kscans

Chapter 65 - These Days, I'm Getting Used to Speaking Like a Woman

After my conversation with Satsuki-san, Nanapon and I headed to the Diana Mine. Of course, I had Nanapon go first, and I followed after her.

About ten minutes after Nanapon went to Frontier, I stepped through the Gate to find her standing right beside it, waiting.

"Oh? You could have sat down and waited."

Nanapon usually sits at the table in front of the hut to wait. But today, she was right by the Gate.

"No, it’s just… that…"

Nanapon glanced toward the hut. I followed her gaze and saw a man in SDF camouflage standing in front of it.

"The permanent patrol Satsuki-san mentioned."

"I think so."

So that’s why Nanapon was waiting here.

"Do you dislike men that much?"

He’s from the SDF.

"Um, it’s not that I have a problem with men. But I don’t like being alone with a man in a dark place like this. Any woman would feel the same."

That might be true. I might look like this, but I’m a man, so I wouldn’t know.

"Perhaps you’re right."

"You might think you can just lop off their heads if they attack you, Eleanor-san, but I don’t have that kind of combat ability. Besides, he’s clearly stronger than me."

Whether I’d lop off heads or not aside, it was true that I would be fine.

"I can handle someone of that level, but it would be difficult for you, Nanaka-san, being a mage."

"Right?"

"From now on, even if you arrive first, wait at the Guild. I’ll go in ahead of you."

It was probably dangerous to let Nanapon go into Frontier alone. She might have Clairvoyance, but she couldn’t avoid everything.

Frontier might be a world of dreams and hope, but there were not a few victims. The enemies weren’t just monsters. They were people, too.

"I’ll do that."

"Don’t worry, you’ll be fine with me."

"Um, just how strong are you, Eleanor-san?" Nanapon asked.

"Who knows? There are skills and magic to consider… so I’m not really sure. If we’re talking about pure swordplay, then neither Harry, nor Claire, nor Saegusa-san are a match for me."

Though Claire’s assassination techniques and Harry’s unique skill were a little scary…

"That’s the part I don’t really get. You defeat everything in one hit, Eleanor-san."

"The same goes for you, doesn’t it? We’ve only been fighting Hide Skeletons and Skeletons."

Even if they were monsters, I wouldn’t lose to slow-moving bones. That’s probably why they were the go-to for beginners.

"But I use magic. Could you teach me how to use a sword?"

Nanapon and swordsmanship?

"Impossible for you. You have no talent."

"Ga-an."

"No need to be so down. Kaede-chan doesn’t have it either… In fact, most people don’t."

"What do you mean by talent?" Nanapon asked, clearly not understanding.

"Kendo and swordsmanship are different. You can’t cut a person. Though I think you could handle Skeletons."

It’s pointless for someone who can’t cut people to hold a sword. They’ll only end up getting hurt themselves.

"I can’t cut them?"

"No. Give it up. But it’s fine. You have magic, and you have me. If you have something you can use, then use it. Do what you can do."

"…………For example, what would you think if a superior who couldn’t cut people ordered their subordinate to do so?"

Hm? Is she trying to treat me like a subordinate? She’s the disciple.

"In what world does a king go out to cut down the enemy himself? What are soldiers for? What are knights for? Those at the top should just sit back and give orders."

"I see…………"

"What is it? Are you thinking of leaving me to become a party leader somewhere?"

Hey now, don’t you dare betray me. Satsuki-san won’t allow it.

"That’s not what I meant. It was just a simple question."

"Hmm, well, whatever… Shall we get going?"

"Yes!"

Nanapon and I started walking toward the mine. On the way, we nodded to the SDF member we passed and entered the mine.

Once inside, Nanapon created a torch with her Fire Magic, and I took a lantern out of my bag and turned it on. The area brightened, and once our preparations were complete, our usual Hide Skeleton hunt began.

At first, the darkness of the mine and the invisible enemies were tiring, but now that I was used to it, I could hunt the Hide Skeletons without getting too exhausted. After I defeated the tenth Skeleton, I took out my Status Card to check it.

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
Name: Eleanor Ocean
Level: 7
Job: Swordsman
Skills:
　≪Swordsmanship Lv6≫
　≪Speechcraft Lv1≫
☆≪Alchemy≫
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
Level 7
　　Healing Potion Lv1, Gender Reassignment Potion
　　Sleeping Potion, Pure Water
　　Translation Potion, Item Bag
　　Invisibility Potion, Appraisal Glasses, Appraisal Contacts
　　Healing Potion Lv2, Buff Potion (Strength)
　　Buff Potion (Speed), Buff Potion (Defense)
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

"My level went up…" I muttered to myself, looking at the Status Card.

"Huh? Really? Did you reach 7?"

"Yes. And first of all, I got a new skill."

"Whoa! Amazing! Is it beheading?"

That sounds like a skill for an executioner.

"No, Speechcraft. It seems I’ll get better at talking."

"Ah… Is it because you were lying all the time, Eleanor-san?"

"It was more like bluffing than lying. But let’s just be happy I got a new skill."

It was the new skill I had been hoping for. It wasn’t for combat, but I was happy. However, that wasn’t the main issue.

"Any new recipes?"

"About that. I got three new ones."

"Three!? That’s amazing!"

"Well, it’s three, but I think they’re all technically one type. It’s called a Buff Potion. There are three kinds, for strength, speed, and defense. You can think of them as doping items."

What should I do about these…?

"That… sounds like it would sell well."

If we’re talking about whether they would sell or not, they definitely would.

"But wouldn’t we be shooting ourselves in the foot?"

"I don’t know if you can call them enemies, but I wouldn’t want our rivals to use them. Is there a time limit on the effect?"

"One hour. It’s quite short, but it should be enough for combat."

"It really is doping. Not just adventurers, but the military and athletes would probably want them too."

The military and athletes are one thing. It has nothing to do with me.

The problem was that street thugs, yaa-san, and other criminal organizations would likely want them too. The demand would be huge, so they would definitely sell, but I couldn’t bring myself to sell them. I didn’t think it would happen, but I wouldn’t want Kaede-chan or Nanapon to be attacked by someone using them.

"I’ll use these for myself. I’m not selling them."

"Right… Well, that’s probably for the best."

Let’s see, the ingredients are… Buff Potion (Strength) is Pure Water and Sparkling Grass, Buff Potion (Speed) is Pure Water and Silken Grass, and Buff Potion (Defense) is Pure Water and Fluffy Grass.

…………Are you kidding me?

"Nanaka-san, do you know of Sparkling Grass, Silken Grass, or Fluffy Grass?"

"Excuse me?" Nanapon looked at me as if to say, ‘What is this person talking about?’

"No, those are apparently the ingredients. There aren’t any grasses with such ridiculous names on Earth, are there?"

"I don’t think so. At least, I’ve never heard of them."

Right. In that case, they might be in Frontier. I have my Appraisal Glasses and Contacts, so I guess I’ll have to look for them.

"They probably aren’t in the mine, so maybe I’ll go look in Eden Forest or the Kunaar Ruins… If I can make them, I’ll give you some too, Nanaka-san."

"Are you sure?"

"If anything, it’s for your sake. You don’t need strength, but it would be good to have speed and defense just in case. Well, I don’t know how much they increase your stats yet, so I’ll have to make them first and see."

If it was just a small boost, it would probably be negligible for someone like Nanapon. Still, it was better than nothing.

"Understood. First, we need to try making them."

"Right. Well then, let’s get back to it. Now I’m really looking forward to leveling up."

"I agree. We’ll get stronger, and for you, Eleanor-san, your recipes will increase, so there’s even more to be excited about."

Exactly. I wanted to be able to make that final key as soon as possible.