transfer. I'm still trying to process the fact that we're being made to fight in some kind of proxy war between the transfers summoned by the Five Goddesses and those summoned by the other gods. Apparently, if you defeat a transfer summoned by the Five Goddesses, you get a wish granted."
"Wait, was it Yuuki who attacked you?"
"No, it was someone else, but they mentioned that name too. Who is he?"
"A guy, 'bout twenty-two or twenty-three. I won't go into details, but he killed some of our companions."
"…Is that so. Were you and Chihiro summoned together, Hyakka?"
"Yep. 'Bout a year ago. We were fightin' over whether to put pickled red ginger in the takoyaki batter or on top after it's cooked when we got called. We were still mad, so we kept arguin' after we got here, and before we knew it, we were booted into this world without a clue what was goin' on."
Their story was even worse than mine and Mizuki's. I wanted to mock them, but since we were in a similar boat, I kept my mouth shut.
"You seem to have a pretty good grasp of the situation for all that. Did this Yuuki guy tell you?"
"Nah, it was an old guy at the church. He told us. He kept touchin' my butt and stuff, so it was gross, though."
"…"
And I just sent Maira to a place like that.
"Just thinkin' about it now gets me steamed. Mixin' red ginger into the batter is as heretical as puttin' sugar in your scrambled eggs. Don'tcha think?"
"…You've got a point. I'm on your side, Hyakka."
In truth, I couldn't have cared less either way. I did, however, think that sugar in scrambled eggs was heresy.
"Right? Now I'm wonderin' what happened to the takoyaki I left back home…"
Hyakka stared off into the distance. I really wished she'd worry about other things.
"Master, what is takoyaki?"
"It's a dish where you make a batter from eggs and flour, form it into bite-sized balls, and bake it with chopped octopus inside. You get to enjoy the fluffy texture of the batter and the chewy texture of the octopus."
"Eggs…"
Fam swallowed hard.
"I can't make it. There's no sea around here, so I can't get any octopus."
"What kind of thing is an octopus?"
"It's a creature. It lives in the sea and has eight legs. Its body is all slimy and squirmy, but it has suckers that it uses to latch on and suck at you."
"…Did this conversation just turn lewd?"
Fam tilted her head.
"No, this is still about cooking. Hmm? Was it always about cooking?"
I feel like we were talking about something more important.
"There's a sea way, way south of here! You just gotta cross those mountains."
Hyakka pointed toward a mountain range, faintly visible and white in the southern distance.
"We traveled for over half a month to get to a town on the coast, just to make and eat some takoyaki. I'll never forget that taste. I managed to make somethin' like green seaweed flakes, but I cried 'cause there were no bonito flakes."
"…"
What kind of life must one lead to cultivate the tenacity to spend over a month on a round trip just to eat takoyaki?
"But that's where we met Moos of the Bovine Race and Korne of the Rhinoceros Race, right?"
So those two giants were a cow and a rhino. Still, I felt like we were getting seriously sidetracked. Right, the transfer story.
"Did Ronron tell you to do anything?"
"Who knows? She was sayin' somethin', but I wasn't listenin'. I did get a special skill, though!"
She's certainly resourceful in that regard. I glanced at Chihiro, and he nodded too.
"So, we just gotta defeat the Demon Lord, then?"
"Apparently the Demon Lord was defeated a hundred years ago by a transfer who was summoned back then."
"What'd ya say?!"
"…"
It seemed there was no more information to be gained from her.
"H-Hey, wait. What's with that cold look? We're on the same side. Let's be friends!"
"Oh, right. We were on a date."
I pulled Hyakka close and leaned my lips toward her face.
"W-W-Wait, hold on! Kissin' is for after we get to know each other better!"
She pushed me away with both hands.
"That's not fair. You let the old guy at the church touch your butt, but you won't let me do anything?"
I wiggled my hands, mimicking a grabbing motion.
"I-It's not like I was tryin' to seduce him or anythin'! He just started touchin' me on his own!"
Hyakka flusteredly covered her chest and rear.
"So it's fine if I touch you without your permission?"
"Of course not!"
she screamed.
"Aren't we friends?"
"Y-Yeah, well, if you help us hunt some monsters, I'll think about it."
"I'll decide on the monster hunt after hearing what my client and my companions think. By the way, how old are you, Hyakka?"
"I'm sixteen, and Chihiro's fourteen. On your end, is it Maira or Mizuki who's the transfer?" Hyakka asked.
"Mizuki. She's the same age as you."
It was strangely moving that they were the same age. Mizuki was just too damn lewd.
"So that makes Maira your local wife, huh. Findin' a bride in just a month, you work fast. Is Mizuki gettin' along with her new stepmom?"
It seemed Hyakka had taken my joke seriously. I debated whether to correct her or just roll with the lie.
"The Master does not have a wife yet. And the part about Mizuki being a child is also a lie. Master, I would prefer you not make such jokes, even in jest!"
While I was still thinking, Fam answered for me. Her tone was sharp.
"…So it was a lie. Guess it wouldn't be right to kiss me if you already have a wife, huh."
Hyakka said, seeming a bit intimidated by Fam's outburst.
We returned to the inn. I'd thought the town's layout was similar to Richelle's, and it turned out the inn's design was no different. Mizuki and the others were already in the tavern-slash-dining hall on the first floor. The place was deserted. Had most of the adventurers left town out of fear of the monsters?
"They've apparently spotted what looks like a swarm of big hoppers to the west. The forecast says the wind will change direction the day after tomorrow," Mizuki said. It seemed my report had already reached them.
"I think we should find whoever is praying to change the wind's direction and take them out," she continued jokingly. The Battle of Red Cliffs, huh. In a battle from my world, a military strategist had stood on an altar and prayed to change the wind's direction for a fire attack. Come to think of it, that same strategist had also gathered a hundred thousand arrows. I could probably manage that by summoning Racshell, but the problem was the arrows would just disappear. I might be a traitor for suggesting a plan that would thin out our already scarce forces and weaken the town's defenses.
"Even if we took them out, an attack would still be unavoidable. Did you ask what Avea plans to do?"
"She said it's too dangerous for the caravan to move until the big hoppers' movements are clearer, that we can't protect it. It looks like the Mateo Trading Company will be helping the town. In the meantime, we're free to do as we please."
Mizuki answered. In that case, since I'd rather not die, I wanted to stick as close to Avea as possible.
"Was everything alright at the church?" I asked, turning the conversation to Maira.
"What do you mean by 'alright'?"
"Never mind. If you don't know, it's fine. Did you get any information?"
Good. It seemed Maira hadn't experienced what Hyakka had.
"No. However, it seems the bodily fluids can be removed with a priest's 'Purification.'"
"It would be great if we could get rid of the smell throughout the town, but if we only do it halfway, it'll just be a waste of mana before the battle."
"Yes. I agree."
She nodded.
"Tomorrow, could you, Fam, Maira, and Aira check the places in town where the liquid was spread?"
"Are we to go around purifying it?" Maira asked.
"No, only purify it if you can. I just want to know what kind of places were targeted."
"Master, the dog-eared race has a stronger sense of smell than humans, but I haven't been trained, so I can't guarantee I can distinguish the smells with perfect accuracy."
"That's fine. I just want a rough idea of how it was spread around."
"Understood," Maira replied, and Fam and Aira nodded as well.
"Maira, sorry, but I think we should cancel the goddess summoning tonight."
If the monster attack was really the day after tomorrow, it would probably be fine, but there was no telling when the wind might actually change.
"It cannot be helped. We should conserve our strength."
"About that," Mizuki spoke up.
"I don't think it's a good idea to be too dismissive of Karpana. It might not be in the way you or I would want, but those people are potential allies."
"You're saying we should put them in our debt?"
"I don't like how you put it, but depending on your attitude, Mash, they might cooperate with the town's defense."
I didn't know how strong they were, but they were the descendants of soldiers who served Racshell. And they were a group waiting for a direct revelation from her. We could expect them to be a significant fighting force. But asking for their help might mean some of the Wandering People would die in battle. I was about to voice that possibility to Mizuki, but stopped myself. This decision was mine to make. I wouldn't let her bear it.
"Mash… I'm sorry."
"For what?" Did she see right through me?
"I overheard. Fam and Karpana's conversation last night."
"You were awake too, Mizuki?"
I thought she'd been asleep at the time.
"Yeah. I was sleeping, but their voices woke me up."
I explained last night's conversation to Maira, Cecily, and Aira, who didn't know the situation.
"Wait, did you know I was awake too?"
"I can just sort of tell when you're awake, Mash."
You too, Mizuki?
"I'm in favor of summoning Racshell-sama tonight. By showing that we're putting the Wandering People first in this situation, we can put them in our debt for a high price. I've also got a few things I'd like to say to Racshell-sama about why she summoned a geezer like this. Besides, you don't plan on summoning Racshell in front of a large crowd anymore, do you, Mash?"
"What a terrible thing to say! It's true I don't want to summon her in front of a crowd anymore, but if I think the party's in a real crisis, I'll do it," I retorted to Cecily. A vote had started without me realizing it.
"I'm against it. You can't predict what insects will do. We shouldn't underestimate them."
Aira said. It was rare for her to take the opposite stance of Cecily, but it was just like Aira to do so.
"I also object. As the one who most wishes to meet Racshell-sama, it feels wrong for me to vote in favor here. However, I do agree with Aira's opinion. We must be fully prepared for the monster attack."
Maira took a stance against it, but it seemed she was in favor of it inwardly.
"Master, nothing good ever comes from summoning Racshell-sama. But I think it would be good for Karpana-san to learn that for herself."
Fam was being quite sharp today. She hadn't said it outright, but it seemed she was in favor.
"That makes it three in favor, and two against. Mash, go get Karpana."
"Hold on, Cecily. Why are you running the show? I voted against it… Well, whatever. I'll let you all be disappointed too."
I decided to go and fetch Karpana.
Thank you for reading. To those who have liked, bookmarked, and rated this story, thank you very much. It encourages me. I'll do my best.