kscans

Chapter 9 - The Dwarf and the Designated Quest

In the morning, I woke to find Famu praying just as she had been the day before.

"Are you praying to your guardian god?"

"No... um, it's a different god."

"Why the hesitation?"

I was worried she'd gotten mixed up in some weird cult.

"Famu, it's time for our match. I'm definitely winning today."

"Ugh, you're at full throttle first thing in the morning again. But I accept your challenge."

With newfound resolve, Famu puffed out her chest. As always, they were the perfect small size. She squeezed her eyes shut, embarrassed. I immediately noticed something was off. Her shirt was slightly raised by two little bumps.

"Famu, why?"

"I prepared them so you wouldn't make a mistake, Master. I felt bad for embarrassing you yesterday."

She touched them herself to get them ready?

"Famu, why didn't you trust me...? I'm a man who gets things done when it counts. I really wanted to find the location of your bumps on my own."

"I'm so sorry, Master. I didn't realize you were taking the game so seriously. I just thought you wanted to see them,"

Famu apologized, looking genuinely remorseful.

"Well, it can't be helped. Today's a no-game. The next round will have to be after the quest is over, but you better be ready, because I will definitely win."

"We're still continuing this? It wasn't a joke...? I understand."

Famu nodded, and as if she'd been set free, she tried to leave.

"Hold on, that's that. But I'd still like to play with them a little."

"Huh? But... I can't refuse..."

I pinched both of Famu's bumps through her shirt. They were soft.

"Hyan!"

Famu let out a sound that was half shriek, half moan.

"They're so small."

I varied the pressure, pinching and twisting them. They started to get a little hard. Famu's face was beet red as she endured it. It was hard to let go, but we had a quest to get to. I gave them one last, slightly harder squeeze, and Famu let out a soft "Auh!"

as her body twitched.

"Alright, let's get some breakfast and head to the meeting spot."

"It is not 'alright',"

Famu replied resentfully.

At the designated gate, the dwarf who had helped me when I was at a loss, holding Famu, was waiting.

"You were Aidan?"

"You said your name when you defeated that group of goblins, didn't ya?"

He was also the dwarf I had met on my very first day in this world.

"Ah, sorry. So much has happened, I'd forgotten."

"Don't worry about it."

"I should tell you, we're total beginners. This is my fifth day as an adventurer, and Famu's second. I don't think we'll be much help to you, Aidan."

"What? Fifth day? Master, you were using magic yester— Oof! I-I'm lying. My master was just pretending to use magic and was throwing rocks at me."

Famu was more surprised than Aidan. She'd accidentally let slip information about me and tried to cover it up by turning it into a funny story.

"It's okay, Famu. This is the dwarf who helped you."

"Hmm. What are your levels?"

"My master is a level 10 adventurer, and I am a level 7 Miburō."

"That's fast. Reaching level 10 usually takes over a month."

"Maybe it's because we've been steadily hunting slimes and goblins."

He looked at me, scrutinizing. Famu's character sheet didn't have a special skill slot. I figured he'd find out about my experience-boosting skill eventually, but I wanted to keep it a secret for now.

"Hmm. I'm surprised at how much you've grown, but I knew you were beginners. I figured I'd spend these ten days training you."

"I appreciate it, but I haven't done anything to deserve such kindness."

Just like with the Famu incident, I couldn't understand why this dwarf was being so kind to me.

"You tried to save a dying dog-eared girl, didn't you?"

"I was looking for a reward. I was after her body."

"That's not true. You can say that now because of how things turned out. But back then, I was a wretched sight. I doubt my body caught your interest, Master. I myself had given up on life. And you were being charged a high price. But you still tried to save me,"

Famu interjected.

"Heh, same here, I suppose."

"...Alright. Standing around talking won't get us anywhere. To be honest, we were at a dead end. We'll gratefully and officially accept this quest. Let's register as a party."

Aidan nodded, and we headed out of the city.

We hunted monsters as we made our way towards the settlement that was being attacked. Famu and I would fight, while Aidan gave instructions and advice.

"Famu. Don't fear the monster. Shift your center of gravity forward a bit more."

"Yes, sir!"

Famu was facing off against a goblin.

"Don't dodge by stepping back. Meet it head-on. Evade forwards."

Famu moved according to Aidan's instructions. Aidan gave a lot of advice, especially concerning her center of gravity.

"When you make a big dodge, don't just move your upper body; use your whole body. Move your feet. Connect it to your next move."

It wasn't something she could master immediately. Aidan patiently continued to give advice. Famu's movements were clearly better than they had been yesterday. Attacks that would have been deflected yesterday now became powerful strikes backed by smooth weight transfer, and she defeated the monster. Her defense also improved. She was no longer trying to dodge every single attack with all her might. She learned to read the enemy's attacks, parrying or dodging with minimal movement, and using her whole body to evade without losing her balance, connecting it to her next attack. She already had high agility. Aidan was advising her on how to best utilize it in a fight. She still made mistakes. Today, she took another blow to the side from a goblin. She looked at me with teary eyes, but Aidan's sharp "Focus!"

snapped her back into it.

"Your footwork has improved."

I patted Famu's head as she drank a potion.

"How about you, Master?"

"I don't feel like I've changed at all,"

I said with a wry smile.

"Hmm. You, have you practiced swordsmanship before? It looks like your current weapon is holding you back."

"When I was a kid, I used to practice with a stick made of bundled bamboo, pretending it was a sword."

I had done kendo in elementary and middle school.

"Your center of gravity is also pulled back. You fight with your feet spread side to side, but in your mind, you're thinking of them as being spread front to back. That's why you can't step in properly and your movements are clumsy. You're hitting with just your arms, so you're not doing much damage. Your lower body can't keep up with your upper body's movements."

He was exactly right. Spreading my feet to the side was to brace for impact. It wasn't a conscious decision; it just happened. My hips were back, and I was slightly hunched over, so I couldn't swing the sword properly. Also, since it had a blade on both sides, I was afraid I'd get hurt by my own sword if I tried to block an attack like I would with a katana. With this stance, I naturally couldn't use kendo footwork, and my forward and backward movements were jerky. I had given up on it, thinking that practice and real combat were different. But in reality, real combat should be an extension of practice.

"What kind of sword was the bundled bamboo stick meant to be?"

"A katana. Do you know it? It's a two-handed sword with a single edge. The opposite side of the blade is curved."

"Hmm."

Aidan opened his storage. From within, he pulled out a single sword.

"I thought storage was a skill only adventurers had."

"My profession is Alchemist, and this is its 'Workshop' skill. It's a little different from storage, but it can be used in a similar way."

I took the sword Aidan offered me. It was, without a doubt, a katana.

"Someone used this sword in the demon lord subjugation a hundred years ago. This is a replica I made. Give it a try."

"Yeah, thanks."

"And this is for Famu."

Aidan handed her two swords that were shorter than daggers, almost like knives.

"Use one in each hand. You'll need to get closer to the enemy to attack. Don't push yourself; just get used to them."

"Yes, sir."

A knife suited an adventurer, and a katana suited a Miburō. It felt backwards, but the weapons Aidan recommended were a perfect fit for both Famu and me.

As the sun set, we prepared to make camp. Along the road, there were occasional spots protected by stone pillar barriers, where we wouldn't have to worry about monster attacks. But we were completely exposed to our surroundings. I questioned whether monsters really wouldn't attack. We hadn't gotten any Mana Seeds today either. Monsters dropped items when defeated. Goblins dropped clubs, but the city wouldn't buy them. Slimes left behind vaseline. It's a secret that I thought it was semen until Famu told me otherwise. I'm keeping it in my storage. It looks like it might sell if I gather enough. Aidan butchered a wild rabbit I had hunted with my earth magic, and Famu added wild herbs she had gathered to a pot. Apparently, Famu had helped with gathering herbs back in her settlement.

"We're out of water. Is there a water source nearby?"

I asked Aidan.

"We'll make do with water magic."

So that was another use for it. I could also start a fire with fire magic. And I could control the strength of the fire with wind magic.

"I thought you could only use earth magic."

"With a little imagination, there are all sorts of uses. For example, try making a water sphere with water magic."

I did as he said and created a sphere of water.

"Put your hands in, and you can wash them."

"I see. If I make a bigger one, I can wash my hair. Famu, put your head in the water sphere and wash your hair."

"Okay."

Famu stuck her head into the sphere and began to scrub. Droplets flew out but returned to the sphere.

"This feels really nice."

Famu pulled her head out. Water dripped from her hair. When she shook her head, droplets flew onto me and Aidan.

"..."

I dispelled the water magic, opened my storage, and handed Famu a towel.

"I'm sorry!"

Famu apologized, taking the towel and drying her hair.

"It's a bit inconvenient, obviously."

"That's where imagination comes in, too. The water that splashed out returned to the sphere, right? Just have the water on your hands and hair return to the sphere as well."

"I see. Famu, wash my hair too."

While casting magic, I had to use one hand to control it like a conductor leading an orchestra, so it was hard to wash my own hair.

"Leave it to me."

Famu scrubbed my head vigorously. Her slender fingers stimulating my scalp felt wonderful. Since coming to this world, I'd only been able to wipe myself down with a wet towel, so this was refreshing.

"Alright, let go. I'm pulling my head out."

Just as Aidan said, I was able to pull both my head and hands out completely dry.

"Aidan, you're next."

"No, I'm fine,"

Aidan said with a difficult expression.

"It feels great. Famu, convince him."

We pitched a tent. Apparently, it was also enchanted to repel monsters. I didn't know the mechanism or how it was activated. The barrier's effect apparently kept monsters away for real, but there were also bandits. We set up a rotation where two would sleep inside and one would keep watch outside. The order was me, Aidan, then Famu. The middle shift was supposedly the toughest since you had to go back to sleep, but Aidan volunteered.

We didn't have a clock, so I thought it would be difficult to know the exact time, but you could tell by the position of the moon and stars. We decided the time to switch based on the moon's position. On cloudy days, they apparently measured time by lighting a braided cord. I could use my phone's alarm. My phone would fully charge if I kept it in my storage. But it couldn't get a signal, so it was useless as a phone. I kept watch, making sure the campfire didn't die out. Monsters were apparently afraid of fire, just like animals, but goblins were intelligent. I had a feeling they would use it as a beacon to attack. The stars were beautiful. If there was no moon and I put out the fire, they would shine even brighter. I could see the Milky Way. Was this place a planet within a galaxy? Maybe Earth was floating somewhere within that river of stars. I tried to find the North Star by looking for the Big Dipper or Cassiopeia, but I couldn't find them.