Chapter 535 - Chapter 476: A Magic Word
"Juju?"
"Nyafu-nya~"
Shal was explaining how the other Cait Sith, besides themselves, interact with humans (players). I also heard from Bell-bucho that the Cait Sith are divided into those who remained on Ramune Island and those who traveled from the Necropolis to various parts of the mainland. Speaking of which, Shal mentioned that Ramune-san's island also has a Divine Tree. There's a possibility that a child other than Sweee might be able to open a 'Fairy Path', which is a bit of a concern...
I'll have to ask True, Pan, and Kuro about this eventually.
"""Juju~!"""
"Oh! How is it? Any problems?"
"Juju!"
The Kijimunaa waved their hands from atop the rebuilt stone wall fort. If I had been alone, it would have been tough, but Bell-bucho, as expected of a pure mage, had incredible MP, and she's good at making stone walls. The gate was temporary, made of several layers of planks. I thought it might be too heavy for the Kijimunaa, but they were surprisingly strong for their appearance and opened and closed it easily.
"Now we can relax."
"Indeed. The Kobolds' stone-throwing from before won't have any effect at all, I think."
I tried hitting it hard, but it didn't budge. We rebuilt it from the ground up, even using Civil Engineering Magic.
"Alright, I'm going to go for a bit."
"Juju."
What I had to do today was retrieve the Transfer Magic Circle on the 10th floor underground of the Ancient Ruins. Now that we could come and go using the Kouyouju Divine Tree, I was afraid something might happen if I didn't take it back.
"By the way, are you going to maintain this path?"
"I'll leave that to the people from Silver Manor. Well, I think building it will also reduce the number of monsters."
"Ah, you're right."
It would be nice to have a good sightseeing course from the cottages to the Kijimunaa settlement.
Soon, we arrived at the Armra Forest along the way.
"~~~♪"
"Alright, alright."
Responding to Sweee's plea, I picked a perfectly ripe Armra Fruit. I'll split it with Mion.
"Shou-kun too. Here."
"Thanks."
I took a bite, and it was still sweet and delicious.
"Speaking of which, the Kijimunaa-chan we first saw were coming to this forest. Why was that?"
"Ah, they were apparently scouting to see if Kobolds were coming."
"Ah, I see."
They apparently go on patrol regularly, but the children who come to this Armra Forest gather Armra Fruits as if for a souvenir. Our encounter with them was apparently reported to Gaju the same day, but the battle with the Kobolds happened before they could make contact.
"~~~?"
"It's fine, but don't let any strangers see you, okay?"
"~~~♪"
I'd told Sweee's group they were free to do as they pleased while we were gone starting tomorrow. It was fine for them to come to this island, especially to check if there were any more Kobold attacks, but I also didn't want them to get too carried away... it was a tricky balance.
"Shal-kun. Please watch them carefully."
"Nya!"
Shal saluted in response to Mion's request. In times like these, the meticulous Shal is the most reliable.
When we reached the cottages, the Ancient Ruins were right in front of us. Lupi was expecting a race, so after telling Mion, I dashed off!
"Wafu~"
"Haha, there's no way I can beat Lupi anymore!"
I reached the entrance of the Ancient Ruins, turned back, and caught Lupi. She's gotten bigger, and she's probably about to catch up to Leda and Roy soon.
...
...
...
"Speaking of which, will Hitomi-san answer Shou-kun?"
"Ah, that's certainly something to wonder about..."
We had descended to the 10th floor underground and reached the Transfer Magic Circle room when Mion asked a simple question. The administrator here was Bell-bucho. However, Hitomi-san also knew that I was present when that happened.
"Um, Hitomi-san, can you reply?"
"[Yes. Responses are mandatory for owners of the highest authority.]"
"Seriously...?"
"That's amazing! It's only Shou-kun, right?"
For now, it's probably just me. No, there's the issue of what if someone else has an Azure Star Ring.
"Oh? So, if I had asked, could I have unfixed the Transfer Magic Circle?"
"[No. Authority related to facility equipment and the like is only available to the current administrator. Owners of the highest authority can only make inquiries.]"
"Ah, so I can ask what's happening now, but I can't change it, is that correct?"
"[Yes. That understanding is correct.]"
I see. Well, it's probably also for things like conducting inspections using the highest authority. If I really wanted to change it, I'd have to go to the Control Room and become the administrator.
"Um, I think you heard about when I unfixed it before, but I'm retrieving this Transfer Magic Circle."
"[Yes. Understood.]"
And so, I put the Transfer Magic Circle into my inventory. All that was left was to take this back to the island, and we'd be good, but...
"What's wrong?"
"No, I'm just wondering what players who come here will think about this room being empty."
"Ah..."
The lowest floor reachable by the current Transfer Elevator, and the only room there is empty... I feel like they'll probably search for a hidden door or something.
"~~~♪"
"Hmm? Leave the door open? ...Oh, you mean to make it seem like someone already came and something happened?"
"I see."
If that's the case, I'd want to leave an empty treasure chest or something... but Bell-bucho or Seth would probably get angry and say I'm overdoing it.
...
...
...
"Alright, I'm counting on you while I'm away, okay?"
"Wafu~" "~~~♪"
We returned to the mansion via the Divine Tree. The Transfer Magic Circle was temporarily placed in the storage. For the phantom beast group, Lupi was designated as leader, and for the fairy group, Sweee. Even without designation, they were already leaders, but this was a reaffirmation.
Oh, right. I should say the magic word.
"If you all behave yourselves while I'm gone, I'll make you something delicious again."
"Wafu!" "~~~!!"
*
"Oh? They're not here yet?"
"Indeed."
Given tomorrow's plans, I logged out of IRO and went to the Virtual Club Room. I thought Bell-bucho and Seth weren't here yet, but then...
"Oh, Shota, Mio-chan."
"Ah, Sister-in-law."
Marie-nee appeared, followed by Bell-bucho and Seth. Bell-bucho's group had apparently introduced the core members of Silver Manor to Azure-san after the live stream. Incidentally, Seth and Marie-nee had apparently been sparring with Geira-san's group during that time.
"Alright, then I'll leave things to you starting tomorrow. I think the fort should be fine against Kobold attacks."
I also mentioned that it might be good to build a path from the cottages to the Armra Forest and the Kijimunaa settlement.
"Understood. First, you'll see the location tomorrow."
[Update History]
3/8 Chapter 473 "Shou-kun is a Worrier" ~ Up to this chapter
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